For my second post, we were required to sit somewhere casually for thirty minutes to watch the interactions and communications of others. This assignment came as a sort of blessing because I have been trapped in my sorority’s basement for hours at a time during our recruitment this weekend. I am able to watch upwards of forty five women talk amongst themselves and for the first time, I’m really watching.
It’s interesting how they use their hands to create an impact on the words they say, they flutter them quickly when talking about a girl they interviewed who they had a great conversation with. Others scrunch their eyes and tilt their heads when they speak of an interview that felt empty and dull, they show that they’re disappointed even though I can’t fully make out the words they say over the noise of the room. The others make eye contact, showing their interest in the other’s findings, some look down at their phone with scanning eyes and thumbs scrolling. I doubt they fully comprehend what they’re being told.
There are two girls sitting at the front of the room, they have laptops in front of them and are in charge of making sure active members get to places at the right time to meet the right girls. They have furrowed expressions and are usually head down, shoulders crunched over the laptops looking at excel sheets and checking phones. They exude the non-verbal queue of wanting to be left alone and the appearance of stress.
I see girls abandoning their conversations regarding recruitment and morph into conversations filled with smiles and laughter, conveying that they are carefree and enjoying their time. Others communicate fully on their electronics, their faces look blank, more so because they’re thinking about their text they’re drafting than what their facial expressions consist of.
I think that the idea of instant messages is super interesting, but I completely agree when people say that you cannot convey messages effectively through it. The loss of facial expression to the things people hear greatly hinders effective communication, at least in my opinion. The saying that people, “Hide behind their keyboards”, is very valid. I feel that when people don’t communicate openly with others face to face they lose valuable feedback that could make it easier to resolve issues quickly and more effectively.
The room comes to a quiet when the two leaders at the front stand, to gather attention and receive respect, and a girl’s face turns red and she retreats into herself, showing embarrassment, after she’s called out for speaking out of turn.
Overall I think that communication has come a very long way since the beginning of time, but I also believe that humans are losing a great part of communication when they choose to make text messages their sole form of communication.