IRClass

I thought the online class was truly fascinating. It was interesting how differently people acted during class when they were no longer face to face with their peers. People spoke up more, fought more, and were less likely to notice the professor.
I didn’t realize how much we would change once we were online, but it does portray the difference in people’s personalities and the freedom the internet allows.

I, myself, felt that I spoke up more in class. It is rare for me to speak while actually in a room with people than online because I feel like less attention is focused on me. I am not as nervous because those I am talking to seem far away and anonymous even if I know them.

So, I do see the advantages on online classes and communication.

Although one downfall I do see is that there is almost no way to see inflection in text. Unless someone is very obviously sarcastic, it is hard to tell when someone is being serious, which can cause misunderstanding and hurt feelings.

This I feel will always be the downside to text. Many sayings can be used positively and negatively, seriously and mockingly, depending on the tone used. In writing you can’t hear tone, there is no indication unless the author puts one, and most don’t realize it is necessary because they are use to speech.

What do you guys think, what do you think the biggest downfall of internet communication is?