Well, I guess it happens to a lot of other things too....like people in general, but I think more online because you can take time to speak and therefore a better character emerges...but then again, Jodie, you probably know me as the person who can't read...lol

We work with what we've got, maybe!?!?

Our mind seeks the simplest of answers to the most complex of questions. Even when we do not need an answer our mind tends to try to solve problems. For example when you compare two countries, people have a tendency to decide which of the two is best when it's not important... they are just different.

Perhaps it is a human trait that is not so pretty. We as humans like to believe that we can solve problem or gain a full understanding where there is no way to fully understand. I think it is hard, or at least it should be hard to feel we know anyone, no matter how many interactions on-line we have. It's like I can read all what you post and never really know the real Jodie at all. Or the real anyone for that matter.

Online interactions are all we have of them, we make do with what we have.

It is not just online! As long as we don't have a deeper or longer interaction with people, we will use stereotypes, base our views about them on few information, make everything more simple than it is. Usually, the first impression counts also a lot. We just do this to make our life more simple. It is good to question this and try not to do it too much. But I don't think we can avoid this totally. And it is difficult enough to know oneself and the people we live with.

I NEVER do that Jodie you know that. ;) lol Yea well I guess it somehow comes with our frame of references we all have and our own perception of life that comes with us. Many theories have talked about this in psychology/philosophy, let me expose one. Existential phenomenology It seems that, per this point of view, there is no objective reality. Everything is subjective, depends on the viewer, it is a very "first-person" perspective on life. Everything comes from your personal frame of references and then is judged upon this frame. EVEN THOUGH everything is subjective and then would make the fact we all live different realities, every human being still feels the need to make sense out of the outside world, to organize the environment. SO with this in mind, you might say that humans try to intake new things (people, events, places, ...ANYTHING new) by comparing it to what we know and EXPECT from the outside world as we already see it. It is very difficult for anyone to reshape their whole perceptions just for one new stimuli. Therefore we try, for economical purposes, to make it fit the best we can with what we already seen, lived, experienced. Some people are better at maybe "reshaping" their frame and adjust their subjective reality to others. Some others are more...inflexible and more judgemental. I think that, as long as the person lives well with their own "glasses" on life, there's no problem! So since the human being strives for classification and order in their subjective world, we try to QUICKLY box that new person in a place we think they belong. Just for the comfort of having an orderly world to live in. Some adjustements can then be made afterwards... :) ....farfetched? lol

Forming the opinion immediately I think is very much human nature. I think the more important thing is being open-minded enough to have that opinion change once more comes to light. That is the key. I have several people on my friends list who I did not care much for after one or two interactions with them. Just a couple of examples: 1. Nelson- the first few answers I saw from Nelson told me that we did not hold the same view of the world and I really didn't think this was a person I could ever relate to. Over time I saw that Nelson was not only sharp, but witty as well. I started having some conversations with him. I started to LIKE him. Even though our opinions remained opposed on some topics I actually started seeking out Nelsons posts and looking forward to conversing with him in comments strings. I ENJOYED this, and still do to this day. He is my friend and I am better for it. 2. Well, there was this crazy lady who jumped my ass seconds after the first comment I ever made at answerbag when I really did not know how the site worked. I was thinking "who is this wild woman?". I think you know the rest of the story...... I now think very highly of her.

Years ago I worked in an airline reservations office for about 6 years. One of the most stressful jobs that I have ever had. It wasn't until I read an article that pointed out that the reason telephone jobs are so stressful is because you cannot read body language and you try to get all of your signals from a voice,a tone of voice, inflections...etc. I'm not even certain that you get that much on a computer.

Well, I guess that is because our opinions are formed by what we know, or suspect, to be true. Unlike a physical meeting, our online image or 'online' persona is limited; dictated solely by what WE decide to put out there. In a way, we have greater control over this online image by selecting the attributes about ourselves that we reveal to others. I can't imagine forming an opinion after only a couple interactions, but since people often do, I try to be very true to who I am in all I write.

Too many people think just because they know things they don't have to think anymore. Besides, some people get on the internet because they have problems with people in front of them (hard time trusting people but when they do and unexpected "nice" thing they have too many expectations, really trust too fastly, etc.). I know that interpretation is not jumping to conclusions, so I don't ever do that, online or not. People should know themselves better than anyone else but too many won't. It's different kind of way for some and to an extent for all getting a point across because you're not in front of their face, and it's similar but different from a telephone. I think too many people when they see writing they pay too much attention to a format instead of getting the point across. Livia Livia