With various forms of social media around us, let alone with text messaging, Blackberry Messenger, and all of the other free insta-chat apps for numerous devices available I wanted to ask the question has conversation (albeit at least over the internet) died?
I'll touch upon face to face conversations too, but my main focus will be over social media.
An example - I recently messaged someone I went to school with, someone who I haven't spoken to, or physically seen in at least 5 years. I simply asked how they were doing, and what they had been up to all this time. They answered my questions, then immediately followed it up with 'Why are you messaging me?' as if it was a crime to want to talk to someone.
Admittedly, they were hungover at the time so I left them to sleep and then the following day I messaged them again, explaining why I had messaged them out of the blue (it was just because I was reminiscing with a friend about our school days and the person I messaged popped into my head)
I sent the message, following into a question to continue the conversation, it was read by the person and then zero reply, even now - days later I've had no reply.
While I understand people are busy, and I'd account for that but some indication that they didn't want to carry on the conversation, apart from blatantly and rudely ignoring me would be nice.
I could give other examples of times when I've messaged people and they have given short, sharp, one sentence replies to questions which responses should and could be fleshed out but that would take too long and this would turn into an even bigger wall of text than it already is.
As stated above, I will hint on face-to-face conversation. I don't think this is dying in as much as you can't just not talk to people face to face, but I do think a lot of people are becoming bad at it, uninterested by what others have to say and only caring about your own opinion or statements.
So, has anyone else experienced this while being online? Has conversation, and by extension - our conversational skills died?
I'll touch upon face to face conversations too, but my main focus will be over social media.
An example - I recently messaged someone I went to school with, someone who I haven't spoken to, or physically seen in at least 5 years. I simply asked how they were doing, and what they had been up to all this time. They answered my questions, then immediately followed it up with 'Why are you messaging me?' as if it was a crime to want to talk to someone.
Admittedly, they were hungover at the time so I left them to sleep and then the following day I messaged them again, explaining why I had messaged them out of the blue (it was just because I was reminiscing with a friend about our school days and the person I messaged popped into my head)
I sent the message, following into a question to continue the conversation, it was read by the person and then zero reply, even now - days later I've had no reply.
While I understand people are busy, and I'd account for that but some indication that they didn't want to carry on the conversation, apart from blatantly and rudely ignoring me would be nice.
I could give other examples of times when I've messaged people and they have given short, sharp, one sentence replies to questions which responses should and could be fleshed out but that would take too long and this would turn into an even bigger wall of text than it already is.
As stated above, I will hint on face-to-face conversation. I don't think this is dying in as much as you can't just not talk to people face to face, but I do think a lot of people are becoming bad at it, uninterested by what others have to say and only caring about your own opinion or statements.
So, has anyone else experienced this while being online? Has conversation, and by extension - our conversational skills died?
