The DE-VOICING OF SOCIETY: WHY WE DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER ANY MORE

by John L. Locke

A candid look at how email, voicemail, faxes, and other forms of communication have reduced not only our need but also our ability to verbally interact suggests that humans need to relearn how to talk intimately again. 50,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cultural, Sociology

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 1998

Reviews

[NCHS Library]

Publisher's Description: A candid look at how email, voicemail, faxes, and other forms of communication have reduced not only our need but also our ability to verbally interact suggests that humans need to relearn how to talk intimately again.

[Wellington · Rating 4 out of 5]

n the pursuit of higher economic prosperity, we may have loss a lot of social prosperity. Most of barely know our neighbors and end up shopping at stores who knows us by our membership card. There was once a time we would go next door to borrow some eggs but now we may not even know the names of our neighbor. There was a time when the owner of the store said hello to you when you went shopping; now that owner is sitting in another state on the top floor of a building.

I for one do like some alone time and don't always appreciate people just dropping by. I would rather look away from people begging for money. So our money is quietly siphoned from our paychecks, given to government programs, and the money anonymously offered to our struggling neighbors. Things are becoming disconnected. We've managed to make more money so that we can turn our heads from things we don't want to see.

However, we may be missing things that we really do want to see. No man is an island and does need to feel connected to society.

[James]

I agreed w/ much of this and was intrigued by the rest. Interesting that it was written over a decade ago and how much has changed since then...

[Summisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay Walljasper Utne Reader A level-headed look at how contemporary society is in danger of losing the most basic building block of human civilization -- spirited conversation.