How to Prevent Miscommunication Online

Meeting new people online can be exciting and entertaining. However, there is nothing worse than accidentally offending someone when you didn't mean any harm. In this article, we'll guide you with some tips on how to prevent miscommunication online.

Keep the language barrier in mind

The internet is an excellent way to meet all kinds of people from all over the world. Most of them will speak English, whether it's their native language or not. Still, it can be hard to interpret metaphors, puns, or sarcasm when it's not your first language. If you are speaking to someone that you know is not a native English speaker, try to avoid offensive jokes/sarcasm that may not translate well into another language. And if you do, make it clear that you're telling a joke.

Clarifying you’re joking

Jokes are made everywhere on the internet, but especially on forums. This is a great way to relax and make new friends. But some people will not understand your joke the way you intended it to be. That's why it's helpful to clarify yourself if you feel like it's needed. If you are posting a very sarcastic comment, for example, you can add "/s" behind your comment. This is a sign that you're sarcastic. Other ways to show you're joking is by ending your comment with a smiley or "jk" which stands for "just kidding". It lifts the mood a bit.

Know your audience

Certain jokes are most often used in a specific age-category or within a particular gender. So when you're sharing the newest memes with a group that consists mostly of people aged 30 or older, there is a big chance they won't find it as hilarious as you do. A different example, but very relevant as well, are types of humor. Some people do not understand ironic remarks or sarcasm. That's not their fault, but when someone says they just failed their test and you reply, "well, that's fantastic!" you might get off on the wrong foot.

Don’t be offensive

This rule applies to any group, anywhere. Many jokes can be made, even jokes that are on the edge of racism or sexism like South Park does. However, do not ever make racist, sexist, or just offensive remarks in general and then defend yourself by stating it's a "joke". It either never was a joke, or it was poorly worded.
Current events and recurring issues are examples of subjects you can better not joke about just in case.

Help someone out

There might be cases of someone not getting a joke you made or just simply not understanding what you said at all. In such a case, there is probably the issue of a language barrier, and it's, therefore, a great moment to help someone learn. Never make fun of them, but rather help them out and explain what you meant when you said "yeet”. This is a learning moment for both of you and might even create a new friendship!

Listen to others

Sometimes someone will send a message before they're finished typing, and in such a case, it can happen that the first half will bring across a whole different message than the complete message does. It's therefore always a good idea to wait a few moments before replying to see if there is anything else coming. Apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram have great functions that show when someone is still tying so that you know to wait before immediately replying.

Apologize

It's important to understand that you might have worded something inconveniently when miscommunication occurs. It's easy to blame others, but it will not increase your chances of finding friendship online if you take the easy way out. Owning up to a mistake is a strong move and will make people appreciate your more since you were honest.

Don’t lie

Which brings me to my next point. How easy it is to lie on the internet, it will always find its way back to you eventually. Let's say you bonded with someone over the fact that you both have a German Shepherd, even though you don't. They may want to meet up one day or go skyping with the dogs together and will then find out that you lied to them. This event will break the bond you had and will also make them distrust you in the future. So if someone tells you they absolutely love German Shepherds and you do too, you can just tell them that you don't own one yet, but do plan on

Re-read before you pres send

When we're typing, there can be moments during which you make a typo or think one thing and type the other. It happens. But not proofreading your message, whether it be for an email or an online chat, can lead to miscommunication or hurt feelings. It's important to re-read your messages to take out any typos, unfinished sentences, or misplaced words. It looks more professional as well, though you might not need to look professional on a forum. It still makes you look like you think things through and are well worded, which usually works in your favor.

Be direct

It could be that you need to ask someone for a favor, or you want to call someone out on their behavior online. In this case, you need to be direct. If you beat around the bush a lot, people might misunderstand you, or they will not take you seriously. If you set your intentions straight and say "Hi Pete, I found your remark to be inappropriate the other day, could you please not do that in the future again or I might need to take it higher up.". It looks way more professional than if you say, “If people would just stop being soooo annoying all the time, that would be great.". It’s also less passive-aggressive.

Now you've learned a bit more online etiquette. Miscommunications can happen; how you deal with them shows what kind of person you are. Remember that this can also apply to your daily offline lives!