The Sad Truth About the Internet

It's a bit of a cliche to say that the Internet has revolutionized life in our time. Business, finance, leisure, and personal relationships are all different because of it. We have acquaintances and social networks all over the globe that would not exist without it.

However, the sad truth about online communication is that it is seriously flawed. A huge portion of human communication comes about visually and audibly; that is, through body language, facial expressions and tone of voice. Communicating via text only strips away all those nuances and leaves us with the bare bones of words. Hence, of course, the rise of the ubiquitous "smileys" as a textual aid to enhance communication of the true meanings behind our words.

The other danger in non-visual or audible communication is that mistaken identity is extremely easy to orchestrate or to have happen by accident. Which is what prompts me to write this post as a warning to others--I've been the victim of a case of mistaken identity, and it has had ramifications on a friendship. Instant messaging or chat can be a fun and friendly way to communicate, but there's no way to guarantee who's actually at the keyboard. Misunderstandings can arise too easily. A message taken the wrong way by an unintended recipient, and BAM! it's like a bomb exploding. A friendship is ruined while you were innocently shopping at the grocery store.

And here's the most dangerous part of all: the ease with which we can sever the lines of Internet communication. In "real life" misunderstandings often get sorted out because personal interactions are inevitable, or friends in common act as go-betweens, or because it's just not as easy to avoid someone who's trying hard to make explanations and set things right. On the Internet, however, blocking someone's messages takes only one angry click, as does deleting that explanatory email without reading it. Humans are, sadly, reactionary and impulsive creatures, and the Internet allows us to act on those reactions and impulses without really thinking them through.