Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) Group members use of computers in order to communicate with one another

Transcription

1 Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) Group members use of computers in order to communicate with one another

2 Forms of CMC Instant Messaging Chat Rooms Facebook/My Space Listservs Net Conferencing Decision-making software

3 How is CMC different from Face-to- Face Communication? absence of context cues recordability of conversation geographic dispersion asynchronism anonymity of the users social desirability

4 When you are talking to someone face to face, you both need to be physically present at the exact same time in order to communicate. One of the neat things about CMC is that communication can be: Synchronous: allows group members in different locations to have a real-time discussion, simultaneously, and have their comments re-displayed on their partners computers Asynchronous: stores messages so that people may post and read comments at different times, without all group members needing to be on-line at once.

5 Example of Synchronous Communication: Video Conferencing

6 Example of Asynchronous Communication:

7 CMC is often considered inferior to Face-to-Face Communication. Why? Because it is considered IMPERSONAL It is found towards the bottom of the Media Richness Hierarchy, and is therefore considered a Lean Media A Rich Media is characterized by its ability to: Convey meaning through multiple cues Communicate both verbally and non-verbally Send and receive feedback Covey personal feelings and emotions When I think of Rich Media, I like to think of it as being the relationally appropriate media you would use to fire an employee or break up with someone you re dating. No one wants to get fired by or broken up with by post-it note; those would be examples of using a lean and impersonal media for a highly personal interaction.

8 Media Richness Hierarchy (Trevino, Daft, & Lengel, 1990) Richest Medium Face-to to-face Telephone Letter Note Fliers/Bulletins Leanest Medium

9 As a Lean Media, CMC is assumed to be: Less socially oriented and less personal than Face-to-Face communication It lacks nonverbal tools which are essential for communicating a sense of individuality, or exercising dominance or charisma

10 This assumption is expressed in the Cues Filtered Out perspective Cues Filtered Out: The absence of social context cues makes group communication more task oriented and less relational According to this perspective, communication will always be impersonal when nonverbal signs are absent NOTE: Having reduced social cues is a major distinction that separates CMC from face to face communication. In CMC participants don t have access to others facial expressions, body gestures, appearance, clothing, or voice intonations, and this makes it harder to predict and interpret relational messages.

11 Some effects of having reduced social cues: More likely to insult others and to equalize status within the group Without nonverbal cues, it s difficult to indicate status and detect perceived leadership characteristics (ie., charisma, attractiveness, verbal skills, the ability to self-monitor ) Participants pay less attention to the other group members A person s interest can be absorbed elsewhere without the presence of another individual to restrain them. Group consensus on a topic is less likely to occur More difficult to create a group culture and establish group norms Norms are unstated rules that are seldom written down, they are typically behaviors that get observed through interaction

12 However, this is not always the case: Alternative Findings Ways to overcome the restrictions of reduced cues: Use of paralanguage or emoticons ( smileys ) to convey emotion : -] Polite smile :- / Skepticism or annoyance ; - D excited wink jkjk, lol, haha Non-verbal expression I am laughing sooooo hard right now! Showing vocal emphasis This class is so dull! My eyes are closed, I m slouched in my seat and I can t stop yawning. Describing non-verbal behavior I AM TELLING YOU THAT YOU RE WRONG! Expressing feelings of anger or frustration

13 CMC can be quite personal and research has shown that groups can and do develop in relationally positive directions Effects of the Cues Filtered Out Approach are restricted to only the beginning period of a CMC relationship. When studies were extended to examine longer amounts of time, it was observed that many of these impersonal aspects disappeared as participants exchanged a greater number of messages. This brings us to the Social Penetration Theory, which was developed in order to explain how CMC can successfully produce relationally salient messages, in spite of having reduced social cues

14 Social Penetration Theory Absence of Non-verbal cues = less social information communicated per message The solution? Sending a greater number of messages over a longer period of time! Social Penetration theorists term this temporarily-retarded relational development because the exchange of social information is stunted before it matures and is able to communicate personal messages Group members become aware of similar interests and attitudes through the content of others messages EX: Dear Group Members, I can t finish the conclusion part of our presentation tonight because my favorite band, Swollen Members, is playing at the Fox. Can someone else cover it for me? Thanks! ~Mary Dear Group Members, I for one will not cover Mary s part. She should know that when you make a commitment, you stick with it, not bail out on your group at the last minute. Sincerely, Joe

