How Text Messages and Social Media Devalued Personal Communication (An
Excerpt)
by Earl G. Graves Sr.
December 23, 2013.
Let us use social media and mobile devices to facilitate, instead of replacing authentic
personal communication."
We communicate, but we are losing our sense of genuine connection with others. This
bodes ill for our relationships, both business and personal.
helped to drive economies, transform industries, create new job and business opportunities,
and even new wealth.
However, it is important to recognize that phone texts with smiley-face are poor symbols
substitutes for a handwritten note, a sincere hug, or a firm handshake Moreover, our
increasing reliance on texting and other less-than-personal communication has resulted in
less civility, courtesy, and consideration of others: For example, too many people, including
politicians, athletes, and other public figures, choose to publicly blast one another via
Twitter or Facebook, rather than speak with one another directly to personally iron out their
differences. We are becoming more detached, even from our loved ones, as communication
via cell phones and tablets replaces more intimate, engaged, and personal conversation,
even at family reunions, vacations, and at the dinner table
Social media and mobile communication are not going away, nor should they. But we can be
wiser in our use of them
Value opportunities to look people in the eye and really listen. Resist the urge to glance at
your mobile device. Text fewer heart symbols; instead, call to say "I love you" more often
turn off your devices, if only for a few minutes. Honor your friend by being fully engaged and
present. Trust me: the world will not end. And all of us, especially you, will be the better for
it.
An Update on the Selfie People
by Dr. Carolina T. Gonzales
A common definition of selfie is that it is a type of self- portrait that is taken using a camera
(usually a hand-held digital camera or camera phone) by that same person
Most selfies, which appear casual and flattering, are not only done by ordinary people but
by celebrities and well- known personalities such as President Benigno Aquino III, President
Obama, and Filipino actors and actresses.
Candace White's "A Study of Selfies" (March 3, 2014) shares interesting research findings
with her readers in her online post.
Women take significantly more selfies and pose more often than men. Her report shows that
the average amount of head tilt is 150% higher for women. However,
White further cites that research studies on selfies show that selfies have become more than
self-promotion of people with inflated egos. The selfie concept and habit are now
considered creative self-expression and the trend has turned into a communal and social
practice.
Another update about selfies is from Angelo G. Garcia who reports interesting things about
the selfie act in the Philippine setting. According to Garcia, two Philippine cities (Makati and
Pasig), landed on top of the list of the "selfiest" cities in the world. This fact is based on a
study which revealed that there are a total of 258 selfie-takers per 100,000 people in both
cities.
That the Filipinos are a "selfie nation" is evidenced by this interesting update: the two cities
beat Manhattan in New York which landed in the number two spot. Another Philippine city,
Cebu City, was ranked at number nine.
Noting that social media-obsessed Filipinos have always been on top of what's new and hip,
Garcia asks his readers this question: "Are today's X generation only self-absorbed that they
forget what truly matters?"
Garcia discusses the origins of selfies, a description of the "self-absorbed" generation, a
psychological perspective of selfies as a mental illness as well as selfie's good side.
Garcia shares with his readers that historians and sociologists believe that people started
taking their own photos when cameras were invented. However, during the early time, the
intention of people in taking pictures was simply image preservation.
With the rise of technology, social media, and the proliferation of cell phones, people started
using cell phones to take photos of themselves.
Garcia cites Maria Paz Consolacion Manaligod, PhD, a developmental psychologist who
believes that social media has created a very convenient and accessible venue to
express man's social need.
Dr. Manaligod says, "People, basically, are social beings and part of the 'Selfie' trend is a call
for attention 'Hey, matter' syndrome. All human beings crave for attention; they want to be
noticed by everyone."
Garcia also mentioned the "self-absorbed generation," saying that today's generation has
become too self- absorbed. The youths of today value so much on the number of friends,
likes, favorites, and comments they get on social media.
This is affirmed by Manaligod as she states that the teens, in their search for identity a.k.a.
"Who Am I?" desire more attention and affirmation as to who they are, and social media has
given them quite a lot of feedback from friends and strangers alike because of their selfie
posts.
Below is an excerpt from Garcia's report on the psychological side of selfies which some
Filipinos find kind of an "exaggerated" view, but for others, a "stark reality of the
contemporary world we live in:
A Mental Illness?
Recently, there were reports showing that selfies can Indeed lead to addiction. Last March, a
British teenager tried to commit suicide when he was not able to take the perfect photo of
himself. Nineteen-year-old Danny Bowman takes an astonishing 200 selfies a day. It takes
him 10 hours a day just to do that, causing him to drop out of school. He is believed to have
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a chronic mental
illness wherein n individual has excessive concern about his/her physical appearance.
