Can't Read Nonverbal Cues”
This paper of Mark Bauerlein, known for another article “The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future”, underlines the problem of losing millenniums the ability of nonverbal communication. As a result of constant being in the air of social networks, the generation of 21-st century or Generation-Y missed the opportunity to interact with each other in real life without smiles and textual messages.
The article discusses the difficulties in communication of the modern world because of unconscious or conscious ignoring emotions of an interlocutor. The people of the age of technologies are not worried with skipping specialties of someone`s postures, gestures and even the tone of voice due to the common depreciation of “silent language”. In the long run, such interacting is influenced only by the literal meaning of the words and unable to explain the true message of others` speech.
As an illustration of silent-language acquisition, the author uses the example of business “topless” meeting which are hold without any device in order to prevent the problem of “continuous partial attention”. The addiction to chatting or checking the social networks during the live conversations with someone else appeared with the well of being constantly reached and now it makes the people inattentive and self-absorbed. The problem is that it is considered to be normal nowadays.
The answer given by Mark Bauerlein is as brilliant as simple. His tips as being aware of signals from the interlocutor even if they are silent or making eye contact seem to be usual but rather difficult for Generation-Y to follow. Sincere listening without attempting to hide in cellphone is now a great challenge.
