The Pros and Cons of Computer Mediated Communication

Communication is the act of sharing information with others by speaking, acting, moving your body or using hand signals. There are 2 channels of communication. They are face-to-face communication and computer-mediated communication. Computer mediated communication is a fairly new way of communicating.

Computer mediated communication requires electronic devices. Examples of such communication are Instant Messaging, Skype and the recent fad, Facebook. Communicating electronically is fast, cheap and convenient. In recent years, computer mediated communication has been taken to a whole new level. It is practically impossible for us to lead a healthy social life without our electronic toys anymore. Who knows, in a couple of decades, face-to-face communication might become obsolete !

I would strongly suggested computer mediated communication to people who hates being confronted. Most of the times, communicating electronically does not permit us to see the other side . This would be a good choice in facing angry employers or clients. Besides that, communicating electronically is also a big help to people who are not good at expressing themselves in the real world. I have a friend who is extremely shy and lacking in the social department. Lo and behold, she becomes the prom queen once she starts punching the keys on the keyboard. It’s like she’s bipolar and her witty, fun-loving side becomes dominant once she faces her computer.

But if we look at this from another side, we’ll see computer mediated communication might not be such a good invention after all. It promotes cowardice. By not literally facing the other side, people can choose to ignore confrontations. This might not be good in the long run. As the saying goes ‘you can run, but you can’t hide’. We are bound to face challenges in the future, and if we do not train ourselves to face these challenges now, it will be a recipe for disaster when we face bigger ones in the future





-Carmen Lee-