Story Archives of 'communication'

Sending a text message has become second-nature to so many of us that we barely think about it any more. Running late for an appointment? Send a quick text. Want to let someone know you’re thinking of them? Zip off a couple lines.

It’s become an accepted mode of communication - getting a message out without the time or disruption of a phone call. It’s amazing to think that just a few years ago hardly any of us were texting. Today about three billion people on the planet – half the world’s population – have cell phones. And at least a trillion text messages are sent each year.

The question of how all the abbreviations and vowel-less words used to text will affect our language hangs over us. Is texting eroding the way we write and speak? David Crystal is a linguist and author of over a hundred books on linguistics and other topics. His most recent is Txting: The Gr8 Deb8. He argues that all the popular beliefs about texting are wrong, or at least debatable. And that far from hindering literacy, texting may be helping it. He joins Word of Mouth from his home in Holyhead, North Wales.

(Photo by vossjose)

Has the internet made us a more rude society? The faceless means of communicating through blogs, comment sections, e-mail, social networking sites have all contributed to the rise of what’s called the “Dis-Inhibition Effect” and with it, an increase in cyber-bullying, name-calling and just bad manners. We’ll look at how the internet has changed how we communicate and see if it’s made us more rude.

Guests

• Mark Timney, Associate Professor of Journalism at Keene State College
• David Weinberger, Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University

Author Jay Heinrichs makes the case how the the lost art of rhetoric means a loss of civility in public life. He has a new book "Thank You for Arguing," and in it he analyzes ways to argue and get messages across effectively. We'll ask him to dissect the effectiveness of our promotional messages which are designed to persuade listeners to tune in. And we'll also put some of Hollywood's most famous arguments under the microscope.

This program originally aired March 5, 2007

Hanging out with mom and dad is becoming more complicated. That’s because many adult children are moving back into their parents’ homes. Tonight on the Front Porch, we’re going to look at why 20 and 30-somethings are heading back to the nest more than ever. We'll find out who’s doing it most and what effect the so-called Boomerang kids have on a family dynamics.

Our guest is Richard West, Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Southern Maine. He's also co-author of The Family Communication Sourcebook and Perspectives on Family Communication.

We'll also meet Mary Jo Alibrio and her daughter, Gina. Gina is 24 years old and is moving back home -- temporarily -- this Summer. Her plan is to save some money so she can move to the West Coast and pursue her singer/songwriter career. Mary Jo and Gina will help us explore the do's and don'ts of moving back in with Mom and Dad. (You can check out Gina's music here.)