Absence of Eye Contact in the World of Internet Social Networks

It is largely believed that lack of eye contact in the world of internet social networks as well as other communications may negatively impact on the capacity of a large number of people to feel compassion for others. Even though it has been revealed that most of those who are shy tend to communicate a lot through various social channels since they are shielded from social anxiety, this adds to the already deteriorating status of one on one interaction and compassion for others. Communicating over the internet is presumed to be a killer of eye contact, one of the main aspects of effective social interaction.

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The theory of social network has it that communication as well as the behavior expressed by the people is impacted either positively or negatively by the patterns of ties expressed in communication (Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012).

Eye contact has been shown to create a strong bond between the parties involved in communication or other forms of interaction. It has been revealed that face to face communication enables people to develop an intrinsic feeling that helps them identify and associate with the feelings of the other person. The social network perspective, on the other hand, makes it clear that face to face communication which allows for the establishment of eye contact creates a solid ground that results in the creation of strong intimate relationships full of compassion (Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012).

Research has revealed that even though the internet can act a strong link between people living in different geographical locations, it does not have the capacity to lead to the creation of compassionate feelings (Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012). People may communicate over the internet even though they may have never met in the past. It has also been revealed that chances of an individual feeling compassion for a stranger are minimal. In addition, the psychological aspects that serve to conceal or reveal internal feelings as well as undisclosed needs of an individual are significantly lowered in cyber based communications. The emotion disinhibition effect associated with online communication results in expression of an aggressive behavior that would not have otherwise been manifested if communication was being conduced face to face (Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012). Online interaction makes people to develop an extremely courageous feeling based on the fact that they cannot be seen by the person on the other end. As a result, individuals may act out behaviors aimed at demeaning the other person. On the other hand, it is usually hard to tell whether the other person on the other end is telling the truth if communication is being held over the internet. As a result, some people may end up underestimating information passed by the other person.

Lapidot-Lefler and Barak (2012) make it clear that despite the fact that some sociologists believe online interaction is one of the best modalities through which information can reach a large group of people within a short time, research has revealed that online interaction may result in creation of flaming behavior, which is characterized by use of aggressive expressions to the other parties. The main reason why internet communication is believed to impact on people’s capacity to care about others is because it is typified by the use of textual elements including derogatory remarks, negative comments, threats, hostile language and sexually unsuitable remarks in addition to swearing among others (Lapidot-Lefler & Barak, 2012). It can therefore be concluded that lack of eye contact in the world of internet social networks may have negative implications on the capacity of people to feel compassion for others.

Reference

Lapidot-Lefler, N., & Barak, A. (2012). Effects of anonymity, invisibility, and lack of eyecontact on toxic online disinhibition. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 434-443.