Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another. The information can be regarding facts, opinions or feelings. (Communication, 2007) The communication process takes place everywhere, whether one is in a business relationship or a personal one, the interaction between two or more individuals is imperative. Among many kinds of communications, the interpersonal communication is the most commonly used. It is the process when two or more individuals interact with each other on a personal level.
The course of interactive communication is made of four central elements. • SENDER: the person who is sending the message or information • RECIEVER: an individual who receives the message transmitted by the sender • MESSAGE: the matter of information • FEEDBACK: the response generated by the receiver These days, people are using the instant messengers, online forums, interactive websites & blogs to communicate with friends & at the same time form new relationships on the internet that are thrilling & just a click away.
TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY
As the society is going through many changes & advancements, the technologies are also reaching sky high in growth. The early 1990s, the skill requirement of a person usually centred around reading, writing & calculations; however the ever changing needs of the world required individuals to understand the technologies available today, ranging from the internet to unlimited soft wares. The technical study has become a major part of studies in all educational institutes, nowadays every child is fully capable to log in the net & browse for his school assignment or download the latest version of his favourite game.
37. 7 % people in a survey conducted online believed that the Internet helps them communicate more with family and friends, almost 100% participants asserted that increased Internet interaction has no effect on the amount of time spent with those people in real life. The electronic media has acted as a brainwave for communication. It has removed all the barriers of time, place & procedures creating an exclusive control regarding interaction around the world by adding new dimensions for enhanced communication.
The use of digital visuals, chat rooms, online discussions, forums & emails has provided a high quality path for communicating for businessmen to students; men & women alike. According to Jeffery I. Cole; the director of Centre for the Digital Future, “we are now witnessing the true emergence of the Internet as the powerful personal and social phenomenon we knew it would become,” (Cheng, 2006) Websites like Orkut, Facebook, Myspace & other online forums, have provided the users with a platform to interact with their real life friends & at the same time make new friends, upload & share pictures, videos online.
One click, enables two or sometimes hundreds of people to communicate & assess each other. A student living in America can have friends from as far away as India, the internet acting as a common language tool between them. The new soft wares enable users to transfer pictures of each other & view personal data. LOVE ON THE INTERNET Online communication renders users to create a striking image of themselves in front of others & allows development of intimacy in a fairly short time. The feeling of being free to have your say without being judged physically motivates individuals with low esteem to indulge in online relationships.
An online relationship is considered safer & a better option than a direct association. According to Laura Lond, “My husband and I had met on the Internet, so we are a living proof that Internet romance can be successful. I can honestly say that we are a perfect match. Yet, I am aware that there are disaster stories as well, from all kinds of shocking discoveries when two Internet daters meet in person to pure scams. With the anonymity the Internet offers, it is too easy for dishonesty to find its way into the process. ” (Finding Your Love on the Internet, 2005)
Another woman from Australia, Andrea Wasseleny shares the same good luck as she met a young man from another state on an online chat forum; after few months of interaction & a meeting, they got engaged & then married. Their love is still going strong after many years. The secret behind a successful online relationship is good communication between the individuals based to truth & honesty, which in turn develops a trust & strengthens the bond of love. Many people around the world spend unlimited time interacting online with others.
The relationship feels more interesting & exciting then their real ones. Most of the time with strangers, they hardly know or trust but still end up sharing their personal information & secrets. “Online relationships are readily accessible, they move very quickly, and under the cloak of anonymity, they make it easy for people to reveal a great deal about themselves” (Marano, 2004) Many more likely stories are present online & in magazines as well, motivating other people to try out the amazing features too. Numerous websites like lovingyou. com, ivillage.
com etc have discussion boards where users can log in & post messages & share content. Search conducted on yahoo, orkut, & msn groups showed that more than 1000 people were enrolled in categories related to relationships & online love, posting hundreds of messages everyday plus exchanging emails & screen ids to interact on personal level as well. The instant messengers like msn & yahoo provide quick communication to a person sitting thousands of miles away. This method of interaction is more beneficial in understanding & developing views about the person on other end.
This trend is being used around the world & helping in forming ties through marriage or friendship. However the user sometimes forgets that it is quite hard to distinguish truth from lies. Anyone can depict him or herself as totally opposite of what they really are, while interacting online; hence encouraging the person on other end to fantasize that the person they’re talking to is the perfect partner. Many broken hearts remain after the truth is revealed, often resulting into loss of hope.
The same thing happened to a young girl, who was made a fool of another child’s parents by portraying themselves as a young boy. He became friends with her & later when she became emotionally involved declared that he didn’t want to talk to her again as she is not a nice person, after getting her heart broken she evaded all her aspirations & committed suicide. Her parents later found out about the trick & sued the people involved; nonetheless the life lost cannot be brought back. A number of marriage sites are available online, luring single men & women to interact & possibly spend their lives together.
Often the program is successful but only if the people involved are honest with each other in their communicating habits. Numerous forums & sites have encouraged married individuals to indulge in affairs easily, resulting in resentment of partners when they find out. Normally the spouse develops jealousy to see that their partner is spending more time online than they do with each other, resulting in emotional detachment. “Relationship experts agree that any intimate activity between two people that breaches the trust of a partner is an affair.
And that most certainly includes online relationships. ” (Hall, BBC. co) The internet has proved to be a new way of connecting, meeting new people simply through their email addresses & nicks. Earlier technologies like phone & mail were used in communicating but they required some identity of the other person like an address or a phone number. The excitement & thrill of making contacts without confirming their gender or name is present just through internet. It is up to one’s choice to either have a quick chat or develop a long term friendship every single day.