It's good to talk

IN vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you,' declared Mr Darcy to Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Scroll along two centuries and this sentiment might have been distilled to a row of love hearts in a text message.

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Digital technology has transformed the way we interact, making communication easier and more instantaneous than ever before. Where once there was a single telephone in a household tethered to a wall, most of us now have one in our hands, day and night. The result, however, is that the quantity of communication has replaced the quality.