• Home
  • About
  • Besselink Project
  • Academia
  • Studio
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Work With Me
  • Start

Communication Breakdown In The Digital Era

Tuesday, 18 December 2012 23:12

Off the HOOKHumans have always found ways to communicate. It may have started with etched drawings on the wall of a cave, but it has evolved into language, penmanship, and now, the digital world we live in. All forms of expression, be they images, music, and both the spoken and written word, can all be represented digitally now.

The ability to communicate effectively has a direct effect on our capacity to solve problems. That could be at the clinical level – or the personal level. The digital era presents us with countless ways to connect and communicate. But there are times when I think that it has done us more harm than good.

Has the digital era made us more effective in communication?  Or did Led Zeppelin have it right when Robert Plant sang the immortal words to “Communication Breakdown”?

We live in an era with many levels of digital communication and sharing. We communicate via email, text, phone, and similar digital technologies. A new verb – Facebooking – has arrived. We share anything and everything with anyone who will listen and even with those that won’t. World, hear me roar, because I have status updates. We now have a social media stream of consciousness.

It has made us better able to connect on a broader level, with people we wouldn’t normally connect. It has made the world a much smaller place in so many ways. But has it improved our ability to truly connect at a deeper level?

Not so long ago, we depended upon the great skill of composition, using care and respect and love to craft a sentence reflective of our feelings and intent. A letter was composed methodically because you knew there was only one opportunity to do it correctly. Now? “Shoot me an email”. A great percentage of people now have pretty mediocre writing skills. If you are sending text messages, you probably don’t even make the effort to write sentences or full words anymore. Dickens must be rolling around in his grave.

Sitting behind a computer screen creates an inherent anonymity and disconnect while composing that email or firing off that status update. The extra effort made to be considerate and respectful before verbalizing a thought or committing that thought to paper oftentimes gets thrown asunder. It is much easier to let things slide and be much more flippant in the words you choose. These new habits often translate into our daily interpersonal skills as well. Not every interaction is as simple as a status update, you know.

“Communication Breakdown, It's always the same, I'm having a nervous breakdown, Drive me insane!” (Led Zeppelin, “Communication Breakdown”)

There is a communication breakdown in the digital era. It all starts with this thing we call rapport. Non-verbal communication is believed to account for 55% of the meaning of your communication. But non-verbal communication is, for many intents and purposes, lost when you thrive in the digital interaction landscape. You confuse words and contexts, and the writing skills (or lack thereof) make it worse . When you take 55% of the meaning away, it stands to reason that a lot gets lost in translation.

When that becomes the standard by which you communicate, then it is no wonder that much is lost in terms of “connection” with people. It is no wonder that discussions become polarized. It shouldn’t surprise us that we get “un-friended” because we offend “friends” with our words and opinions.

Does the digital world hamper the quality of our communication? Does it promote a mediocrity of expression?

Or does it force us to make better choices about how we communicate? If so, are we actually doing so?

Photo credits: z0xx.

Related Articles By Allan Besselink
  • Seven Tips For Improving Communication With Patients
  • Self Image, Comfort Zones, And The World Within Us
  • Swimming In The Stream Of Social Media

RunSmart Book

Where To Buy RunSmartUp to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.

Featured Chapter

Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation "Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.

Subscribe Now!

BP Manifestos

  • Smart Health Revolution
  • Vision Now

Most Popular Posts

  • The Deafening Silence
  • Evolution Or Revolution?
  • Learning How To Live
  • Patient Access To Physical Therapy And Groundhog Day
  • The Homeostasis Of Writing
  • McKenzie’s Derangement Syndrome In A World Of Pathoanatomy
  • Three Common Examples Of Self Image, Self Sabotage, And Comfort Zones In Action
  • Why HB 1263 Matters
  • The Flow Of Running, The Flow Of Life
  • One Nation – Under Gold
  • A Pause For Many A Cause
  • Civil Rights And Your Health
  • Own, Disrupt, Transform–Or Else?
  • Is Non-Evidence-Based Clinical Practice An Ethical Dilemma?
  • The APTA’s Vision 2020: My 12 Year Report Card
  • Think Big, Act Big
  • The Paradox That Is World Cup Soccer
  • Generation Z And Obesity
  • Your Own Worst Enemy
  • Direct Access To Physical Therapy: You Have It, Or You Don’t

Subscribe To My Newsletter

Allan Besselink

Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Dip.MDTAllan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.

PT Blog Awards

Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".

Connect With Me

PO Box 26161
Austin, TX 78755
512-222-6263

         

Copyright 2006-2023 Allan Besselink  | Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy |  Disclosure Policy |  FAQ

Powered By Mobius Intermedia