Living in the 21st century, I have felt personally for some reason over the years, it is easier to communicate with people online rather than face to face interaction or over phone because virtually communicating with individuals means not having to deal with any awkwardness we might encounter in person, we do not talk over the individual, our overall presence does not matter, there are many factors as well. However, talking to individuals online also poses risk on not really getting to see how that individual interacts around other individuals; we may be given a false hope or acquisition on the person. One of the key points I got from this article was that we all do not realize how much we rely on interpersonal communication while using the Internet. That being said, this also leads into the second main point mentioned in the article which was the study from 1991 conducted on employees of a multi-national bank that they reported the most recent communication they had participated in, over several types of media. Overall, the study shows the respondents felt face-to-face communication was most effective for "sustaining work relationships." Phone communication came second helpful and e-mail came in third for being helpful.
Overall, I can understand the main point(s) made in this article which were, online communication was not as effective in relationships with groups, or in the work force, as face-to-face and phone communication are. I feel, and look at it, it also depends who we are talking to and getting to know and in what context. I do believe face-to-face communication gives you the feeling and sense of how the person we are conversing with acts, looks, feels. However, online, we cannot usually see and sense that unless that individual we are talking to states it or does not say anything at all. This article taught me that I should not take for granted that face-to-face interaction I used to have when I was younger before all these media devices evolved. It opened my eyes more.
You are absolutely right. One reason why virtual communication is easier is because we don't have to deal with awkward silences. At the same time, we forget how to communicate face to face. Seeing how individuals act/interact in person is important because that's how we'll learning about each other's characters. Eye contact is always vital; it's also how we can tell whether or not someone is lying to us. It's good that this article opened your eyes; hopefully it will do the same for others who come across the article. I think phone communication is best for business because it is the quickest at getting the answers you need. However, if it involves group work, I would prefer email. Above all, face-to-face communication is the way to go to build trust and close relationships.
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