Lately I've noticed that the use of certain social networks (especially WhatsApp and similar apps) creates a serious communication problem. The problem is that they encourage the belief, even more so (I say "more" because this problem has always existed), that texts, without context, are sufficient for communication, which is the fundamental hermeneutical (interpretive) naiveté.

The meaning of a message cannot be understood without knowing who says it, why and to whom, under what circumstances, using what language, from what perspective, etc. Hermeneutics 101, but this continues to be ignored, especially in these times of fact-checkers and “fake news,” where “fake” seems to be detectable only by referring to “facts.”

This causes serious political and social problems, which fundamentally affect freedom of expression, but also affect family life, intimate relationships, friends, etc.

A message, whether via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or whatever, requires much more attention to context, a context that is only "relatively" clear in a face-to-face conversation.

I sometimes receive messages from strangers asking me about things like the meaning of life, etc., through these channels. I try to respond politely, but I find it difficult to say that this isn't the right place. Who's asking? What's their story? I don't know. But then, how am I supposed to give them a proper answer?

Sometimes friends tell me through social media, "Look what so-and-so said to me," as if the text or the famous screenshot were enough for me to understand. If they sent it to me in Chinese, it would be the same. "Look what XX said to me: 'Don't come to my house.'" Of course. It's not enough for you to tell me who it was based on basic information like whether it was your dad or something. The point is, who is your father? What is your relationship with him? Under what circumstances did he say it to you? Why did he say it? What is your family history? Without all of that, how am I supposed to understand "what" he said to you? It doesn't matter if you transcribe the text. I need the actual text. And for that, I need a personal conversation.

The times I invite friends I no longer know for coffee prove that I try to be consistent with this. Or a Zoom call if there's no other option. And if neither of those are possible, those are the limits of human communication. Accept it. WhatsApp and the like don't solve those limitations: they exacerbate them.

This is how people destroy each other, almost literally, on social media. If we end up destroying each other after years of friendship, what can we expect from people who don't even know each other? And, above all, what can we expect from people who believe that appealing to supposed facts resolves a disagreement?

To make matters worse, social media has conditioned us to address serious and sensitive issues with short, catchy phrases, as if these solved the problem. It's great to hear wise and laconic sayings, and the saying "brevity is the soul of wit," etc., but laconic wisdom is rare and requires a lot of context. "The moon looks at its reflection in the water / Who muddies it? / The fog or the toad?" Okay, yes, now tell me what it means, beyond the language, which, by the way, is a very distant tongue, spoken almost a thousand years ago (a thousand, seriously)... "Don't keep quiet about what you feel, open your heart," on Twitter or as a pretty picture on Facebook. Oh yeah? So what? You think that's it? Tomorrow you're going to go and tell your boss what you think, and then you'll realize that brevity is the soul of wit?

And what about voice messages? Sure, they're very practical, but again, they DON'T replace a conversation. Voice messages go back and forth, each one practically ancient… Why don't they just talk on the phone? (What a silly old person's question, right?) I'm not being apocalyptic. The internet is here to stay and will continue to evolve technically. It's great when I can tell someone, "That wasn't the right address, it's…" when 40 years ago that would have meant a frantic search for a payphone. But we have to be aware of the limitations. The point is to keep in mind that the internet doesn't solve misunderstandings; on the contrary, it requires greater communication skills, more care, and more empathy from those of us who use it. Educating ourselves in these enhanced communication skills would be a good way to minimize the problem. And if they wanted a short message…

Knowing how to read and write is not the same as knowing how to communicate.