How has technology changed the rhetorical situation in our society? What sorts of observations do you make before sending text messages, e-mails or communicating with others online? Do you think multi-tasking is degrading the quality of rhetoric in our society?
There are two main factors when comparing rhetoric and technology: efficiency and quality. Today’s society is as efficient as ever. Between texting, emailing, and online communications, communicating between a mass number of people in a minimum amount time is very easy. People in today’s society use technology to their advantage to talk to people all the time, however, it is addicting and has led to frequent unsubstantial conversations. Rhetoric is being degraded from people abusing technology. The fact that someone can text fifteen people simultaneously and respond to each promptly does not allow that person to respond in depth. Everything is short, sweet, and to the point. When referring to rhetoric, efficiency and quality rarely coincide. In the past, when technology was not so advanced, email, texting, and facebook did not exist, people had to actually call a landline to tell something to someone, and then hope that the person was even home. People had to go to the post office to send what would typically be sent today in an email. Those time consuming tasks caused people to call less and just wait communicate in person; or be frugal about snail mail. People did not always call up all their friends to tell them all that “I’m watching a movie with Megan and Kim!<3” but today that would be a typical facebook status. Society may communicate more now, but it is made up of useless bits of information that no one really needs or wants to know. Because of the benefits of technology, people feel obligated to use it to its fullest, however this is decreasing the quality of rhetoric used everyday in society.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has become an essential part of humanity, so much so that humanity would be lost without it. It has very much changed our rhetoric for the worst. Through cell phones, people can express what they want without the pressure of having to say it in person. Along those same lines, one can insult another without having any physical presence. This allows for people to make decisions that can impact them in the future, and in some cases, when seen in retrospect, the decision was simply an impulse.
ReplyDeleteWith e-mails, it tends to be more formal than text messages. The content of e-mail conversations are usually more deliberated upon and therefore convey a more elegant rhetoric; a loose form of elegant of course.
Other communication online is consistent of rudeness and vulgarity, becuase the author of the post is essentially anonymous.
Multi-tasking is definitely degrading the the quality of rhetoric. People don't completely focus on the conversation that they have with the people around them because they are too involved with a texting conversation.
Technology is constantly changing and improving by the second. As humans we have to adapt to these changes in order to keep up with society. Many people can agree with the fact that we can stop communicating with one another on a physical basis but still be connected to society through technology. Technology has made our life simpler and more convenient but this comes with a price. The price we paid was heavy; we now have addictions, health problems, psychological problems, and even death. One can even say we rely on technology so much that we would be lost if it were taken away from us suddenly. In the past 5 years I haven't written a single letter. This was due to the fact that email, text messaging and other networking sites has dominated the "traditional" way of communicating. When i send text messages it is never formal and always to the point. Most adults would have no clue what i'm saying in my texts because my text are mostly acronyms. To adults its like a code but to teenagers and young adults is a way of life. Today there are so many ways to get in touch with the outside world that it was unimaginable ten years ago. As more people become dependent to technology, we have to learn how to multi-task. With multi- tasking we sacrifice quality. As research reported MIT students isn't as good as he claim. While the internet has open another world to us but we can't forget what is reality and what is cyberspace.
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