For a country that universally holds our First Amendment rights near and dear to our heart, it seems that we have lost the art of good communication. With the digital age, ideas and opinions are everywhere. While new technology has helped people share their personal beliefs with a wide audience, how much has it actually helped good dialogue? Across the myriad of discussion topics, the digital age has polarized conversations and established a new standard of acceptable etiquette. Is the digital age shaping a new status quo for communication or do we need to revise the way we communicate with one another and maybe take a page from our forefather’s book?

If you live anywhere around the globe, you probably know that the United States is in the midst of a very heated election year. So what does this political race have to do with conversation? Haven’t we all been bombarded with our friends, relatives and the media sharing numerous articles, images and polls proving that free speech is alive and well? Yes, we have, but how many of us have had a genuine conversation about the issues or rationale behind why our friends/family are supporting the candidate we consider the opposition?

This is a highly polarized election which makes it easy for many of us to cast off those who support the opposition as ‘stupid,’ ‘uneducated,’ ‘radical,’ ‘ostensibly progressive,” etc. and as such deem that they are not capable of having a conversation about the issues that we are so passionate about. Discarding those who think differently than us harms the dialogue that we so desperately need during this time where potentially monumental change is upon us as a nation. There are two solutions for this, either we need to change the tone we type in or we need to take the conversation to the streets, coffee houses, campuses and tables and organically connect with those we disagree with.

The digital age has not only changed the way we talk about political candidates; it has also shaped the way we express our thoughts about social change. The most immediate example of this is the new policies/legislation/recommendations around transgender bathroom use but there are plenty of other examples. With Facebook and Twitter eagerly waiting for us to share our thoughts and feelings in a quick status update, how many of us have found ourselves beginning a post with the disclaimer: *RANT POST* insert your opinion here leaving minimal room for discourse. I know I am guilty of this and also know that it usually leads to an exhausting argument in the comment section. While your points might be read, how often have these conversations turned from productive to personal? This is where the art of in-person communication comes in: no matter how heated you get; it is much easier to remember the person you are talking to is a person with feelings when you are talking over a cup of coffee or on a walk as opposed to through a screen.

The way I see it there are three main problems with the new status quo for communication. First, is that it is more divisive than connective. With today’s technology, we are in a state of constant connectivity but if we don’t use the power of technology for good, we will find ourselves subject to a contentious evil. This leads to the second problem, people on every side of an issue are not utilizing old-school etiquette in our digital conversations and we ignore the fact that the individuals supporting the opposite side are also…people, just like you, trying to make sense of what they see in the world in the best way possible. Finally, if you don’t utilize some common courtesy and respect, digital communication does absolutely nothing for getting others to understand your opinion. We cannot expect people who do not agree with us to read articles we share especially if we caption them with commentary that perpetuates a “my way or the highway” attitude.

So Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, Grandma and Grandpa: it’s on us to be better. The founders of our country felt that freedom of speech was important (that’s why it’s first on the Bill of Rights), but let’s responsibly use this freedom to share ideas in a way that generates great conversation allowing us to learn from one another. Think about your digital presence and utilize your social power to build discussion, not barriers, and if you really are in a pinch for how to communicate with someone, invite them on a walk because endorphins are a great mediator.