Thanks marquez.
Yes I agree with you on those points. You have encourage me to bring out some of the causes for why I wrote that peace of my post that you quoted. I have thought on it already for long, so I have decided to make a list of the negatives aspects and the positive ones of online communication,
First I want to put clear that I contrasted 'online' and 'off-line' communication and not as people tent to say 'online' and 'real life' because online communication IS also part of real life! I know it's obvious but maybe we still are not able to assimilate it, because it is still very new.
The way communication works well is saying the right idea at the right time while understanding well the needs of the ones who will receive our message, right?. So we usually have to communicate on according with what is the best way for the ones surrounding us. That is why day to day interactions can be able to greatly reinforce norms and sets of believes and types of lifestyles that preserve group unity. Either 'online' or 'off line' communication, both are just tools available to deliver messages.
*SOME NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF ONLINE WRITEN COMMUNICATION:
- you can't see body language in general (like face mannerisms (smiling, seriousness, etc), when people speak with their hands...), (by marquez)
- you can't hear the tone of voice (by marquez)
- lack of eye contact (helps convey sincerity) (by marquez)
- sometimes you can tell someone is really bothered before they even say a word or someone is lying but the truth is 'written on their face' (by marquez)
.
- our backs and our eyes get tired after a while
- we are still on a weak state and some physical contact (like even pats of encouragement) can be necessary
- our grammar skills can play against us very often and make it harder for us to be understood
- the dependence of an intenet connection
- we can't see others stature, color skins, certain physical aspects like injuries, social symbolic representations like clothing, hair styles, etc. we can't hear the speaking style, smelling
- with off-line communication it is more easy to encourage others when they are down
I have heard that the content of the words that you are using is not the determining part of a good communication, and that the “how you say it” has a major impact on the receiver. This have some truth on it, and this is the reason why so many people are brain washed and deceived by people that tell them wrong content in the right way (we all know about the many charismatic pastors). The truth is that 'content' is just as important as how do we deliver our messages. We never chose what we want but what we prefer! God have to cause us to prefer good or if not we are just going to follow our weak heart and always prefer evil.
If we are able to deliver content as clearly as possible, online communication can work. Now, here I go,
*SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS OF ONLINE PERSONAL COMMUNICATION:
- less stereotypical assumptions that can cause misunderstandings (I am not saying that all of us do it, but at list in my case I have seen that people (including myself sometimes still) have a tendency of stereotyping people ideologies by their age, by their gender, by their income, by their ETHNICITY and even by their outlook which give us high possibilities to be mistaken. Now more than ever the world is shrinking (mainly because online communications) and we hate to think that we are just little, little dots in a huge, immense sea of people. So it is understandable and normal that we try to make sense of this chaos by making classifications and many times un-carefully throwing bunches of people on different mind created boxes.)
.
- Many of us (on this forum) have grown influenced by the mass media (with movies, marketing-advertising, tv-shows, etc) and their many wrong symbolical representation, sometimes even with out noticing we judge others by their physical appearance taking on account this symbolical representations as a pattern, we have been told that external beauty is strictly related with health and wisdom and many other kinds of wrong representations that are hard to overcome. So somehow it is often easier for us to connect here on a more spiritual way if we have not yet overcome the mass media wrong symbolical representations
.
- when we write what we are thinking we have more time to think about it, and put it clearer. Poorly structured communication can prevent the receiver from accurate interpretations, and this happens even more easy off-line since there is many of us that doesn't have very good live speeching skills
.
- it might be a better way to deliver complex content. Think about it, when something is writen and saved online for everybody to see they can access this at any time they need it, and digest it at their own rhythm
.
- it is true that ''sometimes you can tell someone is really bothered before they even say a word'' but also sometimes someone might look bothered when he is not, and it is just tired or thinking or distracted. Physical signs can many times be tricky, a lot of people looks doesn't match with how they really are, when I was on a bt conference I realise this once again. Also this external appearance thing is even more clearly to see with people that is born with 'special capacities'
.
- When talking face to face there can be an oversaturation of information because we are receiving too many message at the same time. Also this is more common when trying to understand complex themes
.
- Online communication is a very good tool available that God have put on our hands at this time of history, I believe that since the beginning of the first communities of followers of Jesus' teachings, only until now it is possible for more believers to stay together and encourage each other
.
- with online written communication we are less likely to believe lies that somebody can be able to tell us (by physical speech) on a very subtle, well structured, and persuasive way
.
- Online communication many, many times saves us time
.
- it is also possible to personally perceive what somebody is really all about, and what are his motives and his endeavors (by Joe)
As I said before I believe there can be a balance between online and ‘face to face off-line' interaction and that we don't have to strictly chose one over the other (still, some have no choice but to chose one over the other).
I remember that Arcturus once said: ''most relationships in this wicked age, have profit, not prophet, as the adhesive in the relationships of carnal man''. The most important relationship that we have are with our spiritual brothers and sisters. I am all for off-line interactions, I have even travel far for visiting a couple brothers.
Also, respecting understanding others better, either our online or off-line identity does can change. As Ray say: ''you will BECOME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT!'' - ''If you think about God and His ways and His law, you can accomplish things, you can build things and you can acquire fruits of the spirit and so on. Because the law is spiritual.''
I have hear many popular comments putting down 'online relations' as not real or as a waste of time or as something plastic and fake, however this happens all the time with 'off-line relations' too. The thing is that this way of communication is still very new, and we don't like things that we can't comprehend. I once hear the advance to don't do or say anything (that matters) online that you would not do off-line.
Well, after all this talking, i hope to help us to let us see how REAL online communication is; People buy, sell, trade, give, donate, and receive gifts online, There have been lawsuits, suicides, abuses, serious misunderstandings and roots for violence because online causes , BUT also, good and respectful knowledge and information have increased
and We still here to prove it.