Currently, the extremely intensive development of information technologies contributes to their widespread use for everyday communication. Margalit’s article explains why connection through social-oriented websites has become so much easier than in-person interactions. Actually, living in the digital age contributes to the fact that I prefer the former to the latter, but only in situations with people I do not know. Simultaneously, I think real contact with friends and other close people will never be replaced by virtual association.
The high degree of anonymity of online communication allows to overcome many converse barriers associated with external aspects. Margalit claims that “the extra effort involved in face-to-face interactions can be spared in online interactions that are founded on minimal or constrained social cues.” In addition, the mostly written nature of online reciprocity reduces the pace of contact, which contributes to the development of more flexible communication strategies. It also removes the need to handle “wordless signals like facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures, body language, eye contact, and even the physical distance” (Margalit). However, in the case of connection with friends, it is not required because conversation does not take much effort to process non-verbal signals since it occurs naturally.
To summarize, I prefer online communication to in-person interactions in case of contact with strangers, while with friends, I choose the opposite. The development of the Internet has contributed to the fact that when we are not in the mood to exercise more emotional involvement, brain activation, and cognitive effort, we can easily save these resources through online communication. Thus, connection on the Internet contributes to a more psychological liberation in talking with strangers than in real life. However, it is not worth to transfer all communication to the online space since the Internet cannot replace the degree of energy, which can be transmitted through personal interaction.