Why E-mails and Messengers Will Never Take the Place of Face-to-Face Conversation

More and more, people are finding a way to cut others from their lives. It is sad but true; humankind is starting to become a nomadic species, mainly thanks to the technology that supposedly keeps them "connected". Think about it: We no longer have to visit friends and relatives since we can dial our cell phones, instant message them from our Blackberry hand-held devices, or e-mail them a well-wish at any time of the day and night. We date online, we shop online, we do anything and everything in our power to avoid the old-time form of communication: the down-to-Earth face-to-face verbal exchange. Games such as Second Life proceed to take this physical isolation a step further, and one can only imagine how superior each update of these Sim-type games will become as a new generation of tech-heads improve on the socially impoverished idea.

And what exactly does this say about our future? Will generations to come become less and less able to socially communicate effectively, particularly if every Yahoo e-mail message comes complete with our very own facial emoticons? Already, as a classroom teacher, I run into students that find it very difficult to effectively express their ideas. Many slouch, with book in tow, with a vacant look in their bleary eyes, probably from so many late night hours typing their internet shorthand on their Myspace profiles.