Speaking to One Another Today

Problem or possibility?
Irene Schiff

Communicating is a necessity for every living being. It means to be in touch with someone, challenge the other, establish relationships. A human being, as a social animal, instinctively recognize the need to experience feelings, to develop logic and intellectual potential. All forms of communication are directly interconnected with social evolution; graffiti are exampling that man needs to leave traces of himself, from proto-writing to the most advanced forms of writing. Geographical discoveries, the invention of the press, the telephone, the radio, the computer have increased, modified and even conditioned professional and social relations. Even more so today, we need to stay in touch with others, and this is understandable but, we must ask ourselves, how and to what extent? We bridge and create a distance with people so easily because we can communicate simultaneously with anyone anywhere in the world or we can exclude them from our lives simply by blocking them on WhatsApp. 

 

People using phones

And what do we say to each other? They are really important things, or they hide the need to say "I'm there, listen to me" or "I want to be seen." How about the cell phone, such an important tool which has become an essential (or apparently so) hand prosthesis? Smart phones have practically become ubiquitous in our lives. How much space does it take in our relationships, families, studies or work? We often see groups of young people physically together, but each one of them concentrated on their cell phone, as though the person next to them, at 50 cm, did not exist. Citing a line from a song by Vasco Rossi, we could say, "Everyone essentially lost in their own business." Is it really how it is?

 

 

 

 

TEST

 

1) You're on vacation, away from everyone

a) such peace

b) such boredom

c) such worry

 

2) Someone thinks differently than you

a) they're wrong

b) they're right

c) you wonder why

 

3) What would you do to promote investments

a) eliminate traffic lights

b) get information at the bank

c) get information from friends

 

4) To communicate without being physically involved

a) is better

b) is worse

c) whatever

 

5) Some friends take a picture of you

a) you take a pose

b) you stay as you are

c) you hide

 

6) You have one more drink because

a) you feel more spontaneous

b) they all do it

c) you never exaggerate with drinking

 

7) The day is almost over; now

a) a bit of sports

b) with friends or family

c) on the couch, in front of the TV or the computer

 

8) Your partner has cheated on you with your best friend and now they’re officially together

a) you hope your ex-partner will cheat again

b) you hope your ex-partner will be cheated on

c) you don't want to hear about them anymore

 

9) They say you are an anxious type

a) why did they tell me?

b) you don't mind

c) it's true: you're going through a rough time

 

10) You and cigarettes; you

a) never smoked

b) still smoke

c) stopped smoking

 

11) You associate the word "relationship" with

a) work

b) love

c) link between two things

 

12) You associate the word "lead" with

a) movies

b) winning

c) the opposite of retreat

 

13) Travelling is most of all

a) culture

b) entertainment

c) expenses

 

14) Try your luck at a game

a) is only a loss of money

b) not too often

c) very often

 

15) What sector would you rather work in

a) technical

b) HR

c) business

 

 

 

 

SCORE

Question A B C

1) 1 2 3

2) 3 1 2

3) 1 2 3

4) 3 2 1

5) 3 2 1

6) 2 3 1

7) 1 2 3

8) 2 3 1

9) 3 1 2

10) 1 3 2

11) 2 3 1

12) 2 3 1

13) 1 3 2

14) 1 2 3

15) 1 2 3

 

EXPLANATIONS

FROM 45 TO 35 POINTS:

SOCIAL MEDIA SAVVY

Technology is important; it'd be awful if it didn't exist, and you're great with communication technology. You sometimes use these practical tools, but are you sure you couldn't sometimes go for the more old-fashioned ways of having relationships like going out with people, talking, discussing, joking with them face to face? You may find yourself being just as good!

 

FROM 34 TO 26 POINTS:

MEANS, NOT ENDS

Computers, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook ... hold no secrets for you. You always have your phone with you, but you also know when to turn it off. When you disconnect from these tools, you do so to better connect with yourself or those who are with you or to enjoy the sounds or the silence around you.

 

FROM 25 TO 15 POINTS:

NOTHING COMES OF BEING APPREHENSIVE

Technology is important, we can't do without it. It can be complicated to use it but not impossible. If others can do it, so can you, and probably with less difficulty than you can imagine. Try to get in the game; if you use it moderately, you can increase your potential.

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