By: Linda Hamman


Sure, some remarkable journalists, publishers, critics, advertisers, entertainers et al. may well emerge from the accumulative sprawl of blogging, Facebook, etc. But let us not forget the global welter of unsound, uninformed and/or boring and unsolicited opinions scrambling for dubious, egotistical, ephemeral fame, demeaning the value of authentic communication.

Web2.0 was one of the subjects featured in the most recent edition of Carte Blanche, and to hear a comment from one of the participants, Rafiq Philips, that online communication has become ‘more natural than talking' is frankly, ominous, if the statement is more than a personal opinion. I share with Gail Curtis the caveat that we must make sure that technology, which is ultimately designed to connect, does not instead disconnect people. That we can say things in an SMS that we wouldn't say to someone across the room is an indication that we may be losing our humanity to insensate technology. What is viewed as SMS interaction is communication without risk and without courage – without the invaluable humanising connection of face-to-face communication.

I believe this technology is creating a problem about the way in which people communicate. Consider the fact that 55% of a conversation is based on body language (what you look like, the expression on your face and mannerisms); and 38% based on your tone (is it in line with the words you are saying?); while a mere 7% is attributed to the actual words you use. Cyber communication covers only about 7%. It's no wonder there's a break down in communication – marriages/relationships are failing, children/parent relationships are failing. People find themselves unable to determine whether to trust someone or not, because their natural programming ability, which accounts for 93% of any interaction, is compromised. The example of the seductive voice on the other end of the phone in the advert bursting the bubble with the visual reality of a unseemly old lady, is a perfect example of the 7% limitation.

In an online business context, there is no doubt that an environment where 6 000 searches can be performed per second is a decided marketing advantage – but it would be a mistake to see this and Web 2.0 as the panacea for all our ills. It appears a little glib to envisage would- be entrepreneurs hidden away in their garage coming up with a smart new product, people talk about it, gets it going – and bingo! millions in the bank. Let's not forget that not all nip-in-quick start-ups are successful. The web is littered with broken dreams. Nor should we forget that it is not online identities or even brand architecture that finally determines the success of a business – it's the old stalwart of customer experience, and whether that what the brand promises is delivered.

Are we looking at Web2.0, the magical marketing boon, or Web2.0 a communication platform too far? Remember when they said e-mail would be the solution to all our communication problems? Although it has helped it has become an evil in its own right: people are now under the impression that sitting at your desk waiting for and answering a myriad of e-mails is working! People don't want to do real work anymore, they have become glorified post boxes, paint them red and feed away! So although these technologies ARE great and useful they cannot even begin to replace good old-fashioned face-to-face talking to one another.

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[6 Mar 2008 14:04]

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