Are online conversations as 'good for us' as face to face?

Serenity4321

Serenity4321

Senior Member
Location
Florida
I have heard that our social skills become less effective if we do not meet people face to face.:unsure: I don't think I agree. I do both but for sure there are more phone or internet conversations. For sure, some communication is better than isolation and I do find meeting people even just in stores is quite energizing for me. But..so is online or phone conversations.
Not sure I am explaining myself clearly, but if you understand what I am asking ...what do you think? :D
 

I think it has helped a lot of people. For all the bad that can be on the internet, there is good. Some people can't get out much. And people with chronic conditions can find forums and groups that help them. I've learned a lot from one of the childhood abuse forums on Reddit. It's extremely well moderated. Also videos on YouTube from licensed professionals that get it.

I even read a number of years ago that Michael J Fox went to Parkinsons disease forums under an anonymous user name. Probably still does and I've heard Michelle Obama is on Ravelry, a knitting and crochet site. They have forums which are kind of lame but the pattern and project resource is really good there. Tons for free.
 
You do get the opportunity on sites like this, to discuss subjects you perhaps would not otherwise get a chance to. However, one of the big problems with using just text is not hearing voice inflections. I used to use the Yahoo and MSN chat rooms and you had the option of using a microphone, which put a different aspect on things. I no longer use chat rooms so I don't know if you can still do that. One thing which adds interest is hearing the different accents.
 
Serenity4321 said:
I have heard that our social skills become less effective if we do not meet people face to face.:unsure: I don't think I agree. I do both but for sure there are more phone or internet conversations. For sure, some communication is better than isolation and I do find meeting people even just in stores is quite energizing for me. But..so is online or phone conversations.
Not sure I am explaining myself clearly, but if you understand what I am asking ...what do you think? :D
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i understand what you're saying. the only offline conversations i have are with co-workers. so basically all my little internet friends are the only companionship i have. which i'm totally fine with. i'm an introvert so i'd rather not have face to face anything if i can help it. :ROFLMAO:
 
Lavinia said:
You do get the opportunity on sites like this, to discuss subjects you perhaps would not otherwise get a chance to. However, one of the big problems with using just text is not hearing voice inflections. I used to use the Yahoo and MSN chat rooms and you had the option of using a microphone, which put a different aspect on things. I no longer use chat rooms so I don't know if you can still do that. One thing which adds interest is hearing the different accents.
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most chat rooms like that now are for dating purposes and other nasty things. it's difficult to post things in a normal manner and not have it come across as being hateful when there was no hateful intent. all we have to express that is these... :):D:LOL::giggle:
 
Nathan said:
I think that F2F conversations are important, and more rewarding. The social contact is a human necessity.
I am happy to see the many seniors returning to the fitness center(post lockdown), it's so important to not only get the exercise but to socialize.
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But is the human necessity for social contact healthier F2F than say over the phone or online..
lol I do not mean to harp on this but it is a question I've wondered about...
 
Remy said:
I think it has helped a lot of people. For all the bad that can be on the internet, there is good. Some people can't get out much. And people with chronic conditions can find forums and groups that help them. I've learned a lot from one of the childhood abuse forums on Reddit. It's extremely well moderated. Also videos on YouTube from licensed professionals that get it.

I even read a number of years ago that Michael J Fox went to Parkinsons disease forums under an anonymous user name. Probably still does and I've heard Michelle Obama is on Ravelry, a knitting and crochet site. They have forums which are kind of lame but the pattern and project resource is really good there. Tons for free.
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I agree online groups can be very helpful, especially when facing trauma. It is always better to be able to speak with people who have had or are going through the same experiences. They can relate much better...
 
Lavinia said:
You do get the opportunity on sites like this, to discuss subjects you perhaps would not otherwise get a chance to. However, one of the big problems with using just text is not hearing voice inflections. I used to use the Yahoo and MSN chat rooms and you had the option of using a microphone, which put a different aspect on things. I no longer use chat rooms so I don't know if you can still do that. One thing which adds interest is hearing the different accents.
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So true..voice and facial expressions tell us a lot...plus it is easier to express ourselves in a timely manner in person than tying everything out..I always avoided chat rooms so I have no experience there. Very interesting and I did not know they had microphones!
 
MarciKS said:
i understand what you're saying. the only offline conversations i have are with co-workers. so basically all my little internet friends are the only companionship i have. which i'm totally fine with. i'm an introvert so i'd rather not have face to face anything if i can help it. :ROFLMAO:
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LOL I have a good friend who says being with people exhausts her and she needs recovery time after a while...
 
