You can interact with people in VRChat even without speaking
I am currently rebuilding my house and living in a rented apartment.
However, the walls in that apartment are thin, making it difficult to speak out loud late at night.
Even when I log into VRChat, I am almost entirely silent when I am at home.
What I learned from spending time in silence
When you are in VRChat, there are naturally many situations where you speak with your voice.
When you cannot use your voice, it can be difficult to keep up with the tempo of a conversation or find the right moment to join in. It also takes a bit of courage to approach someone you are meeting for the first time while remaining silent.
Even so, when I actually tried logging in without speaking, I found that not being able to use my voice did not mean I couldn't interact with others.
Communicating primarily through writing
I interact with people primarily by writing things down.
It takes more time than speaking, but since I can compose my thoughts into text before sending them, I have time to think about my replies.
It is helpful to be able to think a little before sending a response, rather than having to reply with my voice.
Of course, the tempo of the conversation is slower than when speaking. Sometimes I cannot reply immediately while the other person is talking, and sometimes the topic changes while I am still typing.
Especially in crowded places, the conversation moves forward while I am still writing. Even if I manage to write a reply, by the time I finish, the topic may have changed, or my reaction might go unnoticed.
It is easier to interact one-on-one or in small groups, but writing becomes more difficult as the number of people increases.
Conveying reactions through facial expressions
In addition to writing, I try to use my avatar's facial expressions as much as possible.
If I don't return any response, the other person won't know how I am reacting. I switch my expressions to show that I am laughing, surprised, or troubled.
Since I cannot use my voice, having facial expressions makes it easier to return reactions.
Even when it takes a little time to type out a message, I can return a reaction first using my expressions. It helps a lot because it keeps the conversation from coming to a complete halt.
Surprisingly, conversations can continue even with just facial expressions.
You can connect with people in VRChat even without speaking
When you stay silent, people might think, "Maybe they don't want to talk."
However, in my case, it's not that I don't want to talk; it's just that my home environment makes it difficult to use my voice.
Even among those who are silent, there are people who don't want to speak, people who can't speak, and people who prefer communicating through text. Everyone has their own reasons.
Just by looking from the outside, you can't tell why someone is silent.
By staying silent myself, I realized that I can be with people without using my voice. Writing notes, changing my expressions, and spending time in the same place—even just that gives me a real sense of connection.
Even if I become able to speak, there will be times when I want to stay silent
Once my house is finished, I think it will be easier to use my voice than it is now. But even if I can speak, I don't want to be talking all the time. In crowded places, I sometimes can't keep up with the conversation, but if I'm silent, I don't have to reply to everything.
This was more comfortable than I had imagined.
It's okay to just be there and listen to the conversation. I can just respond with expressions or written notes when I'm able to. Once you get used to being silent, the time spent not talking isn't bad at all.
I feel like even after I'm able to use my voice, there will still be times when I remain silent.
I think it will be harder to jump to the conclusion that "maybe they don't want to talk" when I see someone who is silent. Because from the outside, you can't tell if they can't speak or if they just want to be there.
Finding a place where you can be silent
On days when I can't use my voice, I choose the worlds I enter a bit more carefully.
In places with many people and fast-paced conversations, I can't keep up with writing notes or changing expressions. Conversely, in places where I can spend time with a small group, I can be silent without feeling too self-conscious.
Even now, I interact with people using written notes and expressions.
After becoming a silent user, I realized that not talking is not the same as not connecting with people.
Writing replies, changing expressions, and spending time in the same space—there are things I can do even if I can't use my voice.
When my house is finished and I can use my voice, I think the time I spend talking will increase again. Even so, I intend to stay silent on days when I want to spend time without talking.
You can connect with people in VRChat even without speaking. I feel that more strongly now than I did before.