Revise this.

The Value of Communication
“Communicating with the masses is a very powerful thing, however, there is nothing romantic about it, the mood is like stainless steel as opposed to a summer breeze,” stated one user when asked the downside of Facebook. There are those who find electronic communication to be more convenient and certainly a faster method of communication than perhaps talking on the phone or actually visiting with someone. However, there are some who miss meeting a friend for a coffee or lunch. The older more personal methods of communication between family and friends have been replaced by the impersonal and even lazy ways of modern communication.
Not long ago, when it a person wanted to discuss an issue with a relative or friend, it used to be they’d call on the telephone or even drive to their home for a visit. A face-to-face visit is more personal. Today it is common to send emails, texts, and instant messages to talk about issues, which can leave room for misinterpretation of the emotions or tones. This can be especially bad in a work environment. An administrative assistant to a sales group has to prioritize her workload while responding to several emails through out the day. Sometimes those responses are to let that sales rep know that the administrative assistant won’t be able to help them until perhaps the following day. The sales person might interpret the email differently and take offense. This could have been avoided if the administrative assistant was able to make a quick phone call to let them know the situation, as the sales rep would be able to hear the polite tone during the conversation. Unnecessary reprimands over how the tone of an email to a co-worker was construed can be avoided if the employees have an in person conversation rather than an electronic one.
As the convenience of electronic communication increases, so too, does laziness. It takes no more than a few minutes to open up email versus the 45 minutes of drive time to visit a family member. One of the best things about earlier ways of communication was the face-to-face contact, which showed that a person cared enough to step away from a busy schedule to spend time with a loved one. During an busy time of the school quarter, I received a late night invitation from a friend who was devastated to learn the she had Multiple Sclerosis and asked that I come over and spend a couple hours with her. Homework and sleep was put aside in order to support her right then. In “This is How we Live”, Ellen DeGeneres talks a bit about the laziness seen today: “Modern life requires hardly any physical activity. We just push a button and stand there. Take the car window. Someone decided that having to crank the window down yourself was too hard. ‘I don’t want to churn butter, I just want fresh air.’ So we got a button to do it” (638). People are in such a hurry to do something quickly that they miss out on some really important interaction. A child might ask his mom to read to him before bed and she might do a quick story so that she can get back to a television show. What she doesn’t realize she’s missing is how the love and admiration her child feels for her expands.
Not every aspect of social networking is bad. We are able to find friends or family members that we lost touch with over the years. Jobs can be found. Long distance phone bills are all but eliminated. No need to worry about putting gas in the tank or buying an airplane ticket. The caring, concern, and compassion can still be shown. When a Facebook user posted a survey on Facebook asking their friends “How has the internet, email, facebook changed your communication with friends and family members in either a postive or negative way and why?”, one friend answered in this way, “Really??? You’re asking this question?? Connection and communication is a life force!! Without all this technology, I would have been in the “home” a long time ago!!” For someone who lacks confidence in social environments, email, Internet, Facebook, and Myspace would indeed be considered the best way to stay connected to the outside world and could potentially be lost without it. In “Myspace Outage Leaves Millions Friendless”, an article from The Onion makes fun of how addicted people are to social networking programs: “I lost 6,456 of my best friends in an instant,” said Minneapolis resident Peter Steinberg, 20 who has loyally befriended as many profiles as possible over the past two years.” “Nothing can describe how devastated I feel. Some of these people I’ve exchanged two, even three comments with, and I can’t tell you how many ROTFLMAOs we’ve shared, too” (159). While it may be a joke there is much truth behind it. So many users make a game of seeing how many people they can become friends with on Myspace regardless of if they know them or not.
Getting family and friends together to catch up with each other’s lives or to just touch base is important. While a phone call works well, an actual appearance can be better. It provides a way to actually see a friend or a relative to physically assess their well being, rather than just judge from a phone conversation. A hug or a comforting touch cannot be done through an email or a cell phone text. While we might be saving a couple hours in our day through electronic communication, by taking time to call or visit those we care about we’re gaining a better relationship.
Works Cited
DeGeneres, Ellen. “This is How we Live.” Remix Reading + Composing Culture. 2nd Ed. Catherine G. Latterell. Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 638-642. Print.
The Onion. “MySpace Outage Leaves Millions Friendless.” Remix Reading + Composing Culture. Second edition. Catherine G. Latterell. Bedford/St. Martin’s 2010. 158-160
Anonymous Facebook friends. “Opinions wanted!! How has the internet, email, facebook changed your communication with friends and family members in either a postive or negative way and why?” Responses to the user. 25 Feb. 2010.