I’m teaching my course “Blogs to Wikis: Building Community in a Virtual Environment” at Washington University in St. Louis right now, & one of my students (whom I shall call “Alice”) posted this the other day:

“If you want to tweet @ someone, why don’t you just pick up the phone and call the person, like when people used to know how to truly communicate.”

This was my response back:

Alice in 1790: “If you want to send a letter to someone, why don’t you just ride your horse over & talk to the person, like when people used to know how to truly communicate.”

Alice in 1850: “If you want to send a telegram to someone, why don’t you just send a letter to the person, like when people used to know how to truly communicate.”

Alice in 1900: “If you want to call someone on the telephone, why don’t you just send a telegram to the person, like when people used to know how to truly communicate.”

Alice in 1994: “If you want to email someone, why don’t you just pick up the phone and call the person, like when people used to know how to truly communicate.”

Alice in 2116: “If you want to zargleblatz someone, why don’t you just pick up the ninkerator and farble the person, like when people used to know how to truly communicate.”

Get my point? When did we EVER “truly communicate”? If humans communicate with a tool—smoke signals, letters, telegrams, telephones, & yes, Twitter—then by definition they are communicating.

The word “truly” is at best a judgment call. What does it mean to “truly” communicate? Are the letters a mother received from her son during WWII not “true” communication? Are the emails I received from my deceased former father-in-law not “true” communication? Why are phone calls “true” communication? How are they any more “true” than any other kind of communication? In fact, many might argue that writing is more “true”, because it gives a person the chance to ponder what they’re really going to say.

In other words, it’s always dangerous to privilege one form of communication over another because it’s “true” or “better” or “more authentic”. The question always is, is it appropriate?