The Effect of Personal Stories 

Last Updated: 15 Feb 2023
Pages: 5 Views: 60

An issue in our lives, that is vastly overlooked, is the value of personal stories and their impact and importance to our lives, as well as the lives of the people telling the story. In my own life I have recently found that this is true. If there were no more stories to tell or to pass on from generation to generation, then how would we be able to know about the past and past experiences and learn valuable lessons from them? While technology could be beneficial to society, it also prevents and restricts the power of face to face communication, conversation, and especially story telling.

One big issue that is preventing the need for personal storytelling is the increased use and development of technology. Michael Bugeja, professor and director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University, wrote a book called “Interpersonal Divide in the Age of Machine”. In his book, Bugeja explores both the positives and negatives of technology, but mostly the negatives. He said, “We are losing empathy, compassion, truth-telling, fairness, and responsibility and replacing them with all these machine values,” (Hunt). Bugeja talks about the moral values that technology is taking away from having a conversation with a person in real life as opposed to over a message that you can simply read because it is “easier”. Talking in person and hearing someone’s life story gives a much different feeling and emotional connection. For example, if I were to tell you a story about how I lost my pet dog when I was very young, you would have a more sympathetic and empathetic reaction. If I were to text the exact same story to you, it would be more difficult to express a sympathetic or empathetic response, instead, the only response that would most likely happen would be “Oh I’m so sorry” or “That’s awful are you okay?” These responses are over typed letters which could come off as being the only thing to answer due to the awkward nature of talking about a dead dog over text, meanwhile, after hearing the story in person there is more compassion and possibly easier to connect to the story.

Another way that technology decreases the power of personal stories is through the increased reliance and use of social media and online news. Social media has become a large player and the main form of communication in society. This new form of communication is now the “social norm” for relaying information and talking to one another. Allison Goldberg, writer and contributor on Forbes’ Quora, said it well in stating the new “social norm” that technology has created for society. She said, “Texting allows us to bypass the guilt we would feel if we heard their voices. Is there empathy in that exchange? We live in a new, uncharted world where we can take the easy road out. And we do. (Goldberg)” This quote is a very accurate statement for the current communication blockage and ease of use for using technology to relay information that is easiest to send over text or email instead of face-to-face or even a phone call. Goldberg states that it is now socially acceptable to be texting multiple people at one time while still talking to a person in real life. She also mentions that it is generally considered to be “okay” if you are late to work or class as long as you email or text a message explaining the reason why. Technology makes it too easy to not talk face to face with someone that you do not want to talk to, for example if someone is breaking up or fighting with someone else, it is far more easier to text instead of talking and facing the person in real life. Technology has changed the way we communicate so that it is easier to whoever is using the technology, so that he or she does not need to encounter that embarrassing face-to-face aspect of awkward situations. This is easier to do because there is that guilt factor of not wanting to talk to the person directly due to possibly being nervous or just flat out scared. The question of “Is there empathy in that exchange?” is similar to the point brought up by Bugeja, in terms that technology takes away the empathy of hearing a story in person rather than over text.

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Aside from technology, Rachel Freed of the Huffpost explains the personal attachment to stories, “we become attached to our stories and make them an essential part of our very selves” (Freed). Becoming attached to our stories defines us and makes us who we are. Stories benefit future generations by creating a connection between the past and the present to the future. Freed tells a big personal story from her life and then says, “What have I gained by sharing my story? The ability to see beyond it. To notice that I'm not the only one who experiences disappointment and loss. I feel deeper compassion for those sustaining great losses.” (Freed). Freed explains that she helped people who had a huge loss in their lives and doing so made her realize that there is more to just herself that experiences loss and disappointment.

The moment I realized these stories are overlooked came from my own grandfather. He was a very impressive and interesting story teller. Although I did not get a chance to see him very often, since he lived in Florida and it wasn’t easy to make the trip much, I used to stay up as late as I could listening to the stories he told. The stories he told the most, which happened to be his favorite, were the stories of his Marine training. He was a very proud American, and an even more proud to be a Marine. He served many deployments and served in the Vietnam War. The main story that he told the most came from when he was in boot camp and the drill sergeant made him and the other cadets run through a wet and muggy swamp with their heavy bags and a wooden bucket on their heads. They had nothing but surroundings and each other to get through the swamp, while the drill sergeants and lieutenants hit the bucket with sticks. Although most of his stories were entertaining, they were also informative on how different and challenging his life was back then. Hearing stories from my grandpa for many many years has made me realize the importance of them and how valuable and powerful they are. If I read them online or watched a video about the history of the war, I would not have had the same experience or feeling of hearing his voice which put a special touch and feel into the stories.

Hearing stories from family members and especially my grandpa puts a unique touch and feel to the stories, while reading them over text or reading them online takes that power of the stories away. Technology has many positives and is the direction that the world is going, however, it does not emphasize and increase the efficiency of stories that are told in person.

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The Effect of Personal Stories . (2023, Feb 15). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/the-effect-of-personal-stories/

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