Telecommunications have developed at a tremendous pace over the past decade. Electronic mail has become nearly an exclusive form of communication for some people. Satellites and an increasingly wired worldwide community allow for videoconferencing and instantaneous communication all over the globe. Television no longer has to be just a one-way communication; it can now be an interactive experience. When used properly, high-speed telecommunications can actually add to the meaningful and thoughtful exchanges of ideas. But in many other ways, these new communications media have taken away the art of letter writing and conversation and serve to prevent evocative and introspective interactions from taking place.

The rapid development of high-speed electronic communications media has led to many improvements that actually allow humans to communicate with each other better than ever before. Fiber optic cable can very quickly deliver enormous amounts of information almost anywhere in the world. Satellites orbiting the earth can transmit voices and video instantaneously from one point to another. Technology and the overall development of the telecommunications infrastructure have lowered the costs of global communication to the point that it is now affordable for the great majority of the world's population.

As worldwide telecommunications have become both faster and less expensive, people are now able to keep in contact with more people in more places. Electronic mail can be used to deliver vast amounts of information at basically no cost. Email is fast, flexible and reliable. A person can communicate with the world from the privacy of their own home without ever having to set foot outside. Thoughts and feelings can be put down into writing and sent immediately to another person on the other side of the planet. Instant messenger services allow real time communication with anyone that has a computer and access to the Internet, anywhere in the world. In this manner, high-speed telecommunications have fostered thoughtful and meaningful conversations between people who in many cases might never have been able to meet at all without these technological advances.

On the other hand, in years past people would sit down and put pen to paper to write heartfelt letters that required great thought and reflection. The entire process of writing a letter and mailing it to another person took time and effort. Letters could be rewritten over and over again until they were practically perfect before being sent. Every word could be carefully chosen to ensure that just the right message would be delivered. As opposed to email, once the letter was delivered, there was then a physical object that could not only be read, but also touched and possibly even smelled (if it were scented) to give the written letter an extra dimension of communication. The handwriting itself often told much about the writer of the letter. Another factor in favor of handwritten letters is that because physically handwriting a letter took time and effort, it was much less likely to be written and delivered in anger or haste. This greatly lessened the distinct possibility, which occurs frequently with email or instant messengers, that one might regret the message that was delivered. As with the spoken word, instant electronic communication can often never be taken back, and even worse, it is also in writing so it can be passed on in its original form to others.

As with handwritten letters, electronic communications have also tended to supplant actual spoken conversations with others. Why call or stop in for a visit when you can email your friends, with less time involved, for free? For that matter, why pick up the telephone and call your friends individually when you can send them all one mass email with the latest news about your life? Speed and ease of effort with new technology can definitely lead to less thoughtful and meaningful conversations between people.

In some ways, rapid telecommunications media have made the exchanges of ideas between people much more meaningful and thoughtful by allowing people to keep in touch in many different ways that were impossible in the past. But as usual with progress, some traditions such as the handwritten letter and the art of conversation are in danger of being lost, leading to more superficial interactions that keep us more isolated as individuals.
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参考译文

高速电子传播媒介，例如电子邮件和电视，常常妨碍人们达成意义深刻、有思想深度的交流

　　过去的十年间电信业飞速发展。对某些人来说，电子邮件几乎已经成为无可替代的一种通信方式。人造卫星的使用以及一个日益互联的世界使电视会议及全球内的同步交流得以进行。电视实现的不再仅仅是单向的传播，如今它可以给人们带来互动式的全新体验。如果使用得当，高速的电信业实际上可以促进意义深刻、有思想深度的交流。然而在其他许多方面，这些新的传播媒介却使人们丢弃了书信及交谈的艺术，不利于人与人之间产生启发性的、内省性的交互作用。

　　高速电子传播媒介的快速发展带来的进步实际上使得人们能够比以往更好地进行交流。光纤光缆能很快地将大量的信息传送到世界上几乎任何一个地方。绕地球轨道运行的卫星瞬间就能把声音和图像从一个地点传送到另一地点。先进的技术和电信基础设施的整体发展降低了全球通信的费用，如今世界上的绝大多数人都能够负担得起。

　　由于世界范围内的电子通信速度越来越快、费用越来越低，现在人们能够与更多地方的更多数量的人保持联系。使用电子邮件几乎不用花钱就可以传播大量的信息。电子邮件传送速度快，方式灵活，使用起来也比较可靠。一个人足不出户，呆在自己家的私人小天地中就能够跟全世界进行交流。他的想法和感受一经记录就能立即发送到地球另一端的人那里。即时信使服务（MSN）使世界各地任何一个有电脑能上网的人都能进行实时交流。通过这种方式，高速电子通信促成了人与人之间意义深刻、有思想深度的交谈。而如果没有这些技术进步，他们很可能永远也不会聚在一起。

　　另一方面，在过去，人们常常会坐下来用笔和纸写信，写下他们经过仔细思量的肺腑之言。这个写信和寄信的整个过程需要花费时间和精力。在寄出前，信是可以一遍又一遍地重写直到万无一失为止。每一个字都可以被仔细推敲直到确保意思被完好表达出来。与电子邮件不同的是，当这种手写的信件被寄出去以后，它就是一个实实在在的东西，不仅能被阅读，还能被摸得着、嗅得到（如果信纸有香味的话），这就使手写的信件具有了独特的交流内涵。信的笔迹本身常常可以反映出写信人的许多情况。人们偏爱手写信件的另外一个原因是手写信件花费时间和精力，因而就不太可能是在发怒或匆忙的状态下写就和寄出的。这大大减少了使用电子邮件或即时信使（MSN）时可能发生的情况--人们经常会对发出的信息懊悔不已。如同出口的话一样，即时的电子通信一旦完成常常是不能够收回的，甚至更糟--由于它也是以记录下来的方式存在的，所以它可以以最原始的形式传送给其他更多的人。

　　如同手写信件一样，电子通信也有让人们减少面对面交谈的倾向。既然无需付钱、花一点时间发个电子邮件就能够问候一下朋友，为什么还要打电话或登门拜访呢？只要给朋友们发一个集体电子邮件说说你的近况，又干吗要给他们一个个分别打电话呢？花费的时间和精力少了，意义深刻、有思想深度的交谈肯定也就减少了。

　　快速的电子通信借助许多过去不可能具备的新方式使人们建立起了联系。因此，在某些方面，它使人们之间思想的交流意义更为深刻、更有思想内涵。然而，正如进步通常都会对传统带来负面影响影响，像手写书信和谈话的艺术这些传统的东西正面临着被摈弃的危险，这会使人们的交流更趋肤浅而使我们作为个体更加被隔绝开来。