Interpersonal communication is the entire practice and procedure of exchanging emotional experiences, ideas, and data shared among people. Technology refers to the knowledge or science put into practice to invent tools or solve challenges. The internet is a good example of technology that has contributed to the availability of information to individuals within the shortest time. Technology advancements have greatly tampered interpersonal communication since most daily activities happen online, allowing fast data transmission. For instance, people are no longer inviting other individuals to their birthdays physically. Instead, they are using virtual greeting cards to make invitations (Galvin 379). Teenagers are now interacting with their friends using avatars, and parents and teachers are guiding children in handling their homework using online platforms. Not only that, but contemporary customers are also interacting using Social Networking Sites (SNS), making reactions among themselves, and cooperating on Wikis.
Effects Related with the Utilization of Technology in Interpersonal Communication
People have implemented different ways of conducting activities in the current world including communicating through online platforms, leading to modern technology adoption in the production process in different activities. Human beings continue inventing and innovating varying ways of engaging in their practices to facilitate the timely arrival of their production, saving energy, time, and money. Technology enables people to access experiences and places they might have never visited. It enables people to communicate with different people all over the universe, whom they may probably resemble or disassemble (Galvin 380). Technology also enables people to receive and hive assistance to participate in spiritual conversations and ideas and engage in activities that challenge them to be better people. Modern technology has contributed to quality work products, which has stimulated human communications in and outside institutions.
Technology
The utilization of photocopying machines and printers has enhanced high-quality work productions far as photocopying, typing, and printing are concerned. People no longer use their hands to write; instead, computers have made everything digital, reducing the number of mistakes people make. Interpersonal communication includes sharing information that lacks relevancy to the concerned parties, which may contribute to message ambiguity since people may communicate messages that lack clarity. Using technology makes sure senders stick to their theme of discussion. Technology has facilitated the production of large work volumes since machines do not work as people and perform more tasks than people; human beings have restricted output capacities since they easily get tired when there is a big workload. Hence, technology has allowed people to save time because machines work fast and generate quality work in the shortest time possible.
Technology Impacts
Technology saves people’s energy and helps them to do multiple tasks at a time. Despite the advantages technology has on interpersonal communication, it can also pose different disadvantages such as loss of contact between human beings, which compromises the messages human beings share, reducing the possibilities of obtaining useful data normally gained via the presentation of the information. It contributes to loss of trustworthiness on the origin of information because computers have eased the way individuals copy and paste their work, an incident increases information security conveyed via the internet due to cybercrime cases.
Most of the machines used in communication, such as computers and phones, are not affordable, and not all people can access them. Communicating using modern technologies can be more expensive than interpersonal communication, encouraging the discrimination of individuals who cannot access communication machines and restricting them from acquiring relevant information. Machine utilization requires individuals to obtain adequate training on how they use the machines, which takes more time since some people take a long to comprehend the information they are given.
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication includes the application of sign linguistic that enables communications to be successfully distributed. Still, technology lacks this establishment, which confines the probabilities of fleeting the envisioned connotations to the receiver. Interpersonal communication enhances the productivity of people by making them be strong and uphold positive associations that complete their goals efficiently and smoothly. Interpersonal communication benefits impact the productivity and morale of teams positively. Utilizing technology in interpersonal communication improves the quantity and quality of communication and promotes human interactions in the community. Nevertheless, technology can contribute to damages, if not properly utilized, can cause injuries to confidential and sensitive information sent. Not only that but also the parties engaging in interpersonal communication using technology have to possess language proficiency by being precise and concise when delivering their messages. Individuals should approach technology applications wisely to ensure they follow all the required security measures.
