Is Human Body Language Dying?

[cider float 2,539]

Ever since all this social media it seems that human body language is dying.

 

I gave a thumbs up to a younger guy and he thought I gave him a "Like" like in Facebook or something. The thumbs up could mean a lot of things besides just "Like." It could just mean "Cool story bro." And don't get me started on how winking is completely off the charts now.

 

And now feminists have a problem with people clapping when approving something...

[Guest]

I have never experienced this and it sounds weird as heck, but people need to be more social in general. We're slowly but sadly developing a social inactive culture where nothing is handled face to face. 

 

.. clapping is triggering? Whaaat? 

[PiratePony 8,491]

I've never heard anything like that. Could that guy have been messing with you?

 

Body language is inherent in our biology, and most communication (over 90%) is nonverbal in nature. If a guy doesn't know what a thumbs up is, he's either trolling or lives under a rock.

 

Regardless of knowing what a thumbs up is or not, body language is a core part of our bodily system, and no amount of technology can change that.

[Sunny Fox 5,961]

.. clapping is triggering? Whaaat? 

Seconded. I don't see how anyone could conceive of "clapping" as perpetuating the patriarchal oligarchy... but then, I'm just a dumb male, what do I know? Ugh, me go sulk in corner now...

 

Body language is a far older construct than social media. I don't see how SM could change something that is so fundamental and so entwined with our evolutionary heritage.

 

And the meaning of a "thumbs up" is a purely cultural construct. Heck, putting your finger and thumb together in an OK sign is considered extremely rude in some countries, where it carries the connotation of literally, "you are an asshole", pardon my language.

[Guest]

Seconded. I don't see how anyone could conceive of "clapping" as perpetuating the patriarch oligarchy...

 

I don't know how bad it is over in the US, but it sounds like nearly every college/university over there is turning into a goddamn daycare center lol. 

 

Edited May 16, 2016 by Guest

[cider float 2,539]

I've never heard anything like that. Could that guy have been messing with you?

 

Body language is inherent in our biology, and most communication (over 90%) is nonverbal in nature. If a guy doesn't know what a thumbs up is, he's either trolling or lives under a rock.

 

Regardless of knowing what a thumbs up is or not, body language is a core part of our bodily system, and no amount of technology can change that.

Well he asked me if I "Liked" him in the beginning and that took me aback because you know that has a different meaning... until he asked me if I Liked him on Facebook.

[PiratePony 8,491]

One might even argue that social media and lack of face-to-face interaction could INCREASE body language, as some people might not be experienced with societal communicative cues and other customs and will rely on their own natural body language more to communicate.

[Sunny Fox 5,961]

A like on Facebook and a thumbs up both denote approval (except when someone is being sarcastic, but then you'll usually have other signals to well, signify that) so is there really much of a difference between what you meant and what he interpreted you to mean, @@cider float? 

[Vox 870]

I don't think so at all. Like PiratePony said it's a given in our biology, it's hard to kill something like that.

[Invincible 2,092]

Doubtful. I don't know how it is in other places but hand gestures and body language are fairly common in Israel.

 

Also, Whether you wish it or not you will have to deal with human contact in your future, so at least in that aspect human body language is not endangered.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 42,202]

This definitely is not the case for me. I am autistic so this could be why, but I essentially talk with my hands. I am very hand vocal so to speak. I am incredibly expressive when I speak and I find it easier to have a conversation when others are expressive too. I feel like body language is very much a thing, it is just not noticed anywhere near as much thanks to online discussion.

 

Not sure if that means anything but that is my take on it.

[Shanks 10,817]

No, it just sounds like stupid people being stupid people which is nothing new. I can see case for some changes in body language though, spoken and written languages change over time so it would make sense for body language to undergo some changes.

[Once In A Blue Moon 896]

and most communication (over 90%) is nonverbal in nature.

 

Depends how you define communication. Posture and non-verbal action can reveal a lot about a person's mentality / disposition, and can be used emphasise a point, but a spoken conversation uses these as cues rather than content. If you watch someone talk about something the gestures and posture don't tell you the actual content of the message - be it the weather or solving non-linear differential equations.

 

As a result of this, if one is not exposed to body language as often then one will probably be less capable of reading it - it's not that it's not being broadcast, but that it's not being understood - much as @@Vox, said, it's part of how we act naturally so I don't think it's going away.

 

If a loss of face-to-face interaction skills is due to social media (which I'm not sure it is, but I'll run with the idea for a bit), though, it's interesting to think about what other experience a person might have more of - inferring subtext without the benefit of hand gestures and body language. Potentially this could lead to the use of a larger vocabulary to allow for a more nuanced statement in a concise format, although I haven't seen a great deal of that (or possibly I miss the subtle implications of "U wot m8".)

 

As to not understanding a 'thumbs up' ... actually, I'd be interested to see the context (emphasis on 'see' there)*, as I attribute very little meaning to a 'thumbs up' by itself (the most common use I've made of it is communicating with someone with severely impaired hearing, where I use it to indicate "heard and understood," usually accompanied by a nod.)

 

 

*I'd probably have emphasised that with a hand gesture or a change in tone in a spoken conversation. 

Edited May 17, 2016 by Once In A Blue Moon

[TriMara 42]

AS much as i think fine tuning body language from interpersonal relations it is still ingrained in our very biology. People blind at birth still smile when happy (And other examples) Meaning its inherent to us and not so much learned.

[Eloquence 2,076]

I have seen no decrease in the use of body language in conversation, really I've seen no decrease in conversation at all. This whole "social media is ruining personal conversation" thing is just more of the same "I don't like new things" talk that we've seen in every generation practically since the start of humanity itself.

 

 

And now feminists have a problem with people clapping when approving something...

 

As for this, I find it highly disconcerting that so many people are willing to take it at face value. Really, a random person on the internet says feminists don't like clapping and that's just... accepted, with no source or reasoning?

 

Well, being a feminist myself as well as someone who does social justice work in her community, perhaps I can shed some light on this. I wasn't aware that it was so widespread, but snapping is rather "in vogue" right now as an alternative to clapping in social justice circles. It's become a way to signify approval and support a point made by someone without interrupting them with such a loud drowning-out noise as a series of claps. Think of it as a sort of evolution in body language, a useful new tool in the non-verbal arsenal.

[EpicEnergy 23,247]

Not really, as long as people interact in real life I don't think human body language will start dying.

[Splashee 28,599]

Not true. Even by yourself, you are probably doing all kinds of body language without even noticing