You cannot step twice into the same rivers; for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you. ~ Heracitus We step and do not step into the same rivers; we are and are not. ~ Heraclitus

Think about how you 'thought' before you used language. Meaning was conveyed to you by your mind interacting with representations in your surroundings long before you ever understood words. Semiosis is inherent to all living organisms. Eventually, you learned your culture's 'shorthand' for those representations (language). Words, whether written or spoken, are still an action of semiosis (signs representing meaning). Unfortunately (and so obvious in our world today), the shorthand that is language doesn't convey full meaning, which is why we are always creating new words and modifying definitions. The interpretant's prior experiences and cultural cognitive mapping also influences the quality of that conveyance of meaning. 

The dialogue of semiosis is crucial to all living organisms. Life cannot exist without dialogue and the meaning that it conveys. The quality of that meaning matters. Face-to-face dialogue improves that quality. The inherent processing of universal 'Mind' (all is connected) strives for better understanding. All of life, and in all of its thermodynamic energy phases, depends on participation in the dialogue of semiosis. As much of an effect as human beings have on our biosphere, we should understand the importance of helping to maintain the highest quality of dialogue between all living organisms. Ignoring the existence of semiosis, or not being willing to learn about and understand it, is now a tragedy of immense proportions due to the dangers of our global technology. Wielding the power of words irresponsibly (such as promoting and falsely elevating the value of text algorithms in an already nominalistic culture) fuels that feedback loop of severely detrimental effects (runaway train). The detachment fallout is global-ecosystem-wide.