Following the boom of technology and telecommunication in the past few decades, it is predicted that face-to-face interactions will soon be unnecessary. I, however, believe this form of communication to be irreplaceable, as it is more efficient and can strengthen emotional connections between people in a way computers cannot.
One crucial aspect of face-to-face interaction that makes it impossible to eradicate is the inclusion of both verbal and non-verbal communication. Many people tend to forget that the human body expresses itself in numerous ways other than just linguistically. This means that messages that an individual conveys through body language, eye contact, gestures, or mimics, for example, also contain valuable information required for effective communication. So while direct interactions allow one to immediately sense and respond to the other’s attitude towards the situation, text messages or video calls would take much more time and effort before participants achieve a decent level of mutual understanding. In fact, a study in Germany has found that approximately 80% of human communication is executed based on body language. This further shows how important a role face-to-face meetings play in our information exchange processes.
Another irreplicable effect of onsite exchange is the more personal atmosphere, as it enables the creation of a shared space and encourages more interest as well as engagement on both sides. Thus, the shift to online communication for formal occasions or business meetings might succeed to a certain extent, but the same will undoubtedly never be achieved for more intimate relationships, between family members, friends, or in classrooms, for example. To illustrate, due to the transition to online learning during the lockdown period in 2021, many Vietnamese teachers saw their students’ performance deteriorate as youngsters refused to engage in lessons, feeling disconnected from their teachers and classmates.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that face-to-face communication plays an extremely important role in human interactions and, thus, will never be outdated.