NARRATOR: Where is the individual in today's world who doesn't use electronic means of communicating? We email with colleagues, text our friends, and even communicate with spouses and children in quick electronic bursts.

As we type, text, and even dictate the content of our electronic messages to our devices all day long, we assume that despite the lack of nonverbal cues, like gestures or tone of voice, our messages will be accurate and transparent. We know that misunderstandings can sometimes happen, but what most people fail to appreciate is that there is a large gap between what we text and what we say.

Over the last 15 years, my research team has explored the unintended and often unnoticed changes in negotiations, ethics, decision making, and trust that occur when one switches to an electronic means of communicating. Our research shows that a whopping 92% of people chose to misrepresent information to a partner online so as to benefit their own bottom line.

In our study of feedback, people systematically rated a peer's job performance as lower when they received the evaluation form electronically as opposed to on paper. In other studies. We observed that people are less likely to trust others when trying to work together electronically and that they hold it against one another when someone gets distracted by a text message during interactive work sessions.

But how can we explain this divide? People seem to subconsciously feel that electronic messages don't count. They seem to feel more justified acting in self serving ways when the interaction is electronic. But they do count. Although electronic communication may seem ephemeral, just like spoken conversation, it is actually significantly harder to erase or contain a message sent electronically into the world than a single piece of paper or spoken word.

Remember, just because typing or texting is fast doesn't mean that what you say doesn't count or that others aren't watching you stare at your screen instead of talking to them. Be careful out there, and think through whether what you're typing and doing is really what you want to represent you in the world. Visit me online to learn more.