The 21st century is a time of ubiquitous communication and data exchange. It is no coincidence that many call it the age of information technology. A lot of material on various topics has appeared. Information has become as accessible as it has never been before.
Now for its transfer you do not need to maintain a staff of messengers or organize complex logistics routes. One has only to provide the technical component of this issue and transfer all the data in a matter of seconds between the continents.
People exchange ideas everywhere: at home, in public transport, on the street, studying and working. Age does not matter: even children can record voice messages. Did this virtual communication really replace people with real communication? Is it bad? The answers to these and many other questions are contained in this article.
The virtual world has replaced reality
Very popular is the opinion among some people, according to which the virtual world has completely replaced reality for mankind: everyone knows life only through the Internet, meet on messengers, and get married on social networks. Is it really?
Objectively, no. Those who believe otherwise are exaggerating. There is no catastrophe in the fact that people more often began to use the achievements of science, although for many it is difficult to accept.
They still walk in parks and swim in the sea, communicate in cafes and go to theaters and cinema, and those who did not do this before did not behave this way because of the Internet and social networks, but because of their personality . In a person’s life, both virtual and real communication should take place.
Perhaps someday modern civilization will really cease to communicate without the use of gadgets and technical devices, but these times will definitely not come in the near future.
In the end, it is now in fashion to be athletic and active in social terms, and these parameters cannot be met, living only through virtual communication.
But an indisputable fact can be called the fact that most people on this planet have their own email address, an account in any messenger or social network. Thanks to these technological advances, subjects can take part in virtual communication chats.
This has not yet acquired catastrophic proportions, as has already been written, but it still occupies a significant part in the life of people. What are the advantages? What are the downsides?
pros
Virtual chat rooms have many positive aspects. They really benefit people. Let's see what the main advantages of virtual communication are.
No limits
If we talk about why the Internet is so loved by mankind, it is the presence of a large amount of free information. It is also possible to communicate with him, anywhere and with anyone. Definitely so.
Thanks to technology, you no longer have to wait until a letter from St. Petersburg arrives in Moscow, and the answer reaches the recipient in days, maybe weeks. It is enough to press the “send” button and days-weeks turn into seconds. The same applies to communication between Paris and Moscow, Vladivostok and New York, etc.
Only temporary boundaries remained, but they still could not force the inhabitants of the planet to stop communicating with each other from different hemispheres.
This is of great benefit not only to ordinary people who can communicate with their relatives from distant countries, but also to businessmen who can exchange useful information at any time and in unlimited volume.
This plus enables an individual to learn foreign languages with the help of their native speakers. Finding an interlocutor from the UK or the USA to better understand spoken English is very simple in the 21st century. Just go to the desired site.
Availability
In developed and many developing countries, the Internet has long ceased to be something special. Almost every citizen has it and its availability is beyond doubt. Yes, in some states it is more expensive than in others, but in general, almost everyone can afford the Internet.
Software manufacturers, seeing such a development of technology, began to release free programs for virtual communication. So there were many popular instant messengers that allow you to chat for free on the network.
This is much more profitable than paying for mobile communications, which, apparently, very soon will be completely replaced by Internet communications: free and affordable.
Large companies are actively working in this direction. Google, for example, has long been developing a project for worldwide free Wi-Fi coverage. If for Japan or South Korea this may not be very relevant, then many regions of Russia and all other countries of the world where there are hard-to-reach territories, this innovation can be of great benefit.
Moreover, where there is Wi-Fi, there is also a regular connection, so if this project is successful, there may be a chance to reach someone in the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation from the taiga zone or from the plane over the Pacific Ocean to Thailand.
Like-minded people
This positive aspect of virtual interaction follows from the two above. In fact, thanks to the Internet, everyone can communicate with anyone. Accordingly, the chance to meet someone with similar outlooks on life or on a specific situation in a country or world is sharply increasing.
Communication with a virtual friend gives you the opportunity to express your point of view. It is much simpler and more productive to do this with an audience that shares your views. Many do not need more from life: it is important to be heard and that’s all. It is virtual communication on the Internet that contributes significantly to this.
Convenience
The convenience of this method of communication between individuals is that each of the subscribers has the opportunity to consider all the information received and respond to it. Of course, this is not relevant for video communication, which is practically no different from live communication. But this applies to people who prefer to exchange thoughts through emails and messages.
True, this plus has a downside, which is described in detail below.
Relief
The comfort of network communication lies in the fact that it enables notorious people to forget about their fears for a while and express what they have in mind. Those who do not like noisy companies are much more comfortable to chat in a messenger, where they can calmly express their opinions and be themselves.
Do not be surprised that this positive aspect has a flip side, which will be given further attention.
