The Folly of Electronical Communications

Few people argue that technology is convenient, reliable, and “the way of the future.” However, the future it is leading to does not promise to be a pleasant one. Already the path that technology is forging is being questioned. The value of machine over man is being raised in workplaces, and the issue of cloning provokes morality issues. However, other problems are arising without generating so much concern, several of which involve electronical communications. While appearing to connect humans, electronical communication actually depersonalizes communications between individuals, isolates people, and cause severe damage to individuals’ relationships with others. If these current trends continue, they threaten to eliminate man’s status as a social creature.

In the beginning of humanity, human beings communicated through sight, sound, and touch. As the species evolved, spoken languages emerged, and from them written languages. Today there are many ways to communicate, some of the most convenient being electronic communications (i.e. radio, phone, television, computers). Author Julius Lukasiewicz comments on the most obvious problem of electronical communications in his book The Ignorance Explosion: Understanding Industrial Civilization, when he states:

Communication technologies, from writing to electronic media, have abolished the barriers of space and time, and the limitations of the human memory - but in doing so they have depersonalized the process of communication and robbed it of the human touch. (66)

His point is not hard to argue; all electronic communications lack elements of direct human contact. Telephones are effective at transmitting human voices and the emotions contained within verbal cues, but they cannot capture facial expressions, body languages, or any sense of touch. E-mail is often devoid of any personal touch, especially in the workplace, where typed “small talk” and expressionistic “doodles” (i.e. J and etc.) are considered unprofessional. Thus, since electronic communications eliminate much of any personalized sense, the users of such mediums partially fail at effectively communicating.

Given that electronically transmitted messages are often less personal or engaging than direct human contact, the question arises as to why they have become so popular. Once again, the issue of convenience appears. In my survey of 30 individuals (of mixed ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds), 77% stated that, if denied access to a phone and computer, they would visit their friends and family more often (78% of these individuals indicated they would visit anywhere from every day to once every two weeks). Out of the remaining 23% that stated they would not visit friends and family more often, 43% indicated they were simply too busy to physically communicate with their friends and relatives more than they currently did (the other 57% had varied answers as to why they would not partake in more visits). This shows just how much people rely on electronical communication to maintain their relationships with others. However, a problem often arises with this; the more people depend on these medias, the less likely they are to feel compelled to take the extra steps towards seeking or maintaining direct personal contact. It becomes increasingly easy to just call or e-mail friends and relatives instead of visiting them. These types of messages become depersonalized, and eventually, an individual has become isolated by the empty connections.

Electronical communications isolate (or alienate) people in various areas of their lives, one of the most noticeable areas being the workplace. In Problems of an Industrial Society, author William Faunce discusses the classical Karl Marx theory. Marx believed that the major cause of alienation (in the workplace) was the separation of the worker from the product. With new technologies, fewer processes are required for workers to do; therefore, they develop certain specialized jobs. Because of specialization, workers often simply finish their own part of the project and then pass it on to the next individual (85-88). Thus, the product of their labors does not feel to “belong” to any of them. This often leads to employee dissatisfaction. In his book The Children of Frankenstein: A Primer on Modern Technology and Human Values, author Herbert Muller states that, “Surveys continue to reveal that most industrial workers (still) dislike their work, considering it not only boring but also degrading” (335). He continues on to explain that, while many companies have taken interest in “human resource” campaigns, these programs are not effective because they are neither personal nor communal (335).

Community relations are also affected by electronical communications. Again, this is most apparent in the workplace. Because specialization allows a developing project to be passed around the workplace, it is unnecessary in many offices for employees to get together to work on an item. Therefore, the employees are often isolated from each other. In Computers and Social Change: Information, Property, and Power (Web Edition), author Judith Perrolle discusses the loss of face-to-face contact in the workplace. In studies, 20% of secretaries reported less contact with their peers, and 22% of managers reported a decrease in face-to-face contact with employees. The decrease in direct contact between workers lessens the chances that the employees will communicate sufficiently enough to gain a sense of community.

It is easy for one to assume that depersonalized communications and/or isolation may make people feel a bit lonely or depressed; however, these two factors are capable of causing much more damage than that. In her article “Emotional Deprivation Alters Stress Response,” Anna Nidecker, a writer for the Clinical Psychiatry News, discussed the results of a study that compared the differences between emotional deprived orphans and children raised with their families. The most striking fact was that the orphans have abnormal levels of hormones that regulate the body’s response to stress: this made the orphans more prone to stress than the children with families. In another study, “Soviet Psycho-Physiological Investigations in Experiments with Simulated Isolation – Some Results and Prospects,” authors Gushin, Kholin, and Ivanovsky found that workers who suffered from sever social isolation made more mistakes or responded to questions inadequately, took longer to do projects or make decisions, and were less motivated to complete tasks. Obviously, these studies show how isolation can negatively affect people.

