Mediated Communication: Connected or Disconnected? Essay

AbstractWe whole take c atomic number 18 to live and breathe social media. direct a meat and staying connected is as easy as it quarter get. engineering science is basic wholey transforming handed-down method actings and revolutionizing the vogue we transcend with hotshot an other(a). Today, we have to stay relevant, informed, and up-to-date on the newest intercourse channels and coordinated them into our range of daily activities. However to advance meaningful connections between sight, we gather up to let engineering science enhance our chat, earlier than put it. As new dialogue technical advancements become available, our temptation is similarly to happen less succession on opposite moveions at the risk of losing the critical place setting of our message.Of course, texts, e-mails and social media can dramatic in all(prenominal)y invasion the speed and volume of messages, but in this also lies the danger in consent toing the discerning aspects of di alogue and individualisedity to fall by the shipwayide Face-to- boldness discussions argon the alkali of human communication once established, it allows us to build trust, clearly articulate our ideas and lessen misunderstanding. However, for m all of us, opposite communication seems to be a dying art replaced by text messaging, e-mails, and social media. Human communication and interactions ar getting shaped by available technologies. Thus we have to imply in todays tech-savvy world, argon we really connected or essentially disconnected? Is social media sabotaging the art of personal communication?On a incisive Friday afternoon last October, Sharon Seline exchanged text messages with her daughter who was in college. They chatted back and forth, mommy asking how things were going and daughter tell with positive statements followed by emoticons wake smiles, b-i-g smiles and hearts(/). felicity. Later that night, her daughter attempted suicide.In the days that followed , it came to light that shed been holed up in her hostel room, crying and targeting manses of depression a completely unlike reality from the one that she conveyed in texts, Facebook posts and tweets . (Courtesy Forbes magazine, April2012) As human beings, our only real method of connection is through authentic communication. Studies sharpen that only 7%of communication is establish on the written or communicatory word. A whopping 93% is establish on nonverbal body language. Indeed, its only when we can hear a tone of voice of voice or research into roughlyones eyes that were able to k straight when Im fine doesnt mean theyre fine at allor when Im just worrying means theyre thoroughly depressed. make full in technology, anyone can hide female genital organ the text, the e-mail, the Facebook post or the tweet, projecting any image they want and creating an illusion of their choice.They can be whoever they want to be and without the competency to see or feel, their audienc es are no(prenominal) the wiser. Every relevant metric shows that we are interacting at breakneck speed and frequency through social media. just instanter are we really communicating? With 93% of our communication context stripped away, we are instanter attempting to forge relationships and make decisions based on phrases, abbreviations, snippets, emoticons which may or may not be accurate representations of the truth. This presents an unprecedented paradox. With all the powerful social technologies at our fingertips, we are much(prenominal) connected and potentially more disconnected than ever before. This is where social media gets dicey. communication Barriers New DimensionsSocial technologies have depressed the barriers of space and time, enabling us to interact 24/7 with more people all over the world. The focus is now on communication quantity rather than quality and Superficiality against authenticity? But like any revolutionary concept, it has initiated a new set of barriers and threats. It is an ironic smudge where social media has the potential to make us less social a alternate for the real thing. For it to be a truly effective communication vehicle, communicators bear a responsibility to be genuine, accurate, and not allow it to replace human contact altogether. In the workplace, the rehearse of electronic communication has overtaken represent-to- vitrine and voice-to-voice communication by a huge margin. This major shift has been driven by two major forces the speed/geographic dispersion of business, and the lack of allay with traditional interpersonal communication among a maturement segment of our employee population Gen Y and Millennials. Studies show that these generations which pull up stakes comprise more than 50% of the workforce by 2020 would prefer to use instant messaging or other social media than stop by and chat with mortal.This new communication preference is one of thegenerational gaps plaguing organizations as employers try to fudge a new set of expectations and norms in their younger employees. The majority of the worlds largest businesses are using social media with precise thought as to how it can tolerate to the organizations overall dodge and that its use is destroying the integrity of face-to-face conversations and substitute it with hidden conversations. This is arguably true to some extent with numerous companies confused as to the role it should play inside the incorporated framework. Further, because around business communication is now done via e-mails, texts, instant messaging, intranets, blogs, websites and other technology enabled media, minus body language, the potential for mistake is growing.Rushed and stressed, people often do not take the time to rent the nuances of their writing. Conflicts explode over a tone of an e-mail, or that all-important cc list. When someone writes a text in all capital letters, does it mean they are yelling? Are one- or two-word responses a sign that the person doesnt want to postulate? On the flip side, does a smiley face or an abbreviated acknowledgement of concordance really mean they are all set and aligned? Unfortunately conclusions are drawn on frighteningly olive-sized information.Getting RealIn this pumped up(p) world when we have only shorten words and faceless chats instead of voice, face and body expression how then do we communicate effectively and build more authentic relationships? Leaders must see to it the impact on business relationships and the skill to effectively collaborate, build trust, and create employee competitiveness and homage. Susan Tardanico, leadership and communications executive coach, adviser and professional speaker and CEO of the legitimate Leadership Alliance LLC suggests certain ways for keeping communication realSuggestions for charge E-Communication RealAddress your issues. If you are swig a conclusion or so experiencing a conflict based on an electroni c exchange, then pick up the bid or have a face-to-face conversation to clear things up. Me first. Make an bm to check your own communications to insure you arent sending an inaccuratemessage. halt steps to put forth an accurate picture of reality. Bridging the gap. As employees and employers, there are chances of dealing with different generations who have noticeably different communication preferences. Talk with colleagues about this aspect and ask for input on the best way to keep communication flowing through the team.Stay connected. bustt fall prey to the comfort of sitting behind closed doors and doing all your work from behind a estimator screen or the hand-held device. No doubt it takes the pressure off many of the complexities of management, but this also disconnects us from face to face connections. Find a way to stay connected with colleagues employee relationship is one of the determining factors for level of engagement and homage to the organization. Beware of t he disconnect. An eloquent and motivating online communication is easy to write. But if our words are not consistent with our actions and reality, this disconnect will harm our credibility and impede our ability to work effectively. Two-way communication. Communication is essentially a two-way process. Just because youve fire off an e-mail or text, it doesnt mean communication has taken place. We must pay attention to the feedback to see if our message is understood and accepted.Considering that this trend is here to stay, we need to create cultures where managers, employees and stakeholders renew their efforts to get at the real messages and issues. When colleagues spend personal time we can expect better workings abilities. Correlations between face-to-face relationship-building and employee engagement and loyalty are a concept that has been proved again and again over the years. This has also been excellently explored in the concept focal point by Walking Around in Tom Peter s groundbreaking book In Search of Excellence. As global citizens of a technologically-enabled world we must find a way to incorporate all the frightful benefits which mediated communication has to offer temporary hookup ensuring that we arent losing the human touch with the most significant personal and professional relationships.