Impact of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication on the Nature of Social Interaction

Introduction

Understanding what people do and say necessitates the assessment of contextual expectations of organizing one-to-one discussions. The study of techniques people apply to understand the actions of people, mainly what they say, is known as ethnomethodology. Ethnomethodology encompasses a set of rules of social interaction that affect people's lives. In other words, language as an integral part of the culture and social structure reflects the status, role, and responsibility of individuals in society. Therefore, a secondary analysis of the influencers of social interactions, including age, gender, and social status, is necessary to understand the nature of human interaction in the social domain. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of verbal and nonverbal communication affect people's interactions.

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Men and Women in the Public

Studies show that verbal and nonverbal communication function dependently to shape the nature of interactions between men and women in public. Giddens et al. analyze different situations to explain the impact of language and nonverbal communication on the nature of the relationship. He gives a case involving the verbal harassment of a lady walking down the street by a group of males. It should not be noted that the results obtained from a single case study cannot be used to justify the behavior of a group of people. For instance, in this case, such provocation is archetypal of street conversations involving males and females who are unfamiliar with one another.

Also, explaining the nature of this encounter requires an understanding of the background of gender hierarchy in this community. Giddens cites Gardner who associated the display of aggravation toward females by their male counterparts with the prevalence of gender disparity in different communities. Further, this problem is worsened by the pervasiveness of male privilege in public spaces, the physical vulnerability of females, and the current threat of rape.

The author also cites a scenario where an actress was instructed by a movie director to walk down the streets of New York City for ten hours while to demonstrate the incidence of street harassment. She was required to display a nonverbal cue signifying a lack of interest. The video showed the actress being subjected to constant catcalls from men. Upon its upload on YouTube, this video receives a massive response from the public who were unaware of the magnitude of street harassment in their neighborhoods.

Another incident mentioned in the article is the one involving a sign erected by the management of a construction firm. The sign read: "We apologize for the whistling construction workers, but man you look good, but man you look good!" According to Dr. Herman, a philosophy professor at Princeton University, this incident proves the normalization of street harassment in today's societies, especially those directed toward females (Giddens, 2013). According to my opinion, the professor's sentiments are genuine. Today, many nonverbal cues perpetuate street harassment. Therefore, the government, non-government organizations, philanthropists, private investors, and the public should join the fight against street harassment by investing and participating in programs that sensitize people about the proper use of language. In a nutshell, verbal and nonverbal communication has a significant influence on the nature of human interaction. These categories of language use are a central part of people's traditional values and beliefs, and also reflect their identity and societal roles. However, inappropriate use of language and gestures can harm the nature of people's social encounter. Therefore, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that people do not use language to harass others. For instance, people should organize social media campaigns to advocate for proper use of language in public spaces.

Reference

Giddens, A. (2013). In defence of sociology: essays, interpretations and rejoinders. John Wiley & Sons.