Human continuously invent new ways to communicate and connect. The latest intervention is the Mobile Messaging apps. Smartphone, tablets, laptops or desktop computers can be used to download the mobile messaging apps from the apps stores. Some apps are free, while others need to be purchased.
Mobile Messaging apps had profoundly changed human life. Mobile Messaging apps offer some form of free chatting features, free voice calling and free mobile SMS or MMS, either over WiFi or the user’s smart phone active data plan. A valid phone number is required to register this service without collecting user names, emails, and other contact information. The most popular mobile messaging apps in the market are WhatsApp, LINE, WeChat, KaKao Talk, ChatON, Viber, BBM and others. New technologies transform how people think and process information (Wood, 20011). It allows people create new online identities to fit their different moods and goals in social network sites and blogs. Those people that share their common interest are belongs to virtual communities.
Technology makes more and more people prefer to join the virtual community and it turns human communication into something impersonal. Thus, technology replacing personal interaction and destroying teen’s interpersonal skills among physical or real communities. According to the Devito (2009), interpersonal communication involves verbal and nonverbal interaction between two or more persons such as conversations, interviews, and small group discussions. Mobile messaging apps are not only the prevalent but also preferred forms of communication for many students and young adults today. This shift may affect their ability to properly and physically talk in person with peers.
Teenagers or generation Y are growing up and developing their social skills online. So, they will use short message in the form of text messaging through mobile messaging apps. By using short and ambiguous messages, it might increase the quantity of interpersonal communication but also decrease the quality of conversation. Frequent user in mobile messaging apps may have difficulty in face-to-face interactions. They also feel lonely, socially isolated and alienated. Marche (2012) stated that if people are reading other lives that better than them, they will feel worse about themselves. They experienced loneliness also because of people give more attention to their texting than talking to the people they are with.
Licensed professional counselor Jared Pizzitola encouraged that shy or more isolated kids can practice their social skills through online (Brodie, 2012). But, the lack of face-to-face communication practice leads them fail to express or disclose themselves with fluency and confidence in conversations (Brodie, 2012).
By Muhamad Ikhwan
Devito, J. A. (2009). The interpersonal communication book (12th ed.). United States: Pearson Education, Inc.
Brodie, S. (2012). Is social media destroying teens? Retrieved from http://nvate.com/5905/interpersonal-skills/
Wood, J. T. (2011). Communication mosaics: An introduction to the field of communication (6th ed.). Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Marche, S. (2012, April 2). Is Facebook making us lonely? The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/
I disagree with what Brodie (2012) has said in the last paragraph. It is not because of lacking in face to face interaction or blaming the mobile apps, that humans fail to express or disclose themselves with confidence. In my opinion, how confident one would express or disclose himself, is really depending on how one would have expressed it confidently, either through mobile apps or even face to face. One might be comfortable having it said in either way. Also, at times, mobile apps helps in building confidence. Regardless, to agree or disagree, mobile apps does have its pros and cons.
ReplyDeleteby Mahirah Abdul Rahman
ReplyDeleteVirtual community is appealing to many of us because we can be someone else. We can be what we want, not what we are. We like the idea of being someone else and present to other people that we lead a good, and perfect life. The existence of social media further reinforce this attitude. Better or worse you decide.
First of all, traditional mode of communication such letters, telegraphy and cave drawings have become obsolete in this era of mobile-connected texting. Over the decades, societal conventions and activities have evolved with the evolution of technology. Teens today have different outlets of pursuit and conveying messages. From a positivistic view of a conventional mechanism, it is unfair to condemn the technological facility without looking into the root of the matter. The concern should not be on the texts but the mind behind those texts.
ReplyDeleteGood social skills are a must for navigating life. Some scholars argued that an individual who spends excessive time in front of screens is not going to develop the social skills an individual need to effectively handle interpersonal relationships. For me, how much time you spend on any mobile apps does not determine your social skills level.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I think that social skills is really important in real life. It can changed your life by a few conversation. Practice make perfect! So, please use F2F than CMC when interact with friend:) In virtual life, you can be whatever you want with your keyboard. Same goes to in the reality, you can achive whatever you want by your mouth through persuasion, negotiation and others.
ReplyDelete