As a reformed impulsive emailer, I feel I have the authority and duty to spread the word about the dangers of typing things you wouldn't say to anyone's face. My latest rule for myself, and for everyone, is Don't type anything you wouldn't say to your boss. This comes after numerous comment battles and one particularly negative email I received from a student, perpetuating that adversarial dynamic that bugs me so much in academia.
There are advantages to email. It's quicker, cheaper, and saves paper. It's standard practice to email professors, and I especially enjoy the advantage of tracking conversations with students in my inbox. It allows us to keep up with friends and family who are far away. However, the ease of typing and the "anonymity" of communicating electronically can be misleading. We don't have the same immediate consequence of someone's verbal (or bodily) reaction. Though I cannot say it is impossible, I should think it is far less likely for a student to yell and curse at me to my face. In either case, I try to keep emotion out of my dealings with students, much as I expect managers to do with their employees. Perhaps my professional tone lacks the "pat on the shoulder" that some seem to expect. And, far more likely, whatever issues the student is facing led to a lack of judgment. That feeling of anonymity, that delayed reaction, can be a relief in awkward situations, but it also tempts us to be bolder to the extent of rudeness and just plain nastiness. The result: I don't really want to communicate further with that individual.
We also apparently lack the ability to spell-check and proof-read before hitting "send." And don't even get me started on text abbreviations. You'd think, sitting at a keyboard or tapping away at a phone, we'd all benefit from correct grammar and spelling. Much more so than when the pen is in hand, and our writing is not so pretty. Not so, in our culture. Is it just laziness? "Hey" and "u" are just as jarring as any poorly scribbled note. The result: I'm sorry, I'm just not impressed.
Does the internet facilitate communication or a breakdown in communication? That is what is at stake, here.
If you read my facebook posts, you'd think I walk around talking about politics and cats. Well, that's not far from the truth. However, when I compartmentalize my political self on the web, I feel braver, more capable of making a point. I can post articles that really make me think. I can provide support for my views. But add to that the dangers of electronic communication, and it calls into question my responsibility as a poster. Am I responsible for the reactions, positive or negative, to things I type? Am I responsible for friends who insult one another while commenting on my posts?
