Tyler+H’s+2017+OpEd+Article

= Communication = == = The most simple and basic of human needs, and yet in an age where there are hundreds of ways to communicate, American teens can’t figure it out. = = = = Granted social media sees millions of messages a day, but how many are actually meaningful? Garbage conversations pass through our lives day after day, and only when confronted with real meaning do we hide in a turtle shell. = = = = Things such as “[|__live chilling__]”, have distanced us from reality. Friends will video chat for hours without talking or conveying any real meaning, just because they need to cope with their loneliness. = = = = School projects become a confusing procrastinated mess, as students lack the fundamental skills to organize with their fellow peers and communicate their ideas. Most people are left with a haphazard project and other people feel their ideas have been left out. = ==

= Additionally, most teens have lost the ability to convey emotions without a screen. First dates have gone from flowers on a doorstep to message bubbles with heart emojis. It has turned our generation into a generation of cowards and robots. How can one disclose what they’re feeling without tone, diction, and facial expressions? I concede that emojis can show expressions, yet they’re limited in scope, and bring a sense detachment to the recipient. The same yellow face that is sent from one person to another is different than a uniquely human countenance. = = = = Communication is becoming a lost art, oppressed by the technological advances of our time. It is a rudimentary faculty that is innate to all humans, but sadly it is being tossed in the trash by our evolutionary cycle. = = = = If not to interact with our generation but older generations, classic communication is the key to progress. The key to the future is only held for those who communicate. =