Don’t Speak to Me…
Stephen Hawking once stated that the most definitive differences between homo sapiens and other species was the ability to speak or communicate both vocally and in written script. In fact, this comment is used in the Pink Floyd song “Speak to Me” on the Division Bell album. Ironically, the song is about the fact that since speech is one of the most important elements of what characterizes us as intelligent, co-dependent beings, our failure to use speech to work through the problems we face is our downfall. Certainly this is not the first observed instance of how communication both distinguishes us as a species and has the capability to fail us as a society. More specifically, the fashion in which we choose (or avoid) to communicate determines our relationship with others. When we elevate the importance of the individuals engaging in conversation and the speech involved, this can have serious repercussions.
As human beings, we are naturally fascinated with our own history. Our species development and refinement of communication is the only intentional record of our anthropology dating from the rise of our ancestors to the present day. However, written communication has incorrectly been dated from cave paintings for thousands of years; what we once thought was created 10 thousand years ago may turn out to be closer to 20 or 30 thousand years ago. Recently we have discovered that other species of homo sapiens exhibited the ability to develop written communication and art long before we presumed they had. This indicates that forms of spoken language may have existed much earlier than we had predicted, reinforcing the fact that forms of communication are as essential to survival as skills such as hunting, agriculture and engineering. Ancient civilizations on many continents developed written languages millennia ago and recorded them on stone, papyrus, tanned hides and any other medium that they found suitable to entrust their important stories and accounts of events. Although many of these recordings have fallen victim to the decay of time, those that still exist hold a deep fascination for modern archeologists seeking a window in time. The invention of the first printing press was a relatively recent event in human history which changed the world immeasurably. Add to this the telegraph, radio and eventually visual medium of television and each had an impact paramount to its predecessor as far as our ability to not only communicate but record our dialogue and cultures. With recorded video and audio, humanity had exceeded simple etchings and scrolls and were now able to preserve their own history on a medium that was semi-permanent.
If you are asking yourself where the “toxic” part of this argument is you won’t have to wait much longer. As I briefly discuss the development of human communications it is building to the current moment we exist in: the digital reality of the 21st century. You may also refer to part I concerning the invention of the microchip and its effect on computer processing. The development of this technology had an unprecedented effect on our ability to communicate and in turn influence a rapidly growing global community of individuals on the world wide web. This efficiency is an aspect that current generations, no doubt, take for granted as if it always existed. All future generations will never know the absence of a world wide web or the communications networks that existed before the 21st century. Perhaps this is why people approach this technology with such casual indifference. Something that is earned is more often appreciated than something that is attained with little or no effort. Today’s social networks, news sites, blogs, media forums and the other ways that we use the internet to interact with one another take little or no effort to engage and require no qualifications to participate in. In essence, if you have access to a computer or a phone and literacy skills you can engage in discussions with virtually anyone, anywhere. There is no waiting for a printed record of news or information and few restrictions on what can be published by whom.
“This is why we can’t have nice things”
All of the aforementioned presents the ideal setup for opportunism. Sure the internet is an invaluable resource but it might still be considered in an infancy of sorts, perhaps the toddler phase. There are few guardrails placed on who can post information and how. This is demonstrated by the explosion of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter (now X), Reddit, Instagram, blogging and others. The social media regulation that does exist is a result of companies frantically scanning their feeds using algorithms to search for keywords that may lead to inappropriate or offensive material. Pornography, Nazis, blatant racism and terrorist threats are relatively easy topics to key on but as social media resources became more popular and widely used people began to figure their way around triggering certain red flags. Conversation threads often devolve into online shouting matches or gang-up sessions where differing opinions are shouted down by the majority. One of the greatest hazards of using social media and other online forums is the relative anonymity that a person can assume while on these sites. Even comment threads for news services allow viewers/users to post as guests or with hastily created ID’s that require little more than an email address to authorize an account. Once a poster has created a profile they are free to reply or comment whatever they want with the only consequence of their actions being banned for a brief amount of time or having a post removed. It is not uncommon to see warnings on such forums instructing posters to “stay civil and polite”.
