The Senses: Body language

When communicating on the Internet, we do not use our senses in the same way we do in the "real world" since when we communicate, we have no bodies (are we disembodied?). So the concern is with body language. How can we experience the subtle nuances of non-verbal communication found in actual, physical communication? We have something small and somewhat absurd to help us with this problem. We emote by learning emoticons and chat acronyms. Emoticons are typed out facial expressions often seen as a smiley face :). There are literally thousands more of symbols like these to indicate a manner of voice or facial expression in speech. The main purpose of these silly symbols is to replace the eloquence normally found in writing text to a friend, since in Internet chat there is no time to be expressive since it is the equivalent of informal conversation.
Chat acronyms also play a part in showing body language, although their main function is a type of internet short-hand. A common chat acronym is lol (laughing out loud) to indicate what would be readily apparent when speaking one on one.

The emoticons and the acronyms are part of the language in technology culture. What makes this language unique is that we must learn how to smile and laugh; it is not something you can just do. A hug is a symbol of an idea, rather than a comforting touch. Our bodies become metaphysical.