To the extent that is an issue, it is an issue with language, not the medium. Verbal communication is more likely to be misunderstood, which is one of the reasons why, when it matters, we want to "get it in writing." Anyone finding it "very likely" that whatever they write will be substantively misunderstood could improve their style.
Furthermore, the existence of the problem does not mean emoticons and tags are necessary for its solution. The existence of a rich literature prior to their introduction strongly suggests they are not.
Wanting things in writing is tangential. It has to do with proof. We still argue over legislation, so “in writing” isn’t more illuminating. What writing (basically time shifting) can’t do is be in the moment and give you the ability to diverge and learn on the fly.
Now conversations aren’t perfect either, it’s up to us to direct and ask questions when we seek better understanding. However writing doesn’t give us that ability. On the other hand with writing, given our laziness in forming thought, we can ponder and distill thoughts till they are worthy of committing to record. Speech can also be well thought out and meticulous though (ex. Vidal vs Buckley), so it’s not confined to writing, but we are more used to it in writing because debating is not prominent whereas writing is.
This has moved on quite a bit from the proposition that emoticons and tags are necessary.
Just because written language can be argued over, that does not make spoken and written communication equivalent in that regard.
Writing does far more than just time-shifting. Handling complexity is one important benefit. Disseminating information accurately is another.
Debating is not prominent partly because it is not efficient (even in law, the amount of verbal debate is dwarfed by the amount of written communication, which is necessary in its own right as well as necessary to support what verbal debate does happen.)
The modern world is inconceivable without near-universal literacy, and it seems very odd to have to defend that point on HN.
Emoticons were never a position. They served as support of a claim.
More importantly the claim wasn’t that Socrates was absolutely right, it was that he had a legit point when he argued that there are inferior aspects. I however acknowledge these drawbacks are dwarfed by the benefits conferred by writing. So yes writing is great, no doubt, but it does lose something while gaining us a lot more in return.
Never the less, I admire his steadfast refusal to write even while acknowledging we are poorer for not having his thoughts first hand. Yet, he nor anyone else owed or owes it to us.
