Effects of Technology on Face to Face Communication

Technology has gradually become an integral part of communication. Emily Drago, an account executive at Derris, a public relations company addresses the implications of technology on face to face communication. Drago’s work on the topic is academic in nature in the sense that it appreciates the discussion of the effects of technology on face to face communication. However, it addresses the general public owing to the fact that nearly every individual is affected by the issue in question. Generally, Drago proposes that technology has affected face to face communication negatively.

The text is arranged systematically the ideas are presented in good flow allowing the reader to understand the message that the author intends to convey. Precisely, the text has an introduction, followed by a literature review section, methods, findings, conclusion and a reference list.

Introduction

Drago begins by citing a popular advert which illustrates how technology disrupts communication. The advert markets the Samsung galaxy tab, featuring celebrity couple Dax Shepherd and Kristen Bell. Drago then notes that the extent to which the majority of people are immersed in technology is worrying since it causes most people to be withdrawn from the real world.

Literature Review

Drago reviews a number of studies which support her thesis that technology affects face to face communication. For instance, she reviews Przybylski & Weinstein, (2012) who suggest that while technology has been quite effective in connecting people who are miles away from each other, there has been little research on how this technology affects face to face communication. On the other hand, the text reviews a research conducted by Misra et.al, (2014) which revealed that face to communication in the presence of mobile communication technology is less superior compared to face communication in absence of mobile communication technology.

Critique

One of the positive aspects of the text is that it includes subheadings and has a simple structure. This is positive in the sense that it allows the reader to have a clear understanding of what the author is discussing in every section. For instance, there is a clear distinction between the literature review and the methods section. This helps the reader distinguish between the studies conducted by other researchers that have been reviewed by the author and the study conducted by the author. Another positive aspect of the text is that the author reviews studies that reinforce her thesis and those that digress from her thesis. For instance, she reviews the work of Campbell and Kwak (2011), which suggest that mobile communication technology impacts face to face communication positively. By so doing, the author allows the reader to view the issue in question from a broader scope. One of the negative aspects is that Drago used a sample population of 100 participants. considering the fact that mobile communication devices are used by millions of people, this sample population might not have represented the whole population effectively. Additionally, the text does not make use of transition words or phrases sufficiently which affects the flow of ideas to some extent.

Conclusion

Considering several studies reviewed in the text, technology affects face to face communication negatively. The text in review contributes to existing knowledge in that it incorporates data gathered from another study other than those reviewed in the literature review. Precisely, the text confirms that while technology, especially mobile communication technology, has multiple benefits, it bears negative implications for face to face communication.