We talked about communication in SL!

Last Thursday, LnL hosted its weekly discussion moderated by London Junkers. This time communication in Second Life (SL) was the center of all attention! One would expect people to be more careful about the way they communicate in SL (considering that there is no face-to-face interaction), yet problems like the lack of facial/body language information, typos, the sheer typing speed, many “distractions” such as group notices, multiple IMs, the lack of politeness, and many social dysfunctions do put an enormous stress on communication. Some discussers agreed that residents often do not strive to improve the lines of communication simply because they do not think of possible consequences. Taking into consideration that there seems to be a certain need to exert power over others, “communication” is often used to do exactly that; people engage in alternate monologues rather than in true, meaningful dialogues. Discussers agreed that listening, an often forgotten skill, is as important as speaking or writing. One thing never forgotten though is drama, which derives from lack of knowledge and respect, in the opinion of many. As the discussion drew to an end, it was time to talk about possible solutions like using the typing animation and emoting or using gestures, using voice, being sincere, showing empathy and trying to see the others’ point of view. London concluded the discussion by pointing out how important it is to give a bit of thought to the way we say things in order to create a positive communication in both SL and in Real Life! Join us next Thursday at LnL's Discussion Lounge for a new topic and back to our regular 2pm SLT time!