Now, I am not referring to the cult 90's Channel 4 show, but the almost hitherto disregard people have to both the written and spoken word. I appreciate in a world wanting both snappy, pragmatic news, not to mention 140 character limits, there is almost a total disregard for "the full story", just a punchy tagline. For my first blog since joining Adam last month, I wanted to vent a little and explore some observations I have noticed in this somehow "busier" world. A world which is either far too busy, or far too self-important to talk.

Firstly, don't get me wrong, I like Twitter. I like its ability to give breaking worldwide news at a downwards thumbstroke. I understand the need for brevity, in both this and text messaging, yet has slang vocabulary replaced the full spoken/written word? Not just that, but have these new methods of communication diluted our most basic way of communicating - speech?

I believe subconsciously our perception of how we want to communicate has shifted dramatically over the last decade. We take control, we choose when to update our timeline, we choose when to reply and to whom, we choose who's friend request to accept, what to like and until recently who to poke. When I was a younger that took at least a phonecall. And a date.

I've also noted in the context of the business praxim, that there is mass hypocrisy. Every company worth it's salt bleats on about being "connected", "going digital", "follow us on twitter for updates" ….yada yada, yet calling up politely introducing yourself, and your business' service, and most companies cannot wait to get you off the phone and away, if they even choose to engage. If you are lucky you then get a generic email address and "I can't give names….company policy". Wow! Imagine that 30 years ago. People would go the extra mile to help as much as possible, and direct you to the right person, now there is an almost negligent scepticism, and distrust of who is on the end of the line... I'm sure those 2,000 twitter followers you company have are all legit too... Mr "I'm not allowed to give you a name".

If this disregard for speech and a love for hiding behind social media continues, think of the fascinating yet downright frightening possibilities. Imagine Richard Whitely turning in his grave when Countdown contestants meekly manage 3 letter acronyms, yet dictionary corner don't even LOL at them…. Will Darwin's survival of the fittest also adapt and it becomes "survival of the most connected?" When man's tail dropped off, does it mean it will happen to our tongues too? Will our little fingers recede, and our thumbs grow to work better with our smartphones?

Or have we evolved in a little over a decade to be impersonal human beings? #shakemyhead #plainenglish #unsocialmedia

KEYWORDS:

social media, text abbreviations, recruitment, twitter, business development, sales recruitment, marketing recruitment, PR recruitment, HR recruitment IT recruitment.