Is it time for some “Netiquette?”
Recently I was listening to the radio and one of the radio programs was on the difficulties of online communication. The radio deejay felt that negotiating real world communication is tricky enough let alone having to handle virtual communication such as online chatting and social websites, for example, Facebook.
This led me to ponder about online communication and the problems that arise from it. In this day and age, it is almost quite impossible to avoid online communication. Online communication is becoming more prevalent – emails, online forums, blogs, Facebook, YouTube, MSN, SecondLife are just but a few modes of online communication that youths today engage in.
I feel that the online world is impersonal – we are unable to see the other party’s facial expression, body language or hear their tone of voice. Words and a few emo – icons are all we have to rely on in the sphere of online communication. As it is impersonal or as some would put it “faceless”, it becomes all too easy for people interacting online to forget that they are communicating with a real human who has feelings and not just to a computer screen. Hence most people tend to behave in a way that they would never act in real life. This is akin to some people behind the wheel of a car do: They speed and cut dangerously into the paths of others, swear and make obscene gestures and generally behave like a menace.
On the Internet, people tend to get more irrational easily and fail to practice self – regulation. Some behave horribly rude and offensive. This is often seen in harsh and unbelievably rude comments posted in net forums, for example, STOMP. In addition, some do not think twice in engaging in flame wars against those that they dislike or sending a. They think that a lower standard of morals or personal behavior is acceptable in cyberspace; nobody knows who you are anyway.
In addition as online communication lacks visual cues; it is easy to misinterpret the meaning of messages that are written. Many a times innocent comments posted online are mistaken for sarcasm / criticism when the writer’s real intention might be far from that. He / She might be joking or having difficulties conveying his / her opinions across. This often leads to misunderstandings and may actually affect real world relationship, for example, falling out with a colleague over email exchanges.
What do you guys think, is online communication trickier then real world? Are the standards of behavior online different from that in real life?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi, Valerie.
ReplyDeleteSorry that I deleted the 1st comment as there are some errors in it.
This is an interesting topic. I do agree that online communication is trickier than the real world communication. Since we couldn't see the face expression or hear the tone of voice of the other party, it is often hard for us to sense the real feeling of he/she. Actually I feel rather insecure interacting with people whom I am not close with online. It is often hard to tell if they really mean what they said.
I think it depends on the people interacting whether their behavior online will be different from that in real life, though I do believe that most people might behave differently. In many cases, people might take it as a chance for them to vent their anger or show their dissatisfaction with someone, as they might not do it in front of that person. I think the most aggressive ones might be those who criticize actors or actresses online using harsh tones and words, since they would not be held for responsibilities for their actions and behaviors.
Although it is convenient to interact with people online, I still feel that it would be better to communicate with people face-to-face, as it seems more "real". As time goes by, I would not want to see myself talking to the "screen" more than to the "real" person behind the screen.
Hello Valerie,
ReplyDeleteI strongly feel that the greatest problem with online communication is that of anonymity. The problem is particularly acute on online posting boards and forums. The mask of anonymity cause people to lose all their inhibition and sense of accountability for what they say. They say things that they never would in a face to face conversation. Little mice of men become the meanest of trolls online just because they can hide behind an avatar and a username.
Translating emotions into the casual off-the-cuff communications that characterise online missives can be cumbersome a times. Most writers simply do not take the time to choose their words wisely and hence cause readers to fail to read or to read extra meanings into their messages. Hence, I have always felt that emoticons are a necessary evil. They are a simple, effective, and impossible to misinterpret method of conveying our feelings online.
-Wanliang
Hey Valerie,
ReplyDeleteI agree that this issue on Netiquette is surfacing in recent times due to the exponential development of online chat mediums and forums.
i personally see online flame wars, or uncontrolled expressions of one's very much opinioned and distorted views of issues to be unbelievable at times, so much so that sometimes its almost like kids quarreling amongst themselves.
The younger generations somehow just see the online forums or blogs to be a "lawless" area, as such, regulations of their personal behavior isn't required, and often harsh and rude comments just appears much to the contempt of others.
I guess everyone, and especially the younger generations using the web mediums to share their ideas and views have to understand the fact that while being nameless being they online moniker, they still have a certain moral responsibility to what they say or how they act.
Cheers!
Hi guys,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your comments. As it can be seen, all of you unanimously agreed that the cloak of anonymity causes some people to abandon their common sense and morals; posing hurtful and baseless comments about others.
I guess the easiest way is to apply the same standards of behavior one will in real life to our online personas.
Cheers :)
Hey hey,
ReplyDeleteBut if you apply the same standards in real life to online circumstances, it won't be exactly applauded for.
I definitely am guilty for the use of online communication most of the time when I am at home cos' it's so much easier and NO, i didn't abandon my morals. It cannot be helped that school requires research (other than using textbooks and library books) and had created online assignments like blogging (to save the trees), hence the increased hours on the keyboard instead of communicating verbally with family and friends.
Somehow I miss the times when I chat on the telephone instead of chatting on MSN.