LIVING LEARNING IN A TECH WORLD
Post a paragraph (about 200–300 words in length) responding to the following questions:
Do you behave and communicate differently online than you do face-to-face? How so? Give specific examples.
What does it mean to be “fully human”? Considering your definition, do you think we can be “fully human” while interacting with others in a virtual space like this classroom? Why or why not?
Select one of the pieces. How does the author speak to the concept of being human?
Read two or more of your classmate’s postings. Respond to two or more of your classmate’s postings with suggestions for how to be present in an online environment like this one or how you would change what you wrote after reading your classmates’ posts.
Sample Solution
People tend to behave and communicate differently online than they do face-to-face. Online communication is much more detached with less nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expression to interpret someone’s meaning or intent. Also, there are often fewer social situations and norms that govern behavior in an online environment, which can lead to a lack of consequences for inappropriate behavior (Coull & Levy, 2017).
For example, many people feel safer being more assertive when communicating online than they do in person. For instance, if someone disagrees with them in a text message, they may be more likely to respond strongly and defensively rather than calmly discussing the issue like they would in person (Burgess et al., 2017). Additionally, people may be more willing to share their private thoughts online because it feels safer when separated by a screen (Coull & Levy, 2017). People might also feel emboldened enough to challenge authority figures or make jokes that they wouldn’t dare getting away with face-to-face.
In turn, some people might come across as overly polite and restrained on social media compared to how they act in real life – especially when engaging with strangers or potential employers (Armstrong & Hagel III , 2015). Some may try hard not come off too strong or aggressive out of fear of offending others or damaging their reputation. They could even avoid expressing an opinion altogether if it’s controversial since it can quickly become part of their public record once posted.
Overall, it is clear that our behavior contributes significantly to how we communicate both face-to-face and online; however this does not mean either form of communication should be disregarded as inherently better or worse than the other (Shea et al., 2018). Understanding these differences can help us navigate through different forms of communication while still maintaining respectful discourse between all parties involved.
