Save the Media

David Pogue, technology columnist for The New York Times, recently visited my stomping grounds, Syracuse University, to talk about Twitter as part of a larger symposium on Cultural Diplomacy. I offered my newswriting students extra credit if they blogged about Pogue for Save the Media.

One savvy student, Paul Kloster, took me up on my offer. So here is what Paul has to say about Pogue’s visit. (You can read my take on what Pogue had to say here.)

David Pogue proposed the idea that today’s advanced and instantaneous forms of communication can be a means of bringing different cultures together.

“Today’s world is flat,” Pogue said.

He argued that technology is bringing people together. It has the potential to create connections rather than conflicts.

Pogue proceeded to pull out his iPhone to demonstrate how different people, from different backgrounds, can relate to one another from all corners of the globe. The iPhone application “Ocarina” allows users to create their own music treating their phone like a flute, as well as to instantly listen in on the music of other users of the same application regardless of their global location.

His presentation was an example of how real-time communication that is capable in today’s society to show individuals of unique cultures that they have things in common. His point was that Twitter also offers this type of real-time communication.

“The beauty of Twitter is that it … levels all the layers,” Pogue said.

Yes, it may create a “level playing field” so to speak, where people can relate to one another better, but it’s easy to be able to relate to someone. It’s not quite as simple to develop a relationship with them. A relationship takes time.

While technology can create instant connections between strangers of different cultures, it doesn’t create relationships. Real-time technology often cuts out subtle facial gestures or inflections in speech that are key in people developing understandings with each other. And with instant communication you also get veneer responses; people don’t have time to think through their thoughts and accurately express themselves.

The capabilities of technology today are an undeniably valuable asset; one that most certainly cannot hurt cultural diplomacy efforts. It is an asset that we would be foolish not to take advantage of, yet we would also be foolish to think that technology can replace the age-old method of mutual understanding — human interaction.

The personal connection you get through human interaction is, what I believe to be, a necessary step in building cultural relationships.