I Want Yr Text

The rules of flirtation have changed dramatically. SMS, email and the internet chatroom have opened up a brave new world of amorous communication, and both men and women are reaping its benefits - and suffering its sometimes disastrous consequences. A perceptive and witty article by Adam McCulloch in Australia's Sunday Magazine.

... "Make no mistake: cyberspace (as William Gibson pointed out when he coined the term in his 1984 book, Neuromancer) is not the real world. Which is exactly its appeal for many online and mobile-phone users. This sense of being in a parallel universe (with its conveniently flexible moral boundaries) may explain why it seems appropriate to sign off with an affectionate "xx" - even when the recipient of said affection is someone we wouldn't pucker up to in a million years.

Kate Fox, co-director of Britain's Social Issues Research Centre, describes cyber communications as occurring in a "liminal zone", that is, a well-documented phenomenon "in which normal rules and social constructions are suspended". Strange things happen in liminal zones: public nudity at Mardi Gras, self-mutilation during tribal initiation ceremonies and drunken revelry at Schoolies' Week are some real-life examples.

... Yet to the individuals involved, their behaviour feels normal - because it's acceptable within that zone. After interviewing 1000 people about their flirting habits, Fox found that all respondents, without exception, claimed they'd say things in cyberspace that they would never say face-to-face. "It's a little bit like being drunk," one person explained."

emily | 2:02 PM | |
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