Have you ever sent a text you really regret sending? Or had the confidence to type something online completely out of character?
Have you ever sent a text you really regret sending? Or had the confidence to type something online completely out of character? The answer is ‘yes!’ at some point in our lives we all have. It’s easy to type what we like when you’re sat comfortably at home behind a laptop. We seem to grow balls of steel and pluck up the courage to say what’s exactly on our mind. In some cases, the thought process is lost, and we get caught up with how quick the media is; we type and click ‘send’. It’s as effortless as that, and it could end in a hell of a lot of embarrassment, awkwardness or even conflict, and once it’s sent, sadly there is no ‘reverse’ button. If you’re kicking yourself by this point, for confessing your love or perhaps hate for someone, then the only excuse you’ll have is ‘That wasn’t me, my friend wrote it!’ or ‘I was only joking, can’t you take a joke?’… But how often will that be believable? Unless you are extremely precautious it’s not very often we proof read what we write.
I’m not implying that online communication is always a negative thing, because I know it’s a lot easier to say what you truly want to when you’re not face to face with someone, and often, it resolves a lot of over thinking and worries. However, a lot of the time, issues are caused from misunderstandings. It’s a lot easier to take peoples comments out of context online, because you don’t have the virtual expressions and tone. There are only minimal changes you can make to differentiate emphasis and expression, and that’s CAPITAL LETTERS, but even that can be misunderstood for anger or enthusiasm.
When you are face to face with someone, you’re more likely to watch what you say, because we no longer have the security of being miles apart, and let’s face it you can’t run away, no matter how much you may want to hide. You don’t have the simplicity of switching off your phone or shutting down your laptop to just ignore them. This has to be the worst feeling ever, when you nervously sit awaiting a reply… and you get nothing. Questions running through your mind- ‘Did I say something wrong?’ ‘Oh dear I shouldn’t of said that’, the silent treatment has to be the worst treatment, and the doctor can’t prescribe medication to cure it! You lose the eye contact when you text someone or talk on social networking site, which is why when you talk to someone in person, it is far more real and intense. If you ask a question or tell them something, you’re bound to get a reply, even if they don’t directly respond, at least you don’t feel like humpty dumpty.
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘think, before you speak’ either at school or by our parents, but somehow we still blurt out whatever foolish nonsense springs into our mind. But, more importantly, we need to think twice before we print!
