海角大神

Like most of us with smartphones, President-elect Donald Trump is learning a big pitfall in relying on social media: It is no substitute for real conversation. His frequent use of Twitter during the presidential campaign was helpful in learning about his views. But as Mr. Trump will soon command the world鈥檚 most powerful position, he must rely more on old-fashioned talking 鈥� listening, persuading, even emphasizing. For a president to use a one-way tweet 鈥� at 140 characters 鈥� is more like a dart than a dialogue.

Case in point: Trump recently sent out tweets that challenge both China and a long-held agreement with the United States about the status of Taiwan. While that US policy is troublesome in isolating a democratic and de facto independent country, Trump鈥檚 signaling in a tweet that he might overturn this policy came as a shock to Beijing, creating uncertainty and counterthreats.

Loose comments between rivals, without the benefit of full conversation, can start wars. After close military encounters in the 1990s, China and the US realized they must hold frequent dialogues at the highest levels to better understand each other鈥檚 interests and avoid a war they might regret. Those 鈥渟trategic鈥� talks have continued under three presidents, keeping a relative peace in Asia. The talks are in-depth and secret, allowing each side to compromise and avoid losing face.

World and political affairs, like close personal relationships, cannot be mediated through tweets, texts, or Facebook postings. During this year鈥檚 presidential debates, for example, candidates seemed more eager to utter bite-size quotes suitable for YouTube than engage with each other鈥檚 ideas in back-and-forth conversations.

鈥淲e are being silenced by our technologies, in a way, 鈥榗ured of talking鈥�,鈥� writes Sherry Turkle, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of a recent book, 鈥淩eclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age.鈥� Ms. Turkle suggests that the constant distraction of cellphones is really 鈥渁 flight from conversation that is also a flight from self-reflection, empathy, and mentorship.鈥� She quotes Henry David Thoreau who said he had three chairs in his home: 鈥淥ne for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.鈥�

Social media is great at enhancing a feeling of connection. But it is not great for conversation. And as anyone who has seen people checking their phones at a dinner party, it can hinder conversations. In governance, too, it is imperative for leaders to talk more and tweet less.