Sociologists have been studying what has been named "cocooning" very closely since the exponential growth of the Internet. Cocooning is the progression of social isolation where people eventually withdraw from physical dealings with each other. This type of conduct may possibly lead to the decline of many cultural and social traditions. This social seclusion can also effect how we as humans interact with each other when we finally do leave the comfort of our home and the Internet and actually have to interact with each other.
The wide spread popularity of the Internet has changed the way that we humans communicate, socialize and do business with each other. We can spend hours in chat rooms acting as some one we are not but want to be. The person at the other end of the keyboard thousands of miles away has no way of verifying our claims or who we actually are.
Communication over the Internet eliminates a crucial part of true communication: body language. Things like posturing, squirming and eye contact and movement all are unconscious indications of our true meaning during communication. At a young age we learn to avoid making eye contact when not telling the truth and to cross our arms to distance ourselves from unpleasant circumstances or to block ourselves from people we dislike. So far, home computer technology has no way of transmitting these physical communications that can be observed as implications in the written text of an online conversation.
This cocooning phenomenon may affect the communication skills of future generations that have grown up with the Internet. Just as video games have replaced physical activities for our children. While doing extremely well at expressing themselves through the written word, our children may begin to lack the skills of public speaking to a crowd or even carry on a casual conversation while waiting in line at the local grocery store. Some of our kids even use text messaging to communicate when they are in the same room. Mine even text me from another room when we are both at home!
The continued growth of work at home businesses may be in part due to this preferred method of nonverbal communication. It is now completely acceptable to school your children at home, run your business from home, email your parents and send faxes to your customers. You can even order take out food, shop for Christmas gifts and post your grocery list online and have it delivered: all without talking to anyone.
As with everything in life, a sense of balance is needed. If you email your parents today, try to call them the next day and pay a visit more often. If you work at home, take time to get away from the house; go for a walk and talk to your neighbors. Join social groups that actually meet in person instead of visiting Internet discussion forums and chat rooms. Limit you children's time that they are allowed online and try to specify a time that your family actually gets together to just to talk, even if it's just for dinner. I limit my kids cell phone for text messaging by making them pay for every text message on the monthly bill. Persuade teens to take a speech or debate class, or to join extracurricular activities that encourage verbal communication and physical activities.
I do not think that work at home businesses and the Internet will destroy many of the great social traditions like weddings, back yard barbeques, and holiday gatherings. But we should still do our part to maintain the importance of social communication and keep it alive for future generations.
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