"Why Do You Speak Like That?"... 'Untact Conflict' in Dry, Non-Face-to-Face Conversations

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] "Do you really have to say it like that?"

During a quarrel over work division during remote work, a senior colleague who can no longer hold back throws out a remark. The junior on the phone screen does not back down. "Senior, you always fold your arms whenever work is assigned." The group KakaoTalk chatroom with five team members soon becomes cold. This is a story experienced by Kang Seong-ji (31), a third-year employee working at a mid-sized company in Seoul. Kang said, "Although we usually resolved misunderstandings well when working in the office, this time we fought as if we would never see each other again," adding, "I think the grudges and anger grew because we only communicated through stiff text messages."

With the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), remote work has become widespread, leading to non-face-to-face communication through mobile messenger applications, which is said to have increased conflicts within organizations. People who used to communicate through voice and gestures now try to understand intentions only through text and emoticons, making misunderstandings easily arise.

The era of 'Untact (non-face-to-face) communication' has rapidly approached us. The pandemic has already deeply embedded the somewhat normalized untact communication methods into our lives. A significant change has come to modern life, which used to mix face-to-face and non-face-to-face communication appropriately. Non-face-to-face methods are being considered or implemented even for meetings, conference calls, medical consultations, and trials, which seemed possible only offline. According to Kakao, the domestic KakaoTalk monthly active users (MAU) from January to March this year reached 45.19 million, an increase of 1.11 million compared to the same period last year and 330,000 compared to the fourth quarter of last year.

However, the rise of non-face-to-face communication also brings the absence of nonverbal communication. According to the communication theory 'Mehrabian's rule,' verbal speech accounts for only about 7% of communication, while nonverbal communication such as facial expressions, gestures, voice tone, intonation, and volume accounts for more than 90%. In communication, 'how something is said' is more important than 'what is said,' and much more is conveyed beyond text and voice. The frequent misunderstandings and quarrels in non-face-to-face conversations can be attributed to this lack of nonverbal communication. Professor Choi Seung-won of the Department of Psychology at Duksung Women's University pointed out, "In social communication, nonverbal messages are more important than words and writing," adding, "There are definitely limitations in communication through mobile messengers that rely solely on text."

The increase in non-face-to-face conflicts also seems related to the rise in social stress caused by COVID-19. The coined term 'Corona Blue,' combining 'corona' and 'blue' (feeling down), has emerged. It refers to the depression and lethargy caused by the blocking of outdoor activities and reduced face-to-face contact due to the spread of COVID-19, along with the various changes in daily life. It is analyzed that this social stress is amplified into negative emotions within the mode of non-face-to-face communication. Professor Han Seong-yeol of the Department of Psychology at Korea University said, "Conflicts have always existed regardless of face-to-face or non-face-to-face communication, but the important thing is how to resolve conflicts," adding, "Even when talking to people who are not visible in front of you, it is necessary to make efforts to understand the other person."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.