About Us

Wait, so why am I here again and why do I care?

Here’s my point.

Text is too removed from reality. I can say “I’m angry,” but it doesn’t convey much. How about: “I’M ANGRY,” A little better I suppose, but we’re missing a voice and a face. Someone could be typing something but you could never fully tell if that person is feeling angry or just being sarcastic.

Text cannot replace emotions. A computer cannot convey emotions. A computer cannot feel. Text on a computer page can be compared to text in a book. Through the prose and ability of the writer, one is able to convey feelings or interpret those words as emotions. Literature continues to be a dominant medium in expressing feelings and describing emotions. Why then, do I believe that text is not sufficient to be used for communication if it is already been used for years?

A sense of feeling is lost in the format of text. Within the processes of the computer, along goes our feelings as well. There exists a metaphysical sense that the person we are communicating with is within the reach of our mind, but not within any premise of actual reality.

This sense is trust. As one comes to trust someone, the dialogue that occurs between two people becomes more personal, more natural, and less “digital”. “Virtuality requires trust to make it work: Technology on its own is not enough” (Handy 5). It is true: technology requires the work of a human being to function, and the feeling of a human being to develop the trust that is needed to communicate reliably.

And who are you?

Charles Liu, a student the University of California, Berkeley. This website is the result of a final project for my course, IDS 110, “Intro to Computers.” Under the experience of growing up as a “Digital Native” myself, I have become accustomed to using text-based communication applications such as email and AOL Instant Messenger.

Due to recent popularity, audio-based programs such as Skype became advertised and marketed to the world. Audio communication had been popular already beforehand in the gaming world, and this is where I first became accustomed with it and still am. I do not use Skype, but I do use Ventrilo.

Video chat has become a new upcoming technology that has been recently promoted by having video cameras included with computers. While being the most real face-to-face experience, it has been regarded as more of a convenience than a necessity.

This page explores the possibilities of communication today and examines their functions in relation to building trust.