Nowadays you can hardly find a person who owns computer and doesn't communicate online. All those social networks such as Facebook, Friendster, Orcut , instant messengers such as MSN, ICQ, QIP has millions of users all over the world. It is great to be able to communicate in real time with people who are miles away, be able to keep in touch with friends and family members who moved to another country , and just make new friends in different parts of the world. But do we understand that there is some aspects of online communication that are not seem to be a part face-to-face communication?There is some examples:
***Many shy people find it easy to express themselves online. Typing on your own computer doesn't feel like a social situation. There is less anxiety than there might be in a face-to-face situation. Physical attractiveness is also less important online. This is the probably the basis of the famous cartoon where one dog is showing the internet to another dog, saying "On the internet nobody knows you're a dog."
***Sex is often easier to discuss than it is in a face-to-face situation. This can lead to increased online flirting in otherwise platonic relationships.
***The lack of nonverbal cues and tone-of-voice sometimes result in miscommunication. "Flame wars" often result from an online post which was intended to be taken lightly or humorously but was taken seriously or critically. The liberal use of smiley faces ";-)" to connote that a statement is meant humorously helps a little, but it may not be enough to prevent a flame war.
***The Internet is the great equalizer. A high school student can correspond with a Nobel Prize winner on an equal footing on the net. Behavior Online is a good example of this principle. Mental health professionals and others can interact online with some of the most prominent clinicians and researchers in the field.
***Gender switching and pseudonyms are fairly common. Online chat rooms are full of people who are identified only by a nickname. On the Internet you can pretend to be anyone or anything you want to be. An analogy might be a Halloween costume party. In costume people are often brasher and more outspoken than they would normally.
retrieved from http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/computerstuff/a/onlinecom.htm
***Many shy people find it easy to express themselves online. Typing on your own computer doesn't feel like a social situation. There is less anxiety than there might be in a face-to-face situation. Physical attractiveness is also less important online. This is the probably the basis of the famous cartoon where one dog is showing the internet to another dog, saying "On the internet nobody knows you're a dog."
***Sex is often easier to discuss than it is in a face-to-face situation. This can lead to increased online flirting in otherwise platonic relationships.
***The lack of nonverbal cues and tone-of-voice sometimes result in miscommunication. "Flame wars" often result from an online post which was intended to be taken lightly or humorously but was taken seriously or critically. The liberal use of smiley faces ";-)" to connote that a statement is meant humorously helps a little, but it may not be enough to prevent a flame war.***The Internet is the great equalizer. A high school student can correspond with a Nobel Prize winner on an equal footing on the net. Behavior Online is a good example of this principle. Mental health professionals and others can interact online with some of the most prominent clinicians and researchers in the field.
***Gender switching and pseudonyms are fairly common. Online chat rooms are full of people who are identified only by a nickname. On the Internet you can pretend to be anyone or anything you want to be. An analogy might be a Halloween costume party. In costume people are often brasher and more outspoken than they would normally.
retrieved from http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/computerstuff/a/onlinecom.htm
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