Research, Technology, & Teamwork blog by Susie Wee

» Are we communicating if we bypass our senses?

• Are we communicating if we bypass our senses?
• Is communication about the information or about the experience?
• What do you gain or lose if you communicate with communication chips instead of natural human senses?

1. We would be able to convey factual information more quickly and accurately.
2. We would be able to convey visual thoughts more easily and accurately. I'm specifically calling out visual information because pictures can be hard to describe in words, so this would be a great advantage.
3. We would not be able to convey or interpret feelings. Could a communication chip convey feelings and experiences? (I don't know how human senses relate to human feelings.)
4. We would lose the deep understanding that occurs when you think through and discuss a topic for a long time. Could a communication chip provide deep understanding?
5. We wouldn't have to work at formulating words around our thoughts. My thoughts could be zapped over to the other person, including the visual imagery that I have in my head. In fact, this would be very helpful for me right now since I'm in the design stage of a kitchen remodeling project-- this involves a lot of visualization and communication.
6. We would lose the learnings we get from going through the thought process of figuring out how to effectively communicate an idea. Thinking about how to communicate an idea, for example, when giving a presentation, leads to deeper thought and understanding. Could a communication chip instill deeper thought and understanding?
7. We would lose the person-to-person experiences that we get when spending time together. The person-to-person experience allows you to get to know each other, to get to know how well you get along with each other, how well you can brainstorm together, and how well you can work together.