When it comes to internet forums can just textual words convey enough.
I say not "enough".
-The lack of human interaction for one.
-The lack of tone of voice.
-Eye contact.
-Mutual respect for each other as human.
-Not having a two way conversation were I can intervene with words to clarify what your saying and you can fine tune how you are saying it.
-No touch of a shoulder or hug when appropriate.
-No quite silences in solitude
-Where is the singing the music.
-The body language to know what were saying and when its gone to far.
I believe this alone can bread a negative culture of communication.
-We want to be heard.
-We don't feel understood.
-Disconnectedness leads to a lack of filter.
-Anonymity can lead to hiding behind facades or acting not like ourselves.
-Maturity is lost, elder Wisdom not seen in our eyes.
-At its worst passive or aggressive personal attacks where anger breeds.
At best we only have a few textual "properties" defined in a limited set by programmers.
-We are programing each other the same way.
-The programed responses follow.
-We act more like there are tiny robots in our heads and actions.
-Human communication defies language. You only need to be in a country without being able to speak the language or care for a child or an ALS adult who's lost their speech capability to know you can communicate so much other then text or even words.
-Social media has taught us that it is social. When in fact it is not social its disconnected at best. We are not living side by side through a screen.
-We loose our ability to get beyond the surface knowledge to Reach the top of Bloom's Taxonomy Knowledge--->Comprehension--->Application--->Analysis--->Synthesis-->Evaluation
-Stuck in a sort of logical loop like a stage of grief Sadness, Anger, Shock, Denial, Bargaining, Testing, Never quite reaching that Acceptance. The Acceptance we need to give to each other in order to learn that kind of mature respect.
I know this next bit is going to be hard I'm framing the band aid pull off. We need to guard our words and hearts in forums as sensitive as this. Our words dramatically effect real lives. It drives the culture we set forth to new nurses. It effects our ability to function. Public opinions formed out of false trust can tear down careers, a person lifetime projects/endeavors, It can drive people from were they might otherwise feel needed, It can effect our own ability to be contributing members of society.
I hope it will be with that respect that responses are written to this and every other forum. Lives can be at stake and this site is just now becoming acutely aware of this. Its time to use this to learn and grow teach those new and young ones the respect we all deserve by communicating that respect to them first and often even in spite of our assumptions or hurts or static beliefs. That is the only path to growth in a world of communications such as the type of the world today.
Read back what you've written twice maybe three times before you say it. That is the primary strength of good self moderation.
