As humans, communication is one of the most important aspects of our lives; whether it is solving a problem, engaging in conversation with others, reading body language and expression, or simply staying in contact with one another. At times, communication can be difficult when people are faced with a particular issue, as shown in the short story, Hills Like White Elephants, when both characters find it challenging to express their feelings of a possible abortion. In modern society, however, instead of using the skill to communicate face-to-face, technology has developed countless methods such as text messaging, email, and social networking to avoid vulnerability or confrontation. In the 1930′s, when Hills Like White Elephants was written, the characters lacked communication skills and self expression. In today’s world, we also lack these skills, mainly due to the use of technology. Our society, over time, has forgotten how to communicate.
Poor communication is not only seen in contemporary society, but is demonstrated in Ernest Hemingway’s short story, Hills Like White Elephants. The mood throughout the story is strained as two characters, the man and the girl, discuss an abortion at a train station. The girl begins describing how the hills “look like white elephants”, trying to avoid the conversation that is about to commence. Once they begin discussing, the man discloses that “[the abortion is] an awfully simple operation”, and that “It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in.” The reader gets the sense that the girl is uncomfortable with the man’s opinion of the abortion, as she avoids his eye contact by “[looking] at the ground the table legs rested on.” Nowadays, with the use of technology, people are not able to read body language because most of our communication is done through instant messaging. According to author Mark Bauerlein, ”[people] read comments on Facebook [or text messages], but they don’t ‘read’ each other’s posture, hand gestures, eye movements, shifts in personal space and other nonverbal-and expressive- behaviors”, therefore, we are not able to infer how someone is feeling through a cell phone screen or a computer monitor.
With the constant advancement of cell phones, social networking, and the internet, it’s no wonder that the way people communicate is changing. Text messaging is quick, easy, and allows you to say whatever you want without the face-to-face connection. Additionally, it allows you to avoid having difficult discussions in person. Although technology has its advantages, is it really teaching us to communicate properly? According to journalist Cesar Marquez, “text messaging is dangerous; not only does it ruin social interaction between humans, writing skills, and expression, everything becomes so impersonal and simple.” Another journalist, Christopher Null, expresses that “reliance on written messaging leads to real world detachment”. Today’s culture has become so addicted to technological commodities that we have forgotten the basics of human contact. A serious conversation similar to the abortion topic in Hills Like White Elephants could simply be ‘talked’ about through text messaging or ultimately bypassed.
There was a time, not too long ago, that we had an antenna attached to our phones, and a cord plugged into the wall. We had ‘dial-up’ internet, and no such thing as Facebook or any other online social network. We would make a phone call instead of typing a text message, because most cell phones weren’t even able to do so. In the past decade, technology has advanced excessively to the point where it is has become an obsession and an addiction among modern civilization. Most teens cannot imagine their lives without the constant communications through cell phones and the internet. Although to have the deep, emotional conversation that the man and the girl had in Hills Like White Elephants was difficult and not fully achieved, the level of communication was still miles ahead of today’s. Our society must make a change, even if it means face-to-face confrontation and feeling vulnerable, in order to regain the expressive skills we have lost.
References:
Bauerlain, Mark. ”An emphasis on social networking puts younger people at a face-to face disadvantage”. Wall Street Journal. netlingo. Web. 16 January 2012.
Hemingway, Ernest. Hills Like White Elephants. Print. 15 January 2012.
Marquez, Cesar. ”Negative Aspects of Text Messaging”. Borderzine. 21 October 2009. Web. 16 January 2012.
Null, Christopher. ”High-tech kids lost in face-to-face relationships”. Netlingo. Web. 16 January 2012.
People have began believing that we can properly communicate through technology.
