It is very true what you explain, in particular I find it very difficult to communicate through electronic media, even by phone I remember several times where I was called to discuss a matter and just considered the situation immediately hung up the call, I did not feel comfortable without the interaction, that important part of observing gestures, body language even immediate reactions that are only perceived when they are face to face, even if it is a group of people, capturing all those details is better; that brings two benefits: the first one is to perceive if they are understanding what you are saying and if it is pleasant and secondly, it gives you confidence and allows you to understand that there is effective communication. Of course as you yourself comment this is variable, it will depend on the circumstances, age, motives, interests and many more, one thing is for sure for there to be a good communication there must be interaction of both parties, when that happens with respect, empathy and consideration there will always be good results. Greetings and thank you for sharing this interesting reflection.
Body language is a huge part of effective communication, I think about sixty seven percent; words can be meaningless if not supported by the right body language which makes face to face communication more valid. That's not to say digital communication i8s worthless, just less effective I think.
Thanks for your comments which I agree with and I appreciate you adding something to the conversation by way of your thoughts and opinions.