Chapter 2
‘iContact’ or eye contact?
‘Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.’
Charles Dickens, The Wreck of the Golden Mary
No need to rub your eyes. Yes, these are the prophetic words of Charles Dickens, the great man himself, who had an instinct over 150 years ago – and the telephone hadn’t even been invented at the time of his musings.
He was referring, through one of his literary characters, to communication via electric telegraph on a ship during a time of danger. It reflects his scepticism, and how he felt we should converse for important things. (What would he have made of email and social media?)
How often do we come across the term ...
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