What has been lost in context/translation because of technologies such as texting and the various forms of online communication?

It was pointed out to me that my use of ‘dear’ comes across as condescending and that got me thinking.

In the ‘olden days’, people talked face to face, which gave them the ability to assess things like; tone of voice, volume, body language and facial expressions.

Everyday interactions have us face to face. We use all our observations of these interactions to make any manner of decisions. It’s the way we have interacted and survived for how many thousands of years?

Now we have a large percentage of people who communicate through words alone.

I liken that to a person suddenly having gone deaf, blind or both.