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Visualizing appearance and body language in online interactions

JAVO

.
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Apr 24, 2007
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9,178
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eNTP
Do you visualize the appearance or body language of someone you're interacting with online?

Is it an automatic visualization, or do you decide to imagine what they might look like?

What level of interaction is necessary to trigger you to visualize their potential appearance or body language?

Why do we do this? Is it because our mind wants to fit the interaction into the more natural schema of a real life interaction?

Does visualizing their appearance or body language help or hinder online interaction?
 

Ene

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Aug 16, 2012
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Interesting question and the answer for me is not usually.
 

Lark

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I never do this, everyone's just lines of script to me.
 

Such Irony

Honor Thy Inferior
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Appearance yes, body language no.

I'm curious what people online look like in real life.
 

Aquarelle

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Appearance yes, body language no.
Same here. I think I also imagine some kind of inflection of speech, but it's all very nebulous in my brain (both imagined appearances and speech patterns) and I'd be hard pressed to describe what I imagine any given member to look and sound like.
 
G

garbage

Guest
If I'm reading a book, email, or an online post, then I'm typically visualizing gesticulations, appearance, demeanor, tone of voice, and so on. It's part of wanting to piece together the 'entire story,' so to speak.

It's refreshing to meet someone I've only had text exchanges with (e.g. remote work colleagues), since it provides more context for subsequent exchanges.

--

I do it to the extent that I'm carefully reading the material. If I'm skimming, then I don't wind up visualizing as much; if I read every word, then I do.
 

Lady_X

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Oct 27, 2008
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Yeah I do... Not all the time or with everyone.. Just sometimes certain things people say ... I don't know why it happens when it does... It's just part of the way I comprehend information I guess.
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
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Until proven otherwise, everyone in my mind is taking part in this song:

 

Winds of Thor

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Jan 11, 2009
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A few of my friends on TypoC have sent pictures and about two-thirds arent even close to how I imagined at first. I guess I just naturally imagine them but not deliberately.

We could have the TypoSee feature added.
 

Rad3k

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Apr 16, 2009
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sp/sx
Sometimes I visualize appearance, but it never includes body language. Instead I "visualize" the intonation (but with my usual inner voice), as if I was reading it aloud.

I never conciously try to imagine how people may look like, because I know that 99% of the time I'm going to be way off. But sometimes it's hard to avoid creating mental images of other people, especially if they use a picture or drawing of a person as their avatar - in some cases this can go horribly wrong...
 

Morpeko

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Do you visualize the appearance or body language of someone you're interacting with online?

Appearance: Not all the time, but it happens.
Body language: I don't even understand it in-person, so I wouldn't bother imagining that online.

Is it an automatic visualization, or do you decide to imagine what they might look like?

Unless I am prompted in a fluff thread, it's an automatic visualization.

What level of interaction is necessary to trigger you to visualize their potential appearance or body language?

There's no specific level of interaction or information necessary for me to imagine a person. Sometimes I imagine it based on one short post, if the poster has an avatar, username, and profile that "triggers" me to visualize their appearance in someway. However, I must say that if I am talking to someone for an extended amount of time, I will definitely start to form a character for them in my mind.

All of this gets replaced if and when I get to see a picture.

Why do we do this? Is it because our mind wants to fit the interaction into the more natural schema of a real life interaction?

Does visualizing their appearance or body language help or hinder online interaction?

No idea. I've never thought it's affected me much.
 

Maou

Mythos
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Jun 20, 2018
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My visualizations have no grounding in reality, but yeah sometimes I visualize the people im talking to. They just dont look like anything they actually look like.
 

Abcdenfp

Terpsichore
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May 19, 2017
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I don't actually visualize, that's no fun, i like them to feel like essence, so i try to work out their essence, its one of the few interactions where you have no context but the written word and nuances that come after multiple experiences.
 
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