Distortions in interaction in virtual learning environments: a discursive perspective of communication

Our understanding of communication in virtuality is far from complete, not only due to the richness and complexity of language, but also to the new conditions imposed on us by that modality. The following essay attempts to illustrate, through anecdotal cases, how communication in virtual education can start off from its opposite, which is the lack of communicative awareness. To outline this paradox, we propose the figure of The Telepath, which summarizes the attributes of those who do not recognize the complexity of communication in virtuality, and who take for granted the efficient transmission of their messages, intentions and emotions.