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INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION AND
SOCIAL MEDIA
CHAPTER 2
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
TAMARA ARRINGTON
INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS ONLINE
• Speed
• the time it takes to send and receive messages
• Anonymity
• refers to identities created online, claiming to be
someone you are not
• Interactivity
• the ability of online participants to not only receive
messages, but to react to them
• Regard
• to be acknowledged as an individual
INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS ONLINE
• Leanness or Richness
• Availability of nonverbal cues to clarify meaning
• Synchronous or Asynchronous
• Real-time or time delay
• Pros and cons?
• Permanence
• How long something exists and can be saved and
stored
• Regard
• to be acknowledged as an individual
CONSEQUENCES
•
Disinhibition – more honesty, less caution and self-monitoring.
What are the pros and cons?
•
Hyperpersonal –accelerated discussion of personal topics and
relational development beyond what normally happens faceto-face
•
More relational opportunities – online dating, virtual
communities, online support groups, education, benefits for
those who are shy
ONLINE DATING AND RELATIONSHIPS
• One study found that both men and women lied online,
but for different reasons;
• Women lied to protect themselves from men and men lied
to protect their true identity so they could take greater
risks with emotions online;
ONLINE DATING AND RELATIONSHIPS
• In online relationships, a person may think they know the
other well, due to limited information
• Much of the relationship is created in the mind, to fill in
for missing information
SUSTAINING & ENRICHING
RELATIONSHIPS
• Texting – teens age 12-17 – average 60 texts per day
• 97% of texts are opened vs. only 22% of emails
• Facebook – What are the “rules” for use so you don’t jeopardize a
relationship?
• Blogs – called “masspersonal” (inform everyone via a single blog)
• Skype and FaceTime - could interactions via these social media be
even MORE effective than face-to-face (i.e. truly focusing on each
other)
DRAWBACKS
• Superficial relationships – How many Facebook friends
are truly friends? How many Twitter followers or those
you follow?
• “Dunbar’s number” : We can only maintain about 150
relationships (10-15 close friends/family…circle of 35
strong contacts...+/- 100 with other meaningful
connections)
• When is the last time you had a deep, meaningful, or
transformative discussion over social media?
SOCIAL ISOLATION
• Correlation between lonliness and PREFERENCE for online
social interaction
• Can stem from a lack of interpersonal skills
• Self-efficacy can grow with successful online interaction
and positive feedback online
• HOWEVER these people can feel confirmed and
respected online and yet disconfirmed offline
OTHER POTENTIAL PROBLEMS…
• Relational deterioration: a partner spending inordinate
amounts of time online , the mere presence of mobile
devices can hurt face-to-face interaction
• Facebook use has emerged as a new predictor of divorce
rate and spousal troubles. Why?
• Deception: “Catfishing” Has any one seen the TV show?
• Online surveillance, cyberstalking, cyberbullying (peaks in
MIDDLE SCHOOL)
WILL ONLINE INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION ENHANCE OR
REDUCE HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS?
• Online relationships often include fantasy, stereotypical,
idealized images
• Will time online substitute for other forms of
communication?
ENHANCEMENT OR ATTENUATION
One study finds that the Internet
intensifies dispositions toward
sociability or community involvement
(DiMaggio, Hargittai, Neuman, and
Robinson (2001);
Another study finds that use of the Internet is influenced by local
culture and power relations (Wheeler, 2001);
SOCIAL USES OF THE INTERNET
• To meet people and create relationships
• To enhance relationships with family and friends
• To maintain long-distance relationships
SOCIAL SUPPORT
• Parenting advice
• Marital problems
• Substance Abuse
• Suicide Prevention
• Coping with acts of violence
• Connecting with others with similar health problems (20%
of Internet users)
SOME EFFECTS OF INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION ONLINE
• Computer-mediated communication is similar to faceto-face communication, and may even affect how
people communicate face-to-face
• There is often a casual sense of play in Internet
communication
• There are often paradoxes associated with Internet
communication
• Certain aspects of communication are intensified by
Internet use
EFFECTS OF SPEED, REACH,
ANONYMITY, REGARD AND
INTERACTIVITY
• We expect our communication technologies to be fast
• We are becoming obsessed with efficiency
• In spite of all the speed in communication
technologies, many people feel they are running on a
treadmill and cannot keep up with all that is coming
at them
REACH
• In addition to your ability to reach others, reach also
means that you can be reached just about anytime,
anywhere
• The sense of constant connectedness, the speed of
our messages, and the difficulty of keeping up with
all the information reaching us, causes people to feel
nervous and frustrated—to feel rage at times
FLAMING
• Flaming refers to harsh language directed at an
•
•
•
individual online
The lack of social cues online due to the fact that
generally we cannot see one another online, may
contribute to flaming
With reduced feedback, it is speculated, we can project
our own hopes and fears
The reduction in social cues may account for a tendency
to be more disinhibited online, both in self disclosure and
in aggression (the “disinhibition effect”)
INTERACTIVITY
• Interactivity refers to the ability to respond to messages
so as to give feedback, e.g., flaming may be seen as
expressing anger in speaking back;
ANONYMITY
• Not being identified as your self, or believing you are not
identified as your self
• Some speculate that anonymity enhances the chances of
expressing anger online—e.g., flaming
INFLUENCE ON FAMILY
• Families are affected by the Internet and the way they
•
•
communicate on the Internet
The computer appears to affect different family members
differently
Family members use the computer for entertainment,
escape, habit, and to pass time
WHAT ARE WE TO DO?
• Respect others’ need for undivided attention (i.e. put the
phone away)
• Keep your tone civil
• Don’t intrude on bystanders
• Think before you post
• Verify what you see online
• Balance mediated and “face time”