Lost in-terpretation?

Is the internet so frigging disconnected that we misinterpret things way too often? Do I not get sarcasm anymore? Is there internet etiquette?

I think when I chat online or I email someone if it is to someone I see often, I can see them being "sarcastic". I can imagine them actually talking to me in their usual speaking manner as I read their messages or emails.

For friends that I don't see often, I try to be polite, because things online can be misinterpreted. I don't play the sarcasm or cynical card, I just stay neutral and friendly (which sometimes includes lots of smilies and exclamation marks, which can annoy people).

So when I chat to a friend online and he pops up saying that I'm taking things too seriously when I was just stating a point, unnecessary tension forms. Every time I chat to him, it happens. Apparently I'm uptight and can't read sarcasm... Anyways, he's not a person that I seek the company of for that very reason, and I don't even bother initiating conversations online as well.

Anyhowsen, it's amazing to see how something so impersonal get so personal. It's not like the internet can provide anything like real life can, it can only supplement it. I don't know where I'm getting at here, but I just wish sometimes the internet is not so easy, because then it'd force people to interact more, have to face a person to insult them, or write a letter in snail mail, which requires more effort, or make a phone call.

Then again - if that's the case, I'm a hypocrite and calling the kettle black by typing up this post. :P