Serenity4321 said:
LOL I have a good friend who says being with people exhausts her and she needs recovery time after a while...
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I find this too.. I need an injection of ''people''.. to re-energise me, but I also need to take a little break from them also because it mentally exhausts me.. so if I spend a day or 2 with people, I have to have a couple of days by myself. Currently I have no choice I'm on my own.. but generally speaking that's how I am..

Today I was feeling a little like billy no mates.. getting myself sad about no-one being in touch by phone for about a week... and then I had a call from my friend.. and straight afterwards my dd called and was on the line for about 45 minutes, much longer than usual... so it's bucked me up a LOT!!
 
I think a great deal depends on the individual. I particularly like the broad range of people i can communicate with online. But of course i prefer F2F with family.

I have never needed as much social interaction as others, and have always been uncomfortable in crowded situations. The brief public exchanges with acquaintances and clerks when running errands is enough for me.
Patricia said:
I prefer in person or telephone. Electronic okay for quick superficial.
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See, i feel cyberspace, particularly on forums like this, lends itself to and can encourage more 'in depth' discussions than F2F because--

There can be back and forth exchanges over several days. Because it is all written. If a complex subject, you can mull it over for awhile. Which if it produced emotionally charged feelings can help you consider the more objectively, rationally.

In purely verbal talks, unless recorded, it is easier for people to deny saying something inflammatory, insulting and/or inappropriate.

In person some misunderstandings more likely to end the conversation, and lead to avoiding that topic with that person. While that can happen online too, i for one take !ore time coming to that conclusion online than in person. But online there's more opportunity for clarifying an opinion someone has a visceral response to. Often the difficulties lay more in different uses of language than in reality.

Many words have both denotations (original, official definition) and connotations (emotional feelings aroused by, associated with it). Even if we agree on denotation of word our response to its connotations may be different, and not everyone is going respond the same to those connotations.

This is part of why with my few 3D world best friends now deceased in depth F2F or on phone conversations happen only with my kids, and grandson.
 
Another thing about online communication is that you can get broader perspective on an individual since on forums months, if not years of posts and comments are there, allowing one to look for consistency in how they/we portray ourselves and how they/we interact with people. In person it might take you months or years to learn about somebody what you can glean in few days observing and having cyber-interactions with them.

The cyber friends i've had for 10-15 years are those who have displayed consistently humane basic values and have displayed those in their interactions. Its what i looked for in 3D world friends, too.
 
MarciKS said:
i understand what you're saying. the only offline conversations i have are with co-workers. so basically all my little internet friends are the only companionship i have. which i'm totally fine with. i'm an introvert so i'd rather not have face to face anything if i can help it. :ROFLMAO:
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I am an introvert too. I had been through a series of traumas when I retired and moved here. If I had to deal with more people at that point telling me what I "should" do I would have completely lost my mind. :ROFLMAO:
 
Both are important to me. There are things I can say on here that I would not feel comfortable saying to a friend or neighbor. I can be quite opinionated on certain subjects.

On the other hand for a good heart to heart and a pat on the back or a shoulder to cry on needs a person that you really know and a fresh brewed coffee or a glass of wine.
 
I think Zoom and Google Meet are fabulous ways to communicate, one on one or many on one. Especially for seniors like me who are isolated or feeling alone! Although I still have a DL, I don't drive anymore due to AMD. When my DL expires in a few months, I wont be able to renew it. Not that I care. I'm 'virtual' now (especially since COVID 19 started) and that is totally OK! Luckily I am also an electrical engineer and an ex-TV industry person so I can use my knowledge about lighting, sound, computers, stagecraft and so forth to set up and run my 'virtual' world. Since I have prostate cancer going, my fantastic UCLA Health team has lately assigned me a psycho-therapist who I communicate with via ZOOM. Although virtual hugs aren't quite as good as the real thing, they are and can be damn close!
 
Lee said:
Both are important to me. There are things I can say on here that I would not feel comfortable saying to a friend or neighbor. I can be quite opinionated on certain subjects.

On the other hand for a good heart to heart and a pat on the back or a shoulder to cry on needs a person that you really know and a fresh brewed coffee or a glass of wine.
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I agree that a good heart to heart and a pat on the back and fresh coffee help the most. I wouldn't say anything online that I wouldn't say to a friend or neighbor. It seems to me that communication misunderstanding can be more frequent online. People you know well can often read between the lines correctly but attempts by people you don't know can prove mind blowing.
 

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