Face to face communication enables

Face to face communication enables us to see other people's faces and hear them speak. We can hear a person's voice or see his body language and facial expressions to be sure what the person means. While in cyberspace communication, you can't see other people's faces or hear them speak. All those subtle voice and body language cues are lost, which makes the nuances of communicating more difficult. It's well known that people say and do things in cyberspace that they ordinarily wouldn't in the face-to-face world. They loosen up, feel more uninhibited, express themselves more openly. It's a double-edged sword. Sometimes people share very personal things about themselves. They reveal secret emotions, fears, wishes, show unusual acts of kindness and generosity, and as a result intimacy develops. On the other hand, the disinhibition effect may not be so benign. Out spills rude language, harsh criticisms, anger, hatred, even threats. People act out in all ways imaginable. On the positive side, disinhibition indicates an attempt to understand and explore oneself, to work through problems and find better ways of relating to others. Online communication has the benefit of responding at your own pace and time. It does not require you to respond on-the-spot to what the other has said. You have time to think, evaluate, compose your reply. Geographical distance poses as no barrier to accessing the online other. Given all these pros and cons, I still think online communication is better than face to face communication.