Does the Internet Improve Communication?

     Isn't it great that we live in a time when ways to communicate are so abundant?  You can instantly communicate with others anywhere in the world via the Internet and the many social media sites.

     What is communication?  According to the dictionary it is "discussing between two parties that will produce a greater understanding".  I'm sure we would agree that sounds accurate but something is missing in the way we communicate today.  I think it's the greater understanding part; we can't have a greater understanding of a problem unless we listen to both sides of the discussion.

     The social media networks have improved communication by making it easier to reconnect to friends and relatives but they have also had a negative impact on communication as well.  It has become very easy to trash talk people or issues without a face-to-face discussion from an opposing viewpoint.  We can easily give our opinion sometimes with volatile words or tones without recourse or repercussion but this is not communication because it only goes one direction.  The part of communication that is forgotten much of the time is listening.  Talking, not yelling is communication in one direction and listening, not ignoring is communication in the other direction.  If one of these is missing it's not communication.

     Opinions are abundant and varied but those willing to listen to others opinions may develop a clearer understanding of the issue from another perspective and knowing this will either re-enforce your opinion or modify it in some way.

     So for me the answer to the question, "Does the Internet improve communication?" is both yes and no.  I like a lot of the communication opportunities of the Internet but I don't like the hostile one-way communication, which I consider the underbelly of the Internet.  Communication is a skill that can be learned, like many skills that we use on a daily basis.   "Just Saying...."