The way webtoon comments use the word "communicate"

[JoshRaed]

Literally every time two characters have an issue, every single comment will be about how they need to communicate, like just telling the characters to communicate. I don't know why this keeps happening or why it's so constant. Like why do you feel the need to say this?

Also a lot of times this isn't even an issue of communication, but the top comment is "Communicate" anyway. Like not every argument exists in weenie hut junior land where it's not a real disagreement because they just need to say what they're feeling and everything will come together. In this scene, a character literally interpreted "We might not even be together after this because we're teens about to transition into college." as "I am literally going to dump you on graduation day" and even quotes this conversation to a friend incorrectly as her girlfriend literally expressing a desire to dump her. So the problems are clearly deeper than just "They misunderstood each other/didn't say what's on their minds"

Also this happens primarily in stories based purely on interpersonal issues. Like what do you want the story to be about if they always use perfect therapy language to express their feelings and no one makes any mistakes in their relationships?

[kyupol]

In a perfect world, yes. Communication is key to resolving issues.

However, no matter how hard you try to communicate, issues still do arise. Everyone has their own filter / lens of how they perceive the world and the interactions around them. Obviously the filter is built by their respective life experiences, cultural interpretation, etc.

That's why conflict and misunderstanding still arises. From an individual human interaction level all the way to entire nations or groups of nations.

[moontokkym]

I'm a bit confused because the situation you described is litterally a miscommunication. When someone says a thing, and the other person understands another thing, and then reacts to that other thing, that is a miscommunication.

A lot of romance (especially formulaic romance) relies on quiproquos for drama, and if you read a lot of romance, as romance readers tend to do, it gets stale really quickly. It's a lot harder to write genuine drama between a couple that communicates effectively, because in your example if character 2 had just said "that makes me feel like we're doomed and you're going to dump me as soon as highschool is over" then they could have had a conversation (which could lead to them planning long distance or even breaking up earlier for their own sake). More adult oriented romance drama usually has tension resulting from people actually doing something wrong (sometimes that "something wrong" being not communicating and lashing out and learning to mature) but working through it or even is just from purely external stress factors but the couple itself has good healthy communication.

Also a lot of this quiproquo stuff is used in highschool dramas because surprise surprise teens don't communicate effectively, and as a romance reader as you grow up those types of arguments start seeming petty and stupid because you feel like the solution is right there, like how when you're in primary school 1 hour feels like a hellishly long time, meanwhile in college 1 hour is short. Perspectives change. Undoubtibly some of those people typing "communicate" are slowly aging out of highschool romance drama either through actual age or overexposure to the trope and don't realise they're getting bored because they're not that type of teen anymore.

TL;DR : it's an overused trope and readers are bored, don't sweat about it.

[Lensing]

In this scene, a character literally interpreted "We might not even be together after this because we're teens about to transition into college." as "I am literally going to dump you on graduation day" and even quotes this conversation to a friend incorrectly as her girlfriend literally expressing a desire to dump her. So the problems are clearly deeper than just "They misunderstood each other/didn't say what's on their minds"

the definition of a communication problem

[AshanaArt]

Miscommunication/Misinterpretation (like the example you described) can work well if the character has established reason to make assumptions. Like the example you stated I think would work if the character was established to be really insecure/have a fear of abandonment so it would make sense why she’d just assume that it means she’s going to get dumped instead of ask for clarification, because it’s an established flaw that they have, and the miscommunication is a direct result of that flaw. However in most situations this is not the case, and the miscommunication is just a way to create drama, which can feel frustrating for readers especially if it involves the characters acting out of character I’m order to facilitate the plot rather then the plot happening as a result of the characters actions.