I love that I can be myself, to a point, but not need to worry that too much is getting through. It's so much easier for me to be engaged with other people through online communities as I have a way of putting a filter (the computer screen) between them and myself. I don't always want the world to know everything about me; and it cuts down on the emotional drain I get, being an introvert. I can also take the time to formulate a response to actually sound/read as what I am trying to say, and not end up missing my whole point because I jump sentences or skipped some words like when I'm excited.
I have several friends who are on the autism spectrum who really like the internet because there are no subtle cues to be looking for, making them feel a lot less awkward at times.
It's the combination of hearing and sharing opinions. I love having in-depth discussions with people online where we're able to really wrestle with ideas.
I'd love that too, but feel like I don't get enough of them. I find that when people disagree on ideas, things can escalate quickly online, perhaps because of the lack of tone of voice and body language. But perhaps I'm also in the wrong forums for deep discussions. Imzy is proving to be better in this regard. Which other forums are you having good discussions in?
Facebook, oddly. I've spent the last few years cultivating my Facebook for intellectually rigorous discussions. Everyone knows what my page is for, and they know I'm going to ask for citations, haha. The biggest thing is that I know most of the people who are likely to chime in, which means I have context for the conversation. I know who supports abortion and who's struggling with infertility and who just left their religion... it makes it easier to have discussions without accidentally pressing people's emotional buttons.
I love that I can be myself, to a point, but not need to worry that too much is getting through. It's so much easier for me to be engaged with other people through online communities as I have a way of putting a filter (the computer screen) between them and myself. I don't always want the world to know everything about me; and it cuts down on the emotional drain I get, being an introvert. I can also take the time to formulate a response to actually sound/read as what I am trying to say, and not end up missing my whole point because I jump sentences or skipped some words like when I'm excited. I have several friends who are on the autism spectrum who really like the internet because there are no subtle cues to be looking for, making them feel a lot less awkward at times.
It's the combination of hearing and sharing opinions. I love having in-depth discussions with people online where we're able to really wrestle with ideas.
I'd love that too, but feel like I don't get enough of them. I find that when people disagree on ideas, things can escalate quickly online, perhaps because of the lack of tone of voice and body language. But perhaps I'm also in the wrong forums for deep discussions. Imzy is proving to be better in this regard. Which other forums are you having good discussions in?
Facebook, oddly. I've spent the last few years cultivating my Facebook for intellectually rigorous discussions. Everyone knows what my page is for, and they know I'm going to ask for citations, haha. The biggest thing is that I know most of the people who are likely to chime in, which means I have context for the conversation. I know who supports abortion and who's struggling with infertility and who just left their religion... it makes it easier to have discussions without accidentally pressing people's emotional buttons.