Virtually Communicating

By Charabis

Welcome to the newest edition of our series, Weekend Wonder, giving you something to think about this weekend! Today, we're going to take a look at communication in the digital world, and how it can cause problems for those who talk.

There are many ways for people to communicate over the internet. From in-game chats to articles such as this one, we all communicate, or you wouldn't be reading this! The challenges that face a person in doing so should not be taken lightly.

Perhaps the worst thing we do to ourselves when we try to communicate through the digital world is that we tend to forget the things that are missing that we'd otherwise have in reality. We can't see the other person's face or body language, for example, robbing us of a well-defined emotional context. This often leads to hurt feelings, all over a misunderstanding. I can tell you from experience that, when you're in a bad mood, you're more prone to taking things in a bad way.

Human nature being what it is, that person will often lash out at the 'offender', causing more hurt feelings. Thus begins the vicious cycle. If you aren't even aware the cycle has begun, you can soon find yourself with fewer friends, and I doubt that's what anyone is looking for. If that's what you are looking for, then I suggest seeking professional help ;)

The other area people seem to have a lot of trouble with is remembering that, while they may see an avatar, there is a real person behind that avatar. They have their own hopes, their own dreams, and, yes, even their own fears. We would do well to never lose sight of that.

I certainly won't say I'm perfect in this regard. Far from it this week when I got struck by food poisoning. Fortunately, I didn't say anything that I couldn't apologize for later, but what if I had? How would I feel if I lost a good friend because I was in a bad mood?

Ultimately, perhaps the best thing for us to do is to think of the consequences of what we say before we say it. If we examine what we're saying and how it might be misinterpreted, perhaps there wouldn't be so many misunderstandings and hurt feelings.

Should you be on the receiving end of such treatment from someone you know, talk to them. Sometimes all it takes is a simple "What's wrong?" to shatter the cycle into a million pieces before it can start. Sometimes, all that person wants is to know that somebody cares.

In the end, the big question is how to go about it, and that's you homework this week. Think about how you communicate and the misunderstandings you've had with people. Then consider how you could have avoided that problem. Then take your final by telling us about it on the forums!