KnightofMists
Posts: 7149
Joined: 7/29/2005 Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: cloudboy The point of a message board is to drop one's persona, and so I think you learn more about a stranger from a message board than from a social encounter. This says something, because a MB is 100% verbal communication whereas face to face communication is probably only 60% verbal, if that. I am not sure if that is the point of the message board... but, I do think that those who are not so worried or focused on presenting a specific persona are able to do so on the MB in much easier manner than in a F2F situation. On the MB, we can take time to present ourself, write a thought out and consider it, step back and then reword and send it out to the word. Now, if one does this each and every time they post on the board, is that really an accurate persona? In F2F we only have the moment to send out our message, we have but a few seconds to consider what we are going to say before we say it. Even as we consider what we say, our body language presents all sorts of language to the observer. Also, in a F2F there are many situations that just can't be duplicated in the MB. I think ExistentialSteel has made a very good point when he expressed, quote:
Message boards and online in general give me a pretty good idea of someone. The longer you post or chat, the better. If someone is argumentative or has a sense of humor, it tends to come out over time. Intelligence level, consistency and values all surface in words. I think what makes things difficult is appreciating the motivation of a person. One a MB a malice motivation is much easier to hid and we see such occurances on a regular basis. It is also easier to hid one's weakest points and constantly present the stronger ones. But, even in person, understanding a person's motivation is a tricky business! The key words as ExS has stated " The Longer you " and I add... "interact with a person in whatever context, you begin to learned about the person."
_____________________________
Knight of Mists An Optimal relationship is achieved when the individuals do what is best for themselves and their relationship.
|