First of all, my identity is not a secret; my voice is, but I don't mind sharing it. Texting can lead to understanding. I don't know what your explanation for this is, but if you think you won't be able to solve a problem over text, that's just funny. Everyone is able to solve a problem over text.
I disagree. You might not have had this experience, but for me, my texting "personality" and my real-life interactions (voice chat, video chat, in-person conversations) convey who I am much better. Maybe you haven't experienced that, but I have had people hate me initially, then warm up to me once they meet me.Let me tell you a story. I recall in middle school, a girl swore up and down that she would hate me forever, even though we had never met.
I had a MySpace account where I posted my feelings and thoughts. I was emo hardcore, and some things I said rubbed her the wrong way. I didn’t have looks or what I have now; in fact, I was probably considered ugly at that point. So, I had nothing to leverage except who I was as a person.One day, she and I actually crossed paths in the hallway. She confronted me straight away, and I was truly expecting the worst possible outcome.
However, as soon as I spoke and explained myself, it was an instant 180 in my situation with her. She claimed I acted much differently in real life than I did online. This situation has happened countless times since then.I don’t know why my texting self and my real-life self, or even just voice chatting, tips the scales in my favor in terms of impressions, but it does.
I’m not the sole example here. There have also been people I didn't "get" and assumed they were a certain way until I spoke to them. I have equally experienced how cognitive dissonance this experience can be.What I'm trying to say is, I do not believe someone can make a productive understanding of someone's intentions or behaviors online through text as often as one would assume.
I sit here and type this, and it feels like a misunderstanding from me, and even me misunderstanding YOU unintentionally.You could argue that it shouldn't matter how we are in real life or even our identities, but you can pick up on more nuances and context with more senses than you can by just looking at a phone and a screen. We are making assumptions about each other's character unintentionally, and our minds betray us
. The entire internet does this often with creators. Heck, even most YouTubers have a fake persona they put on and are much different people than they present.That’s what I feel and believe is going on. I don't feel like a victim, but it is the nature of this forum and the people in it. On here, we can be anyone we wish to be, and with enough effort, it's believable.
However, with more context (real life, voice, knowing someone more, seeing them), it is much harder to manipulate. More data is gathered, and more understanding could potentially be had.