I know what you're saying. In many ways, though, I think
that the anonymity of faceless communication brings out
a much more natural form of communication. If people
are upset about something they let you know - there's
much less tongue-biting. Of course, that's just as bad
as it is good.
bbn
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Often I have wondered what KIND of *global community* the internet is
breeding. Communication without the benefit of facial expression,
gesture or even vocal inflection can so easily be misinterpreted that it
gives the task of hermeneutics a whole new twist. At least most texts
have a built in *meta text* wherein the context is somewhat developed;
threads on the email junket, however, can be snipped at any point and
always depend on previous dialogue - which, in turn, also is without all
of the amenities of the presence of the other. You can see it in the
development of "keyboard faces" and the like - a strain to interject
that which is missing. Add to that the often unnerving cloak of
anonymity (people can project whatever image/identity they want) and the
sort of paradoxical isolated immediacy of the net and it makes you
wonder what will come of all of this. I speak more often to those whose
faces I cannot see than to my next door neighbors some days. Weird.
jeff -- dancing/about/architechture "...with wandering steps and
slow..." ICQ904008
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