A writer in Guyana argues that ICT is undermining our communication skills. We offer our two cents on the issue.<\/em><\/p>\n
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Expressing oneself in 140 characters or less is a skill, and for social networks that do not have that constraint, brevity (of words) generally, is still preferred. As a result, users can easily skim through their news feeds and quickly get a sense of what is available: what should be perused further; what can be discarded.<\/p>\n
However, it also means that we, the content creators, get very few opportunities to practise long-form writing, where multiple or complex thoughts are expressed \u2013 in full sentences! Furthermore, there tends to be less need for us to cogitate on an issue: to think it through and analyse it. Instead, what has become increasingly important is the bottom line, which cannot accommodate the nuances, or the multiple threads, that ought to be considered to bring one to a cogent and well-considered position.<\/p>\n
Following from the previous point, and thanks to all of this abbreviated text, we also appear to be losing our stamina to read long-form writing. Even if we might not admit it to ourselves, increasingly among our friends and colleagues, we know people who, since leaving high school, have never read a book. Further, in the workplace it is not surprising for management to ask for lengthy documents to be whittled down to a one (or two) pages, which is what they intend to read.<\/p>\n
However, if we are prepared to go through life only reading the \u2018CliffNotes<\/a>\u2019 of an issue, as captured on social media, we are unlikely to have enough information to make informed decisions. Moe importantly, it may be easier for us to get suckered when we do not practise analytical thinking and are reluctant to go beyond the headlines.<\/p>\n
Finally, it is important to highlight that the online space, especially that for social media, is an artificial space that increasingly, is being shaped by business and advertising. Much of what is being published has been staged, or otherwise edited, for maximum appeal and impact. Hence it may not be as honest, or as true a reflection of a situation as we might (be led to) believe.<\/p>\n
Further, this \u2018contrived perfection\u2019 is not being done only by big businesses. As more individuals look to generate an income online, especially by leveraging social media, they are also creating facades to increase their appeal, which hopefully the more astute among us will recognise.<\/p>\n
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Image credit:\u00a0 Pixabay (Pexels<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n
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