Explicit versus Implicit Communication

I have come to learn over the years that communication goes far beyond speech. Communication can be expressed in non-verbal gestures as well; facial expressions, and voice tone. However, our generation has come to be very friendly with communication through a device; e-mail and texting (Heine, 2012). When we are communicating through a cell phone or computer, we can't see whether the other persons facial expressions are, and we can interpret the persons tone of voice completely wrong. Growing up, I as always nagged by my parents to put my phone down and embrace my surroundings. At the time, I didn't fully understand why, but our generation has come to a point where EVERYTHING is done through a cellphone. Whether it is arguments, or spreading good news through text message or Facebook... It is so easy to misinterpret how people are actually feeling internally. I know I am guilty of hiding behind my phone when having a conversation about something I would be to uncomfortable bringing up in person. Face to face communication is slowly becoming foreign to our generation, and although in some ways technology is beneficial to our lives, it can also be very dangerous.