[Mz]

Except that in some cases people exchange photos and other info online that you cannot exchange verbally. In the thread in question, the OP stated this was his "world tour" and folks posted links to photos, something you couldn't do by phone. You also couldn't have a phone conversation with multiple people in the same way. So I don't entirely agree. Different kinds of data can be shared. But it isn't necessarily "less" info, just different info.

[biot]

Good point. I wasn't thinking of photo sharing and such in regards to "conversation"... in my mind I pictured plain text email/chat vs. phone call. By that measure, Facetime and Chat Roulette are internet conversations and greatly exceed what is possible via a phone call.

[Mz]

"A picture's worth a thousand words."

Voices have their good points. They convey a lot of emotion and such. On the other hand, I found that has a big downside as well, especially when dealing with something like a serious health crisis: People can't keep negative emotions out of their voices, emotions which can be unwelcome to the person in crisis. If you are dying and wanting to "get a life", not dealing with the emotions in someone's voice can be a benefit of being online. To me, it's not "more real" or "less real". It's just a different means to communicate, one with different strengths and weaknesses. It's better suited for some things, less well suited for others, but to me it is no less "real".

Oh, and have an upvote.