In the first chapter of Communication Ethics Literacy: Dialogue and Difference, Arnett touches on the idea of communicative absence. He states that "The fundamental requirement for classroom learning, whether in face-to-face or mediated environments, is showing up. Absence from classroom discussion or from the public conversation about ideas takes away our opportunity to texture and nuance understanding," (Arnett 28). This was an interesting topic to me because being present in the classroom can mean many different things. Being present to me means that you are actively listening and engaging with the content you are learning as well as the other individuals that are in the classroom with you. Arnett also talks about being present in the classroom both physically and mentally. Each time that we are not actively showing up to the classroom, we are taking away from an opportunity to not only advance our own intellect but to participate in communication aspects that are vital to our lives. These are the things that Arnett states that contribute to making communication ethics possible. People need the interaction with information and other people in a classroom setting to carry out aspects of communication ethics, one example being determining a given good. The conversations that happen in these environments and the opportunity to listen to different viewpoints on a topic determine much of what we think is right and wrong, good or bad, and drive the basis for communication ethics.
I thought this was a particularly relevant topic to discuss and read about as a college student and as students navigating life during the pandemic. The pandemic required all of our college courses to move from in-person to online settings and ultimately required a shift in how we, as students, 'show up' in the classroom. I personally found it much more difficult to be as present in an online Zoom class compared to how I would act in a class in person. There were many more distractions that took away from me being able to fully pay attention and absorb the information that was presented to me (examples: not having to turn camera on in class, doing other homework at the same time, cell phones, roommates, etc.). I know that the challenges I was facing were also being faced by my fellow students and as a result, we all noticed that our engagement with one another and the materials we were using to be much lower. I am sure that the professors felt the same challenges, especially those courses where the professor was often lecturing to a bunch of black screens and not being able to tell if students were fully present or not. Applying this to Arnett's concepts, the change in our environment hindered some of our ability as students to be fully present and 'show up' in the classroom in a virtual setting.
This unsettling time during the pandemic has had drastic effects on our society in more ways than one, and I think that communication ethics can also be considered in this group as well. The pandemic has changed how we communicate with one another now and in the future as well. We are able to see this in one way by looking at the concept of communicative absence and how showing up can have a large impact on the greater idea of communication ethics. It would be interesting to see how this concept continues to change as the way we tend to communicate with one another is adjusted.
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