Socializing in the real world sometimes demands more confrontation. "In a real social interaction, if someone says something that doesn’t resonate with you or that challenges something you have been thinking about, then you can’t just skip it. Just going blank in a social situation doesn’t work; you need to actually find some way to respond," Alex adds.
There’s also the element of timing in in-person social interactions. "People respond with different facial expressions, tone of voice, body posture, etc. It also doesn’t stop when you’re not the one talking," Alex observes.
"Conversation involves a lot of back-channeling while the other person is talking, which can really set the tone of the interaction." He gives some examples: doing things like saying "uh-huh" when someone is explaining, or nodding in agreement to a statement.
In-person communication is harder because you have to get the timing and tone right. You also have to balance different types of verbal and nonverbal communication.
"Compared to real, in-person interaction, the kind of text-only interface of Reddit is really flat and simplified," Danvers tells us. "Just talking to someone in meatspace is a demanding task. I’d think of online socializing as sort of the 'lite' version," he concludes.
What Alex says next really sticks with me as a chronically online person: "That may be nice to do when you’re feeling tired or burnt out, but it’s also not going to give you the full experience of connecting with another person. To have really satisfying connections, you do need to put in the effort of navigating the more complicated world of in-person interactions."
