Sorry to be slow responding, was away for a few days.
With 6 replies, it looks like you started something interesting! I'll go read the rest of the thoughts before adding mine. Will just say here that I think you've hit a lot of interesting bases. You did speak of the lack of interaction which we have in conversations, but didn't speak to the anonymity aspect, that while it appears to be a conversation (or series of interlinked conversations), in conversation, in addition to the facial and other non-verbal clues, you are interacting with an actual person, while on the internet, as it is said, "nobody knows you're a dog." Except for those few cases where posters have actually met physically, any sense that you are talking to a real person is entirely in the interpretation of the poster to what is being read.
The other point I think you omitted is that when people write for anonymous audiences, such as letters to the editor, essays to be published, books, etc., generally some care is taken to work over the language, and there is some time interval between the writing and the submittal when one can review and reconsider, whereas much (most?) internet postings are immediate, off the cuff, and submitted without much opportunity for reflection or for reconsideration of how this will appear to or affect the reader. There can be violent face-to-face arguments with people, but it's virtually impossible to have a flame war in writing outside of the rapidity and immediacy of the internet. |
