The Medium of Conversation Shapes the Message

Communication is a process that has evolved over the ages, being shaped by the way it is used and the people who use it. Communication can be traced back to the prehistoric ages when cave drawings were used to articulate messages, and was then followed by the development of language, writing, and so forth. The process of communicating has continued throughout the centuries and with each new technological invention the forms of communication are altered.
Today we are able to transfer and access information faster than ever before with the use of cell phones, computers, etc. But with each new improvement there is a fear that the foundation of communication, conversation, will become a lost art. There is a sacred value in talking that other forms severely lack. Face-to-face communication allows one to see the person they are talking to, view their body language, and judge their facial expressions. These observations make conversation more personal and prevent small miscommunications that could be misleading when communicating through other sources of technology.
In the 21st we have access to many forms of communication, but just because new technologies are being invented doesn’t mean the old ones die out. As it is discussed by Sebond Dordrecht in the article “Is Conversation Becoming a Lost Art?” there are situations when sending an e-mail becomes more practical than writing a letter because of it's expediance. A person may not always be able to have a face-to-face conversation with a loved one because of distance, and therefore, a phone call is the next best option. As Dordrecht states “conversation goes on. It is simply the method and the medium that changes” and therefore new technologies shouldn’t be seen as an obstacle to the art of conversation.
In the well known novel Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan became famous for the coined phrase “the media is the message,” which explains that the medium used to communicate, whether it is a photograph, e-mail, or television clip, effects the way the message is perceived. It is necessary that the form of communication used reflects the tone or purpose of the message. For instance, sending a text message to ask what time you are meeting someone for coffee isn’t the same as sending a text message telling someone that their grandmother died. Certain forms of communication are clearly less personal than others, and it is important not to be caught up in methods that are convenient while ignoring sensitivity when conveying a message.
The key is to use the tools of communication appropriately, in which case new technologies can be seen as progress not a hindrance on conversation. Conversation is a form of communication, and will continue to exist as a means of transferring information and creating relations with one another. Although the forms of conversation may alter through the decades, it is by no means a lost art, only an evolving process.