Nicknames como substitutos para linguagem não-verbal em ambientes virtuais

Abstract

The absence of nonverbal components on the Internet presupposes that written communication replaces, even partially, fundamental biological elements used during the recognition of partners. These biological elements are constituted by the so-called non-verbal language, it consists of elements such as facial expressions, body orientation, physical appearance, interpersonal space and physical contact. Therefore, the objective of this work is to analyze the use of nicknames as non-verbal substitutes in the attractiveness phase among individuals in Internet chat rooms. Besides that, evaluate the relationship of users of chat rooms to nicknames without obvious identity recognition. The results of our study show that users with female nicknames used elements related mainly to physical appearance and users with male nicknames used elements of social status, while the indication of age was common for both genders. Moreover, the results also suggest that success in the interaction between users does not depends only on the amount of information inserted within the nicknames, but also on their probable linguistic symbologies. This study demonstrates that nicknames in online chat rooms may be used as substitutes for non-verbal language, overcoming the visual and sound limitations imposed by the use of written language. However, these types of interactions have biopsychosocial costs not yet understood, and that could be analyzed from a bioethical perspective, aiming at mitigating vulnerabilities arising from the insertion of new technologies in the intermediation of human relationships.