In a world where businesses and friends often depend upon e-mail to communicate, researchers at NYU have identified some major problems with computer-based communications vis-a-vis face-to-face interactions:

First and foremost, e-mail lacks cues like facial expression and tone of voice. That makes it difficult for recipients to decode meaning well. Second, the prospect of instantaneous communication creates an urgency that pressures e-mailers to think and write quickly, which can lead to carelessness. Finally, the inability to develop personal rapport over e-mail makes relationships fragile in the face of conflict.



E-mail tends to be short and to the point. This may arise from the time pressures we feel when writing them: We know e-mail arrives as soon as we send it, so we feel we should write it quickly, too. On the other hand, letters depend on postal timetables. A letter writer feels he has a bigger window of time to think and write.

A study shows that not only do e-mail senders overestimate their ability to communicate feelings, but e-mail recipients also overestimate their ability to correctly decode those feelings. Because e-mails can be ambiguous, "criticism, subtle intentions, emotions are better carried over the phone," says a professor.

Source: Why e-mails are so easily misunderstood ?