I hate it when colleagues sitting 5 feet away send an IM message, when they can just yell.

If you think that electronic communications (email, SMS, IM) is improving communications, think again. It is actually creating new barriers to communications and we continue to complain of the communication gaps in our various relationships.

As social interactions get more electronic, it loses its human touch. When you hear a voice you can feel the person’s emotions. When you talk face to face, you can not only feel the emotions but also see the person.

If you meet people who use a lot of email communication, you would notice that they have difficulty in communication in person or would speak very briefly on the phone. They have difficulty in being a social being. This also alienates them from communicating with everyone as they prefer only electronic communication which limits them to the people that they can talk to.

A few suggestions. Use electronic communication only when necessary or when it is the most effective way. For example if you want to let a group of people know something then email, SMS is easy to send out.

My preferred means of social interaction.

  • Meet in person, specially when you are in in the same vicinity.
  • If you can’t meet, call on the phone. In large cities, people are far away and commuting takes time, in that case use the phone.
  • Email, SMS, IM only if don’t have a choice. Either you are too far away or you need to have an official commuication.

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