How many languages do you speak? If you’re reading this in America, chances are high that it’s only one. According to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, only 18 percent of Americans can speak another language in addition to English. With only a basic understanding of Spanish, I find myself in the language-handicapped 82 percent.
Have any of you 82-percenters attempted to speak to an individual who speaks a language other than English? If yes, then you know just how difficult the task can be. Yesterday I found myself in this situation while conversing with a Japanese exchange student in my communications class. He spoke little English. The few words he could say I had to piece together like a jigsaw puzzle in order to understand his thoughts and questions.
But within just five minutes we were conversing more than the other pairs of students in our class.
No, I hadn’t learned Japanese within that time, nor did he suddenly understand English. We were speaking a completely different language. In fact, some may not even call it a language at all.
His eyes grew large; he reached for his pocket and uttered the word “Facebook.” It was then that he pulled out his iPhone. After opening the app and tapping the search function, he pushed the phone across the table to me. I filled out my name, found my profile and hit the add button. Reaching into my own pocket, I pulled out my iPhone (identical in all but color) and went onto the same app to accept the request. It was then that the idea for this entry crossed my mind.
There we both sat, unable to communicate anything other than a basic “hello” until the realization was made that we had something in common: the iPhone.
It’s an amazing time we live in. Everyone is connected to one another in a small world that grows increasingly smaller by the day. Cultures, languages and norms still separate us but at the same time all of those are slowly becoming intertwined. The iPhone purchased in the United States works just like the iPhone bought in Japan. The device functions exactly the same way in France, South Africa and Australia, too.
While this conversation could delve into the spread of American influence, I think much more can be said of how quickly our cultures are becoming more alike than different.
They are more alike not only in terms of the iPhone but also in the habits that all new technologies are bringing. Since each phone and computer produced operates identically (granted, possibly in a different language), the way in which each is used is similar. The teenage girl in Austria is snapping pictures with her friends on her smartphone much like the girl in California. The grandpa in India is just as confused about this “new computer thing” as much as grandpas in Canada are.
We have always been more similar than different as a species and it’s clear that with globalization and the interconnectedness that accompanies it, the gap of difference is shrinking at a tremendous pace.
We just have to put down our iPhones to see it.
Jeremy Wiedle is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University.
