A Japanese philosopher friend of mine, who is over 50 now and has seen the whole thing unfold as an adult, says that “digital/binary technology leads to binary thinking.” I mean, yes, there are intermediary steps along the way, especially those driven by commerce, but it was an interesting overarching claim.
Yes, nuance and empathy have been destroyed, because the medium doesn’t allow for the conveyance of subtle emotional cues of the listener back to the speaker in real time. I’d say 80% of what is said on these new video platforms would never land in a face-to-face conversation because the speaker, upon beginning their string of claims would get raised eyebrows or a questioning look, or even that subtle facial expression of “I’m not following” coming from the listener.
