Advancing technology continues to bring new innovations to our lives every day. It’s undeniable that one of the most significant advancements has been in the field of telecommunications. The bird that once perched on telegraph wires now comes into our pockets to deliver its message! Instead of watching for the mailman for a letter, we now look for the blue tick. The tears shed while writing heartfelt letters have been replaced by emojis. The cry of “You’ve got mail!” has been replaced by the sound of notifications on our phones. In short, communication has changed in every aspect.
Is the technology that brings us closer also driving us apart?
I still savor the taste of warm conversations had with my extended family by the cozy stove. Sometimes we’d roast chestnuts or sunflower seeds on it, and our conversations would grow deeper. Nowadays, “smart” phones have taken the place of those heartfelt discussions. The communication between family members is dwindling day by day. I think if it weren’t for meal times bringing them together, they might start not seeing each other even within the same household. The technology that makes distant things close has made the closest things distant.
In our quest to simplify life, we’ve mechanized it, dulled its meaning and soul, and made it as cold as machines.[1] One of the most affected aspects has been our communication with each other.
Messaging-based communication apps have become indispensable. Messages sent through various communication platforms are delivered to the recipient devoid of emotion, like a bomb with its pin pulled. The recipient interprets the message however they wish based on their current emotional state and responds accordingly. This leads to unexpected communication problems. Satan, always ready to sow discord among believers, uses such moments to instigate negative suspicions.
Many beautiful friendships end over trivial reasons like, “They didn’t blue tick my message, they were targeting me in that message, they write their messages in all caps as if I don’t understand! How can you not know my intention and misunderstand me like this?” However, our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who was meticulous about communication and dialogues, disapproved of severing ties between people for any reason and emphasized the importance of maintaining relationships by saying, “It is not lawful for a Muslim to be angry with his brother or sister for more than three days.”[2]
Adopting the truth that “Negative suspicion damages material, spiritual, and social harmony”[3] as my guide, I want to express the following:
The ability to message is a great blessing. However, I believe that using voice messages and calls as much as possible, instead of texts that lack emojis and do not visibly convey the sender’s intent during writing, will prevent communication mishaps. Our responsibility is to minimize factors that could lead to negative suspicions. Remember, messages take on a different nature as they are filled with signs that reflect emotions. Therefore, expecting others to guess our current mood or thoughts from our messages is unfair to them and may lead to communication accidents.
[1] Yusuf Bayram, “İletişim Çağı”, Sızıntı, Ağustos 1993.
[2] Sahih Muslim, Bir, 23; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Musnad 1/176.
[3] Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Mesnevî-i Nûriye, Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2007, p. 58.
