Salons vs. Texting and Online Chatting

During the Enlightenment, writers, artists, philosophes, and others exchanged ideas in salons, or informal social gatherings.  Salons provided a way for people to gather and share ideas.  Today, we know that many people do this without ever meeting in person - through the internet.  People are able to join chat rooms or blogs to share their thoughts and ideas world wide.  Although, many discussions on the internet lack the serious-minded tone of a salon conversation and the benefit of face-to-face conversation.  The internet does, however, provide a sense of community, where people can gather to discuss ideas, even if it is a "virtual" living room (example: Facebook).  In addition, cell phones provide people with the ability to communicate through text messages. Many people today spend more time texting and emailing friends and colleagues rather than engage in conversations. 


Question 1: Compare salons of the Enlightenment with cell phones and Internet chatting.  Explain which you think is the better forum for communicating and sharing ideas.  Why?


Question 2: Does text messaging, Instagram, and Facebook help or hurt young peoples' abilities to communicate face to face through verbal conversations?