Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Flame First, Think Later: New Clues to E-Mail Misbehavior - New York Times

Flame First, Think Later: New Clues to E-Mail Misbehavior - New York Times: "One proposed solution to flaming is replacing typed messages with video. The assumption is that getting a message along with its emotional nuances might help us dampen the impulse to flame."

A thought-provoking article on flaming in online conversations... and the inference that it will be sorted out by video got me wondering. Would this inhibit the freedom felt by those who 'hide' behind their text in order to say what they really felt at that instant? Would we be seeing a more real version of the person with video, or just a more socially constrained one?

I also wondered where things like avatars - Second Life etc - fit in. I know that I always feel slightly self-conscious where Second Life is concerned and haven't been able to use it productively. I've had to choose a fake name. Had to choose a fake body. I feel fake. Why does a text-based medium help me feel real but a visual + text one leave me feeling soulless? Why do some people choose to flame and others to just get on with communicating?


What's real and what's not?

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