Question by huh?!: The Internet as a communication tool – how do YOU use it?
Hi there!
For a project in my Society and Culture class, I’ve chosen to research the topic of “how the internet affects the way people communicate”. For this project I have to do some of my own research, and considering my topic, I thought posing such a question online would be a great chance to get some insightful answers…well, lets hope so anyway 😉
So basically what I’m asking is this – how do YOU communicate differently online to how you would face to face with someone? And do you prefer this method of communication over face to face? If so, why?
I also need to consider how and why internet usage differs between younger and older generations – what different generations use the internet for.
Think about communication through networking sites like Facebook/ Twitter/ MySpace, instant messengers, email, message boards/forums, etc
Answers as soon as possible would be GREATLY appreciated, and of course , I will not publish any personal information about Answerers, as this would be considered “unethical” and would probably lose me a whole bunch of marks!
Thanks!!
Best answer:
Answer by James C
Definately alot less personal on the internet.
I think i prefer online communication cuz then you can think out what you wanna say rather than having to say it right away.
Add your own answer in the comments!
I use a couple of chat rooms a lot and have done for many years.
What you find is that some people will join and they treat it like just another computer game. They will not think of it as real people they are talking to, so they will be rude and abusive. Some of these will eventualy realize what they are doing and change. Others end up disapearing because all of the other users have the ignore buttons, so in a fairly short time the abusive ones are the only ones who can see their posts or comments.
But even without those, people are bolder in a chat room than they are in real life, including myself. You talk freely and easily in a way that you would never do face to face. This does not mean you are cowardly in real life, it is just that you find that you’re mind works quickest and with less inhibitions when you are in a chat room.
We tend to have one main room then as many one-one chat windows as you can manage. Over time you learn to follow the main room and say 1/2 dozen individual rooms. Any of these can be going very quickly, but you learn to think quickly enough to follow them all. Ok, so occasionally you type the wrong thing in the wrong window, but this is rare for me now.
I have met the people I talk to most online, we got together in a bar, took a lot of arranging. But we had never actually seen each other before, other than a few pictures. We had a good time, but it wasn’t like you were talking to the same people.
How ever real you try to be in a chat room, the person you meet in real life is not the same.