15 Social Penetration Theory Although the exchange of social information is slower when using CMC, over time, the relationships that form are not weaker than those that form using Face-to-Face communication One of these elements that takes time to develop is group cohesion and support The development of this relational feature is expressed through: The formality of the messages EX: Dear Ms. Lewis/ Hi Mara/ Hey babe! The vulnerability of people's revelations and their selfdisclosing opinions on different issues EX: Joe s opinion about team work ethics The composure or relaxation of the conversant EX: How many misspellings does it have, what is the nature of his or her punctuation and capitalization?

16 Hyperpersonal Interacting over extended periods of time is not the only way Computer Mediated Communicators obtains relational intimacy. There s another alternative framework that explains how people can send and receive highly saturated relational messages while only having minimal information about a group member. CMC can actually surpass Face-to-Face communication in terms of being more socially desirable It suggests that we use an exaggerated form of relational communication where members can develop large impressions of other group members based off of minimal personal information Occurs primarily in groups where members never meet Faceto-Face chat rooms, discussion forums, and dating websites, but also in decision-making groups and business settings

17 Idealized Perception: The Receiver In the absence of FtF, and with no prior personal knowledge of group members, subtle cues take on an exaggerated value Over-attribution process: building stereotypical impressions of group members based on meager information

18 Idealized Perception: The Receiver Idealized Perception of other group members Whether participants see themselves as members of a group of similar people, or as autonomous individuals, determines how they form their judgments Group identity + separate geographic locations = positive evaluations Autonomous individual + separate geographic locations = negative evaluations Can develop an exaggerated sense of similarity and group solidarity. ie., working for the church board, being in the same communication class, meeting in an

19 Selective-Self Presentation: The Sender Attempt to present a favorable impression by accentuating our positive characteristics and concealing our negative ones. Facilitated by reduced communication cues and potentially asynchronous communication Most of us, when we first meet people, try to present ourselves in the best light possible. However, it s a quite a bit easier to do that when using CMC, and in my opinion, this is one of the key reasons that CMC is sometimes considered to be more socially desirable than FtF.

20 Selective-Self Presentation: The Sender Reduced Cues There are no messy rooms, nervous gestures, or bad hair days when the interaction is invisible Our words become the basis on which others form their impressions of us What we communicate can be carefully and strategically selected, therefore, we have more control over the impression we make Asynchronous Benefits CMC gives us the ability to plan, contemplate, and edit one s comments more than possible in spontaneous group communication. You can click on the thesaurus in order to find words that make you sound smart, rid yourself from the use of any ums or likes, and have your communication documented in case you need to access it in the future.

21 Outcomes of Groups in Organizations Many organizations have networks over which employees/members can converse with one another CMC can help to develop lateral communication among these fellow workers and lead to a more personal type of communication. Lateral communication refers to that which takes place between employees of the same rank, rather than between a boss and employee. Some studies have shown that employees are more likely to disclose their opinions and personal feelings (both good and bad) using these types of networks because they are not as worried about getting caught or overheard.

22 Outcomes of Groups in Organizations Meetings using CMC will, at first, have more of a task orientation than a Face-to-face meeting might It requires much more effort and time to socialize over CMC, and therefore, participants will usually go straight to the issue Despite increased task focus, group consensus on a topic is less likely to occur There are no social cues to adhere to and strong leaders can t take charge of the discussion quite as easily as they could with a face to face meeting. More people will strive to make their opinions known Since the anonymity reduces feelings of dominance that ordinarily govern group meetings, people tend to feel safer in a CMC setting and become more likely to disclose information or make a stand

23 The End I hope everyone had a wonderful semester! Good luck on finals and enjoy the rest of your college careers!!! P.S: and you should all be comm majors cause it s really the greatest learning experience you could ever ask for