The Downside to Internet Communication (Most of It, Anyway)

I say most, because there are programs that are very near to face-to-face communication, and that make it easier to "read" the other, such as Skype or something similar. But because the bill increases if we stream too much with our Fivespot, using the voice calls or anything on Skype isn't an option. That leaves E-mail, texting via TextNow, and IMing. Generally I find these to be satisfactory, but lately I have found using them to be increasingly frustrating. It's not because I don't know how to use them--I can do that quite well--but because when I use them, there is the inability to see facial expressions and body language, and to hear the tone of voice. These convey a tremendous amount of information, and when they are absent, it can very easily lead to disastrous misunderstandings. (Yes, I know there are emoticons, but even those don't suffice at times!)

And so I am just wondering whether all these technological advances are really a sign of progress, if they are really and truly good...

Jean