Assumptions on How Individuals Present Themselves Online
When people communicate online, they may pretend to be different persons or not in the real world. For instance, while communicating online, an individual may decide to change the background and pretend they are in a different country or a different location. Online communications can turn into deceitful situations where men may end up pretending to be women to communicate with other women and women pretending to be men to talk to other men. In addition, convicted felons may end up posing like men or women to receive other people’s attention. In face-to-face communication, people cannot lie much to that extent since they cannot change their biological sex or claim to be tall and tone people while short and stocky (Galvin 381). Interpersonal communication relies on current events and is not responsive to the later dialogues.
Online Discussions Stimulate Introspections and Self-disclosure
Online conversations trigger introspection thoughts that may influence the senders. For instance, if one gets an email concerning their failure of a particular subject while their classmates pass, they might end up questioning his/herself by self-assessing and self-evaluating his/herself to know where they went wrong. The incidence is an online communication form that has made the receiver ask themselves more questions concerning their failure (Galvin 382). If the two participants employed face-to-face or interpersonal communication, there could be less time for reflection, and the receiver could not afford replay or self-assessment time.
Interpersonal communication does not confine the revealing of one’s aspect since self-disclosure happens online, and some individuals reveal online, specifically through blogs. When disclosing more about themselves; hence increasing their intimacy; some people prefer disclosing themselves online since they do not receive confusion, disappointment, and disgust. Face-to-face self-disclosures are far different from online self-disclosures since interpersonal disclosures require future reactions and clarifications, which may be hard for some individuals.
Interpersonal Communication Identity Markers
Interpersonal communication identity markers help individuals communicate more about who they are; identity markers are electronic extensions of an individual. Internet identity markers are classified into personal home pages and screen names (Galvin 382).
Similar to online communication, interpersonal communications also require introductions by using odd, fun, outright, and editorial names, which are nicknames that often serve as a unique means of communication.
Real/nick names help the parties involved in communication protect their identity until they become comfortable and familiar with others. Unlike an individual’s real name, screen names are generated by individuals to reflect their creativity and value other people may regard as important (Galvin 382).
People may change their names in their virtual life but cannot change them in real life. For instance, people may change their names online but will not change them in real life.
Personal Home Pages help people communicate their communication since they contain attributes such as hobbies, photographs, friends, family members, and home and connect to advocacy contacts or causes groups (Galvin 383).
Communicating a person’s identity using the home page can enlighten other people, although accidental or deliberate. Like interpersonal communications, personal home pages enable people to present themselves in specific ways using creative names, interesting links, funky phones, digital photographs, and slick graphics, communicating invitation, organization, creativity, and insight senses.
Communication Technology and Relational Maintenance
Technology alters communication among people since individuals fail to initiate, maintain, and terminate associations using technology (Galvin 384). Online technology impacts people’s relationships and interpersonal communications because communication technology changes how people perceive relationships.
When having online communications, individuals tend to value how they do their activities, including searching people, chart graphs, and websites they are interested in. When contacted by other people, they decide whether to respond or not, although one may choose to reply. In contrast, the other may avoid replying since people communicate at their convenience. Although individuals may choose to go silent, their silence communicates great deals, including their lack of interest or time. When individuals engage in interpersonal communication, there is room for question and answer, which results in further dialogues. Individuals can never avoid the transactional and ongoing communication nature of interpersonal communication.
Electronic and Face to Face Relationships
Online dating is better than traditional dating since the parties involved meet the people they resemble in terms of qualities. Online dating is virtual, and one does not have to use space, money, and time to meet their partners. However, both parties may agree to meet but fail to meet due to unavoidable circumstances (Galvin 385). Abbreviations of language in online dating make it efficient, although language distortions may happen. The use of graphics such as emojis implies creative conversations in online dating. Communicating using blogs reveals data concerning friends, family, and work since individuals easily blog their thoughts and feelings.
Online dating permits users to rapidly evaluate loads of potential associates and clean outlines for all types of data, how someone appears to how they devote their unrestricted time and political leanings.
Work Cited
Galvin, Kathleen M. Making Connections. 5th ed., Oxford University Press, USA, 2011, pp. 379-386.