Face-to-face discussions are the foundation of human
communication; once established, it allows us to build trust,
clearly articulate our ideas and minimize misunderstanding.
However, for many of us, face-to-face communication seems to be a
dying art – replaced by text messaging, e-mails, and social media.
Human communication and interactions are shaped by available
technologies.
To build meaningful connections between people, we need to let
technology enhance our communication, rather than dictate it. As
new communication technological advancements become available, our
temptation is also to spend less time on face-to-face interactions
at the risk of losing the critical context of our message. Of
course, e-mails and social media can dramatically impact the speed
and volume of messages, but therein also lies the danger in
allowing the subtle aspects of dialogue and personality to fall by
the wayside.
Online interactions allow us to manipulate the way others
perceive us. The words we type tend to characterize or define us,
which in reality, can be very different to that of having an actual
conversation with a peer.
Face-to-face communication, on the other hand, has several
advantages over other forms of communication. For example, we are
better able to control the situation we’re in when speaking to the
person in front of you. We’re able to present points one-by-one and
in the process, make sure that each point is clearly communicated
and understood before moving on to the next point. This can greatly
increase both the speed and accuracy of communication.
Face-to-face communication is also more precise than non-verbal
cues. No matter how clear we think we are being, different gestures
have different interpretations between different cultures and even
between two people of the same culture, which can lead to
miscommunication and misunderstanding. This direct verbal
communication is also an effective way to explain intangible
concepts, as problem areas can be readily addressed and
explained.More importantly, face-to-face contact helps to build
trust.
Face to face communication strongly interprets emotion as
compared to weak interpretation of social media communication.Face
to face communication helps in building better inter personal
relationships.Obviously,with social media long distance
communication has become quicker and easy,one can connect with
family and friends all around the world.It is cost effective and
saves time.
Both forms of communication have its merits and demerits which
distinguishes them from each other.