End of dialogue
In virtual communication on the network, the interlocutors are equal to each other, therefore, everyone has the same rights. Although there are rules of decency, it won’t be a bad thing if someone interrupted someone else’s message, the thread of the story would not be lost. The same fact gives each forum participant the right to end the dialogue at any time.
You can not find a witty statement to some causticity, not try to get out, avoiding the answer to the question, but simply stop communication without explanation. Of course, the consequences of this behavior may not be the most pleasant, but the fact is the fact.
Minuses
Naturally, as with everything, communication carried out beyond the boundaries of visible reality has a negative side. In order to maintain balance in all vital aspects, it is important for everyone to remember the minuses of virtual communication. And also know how significant they are.
Self-esteem
Virtual communication is not only the exchange of text and voice messages, but also video. It is also the formation of a rating in the form of likes, reposts and comments. The capabilities of social networks and instant messengers are such that people in them can represent themselves from any position.
For example, a timid person may show himself bold, strong - weak, etc. Nobody will stop them from doing this.
The most interesting thing is that the Internet audience often does not take information very seriously and in most cases believes in what they are trying to convince. Because of this, people form inadequate self-esteem, which does not correspond to reality.
Loss of live communication skills
Be that as it may, lively communication has not gone away. If a person gives himself completely to virtual interaction, forgetting about the realities, he risks forgetting how to communicate normally with people, and this is a very important skill, without which it is impossible not only to go on a trip or get a job, but also banal to buy food or clothing in a store.
Negative impact on development
It is worth paying attention to how standard letters differ from messages on the Internet:
- They need to be able to write. People, knowing that their letter can go for weeks to the recipient and that they can wait the same amount of response, try to pay maximum attention and information, and the beauty of writing in one message. If you study the letters of educated people of the XVIII century, then they can be taken unknowingly as chapters of literary works. Virtual communication is a form of interaction that has discounted a given skill. The text is sent in seconds and there is no need to think about how to put all the information in one message, because you can always send the second, third, tenth and twentieth.
- They develop thinking. The formulation of thoughts for transferring them to paper develops the parts of the brain that are responsible for memory and intellectual activity. Pressing the buttons on the keyboard has no such effect.
That is why it is important not to forget about real communication. At least in the format of letters. In addition, paper messages are very nice to receive.
This, by the way, is the flip side of comfort, which provides a virtual exchange of information.
Loss of time
It seems that communication on the network is a great way to save time, although in fact it often turns out differently: a dialogue starts for fifteen minutes, and it ends after an hour and a half, because neither side is limited in delivering information. One topic can quickly replace the second, the second - the third, and an important and, maybe, allotted for other things, resource is wasted on all this.
This is how Internet addiction is formed, which turns from harmless forms into a real disease, the result of which is not wasted days or months, but whole years of life.
It is worth recalling that time is priceless and you should not spend it endlessly scrolling through a news feed on Vkontakte or watching a video on YouTube. Of course, no one forces you to abandon this completely, but it is better to devote such time to a minimum of time, giving the remaining free hours to more useful things: work, organizing a business, reading books, walking with friends, going to the movies, playing sports, traveling.
Unfulfilled hopes
Each subject in the network can be anyone. On the one hand, this is good for increasing self-esteem, on the other hand, it is bad for those who believe this. Great chance to become deceived.
To better understand this negative aspect of virtual communication, consider the following example. The girl met a young man in the social network, where he showed himself confident, witty and resourceful, thanks to which he was able to achieve a meeting with her in reality.
Arriving on a date, she met a completely different person than she was waiting for: a notorious and not at all such a bright guy who in her presence cannot connect two words.
As a result, a waste of time and a bad mood due to unjustified hopes.
Scammers
Again, on the net, all personalities can wear any kind of mask, which is often used by scammers. Often there are stories in which a girl met a young man through a social network, started dating, and he eventually deceived and robbed her.
Countless examples of deceived buyers of non-existent online stores can also be cited.
That is why when communicating on the network, you should be wary, not give money and do not trust untrusted persons.
Total
A number of people insist that network communication only causes harm, another part is convinced of the opposite. In fact, there are pros and cons of virtual communication. True, as always, lies somewhere in between.
Virtual communication is a way of exchanging information that has both positives (saving time, the ability to quickly deliver information, self-realization, searching for like-minded people) and negative aspects (Internet addiction, fraud, unjustified expectations).
It all depends on a particular person: if he does not know how to properly allocate his time, has no goals in life and is poorly versed in people, then Internet communication is likely to do him harm, and not benefit.
If he effectively manages his personal resources, does not believe the first comer and is engaged in self-development, then the Internet can become an assistant for him in many areas of activity.