Personal contact versus Communication
Somewhere in my categories is a title “Communication is the Future”. In a significant way it is misleading. Yes humans are in instant contact with one another but are they really communicating. Many years ago when you phoned anybody they had no way of knowing who was calling and they answered. Not to-day. On the phone dial appears a written communication that informs the person who answers who has called. In many cases the phone is just left to ring and never answered but left to an automatic answering service in which the message is deleted.
As well how many times have you called a big company and been transferred from one line to another until as if by chance you lose contact. It happens so often that it appears to not be coincidental. Just another way of avoiding contact and resolution.
Communication as well is more than talking. When you discuss an issue with another person eye contact is so important. You are giving information but when you look in the eye you can instantly tell how it is being received. By the tremor in the voice you can tell if the recipient of the message is happy, unhappy or disinterested The loudness of the answer is always an indication of the mental state of the persons involved. Smirks, smiles, frowns and other facial features play no part in modern communication but leave human reaction to be guessed. That takes personal contact.
Where modern communication is useful and becomes essentially the mode of contact is where human reaction is not really part of the action. I can think of ordering a pizza or cancelling a newspaper for a holiday break. In other words just a simple demand with no nuances.
