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Communication has always been a vital part of history, starting in the prehistoric times, cave
images and papyrus was used to give messages and portray different meanings. Fast forward a
couple thousand years, and mankind evolved to the telephone, specifically in the 1850s. This is
when the first telephone was born, a large, bulky device that had two parts, and required two
have one, let alone any more than that (can you
imagine?).
Now fast forward again about a hundred years, and new variations were formed of the telephone,
where ear and mouth pieces were combined into one unified piece, and the numbers could be
dialed using the round dial that one must spin with his or her fingers to select each number-- a
By the 1990s, this design was modified significantly, taking the blockiness of the first cell phone
and narrowing it down to more compact device; and by the early 2000s, the classic flip phone
was born (do you remember your first flip phone?). 2007 marks Apples release of its iPhone 1,
In the 1940s, my grandparents met in a bar and danced the night away together. My grandfather
was deployed shortly after, and they kept in touch, writing love letters to each other for over a
year, before they were engaged and got married. A true love story.
When my father was younger, he said the only way to contact his friends was to either
call their house telephone from his own house, or possibly the payphone down the street.
Otherwise he would just knock on his friends doors or hollar for them outside their house.
My parents met in the late 90s, on a plane to London, and hit it off when my dad, who
lived in London at the time, showed my mom around the city. Essentially, he showed her enough
to make them keep in touch with each other over telephone for over a year, until they were
engaged and my mom moved across the pond so they could live together as newlyweds.
When smartphones were developed in 2007, a huge shift occurred, namely for The
Millennial generation.
Think about how you communicate with your significant other on a daily basis. How did
your relationship begin? Did you talk for awhile, over text, or did you Snapchat, possibly?
Were your first interactions primarily virtual, or did he call you, ask you on a date, and then
leave it at that until he picked you up that Friday night to take you to a movie?
How about how you communicate with your friends? Would you say you talk on the
phone more often, or send texts or snaps more often? Maybe you and all of your friends just chat
primarily instant messaging. And I beg the question: how does this affect our generation?
Interpersonal Communication
There are four main approaches to interpersonal communication, and the one which I find
most noteworthy for our discussion is the Developmental Approach. This approach essentially
states that an interpersonal relationship goes through stages in which the interpersonal
relationship starts as a non-interpersonal one, where the people involved are acquaintances,
without any familiarity or knowledge of the other person and their psychological tendencies.
Through time, this relationship can become intimate to a level where both parties gain true
familiarity of one another and are able to read one anothers communicative tendencies, both
Mark Knapp and Anita Vangelisti, in 2000, laid out ten stages, from greeting to goodbye, as I
have copied below. I only included the first five stages, as they show the steps of initiation and
1. Initiating: The stage that involves all of the processes that occur when people
As you can see above, it starts with initiation, when two people first meet. Then, it
moves on to experimenting, where small talk and common interests take place, and then to
intensifying the relationship all the way to possible termination of the relationship (which I
didnt include), if things dont really work out between the two.
So what are the effects of undergoing these stages in a form of communication that is
not face-to-face-- as our generation so often does-- especially the first few initiation stages?
friendship is a little bit different, but the ideals are the same.
Does it hinder or even eliminate the key interactions that occur which bring the
relationship to an intimate level? This is a possibility, but what if instant messaging or other
new forms of communication have a reverse effect, in which these key interactions are
actually sped up, and bring the relationship to an intimate level prematurely, with uncertainty
A recent study reveals that texting in adolescent relationships results in different levels
of attachment. Texting has been shown to foster tighter bonds and intimacy in pre-existing
relationships, however those who prefer voice calls over texting tend to have higher levels of
intimacy, love, and commitment. This makes for more secure attachments within
relationships, while couples that utilize texting results in higher levels of relational
uncertainty.
This study supports the fact that while the instant messaging that smartphones allow
may help couples to foster bonds in a dyadic relationship, it may also result in insecure
attachments within young relationships that will not help in increasing levels of certainty
from time and conversations spent in person, and in turn makes for a less satisfying
relationship. After all, if you are talking all day, everyday over text, what are you possibly
Contrastingly, texting, with good timing, allows for social grooming, in other
words, a way for people to show ones interest or care in another. Texting doesnt have a high
informational value in its content, however it has a high social grooming value. When
someone texts you, it means they are thinking of you-- thats the basis of social grooming,
Millennial Communication
It is not just relationships that texting affects, but also the business place. Email is a
more formal vehicle for communication within a business, however it has disadvantages due
to confusion and misunderstanding in the tone/meaning of the message. Normally clear
communicators might omit helpful sentence structure or mistakenly assume that their tone
form of nonverbal communication is similar to the unclarity that one often finds while texting.
It is also apparent, however, that Millennials in the working place are much more
likely to be easily contacted through text/instant messaging, which further proves that our
generation is more tech-oriented and has adapted to the new styles of communication more so
Interestingly, a study has even shown that business meetings over computerized
conferences (like Skype or Facetime) have different tones and outcomes than face-to-face
meetings. The study shows that Group decisions were equally good in the two modes, but
the groups were less likely to reach agreement in the computerized conferencing mode. There
I think this says a lot about how communication works, and even more about the
importance of face-to-face interaction. When it gets down to making decisions and coming to
agreements, being in person is so important; even being on a Facetime call just isnt the same.
Nonverbal Communication
Why is there a difference between this communication? Well, we already know that
the tone and the message in instant messaging/email gets lost in translation, but another key to
communication is the nonverbal part of it-- that is, an exchange of information through
nonlinguistic signs, such as gestures, facial expressions, and general dispositions. In other
words, new forms of communication lack body language. There is simply nothing else like
which may delineate either hushed and calm conversations or more lively and excited
activity. It can also be attributed to different cues in conversation, like nonverbal cues that
accentuate a persons understanding (subtle nods, shaking of the head, smiling, etc.), or the
communication functions to show a persons general feelings. For example, a frown shows
unhappiness and distress can be shown through a quiver in ones voice. Waving means
goodbye and a pat on the back means well done. Many signs and gestures dont need
paradigm shift of communication, it often gets lost in translation too. People can easily hide
distress or unhappiness over text messages, or find ways to hide their true feelings. I think this
shift in communication makes it easy for people to be in-genuine, making for less honest
communication, and a lack of full understanding on the receivers part due to complete lack
The Future
The future holds tons of possibilities for where technology will take communication
next, but with nanotechnology and others underway, we can expect to see mobile devices
printed onto or into our own skin, instant voice messaging, and other forms of wireless
manners, or they may hinder those forms of interaction more; but the social normalities are
beginning.
Conclusion
This paradigm shift has a massive effect on our lives, as Millennials. This effect can
either be negative or positive however, and we must understand the ways in which our forms
of communication can help or harm us. Instant messaging, texting, email, and all other forms
efficiently and at long distances. But these forms of communication can also be harmful to the
development in our face-to-face communicating skills as well as making our messages clear
and genuine. It is important that we are wary of this risk to our communication skills so that
we can take advantage of technology, without letting it take over our lives. We must let
communication help guide or enhance our relationships, not form our relationships.
Mobile phones have completely changed cultural behaviors, as well as social norms in
communication in todays world. They have changed the meaning of mobility itself, as people
can communicate intimately and privately whether they are in the same, crowded room, or
they are significantly geologically dispersed. Mobile phones allow for people to stay
connected even if a large distance is between them, or if there are other barriers blocking the
way. They give people a casual way to send memos or information that is less intrusive than
face-to-face or even phone calls. Just remember, sometimes seeing someone in person is the
most effective way to get your message across, no matter what it may be.