The complexity of this issue is explained by Dr. Manaligod this way:
"It is difficult to judge the real intentions of people who engage too much in 'selfies, neither
should the behavior be immediately categorized as a Narcissistic Personality Disorder
(NPD). Narcissism, in lay terms, basically means that a person is totally absorbed in himself."
Additional descriptive details about people diagnosed with NPD are provided:
- They have exaggerated feelings of self-importance and show a need for admiration.
- They lack of empathy for others.
- Extreme narcissists are the center of their own universe. From some narcissists'
perspective, people are things to be used for their benefit; thus, it is difficult for them
to build or sustain relationships.
- This problem makes it extremely difficult for them to build or sustain relationships.
Though Garcia has explained the bad side of selfies, there is also the good side of selfies.
Selfies provide ways of socializing with other people. Through selfies, people get to be
connected even if they are far from each other.
Selfie is also a way of self-expression for some people. What does the future hold for selfies?
Can you predict?
Sensory images are known as "imagery" in literature. An author or a literary device writer
uses descriptive language to engage on multiple levels: one of the reader's five senses.
Through sensory images, a reader can easily picture the actions or characters in a story or
poem. Writers also use imagery to create a specific tone or mood.
Examples of Sensory Words:
Visual - These are words related to how we see things. They relate to things like color, shape,
size, angle, and appearance. How will you use them to paint a vivid picture?
Brightness: light/bright/shiny/sparkly or dark/dim/dull/tarnished
Size: large/enormous/immense/gigantic or tiny/small/miniature/little
Color density: vivid/day-glo/fluorescent or pale/washed-out/sepia
Auditory - These are words related to sounds and how we hear them.
Volume: loud/deafening/booming or quiet/whispering/rustling
Pitch: shrill/high-pitched/falsetto/piercing or deep/low-pitched/baritone/bass
Rhythm: repetitive/metronome/regular or varying/intermittent/erratic
Tactile - These are words related to how we experience touch or the feel of things through
our skin.
Texture: downy/soft/feathery or abrasive/coarse/rough
Pressure: light/gentle/delicate or heavy/harsh/dense
Temperature: burning/scalding/itching or freezing/icy/soothing
Gustatory - These are words related to taste.
Sweet vs sour: sugary/saccharine/sickly or tart/unsweetened
Flavorsome vs bland: meaty/savory/spicy/herby vs mild/bland/tasteless
Texture: lean/crisp/crusty or oily/greasy/buttery
Olfactory - These are words related to smell.
Scent: floral/aromatic/fragrant or odorless/neutral/unscented
Strength: stinky/pungent/overpowering or insipid/weak/airy
Freshness: musty/stale/decayed or paint-fresh/clean/hygienic
Kinesthetic Imagery
- We can't exactly feel movement with our senses, but we can certainly perceive movement.
Kinesthetic imagery focuses on the full-body movements of people, animals, and things
Sensory Imagery Tools
Anaphora: The use of repetition to emphasize a point. "He knew they never offered to help
with the medical bills. He knew they had plenty of money. He knew it only made him angry
to think about it."
Hyperbole: The use of exaggeration to bring home a point. "The groceries weighed a ton."
Understatement: Deliberately treating something of critical importance with little emphasis.
"The birth was rather uncomfortable."
Idioms: A common expression or turn of phrase. While most writers shun the use of idioms
or clichés for example, "the elephant in the room" - writers can still use idioms to evoke
powerful emotions or bring some humor to the story.
Personification: Giving an inanimate object the qualities of something human. "The lamp
breathed life into the parlor."
Synesthesia: Describing one sensory experience in terms of another. "The mood was
orange." "His voice was red with rage."
Syllepsis/Zeugma: Using the verb of a phrase to apply to two distinct components of that
phrase even though it only logically applies to one: "He switched off the light and his love for
Erica."
Metonymy: Describing a whole by only a part, such as mentioning a finger to represent the
body. "Lend me your ears." "Give me a hand.
Falling Intonation
- Tag questions are words that express confirmation rather than questions. Not all tag
questions are really questions. Some of them merely ask for confirmation or invite
agreement, in which case we use a falling tone at the end.
Statement
Open Question
Tag Question (Confirmation/Sure)
Rising Intonation
- Remember that the pitch of the voice rises at the end of a sentence. Rising intonation
invites the speaker to continue talking. It is normally used with yes/no questions, and
question tags that are real questions.
Closed Question
Tag Question (Real Question/Unsure)
Rise-Fall Intonation
- We use rise-fall intonation for choices and lists.
List
