Challenges to Interpersonal Communication

Challenges to interpersonal communication created by communication technology.

With the advances in today's media and Internet, many challenges are presented by communication technology. These challenges include interpersonal communication by influencing how we use email, presentation technology, telephones and voice mail, telecommuting, multitasking, and overconfidence in computer-generated data.

In my own experience, email has a lag-time and waiting for a response to a question that would be answered immediately on the phone can sometimes take several days.

I also get criticized for not opening attachments that friends share. In a professional setting, challenges can be presented by the volume of emails received/sent and a lack of actual face-to-face conversations. The ability to sort through all the emails received and finding the messages that are important can be an exercise in futility, resulting in missed contacts and unnecessary frustration. Another draw back would be, those that use it to perform tasks that would be unpleasant in person avoiding actual personal contact causing hurt feelings and anger to those on the receiving end of such messages.

Presentation technology has advanced to the point that there are sometimes conflict between having the presenter being the focus of attention, and not the actual presentation.

This is caused by competition for attention by all the movement, sounds, and colors, reducing or eliminating eye contact with the speaker.

Telephones and voice mail are so wide used and familiar to the majority that they can be taken for granted, resulting in sometimes having bad consequences for people making noise in the background, or overhearing derogatory comments by others not in the conversation. There also seems to be an issue when some people think that they should be able to reach you at any time, and think you are avoiding them when you do not answer.

Those employees that telecommute can feel isolated or passed over for promotions because they have so little actual person-to-person contact with their companies. They have troubles developing relationships with other employees and authority figures due to a lack of personal time and encouragement that seeing someone physically would encourage.

Attempting to multitask with all of today's technology presents many challenges, sometimes actually reducing productivity because the brain has difficulty absorbing multiple influences, and sorting them out. It also can be considered rude to check email, or other messages while holding conversations with other people. Communication technology also blurs the line between personal and professional by making it easy to stay in contact with not only the office, but with friends and family at the same time in any place.

Another major drawback is overconfidence, or being too dependent