More insidious is the empowerment that anonymity carries with it. Posting forums and social media provide the advantage of gaining access to their services with no true requirements of a user’s actual identity. This includes visual identification as well as any actual personal information, or information that can be easily fabricated. Even sites like Facebook and Twitter that may require somewhat more extensive registration to use can be easily circumvented with settings and tactics to protect the user’s identity and account information. It should be acknowledged that even on relatively friendly sites conversations frequently turn sour or even bitter when politics or other potentially triggering topics are brought up. Because the interaction of sitting at a computer typing or using a phone does not engage one like a face to face conversation, many people find it easier to say disrespectful things since the only retaliation available is through the same type of interface. Shame is a powerful emotion but can easily be repressed or ignored when the method of communication is typed words instead of spoken ones. Discerning inflection or distress is muted when reading a sentence in response to an offending comment as opposed to how this is delivered by speech. With no sense of shame, no element of humiliation or distress, it becomes all too easy to close our minds to the effect of words and act in ways that we have been taught to avoid as part of civil behavior.
These days all of the above has had the effect of empowering humans with language and communications to the point that it can be weaponized. And as we are who we are, this is naturally what we have done. This is certainly not new as government agencies, news outlets and other organizations have done the same with printed media and other forms of communications for years. Early instances of the news used Op-Ed columns, cartoons and even legitimate news stories to disseminate racist and sexist positions before the practice was eventually banned by organizations such as the FCC in the United States. However, with the access allowed to social media platforms and other forms of media previously discussed, the everyday Joe can now effectively become their own publishers. The term “trolling” was repurposed to describe when individuals intentionally hijacked comment threads to post negative comments or even incite outrage. This all leads into the very real mentality that has always existed in society to build individuals up only to tear them down. It is an illustration of the faults of the human ego and the need to feel superior even in consideration of accepting humility.
This isn’t far enough for some and it metastasizes into toxic behavior that is sometimes engaged by entire communities of participants. Recently this type of interaction has exploded and has gone from the seldom occurrence to the norm across forums. Where this is most evident is exemplified in political discourse which often can spill into outright online shouting matches and profane personal insults. Whether this is a reflection of the political arena in America or the result of what has become the reality of our actual politics remains open for opinion but there is no denying that online discourse and real world discourse are part and parcel of our society’s behavioral patterns. It is as if this behavior has infected not only online posters but has spread to the very body politic itself. Behavior by elected officials has become notably worse after years of relatively moderate and professional conduct. All of this proves that one of the most powerful tools provided by our massive advances in technology has been subverted to a malignant purpose instead of being utilized for the true potential of benefitting all of us. Like so many of our best intentions we have caved to our base instincts and corrupted the art of communication.
Our Choice, Always
It probably makes many wonder if we will look back at this prolonged period of humanity’s infant state with amusement regarding the immaturity and ignorance with which we wielded our technology. It seems that any society with the means to produce highly technical tools and resources is doomed to the fact that they do not have the moral and intellectual maturity to understand the potential behind these resources. Language and writing are developments that have benefited humans for as long as they have existed. Through the benefits of language we find a way to prolong our legacies, document our stories and illuminate our ambitions. As much as I’d like to believe that the incivility that exists on the internet is a passing phase, I also agree that it will take time and temperance to recognize language and writing for the power that it holds. Not unlike the splitting of the atom, the power of words is a profound development and cannot and should not be underestimated.
As war is a constant threat to our existence, how we communicate with one another can also be weaponized. In a world where the greatest enemy is often ourselves, communication is an essential tool in understanding each other and bridging the divides we have erected between cultures, politics and ultimately identity. If our briefly existent species is to persist in the face of cosmic odds and make a name for itself, it must learn to accept human beings for what they are: one of a kind with a chance to transcend our own expectations and use our minds to manifest immortality.
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