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peter lindsay

Physics Teacher,

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Is modern communication going to produce a generation that doesn't understand body language or verbal expression?

I am a highschool teacher and a parent of three teenage boys. In the last 5 years the percentage of communicating they do with written language has increased enormously. Is this obsession with txt and facebook destroying their ability to express themselves without emoticons?frownyface

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Closing Statement from peter lindsay

Many commenters share my concern and many see it as just a development of modern society.My main concern still lies with the age at which a child gets a phone. In my experience most have a phone by 12 years old. I worry that they move through adolescence into adulthood with insufficient verbal communication and written communication in single sentences. Maybe as parents we should encourage them to visit each other rather than Txt or facebook. Even if that means we have to drive then somewhere.

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    Filip N

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    Aug 3 2012: Modern communication is in my opinion great way to make everyday life easier, faster and more relaxed. But there are also many problems regarding this matter. First, social networks should be there only for making contacts with people that we can't see in person. In that group of people should be: friends and relatives that don't live near, people of same interests and careers, people that can help each other with getting rid of bad habits and consolidate. Social networks can also help children/people that don't have very developed social skills in making friends and taking the pressure off of them. On the other hand, there is a very big security issue considering big corporations and making accounts that give them information about us that are stored in databases. I think that parents should encourage them to go outside as much as they can, and engage them in somewhat demanding conversations that will help them be more socially active and not just give them the new iPhone or Galaxy S while thinking they are great parents because they provide for them.

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