London, England, Aug 4, 2009 / 04:08 am
Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols has warned about the “dehumanizing” effects of modern communication, saying e-mails, text messages and social network sites alone cannot build “a rounded community.”
Speaking in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said an “excessive” or “almost exclusive” use of text and e-mails helps cause society to lose some of the ability to build the interpersonal communication necessary for living together and building a community.
"We're losing social skills, the human interaction skills, how to read a person's mood, to read their body language, how to be patient until the moment is right to make or press a point,” remarked Archbishop Nichols, the Catholic Primate of England and Wales.
"Too much exclusive use of electronic information dehumanizes what is a very, very important part of community life and living together."