Day 7 -- 53 -- New Ways to Talk

The day was filled with ordinary activities. The laundry was finished, including folding stuff from the dryer. More folding awaits when the items air drying are indeed dry -- more fun for tomorrow. <smile> I did a bit of hand laundry, too. Some light cooking occurred to help make supper more interesting. During the day, I spent a couple of hours completing a peer review of a manuscript submitted to a European journal. The topic was fascinating. During the evening I spoke separately with two friends on Skype. I enjoy such conversations. Seeing and hearing those on the other side of a conversation makes all the difference. Reading messages works fine, but seeing body language and hearing inflection is a gift. While such video calls are not perfect, they are a far cry from the days of letter writing, when a conversation could take up to two weeks to get the next installment. In the days before emojis, actual meaning could be obscured. Even with emojis, actual intent could be masked.

I often think of Marshall McLuhan when I participate in electronic communication formats. In many ways, this conversations are more part of an oral history than a written or printed one. Does this mean we've taken a step back while thinking we moved forward? Hmmm.  Will need to do further reading with current media theorists to see where they net out on this concept. <smile>

The song chosen for today is from an album released in 1984 -- so not as current as the newer technologies I've mentioned. It has a distinct techno sound and the lyrics note the foibles of such modes of communication. Enjoy!

Communication -- Janet Jackson