In the era of social networks, the way we communicate is undergoing drastic changes! !

Text/An Anranran

I sent a text message to my colleague yesterday and asked him to do something for me. She replied saying yes without any expression.

I am very confused, what does he mean by saying yes? Are you happy? Unwilling? initiative? passive? I actually speculated for a long time, and it affected my mood.

I suddenly discovered that in the era of social networks, our communication methods have undergone drastic changes, and we must adjust in time, otherwise it will affect the efficiency of our communication.

If I ask you, what is the most commonly used language in the world now? The answer is not English.

You may not know "emoji", but you will definitely not be unfamiliar with the little yellow faces with complex expressions below. Nowadays, in various social networks, using various emoticons to replace language or even emotional expression has become the first choice of many netizens. Some people even feel that the absence of emoticons will make the atmosphere awkward and even make it difficult to express their thoughts.

Since the 2003 version of QQ brought a set of emoji yellow round faces into our lives, it has almost become another "same language" in the Internet world. More and more netizens have become accustomed to using emoticons instead of words as their first choice to express their feelings.

In order to meet the iterative development of social methods and the need for expressive expressions, more and more customized emoticons have emerged. Tuzki, Youxihou, Rampage Comics...a large number of comic IPs continue to enrich the way of interpersonal communication with concrete visual experiences. But we also discovered, can these expressions really express what we really want to express?

Our threshold for expressiveness is rising.

For example, when chatting with emoticons, smiling feels like being unhappy. We must laugh and show a row of teeth before we think we are happy. And we always use a few emoticons and a few words to speculate on other people's thoughts and emotions, which also affects our own thoughts and emotions. This is the biggest characteristic of the era we live in.

What I want to express is simplified into a few lines of words and a few expressions. But the tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, etc. are reduced. Changes in expression forms call for us to invent a technology for efficient communication on social networks as soon as possible. I believe that in the near future, there will be a large number of such research, analysis, and related guidance books.

If you are interested, you can try it yourself.

I couldn’t help but refresh my circle of friends every five minutes. I felt a little disappointed when I saw no new comments. I felt a little sad when I didn’t get any likes. I even felt sad because I gradually understood how to get people’s attention. Deliberately take some photos or write a text. The circle of friends is pulling us into the web woven by loss, from sharing and showing off to being depressed.

Like behavior is an important psychological issue. And we have to understand.

Basic psychology points out that humans crave positive affirmation through praise or rewards. The problem is that positive affirmations can also create a vicious cycle. The more people like something and comment on it, the more feedback they crave.

In the era of social networks, likes have created a new psychological barrier for us.

Studies have shown that teenagers who stay too long on social networks are more likely to suffer from depression, and girls are at a higher risk of depression than boys.

Studies have shown that narcissists and people with low self-esteem are more likely to spend more than an hour a day on Facebook, and they are also more likely to select photos that "promote themselves" (such as using photo editing software beautified pictures) upload. Narcissists are also more likely to "show off" themselves through status updates. Some people show off their wealth, some show off their beauty, and some show off their affection.

In social networks, interpersonal pressure is reduced. Not only is it easy to gain attention, but it is also easy to vent dissatisfaction to others. Even if you make excessive remarks, you do not bear too much pressure or responsibility.

Therefore, this will weaken the feelings between people in real interactions, and their attitudes will gradually change. Over time, personality defects will form, and they will avoid normal real interactions.

Social networks are just one of the ways to establish and maintain "real interpersonal relationships." Compared with traditional face-to-face communication, the difference is that there is an additional layer of Internet media in the middle. Just like a screen between two people, this medium allows people to express themselves more selectively.

This less tit-for-tat way of socializing can, on the one hand, relieve tension and embarrassment. In face-to-face interactions, every word you say, everything you do, and the expressions you inadvertently show, They will have a direct impact on the other party, and in online communication, you can be fully prepared before communication, and there is still enough room for maneuver after communication. Some people don't seem to talk much in real life, but when they go online, they become talkative. This is probably the reason.

Of course, in the opposite direction, this sense of distance will also make it difficult for people to communicate. After all, what we see is only the appearance, and we can never know the truest thoughts of the person on the other side of the screen. From this perspective, the Internet helps to broaden the breadth of our communication and maintain existing relationships, but its role in the depth of communication is very limited. After all, proximity in time and space also promotes psychological closeness.

It is necessary to clearly understand the essential difference between social network communication and real-life communication. In the age of social networks, it would be foolish to be easily angered and fearful. It is necessary to distinguish the contextual differences of different communication methods.