Can digital communication replace socializing? Let’s look back and see where we are
It has been a few decades since digital technologies were introduced to our daily lives. That’s not a long period in comparison to the time of the pre-digital history of communication. Yet digitalization has shaped our habits and changed our lifestyle pretty quickly and drastically. Let me tell you my story.
Analogue childhood
I was born in 1987 in Ukraine, at that time the Soviet Republic, now an independent European country. In the early ’80s, my father worked as a developer on giant ES EVM computers. One such machine occupied the whole room. It was mainly used for industrial purposes or statistical calculations. A bit later, my dad worked on SM EVM which was smaller but still huge in comparison to later PC generation.
As computers were large by size, their operation required a relevant level of technical knowledge and skills. Accordingly, they were not accessible to average citizens. That is why digital technologies were a big mystery for the majority of the Soviet population. Only scientists and engineers had the privilege to deal with computers — consequently, the job of the guys like my father was respected and mystified.
The wind of change came to the Soviet Union with the first exhibitions of American technological achievements in the late ’80s. An interesting fact: at one of those events, my dad was listening to a speech given by young Steve Wozniak. That was a presentation of the Macintosh computer. It was no surprise that young soviet engineers were hit by Wozniak’s talk.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed together with its digital heritage. SM EVM-s were outdated and the first foreign PC-s took over. Due to the economic crisis, the industry slowed down, and my dad made a shift in his career.
Despite the economic crisis that my family experienced in the early ’90s, I had a happy childhood in Ukraine. I remember that my friends were hanging out mostly outdoors. In those times, we could play, chat, or explore undiscovered corners of our city without gadgets. No mobile phones or laptops existed. If you wanted to go out, you just picked up a phone and dialled your mate. Life was slower but simple.
Then, I got my first digital toy at school: all my friends were going crazy about Tamagotchi. I also remember my first — Tamagotchi-like — mobile phone. It was one of those brands that don’t produce cellular items anymore. We were texting just for fun. At the same time, we were still wandering around the city. Besides, I was still reading paper books. That was a reality of life without the Internet.
When I got my first PC, I used it mainly for emailing, completing university tasks, storing pictures from the digital camera, chatting with friends, and blogging… That was the time before Facebook and Twitter, and Instagram was not born yet. It was just a few years before the day when the first Apple’s iPhone was launched… As students, we were still going out, we loved meeting at pubs and clubs. Real social life was seething, and online socializing was not a primary channel of communication.
Later, with a gradual invasion of social media and a rapid jump of the smartphone industry, it all turned upside down. Now I’m an owner of quite a few devices which are not only my working tools but essential requisites of daily communication. And I’m not a geek.
Digital nowadays
Currently, the majority of people in so-called “developed” countries are experiencing a paradox: the technologies, which were meant to make our lives easier, seized all its spheres. Now, digital interactions absorb the time that we devote to work and leisure activities.
A modern American novelist George Michelsen Foy made an interesting experiment: for 7 days he tried to avoid his devices. As he described in his short diary, it was bumpy as the daily assignments he wanted to complete still pushed him into interaction with gadgets. The ironic thing happened as soon as his test was over:
“The next day I was catching up on emails, phone calls, Netflix; but I missed, and still miss, that feeling I wrote about, of not being hemmed in and pressured by information.” — Foy wrote.
With the global pandemic challenges such as social distancing, digital communication took a leading role. Surely, electronic communication helps handle businesses or education that have been switched to remote mode fully or partially. It is also handy when it comes to connecting relatives and friends. At the same time, an overdose of online communication is causing alarming consequences if we look at it from a psychological perspective.
When having our interactions mostly online, we might feel a new kind of fatigue at the end of the day — a digital one.
Over the past few months, mentions of “Zoom fatigue” have appeared on social media, and Google searches for the same phrase have increased. For instance, I use multiple digital tools for communication and task management. As soon as I finish job-related tasks on the computer, ideally, I make a pause and go for a walk. When the evening comes, I switch to various apps to chat with family and friends. At the end of the day, if I hang on the devices too long, it is overwhelming. Thus, I prefer to go offline and put the devices away as soon as I finish my working day just to “turn off”.
Moreover, electronic communication can be confusing if we use its tools in the wrong way.
If your colleague speaks to you only via email, you’ll get all the assignments to your mailbox. Some things might be unclear and you’ll want to get feedback. So you’ll send a question, and you’ll get a short reply, then you’ll send another email… It is an exhausting ping-pong. It can be solved easier if you ask a colleague to discuss things in person whenever he or she has time. In case it is not possible to meet physically, as it might be in pandemic times, you can arrange a phone or video conference call that will enhance a dialogue.
The written digital messages are efficient if the subject of conversation is very straightforward. On the other hand, they can hardly reflect the facial expressions, gestures, or posture of the speaker. Except for emojis, the whole body language of the sender is out of scope. As a result, the written message might be interpreted in many different ways by its receiver. That may lead to confusion and create misunderstandings.
Finally, live communication brings us a feeling of acceptance and belonging.
Today I’ve met a friend for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. What I’ve learned is that live communication is a different story. Completely. I haven’t had a feeling that my energy is draining through the camera and I’m talking to the screen of my laptop. Instead, I’ve experienced an energy boost when having a live conversation with a person who shares common experiences, similar values, and jokes. What could be more wonderful after three months of lockdown?
To sum up, the accomplishments of humanity in the field of digital communication should not be neglected or underestimated. Perhaps, in times of lockdown, millions of children could not attend their online classes or millions of adults would not be able to work remotely and stay in contact with elderly relatives otherwise. Still, the most vital thing is how we balance between online and offline communication.
To my mind, the most sophisticated technology can hardly compete with offline conversations. Digital products are still unable to provide the emotional bonds that people create when they meet physically.
We are social creatures. To feel loved and respected, we have an essential need to interact with other human beings not just on flat screens. And the current global social challenges are proving that.