Isolation can also lead to fear. As people rely more and more on electronical communications, they begin to depend on these mediums instead of other people. Author of Robopaths, Lewis Yablonsky, states, “Fear (also) seems to be a force in placing more confidence in machines” (108). This refers to fear of human error; as people perfect new technologies, the reliability of the technology begins to look superior to the reliability of humans. However, this statement also refers to fear of communicating with other people. As people spend more time using electronical means of communicating, less time is spent directly interacting with others. As the frequency of direct interaction reduces, so does our familiarity with it. An excellent example of this is the classic story written by E. M. Forster in 1909, The Machine Stops. In this story, a world exists where people live alone and seldom leave their living quarters. With the push of a button, they can get anything they need or want. They rarely see each other physically; they use round blue plates (screens of sorts) to communicate with. The images that are transmitted through the screens are of other individuals, but the screens show no nuance of expression, just emotionless images. This is accepted by all the people as “good enough for all practical purposes.” Forster added, “Something ‘good enough’ had long been accepted by our race.” This can be said of the electronical communications of today – the use of impersonal messages is gaining more acceptance as the value of human relations is waning. More often than not, the convenience of a communication is valued more than quality of it.

However, many people continue to support electronic communications for their ability to connect people. There is no doubt that these medias make it possible for people to communicate all over the world. Electronic communications are fast, reliable, and convenient. However, it is important that they do not become the primary, preferred way of communicating. Electronic communications can be helpful in keeping in touch with others. However, because so much information (i.e. sight, sound, touch, emotions, expressions, etc.) is lost when electronic communications are used, they should not completely take the place of direct human contact. T.S. Elliot once wrote, “Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time and yet remain lonesome” (Lukasiewicz 67). The same thing applies to many forms of communication; they manage to keep people connected, but mostly by information, not emotion.

Another worthy argument is the supposition that people will adapt to new changes in the construct of their social interactions. While this argument cannot be disproved, the chances of it happening are slim. More and more people are becoming disenchanted with their mechanical jobs; people long to feel that they are a part of something bigger, and not just another extension of the corporate machine. An author of several books about the effects of technology, Victor C. Ferkiss, comments in his book The Future of Technological Civilization, “With every passing day, the grip of the invaders tightens and the struggle to dislodge them becomes more difficult” (7). Technology is becoming an intricate part of our society, and many people believe that humans will adapt. However, if man adapts and becomes more technological, he may lose his creativity, his spontaneity, and other characteristics that our society currently values as what makes man unique.

In Advancing Technology: Its Impact on Society, author Kevin Allen states, “Here is where all the trouble begins, in the (American) confidence that technology is ultimately the medicine for all ills” (284). Technology should be used with care, and people must not rely too heavily upon it. If our society progresses only through the use of technology, it risks becoming a world similar to the world in The Machine Stops. All technologies are tools of our society, and tools are made to aid, not support. Our society should be able to continue if our technology ‘machine’ stops.

Appendix A

Survey Information:

Total People Surveyed: 30

Hours spent on Television:

Total- 71 Average (approx)- 2 1/4

Hours spent on School/Work:

Total- 202 Average (approx)- 7

Hours spent on Phone:

Total- 41 Average (approx)- 1 1/4

Hours spent on Computers:

Total- 83.25 Average (approx)- 2 3/4

If denied a phone and computer, would individual visit others more often?

Yes- 23 = 77%

78% = visit every day – once every two weeks

22% = visit after every two weeks – once a month

No- 7 = 23%

Too busy to visit = 43%

Other Reasons = 57%

Work Cited

Faunce, William A. Problems of an Industrial Society. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1968.

Ferkiss, Victor C. The Future of Technological Civilization. New York: George Braziller Inc., 1974.

Forster, E.M. The Machine Stops. Oxford and Cambridge Review, 1909. PLEXUS Information. 21 April 2001 .

Lauda, Donald P., and Robert D. Ryan, eds. Advancing Technology: Its Impact on Society. 1^st ed. Dubuque, Iowa: WM. C Brown Company Publishers, 1971.

Gushin, Vadim. I., Sergey. F. Kholin, Yuri. R. Ivanovsky. “Soviet Psycho-Physiological Investigations in Experiments with Simulated Isolation – Some Results and Prospects.” On-line Article. 19 April 2001

Lukasiewicz, Julius. The Ignorance Explosion: Understanding Industrial Civilization. Ottawa, Canada: Carleton University Press, 1994.

Muller, Herbert J. The Children of Frankenstein: A Primer on Modern Technology and Human Values. London: Indiana University Press, 1971.

Nidecker, Anna. “Emotional Deprivation Alters Stress Response.” Clinical News 25 (12): 6, 1997. 18 April 2001.

Perrolle, Judith A. Computers and Social Change: Information, Property, and Power (Web Edition). Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998. 18 April 2001. .

Survey. “Electronical Communication.” April 2001.

Yablonsky, Lewis. Robopaths. Baltimore: Penguin Books Inc., 1972.