Throughout history, people have communicated face-to-face using complex nonverbal signs and body language. Therefore, we are all novices when it comes to digital body language. There is no universally accepted sign language or interpretation, nor a standard for channel, tone, or response time during digital communication. Digital communication is relatively new and imperfect.

Today, about 70% of communication occurs in virtual reality, and people send over 300 billion email messages every day. Our inexperience with digital communication leads to many misunderstandings. These can increase with the growing number of remote workers. For example, according to the *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology*, our email tone is misinterpreted in 50% of cases.

According to recent studies, digital communication replaces three-quarters of face-to-face interactions. Over 3000 office workers participated in this research, revealing that employees spend up to 4 hours per week deciphering unclear, convoluted digital messages. Text-based communication requires a different understanding of trust, cooperation, and engagement from both managers and staff members. It's challenging to detect subtleties in text or determine if someone is upset, excited, or impressed. This form of communication operates differently from the conversational style we're accustomed to.

The appropriate choice of medium, characters, punctuation, and timing can enhance our digital body language. Let's explore this further. Using punctuation marks and symbols like exclamation points and periods is necessary to convey emotional intensity. The time you take to respond to a message indicates respect. Therefore, a lack of response or a delayed response can seem dismissive or disrespectful. The individuals you include in the "to," "cc," "bcc," and "reply all" fields reflect your level of engagement. Meanwhile, your username, email address, and profile picture – your digital persona – represent your personality.