COMMUNICATION THROUGH AGES

 

Your friend across the room gives you a subtle nod to let you know that they're up for a party tonight. Your mother lets out a heavy sigh as she enters the house after a long day at work. You understand that she needs rest after a tiresome day. You can tell your father is angry with you because you didn't do your homework with just the one glance he gives you. How can we have such a complex conversation without using words? The reason is non-verbal communication. 

Non-verbal communication describes the behavioural components of human-to-human messages. Others can deduce meaning from a person's look, posture, and facial expressions explaining why understanding others around you without verbal communication is so easy (Emotions, Technology, and Digital Games, 2015). The essential thing is that non-verbal communication is the dialectic opposite of verbal communication and that they together make up human communication.

Non-verbal cues play a big part in how we express our emotions. Scholars and students studying non-verbal communication have shown a great deal of interest in the topic of emotion. The most accurate non-verbal cues come from facial expressions (Ekman, 1992). Non-verbal communication has evolved and adapted, according to Darwin, who described it as an evolutionary mechanism. Since facial expressions of emotion are universal and evolutionary, all mammals exhibit them. Matsumoto (2008) found that when faced with emotional situations, both sighted and blind judo competitors had identical facial expressions, demonstrating the inherent nature of NVC. Additionally, children who are born blind exhibit similar facial expressions to those who are born sighted. 

Although Darwin and his supporters believed that non-verbal communication is innate, not all of them agreed with this. Some argue that nonverbal behaviour results from observing and imitating people from their own cultures. To prove this, American and Japanese volunteers were used in a cross-cultural study conducted by Yuki et al. (2007). Each participant was shown a variety of emoticons with different emotional expressions. They were asked to rate them from very happy to very sad. Japanese participants showed higher ratings for those emoticons that had happier eyes while Americans focused on happier mouths, indicating that cultural experiences affect non-verbal communication and hence it is learned. The debate is still relevant today, with both perspectives supported by research. 

Another evolutionary role that nonverbal communication plays is survival and reproduction. Before the development of language, nonverbal communication was the primary mode of communication. Potential partners were chosen based on their non-verbal cues like body language, facial gestures, and eye contact which would convey attraction and interest. Additionally, non-verbal cues convey genetic attractiveness, physical fitness, and health, all of which are desirable characteristics for potential mates.

The ability to interpret nonverbal communication is not unique to humans. Many animal species also use nonverbal communication to convey information, including body language, vocalizations, and pheromones. Therefore, it is likely that the ability to interpret and use nonverbal communication evolved early in the evolutionary history of animals and was refined over time. We know that apes are intelligent beings that have evolved a diverse set of physical and nonverbal communication skills while lacking higher-order cognition and a lexicon. But they are not the only ones that use nonverbal cues. 

Many expressive, if not vocal, species can be found in the Animal Kingdom. Despite not using vocal communication, one study suggested that Madagascan spiny-tailed iguanas have acquired ears to hear the warning calls of the Madagascan paradise flycatcher. The only thing in common between the two species is that they both live in the same general environment and raptors like to eat them. Therefore, an iguana is informed to be vigilant for approaching predators when it hears a bird raise the alarm among other birds.

Other forms of nonverbal communication seen in different species are non-vocal auditory gestures, like the slapping of a dolphin's tail on the water, bioluminescence, scent marking, visual signals and postural gestures. Fireflies and peacocks are accurate examples of bioluminescence and visual displays, respectively. Ants use chemical cues to help guide as well as for other activities like differentiating between friends and foes and connecting with new mates. Recent studies have revealed that domestication has altered the dog's communication skills, particularly with people. Dogs are capable of initiating communication, relying on visible human motions, and picking up on basic visual attention cues.

We know that communication is an inherent part of human existence and we continue to evolve because of it. Today's generation communicates with the help of technology, which is both marvellous and terrifying. Technology, particularly in recent years, has fundamentally changed how people communicate. No matter where they are in the world, what time zone they are in, or what language they speak, individuals can now interact with one another quickly thanks to smartphones, social media, and other digital platforms. The rising reliance on technology for communication has, however, sparked concerns about its possible dangers. 

