THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET

Free from other constraints, in the privacy of the interaction with the PC or phone, users are becoming more bold. The trend is to impulsively write what they might not say face to face.



According to psychologists, a phenomenon known as online disinhibition effect is associated with the conditions of online communication. In particular it is anonymity, invisibility and fantasy elements which may create a feeling of disconnection from the usual everyday persona. We are seeing this greater confidence in online dating websites, the use of the internet to access information that would be otherwise difficult to obtain such as in porn sites and social networking such as facebook, twitter, myspace etc.



There may be some advantages if used responsibly. For example, a shy person may gain greater confidence online while developing friendships and information. If this leads to improved chance of face to face contact and healthy relationships then this could be a worthwhile thing. Also the speed and range or population allows greater chance of finding like minded individuals.


Families and friends are meeting more frequently through the ease of communication to arrange contact. This is a healthy indicator for the community.

Disadvantages include the possible lack of authenticity. Whereas when we meet face to face , humans are programmed to read the thousands of body language signals of the small muscles of the face, skin, eyes, tone of voice, posture etc which communicate nonverbal messages. Even with the visual assistance of cameras such as in Skype communication, the quality of resolution is insufficient to accurately read complex emotional messages.

Rebecca Matthews researching social networking for the Australian Psychological Society was quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend 22nd January 2011 . She stated that people consistently overestimate their ability to communicate effectively online. People are overconfident to communicate anger, sadness, seriousness, humour or sarcasm accurately. This ofcourse can lead to unsatisfactory responses for the recipient and a flow of adverse misunderstandings. To concisely convey an emotional message requires considerable language talent.

Twitter has a somewhat older average user of about 39 years of age. This method of short tweeting has led to some tragic online misunderstandings in the public arena. Perhaps these users are more overly sensitive than those who those younger users of Facebook and Myspace.
Researchers suggest our social skills are lagging behind our tech. communication ability and that Gen Y may have better online communication than Gen X.



Reminder: THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET........Calm down, think .. then PRESS SEND