Free Essay about the Impact of Internet Communication on Interpersonal Communication.

It is a widely known slogan that "you cannot communicate." Human beings have a need to share and exchange feelings, information, and meaning either through verbal or non-verbal communication. This concept explains what interpersonal communication is all about. For many centuries, interpersonal communication has been restricted to face-to-face communication only. Notably, this communication is not just about words, it encompasses the language, how the words are said, and the non-verbal messages passed through facial expressions, the tone of voice, body language and gesture. In recent decades, different facets of interpersonal communication and modern life, in general, have been greatly impacted by social media. Chiefly, the modern lifestyle has seen time to be one of the most precious resources of human life. Mobile phones have created a new scenario where there is a general avoidance of person to person communication in businesses and social spectrum. Thus, the use of social media has greatly revolutionized interpersonal communication despite some of its shortcomings.

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One of the greatest advantages uses of social media in communication is that it saves time as people communicate faster, easier and more convenient. The current economic lifestyle has altered social organizations in many cultures. With the need for both husband and wife to find employment to support the family, time for interaction has become more and more scarce. With this in mind, social media has become an alternative channel of communication in the midst of these challenges. Additionally, technology has resulted in globalization, and human interaction is broader cutting across countries and continents thus making person to person communication across the globe an outdated concept. More to this, the business transaction has also greatly changed. The need to market and advertise products globally cannot be achieved unless through the use of social media. Therefore, the use of social media in the context of the changing economic lifestyle and globalization is highly advantageous over face-to-face communication.

Despite the faster and more convenient transaction of information, use of digital platforms in communication has had its shortcomings as people feel towards human interaction have greatly changed. It's true that the exchange of information has become faster and more convenient; however, it's more likely for someone to overlook the thought of the outcome from the quality of such interactions. For example, it is leaving comments on someone's post on a social media platform such as Facebook may be done with little or no regard of what is posted. In other words, communication has become more and more unregulated, and hence its quality is highly questionable. On the other hand, the use of digital forms of communication hinders aspects of interpersonal communication such as the use and interpretation of non-verbal communication. This aspect does not only make it disadvantageous but also gives room for misinterpretation and misunderstanding.

Person to person communication tends to more convenient for interpersonal communication. As already mentioned, communication requires the exchange of information either through verbal or non-verbal communication. There is a great need to interpret not just what is said, but how it is said. This aspect of communication is mainly achieved through face-to-face communication. However, it might not be the ideal form of communication as globalization has made communication between people across the globe inevitable. Since such cannot be achieved through person to person communication, use of digital media in communication is thus more convenient as it will save time and increase the scope of human interaction.

In conclusion, interpersonal communication has greatly been impacted by the use of digital forms of communication. This impact has been advantageous since communication has become faster, easier and more convenient. However, there is a general tendency of unregulated communication as people pay little attention to the outcome of the quality of their interaction. Therefore, person to person communication becomes one of the primary and ideal channels of interpersonal communication. However, its limitation in the context of globalization makes digital communication inevitable for human beings.

References

Interpersonal Communication. (2014, July 10). Retrieved from https://www.communicationtheory.org/interpersonal-communication/

Podschuweit, N. (2017). Interpersonal Communication: Media Influence on. The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects, 1-12. doi:10.1002/9781118783764.wbieme0137

Subramanian, K. R. (2017). Influence of Social Media in Interpersonal Communication. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS AND RESEARCH (IJSPR), 38(2). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319422885_Influence_of_Social_Media_in_Interpersonal_Communication