Society’s current structure places heavy emphasis on economic globalization. Globalization and its increased interdependence with other countries has caused effective communication to become essential to manage these complex relationships.

With the rise of digitalization, it has become almost customary to own more than one device or to be on more than one social media platform. These platforms have now become a primary source of communication and information exchange. 

As of January 2023, 64.4% of the world’s population uses social media. That is approximately 5.16 billion people. (Ani Petrosyan, 2023)

We are chained to our phones. This increased reliance raises the question of whether there exists a significant difference between how we communicate on social media and how we communicate in real life.

The internet is a culture of its own with its own set of values.

 Colloquialism refers to words or phrases that are commonly used in casual or informal speech, rather than in formal or literary contexts. It plays a significant role in shaping communication on social media platforms. These platforms have a unique communication style that often involves informal language and abbreviations that vary based on the platform’s user base. Examples include phrases such as ‘afk’, ‘it’s giving’, ‘slay’ etc. 

To understand how social media has affected our ability to communicate, we must take a closer look at how algorithms work.

Algorithms are designed to keep users hooked by providing them with content that plays into their biases, fantasies and fears. They are catered to a specific group of people based on their online activity. However, the problem lies not with the algorithms themselves, but with the echo chambers they can create.

Echo chambers refer to an environment that promotes confirmation bias by providing users solely with information that aligns with or reinforces their pre-existing beliefs. Not only do these chambers spread misinformation, but they also withhold information that doesn’t necessarily align with the individual’s beliefs. This distorts the individual’s perspective, making it harder for them to consider opposing points of view and engage in complex discussions that require critical thinking skills. It leaves individuals convinced, mostly in a passive way, that what they think is real and everyone else's ideology is similar to their own. Our worlds have become so personalized that they inadvertently isolate us from one another.

This breeds ignorance. It keeps individuals sedated when it comes to the issues of the real world. The feeling of instant gratification received from virtual interaction reduces their interest in changing issues related to the status quo, especially if they feel that the issues do not directly affect their well-being. This can lead to a sense of complacency and acceptance of one's own condition, while those who govern the status quo benefit from the lack of action.

When everything we see is tailored to our interests and tastes, we miss out on the opportunity to learn and evolve as individuals. It makes people reluctant to explore new or uncomfortable ideas. This can be especially dangerous in a global society where understanding different perspectives is crucial. It is imperative to acknowledge that there are complex and uncomfortable issues in the world that we should be aware of, even if they challenge our preconceived notions and make us uncomfortable. 

The media portrays a world that appears to be more concrete than the reality we experience, making it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what isn’t. Individuals lose the ability to distinguish between media and reality. They search for contentment and satisfaction through the simulacra of reality (Jean Baudrillard, 1981).

Our conversations become regurgitations of online content, resulting in a decline of genuine interpersonal communication and an increase in apathy due to the overwhelming exposure to sensitive information online. As a result, messages often become distorted and their intended contexts are lost.

Overall, the relationship between communication, social media, and colloquialism highlights the complex nature of language and communication in today's world. It is important to understand the impact of these factors on communication to facilitate effective communication and reduce misunderstandings.

About the Authors

Muskaan Kalaria is a second-year student pursuing a BSc in Psychology at NMIMS SDSOS. She is passionate about creating art which is expressed in the form of painting, graphic designing and writing. Her passion for writing started as a method of expressing herself which later progressed into devotion towards scientific reading and writing. She enjoys her free time listening to music along with exploring and reading about topics that fascinate her.

Asmi Dhanak is a second-year psychology student. She finds solace in books and had originally picked up writing as a coping mechanism. She loves to learn new things and firmly believes that our lifespans aren’t enough to acquire all the knowledge that exists in the world. She’s not much of an optimist or a person who enjoys life to the fullest in general, but small things like spending time with her dog or watching the sunset make life feel a little less bleak and a little less miserable. 

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