Worth a Reminder From Time to Time

[georged]

All anyone can do on a forum like this is TYPE WORDS.

Fact is, things like posture, facial expression, eye contact, vocal intensity and so forth contain MORE information than the semantic content of the words themselves.

Just stressing a single word in a short, declarative sentence demonstrates the point.






Multiply by lots of words, a complex subject, and receivers/readers whose interpretation is affected by their mood.

Both cool/interesting and a bit scary, eh?

Anyway, keep it in mind before responding to posts that cause you to do a Clint Eastwood glare stare. Be sure what you think you "heard" is what the poster actually meant.

 

[bullet08]

That seems to take all the fun out of funeral.

 

[brian64]

That seems to take all the fun out of funeral.

 

[brian64]

All anyone can do on a forum like this is TYPE WORDS.

Fact is, things like posture, facial expression, eye contact, vocal intensity and so forth contain MORE information than the semantic content of the words themselves.

Just stressing a single word in a short, declarative sentence demonstrates the point.


View attachment 253550



Multiply by lots of words, a complex subject, and receivers/readers whose interpretation is affected by their mood.

Both cool/interesting and a bit scary, eh?

Anyway, keep it in mind before responding to posts that cause you to do a Clint Eastwood glare stare. Be sure what you think you "heard" is what the poster actually meant.



View attachment 253551

This is also a great illustration of why it's important to stress only one word if possible.

The sentence has an 8th meaning when everything is stressed:

I DIDN'T SAY SHE STOLE MY MONEY!!! - I'm just pissed off

 

[mortonbriar]

So... prenuptial agreements?

 

[Gimlet]

Human beings didn't evolve to communicate through keyboards. Massive potential for misconstruction and confusion and offence taken where none was intended. We're supposed to interact face to face - it's why we've got faces.

 

[ssjones]

Conveying the intended emotion thru the written word, pretty darn hard to do. This rarely happens on an internet forum. I used to be on a forum for chopped motorcycles. Those forum threads were pretty interesting. Pipe enthusiasts tend to be more educated, but sometimes that works against a member (too clever for their own good).

 

[didimauw]

More people should use emojis, it really gets the point across!

 

[ashdigger]

 

[Gimlet]

Conveying the intended emotion thru the written word, pretty darn hard to do. This rarely happens on an internet forum. I used to be on a forum for chopped motorcycles. Those forum threads were pretty interesting. Pipe enthusiasts tend to be more educated, but sometimes that works against a member (too clever for their own good).

Funny you should say that. I'm on a mostly USA-membership Harley forum and it can be a very prickly place. Seems to be full of people who could start a fight in a phone booth. This is a far more civilised place. Probably the most civilised forum I've ever been on in fact.

 

[Gimlet]

More people should use emojis, it really gets the point across!

Yes, they do go some way to fill in for the tone of voice and facial expression which are lost in keyboard communication.

 

[anotherbob]

also if someone has that stare make sure it's not just too bright for them. There was a lady in my town that was actually really friendly but walked around with that glare when it was sunny. Also that's where Clint got that stare from.
Great post though always worth remembering. And tone and body language can't be seen online. Funny how you can criticize most people in real life and if you tone isn't too Karen they will take it constructively and online they'll threaten to invent time travel so they can kick your dad in the money maker so they never have to converse with you in the present.

 

[jpberg]

Really? We can’t communicate in English?
“Oh, if I’d only put a smiley emoji in.”
Bullshit.

 

[brian64]

Really? We can’t communicate in English?
“Oh, if I’d only put a smiley emoji in.”
Bullshit.

I can't tell if you're joking, serious or squinting when you say that.

 

[jpberg]

I can't tell if you're joking, serious or squinting when you say that.

I was seriously squinting through my monacle.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I've just started reading John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) and this thread reminded me of the start of volume 2 and the subject of language.

"God having designed Man for a sociable Creature, made him not only with an Inclination, and under a Necessity to have Fellowship with those of his own Kind; but furnished him also with Language which was to be the great Instrument, and common Tye of Society. Man therefore had by Nature his Organs so fashioned, as to be fit to frame articulate Sounds, which we call words".

I wonder what Mr. Locke would make of this modern method of communicating via symbols. Likely as not he would view it as a retrograde step and to some degree I would agree with him.

Though I often use emojis myself on this Forum, I consider it lazy to use them as a tool for communicating.

Jay.

 

[greeneyes]

Whether consciously or not, it takes "translation" from meaning, in the sense that it normally conveyed interpersonally, to one that can be conveyed using a combination of characters and "emojis" that are available for use. A part of preparing this "translation" is ensuring the reduction of any ambiguity from a statement to ensure that it can not (or likely won't) be misinterpreted by its intended recipients. There are also nuanced thresholds and protocols for determining what qualifies as a "tone" (i.e., statements conveyed with an angry tone, or a sarcastic or derrogatory tone) that are distinct from those used in interpersonal communication. Much of what gets bantered back and forth ends up being "in-group reassurances" of the type that express the sentiment that "Rest assured I'm on your side and I agree with your position." From there the distinct viewpoints segregate into their respective corners and the volleys of misunderstandings can spiral into argument until a moderator shuts the thread down.

 

[RookieGuy80]

My sense of humor had always been exceedingly dry and deadpan. Even as a child I delivered everything with a straight face. Picture Leslie Nielsen delivery with 1/3 the vharisma or talent. Lots of trips to the councilor, lots of notes home, lots of misunderstandings. I had to learn to smile when joking. I try to remember to do the same here. A smiley emoji or haha/lol at the end. The wonderful thing for me is that, except for a select few, through written word everyone is in the same boat.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Really? We can’t communicate in English?
“Oh, if I’d only put a smiley emoji in.”
Bullshit.

There have been times when I thought it might be amusing to publish a classic novel with emojis inserted in the text throughout the book to tell the reader when to laugh, feel sad, etc.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Misunderstandings are the basis of most humor. It's too bad some people turn to anger before humor.

Two guys out hunting. One of the guys accidentally shoots the other, and in a panic he calls 911. He says, "I need help, we were out hunting, I accidentally shot him, and now my best friend is dead."

The 911 operator trying to calm the guy down, says, "First, make sure he is dead."
The operator hears a gunshot over the phone. The hunter returns to the call and says, "Ok, I'm sure he is dead... now what?"