Electronically Mediated Communication Essay

Our invariablyyday cackle involves talk to friends, spotrs, family members, acquaintances, co-workers and pot in dish pop come on positions. We do this routinely, usually without much thought, un slight much or less problem occurs or the birth starts to push back a put out for the worse. Then we live on painfully alert of the poor chat we have had with an opposite. Weve probably all had relationships that slipped a sort beca utilise we couldnt talk to each early(a) or didnt bother to try.In this chapter we will look at the mundane, yet remarkable, process of dyadic (virtuoso-on- one(a)), electronically intercede Intersomebodyal Communication. Well take a topical approach to the radical of electronically negotiate Inter someoneal Communication, examining a broad array of topics studies furbish up on the subject at hand. We will begin with an examination of jail cellular telephone phone usage processes and then spend time on the map of communication in the st rivingation, maintenance, and dissolution of relationships of all types. You will learn modern legal injury and theories and how they jakes apply to your own relationships and communication abilities using electronically Mediated Interpersonal Communication.Cell phonesCell phones be becoming an constitutional part of our daily lives. It is no surprise that a ground recess study on the preciselyton released swans mobile technology has permanently changed the way we work, live, and love. equip by Motorola, this new behavioral study likewisek researchers to nine cities foundingwide from b ar-assed York to London. Using a combination of personal interviews, field studies, and observation, the study identify a variety of behaviors that demonst wander the dramatic impact cell phones argon having on the way tribe interact.The study strand cell phones demonstrate sight a newfound personal power, enabling unprecedented mobility and allowing them to require their business on the go. Interesting enough, gender differences foot be found in phone use. Womensee their cell phone as a means of ex squeezeion and social communication, while males break away to use it as an interactive toy. Some men view the cell phone as a status symbol competing with other males for the just to the highest degree high tech toy and even using the cell phone to seduce the diametral sex. The study found 2 types of cell phone users- innies, who use their phones discreetly, and outies, who be louder and less bear uponed with the hoi polloi well-nigh them.The report, titled On the vigorous, has labelled instantlys teenagers The Thumb Generation. Cell phones atomic number 18 ofttimes utilize by the boyisher generation to send text messages by type create verbally with their thumbs on the phones keypad. Believe it or non, this has had a muddy effect on the way teenagers use their thumbs. Thumb dexterity has ameliorate so much that some teenagers promptly point a nd even phone doorbells with their thumb instead of their forefinger. The use of these two-way text messaging devices has as well as resulted in generation text, a language of abbreviations that is understood by the young all over the world.Yet cell phones atomic number 18 not just for the young. The cell phone has make long distance communications easy. GSM phones that come out calls worldwide have turned the universe into a global village. They atomic number 18 helping people from all generations cross cultural and physical borders. Mobile technology, specifically the use of cell phones, has become an internal part of todays life all around the globe.Cell phones have become so second nature in our society that the daily answer of your cell phone when having a count to face interaction with a friend, spouse, or acquaintance becomes a first priority (Kelly calls me) and is no long-life viewed as an interruption, but rather seen as a status symbol. This is as well as proble matic because it has made our conversations become customary for all to hear no longer having those intimate private talks, now everyone who is around you can discover in and become part of our conversations..There currently over clxx meg users in the United States and growing by 1million every month.Cell Phone UsageIn a June 2000 cellular One descry of college students 6, the students reported the following as the most beta reasons for purchasing a cell phone Emergencies (47%) To contact significant others (44%) To keep an eye on in touch with family members (58%) To coordinate social activities (32%)In the same survey students reported that the reasons they actually use their cell phones were Optimize time make calls while walking or driving (56.6%) Emergencies (35.5%) Coordinate social activities (7.0%)Juanita gives warning of cell phone use.Participation Question How do you react to person using in that location cell phone in a prevalent drive? For instance when you atomic number 18 seating down in the family liquidateting ready to see the movie and somebodys cell phones goes off? What doe you do? Whats your reaction?Have them write down answer then share with class.e-mailsAnother form of Electronically Mediated Interpersonal Communication is the Internet. Electronic communication is usually genetical via the meshing. Which is an international electronic computer network made up of little computer networks. The mesh is an information management system made up of information admitrs and information seekers. This idea of linking computers came to fruition in the mid 1960s. In 1983 this network became known collectively as the internet. The World Wide wind vane is part of the internet where information is presended.Here are some terms that are associated with the internet. Go online to lay out examples.* Web summons- are passably care pages in a book that include both pictures and text.* Websites- Are a appeal of webpages belonging t o the same organization or person.* Home page- Is the first page of a website.* Browser- Is a program that enables you to search millions of websites otherwise known as surfing the net. These programs include Netsacpe, Explore, just to name a some.* Uniform option locator or URL- The path name of a domain.* Bookmark- Stores favorite sites that you would like to re-visit.* Search engines- Identifies websites and cor opposeing URLs like google and yahoo.Give some stats on internet usage in the United States. keep on board (Kelly).Internet usage among Americans are as followedWomen use the internet 67%Men use the internet 69% more that women promptly we will also break down internet usage by age18-29 84%30-49 80%50-64 67%65+ 26%As you can see the usage is cut drastically as we play into the older generation. The older generations did not have the accessibility to these new electronic mediated forms of communication. Younger generations have practically been raised with these device s in place and are part of their everyday lives.Another part of existence online is emails. This is a written form of communication sent via the internet. Email is the largest application of internet technology. In the early 90s email was an option uncommitted mostly for interoffice communication. Only a small upshot of people were experimenting with emails as a general means to communication. Today of the 75% of teens online, email accounts for most of their one on one contacts. Email has two major advantages one its fast and two its unlimited.But unlike traditional mail, email is public and not private. People can intercept and read nearly any message sent using the right software. So once once more privacy is no longer an objective, but convenience has become the number one priority in our lives. This is seen in the way we transcend in emails. So fast paced has our lives become that we now abbreviate terminology andthoughts into guiltless letters, like B.F.N. which stands f or BYE FOR NOW. Not only has communication become shorter, but also less meaningful. Over 36 billion emails are sent on a daily basis worldwide. We essential remember that emails are forms of communication and should be treated as any other form of public interaction, that is respect.Here are some skills that should be kept in mind when using this form of electronically mediated interpersonal communicationSENDER SKILLS1. USING PRECISE, CONCRETE WORDS Since tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and other nonverbal means we use to communicate are virtually missing in cyber communication, you need to be especially careful with the words you use when writing to another person. What do you say we squeeze together quondam(prenominal) does little more than express an interest in twining, but say you were to include times you are available, and a potential date for meeting, the other person will be more likely to accept an invitation to meet because they see it as a possibility r ather than an abstract idea.2. PROVIDING enlarge AND EXAMPLES Once again, its not what you say, its how you say it. Being too short in an email to someone could likely cause miscommunication. However, providing flesh out and examples can help to pass on up any confusion.3. DESCRIBE YOUR FEELINGS clarify content (ideas, details, explanation, feelings) helps the receiver understand not only what youre talk of the town almost(predicate), but how the subject at hand makes you feel. If I were to email someone and tell them I ran out of gas today, smashed my toe on the wall, and got to work late, they would have assume that I was not having a reasoned day, but wouldnt be able to tell how it had made me feel. Now if I were to say I had a horrible morning. I smashed my toe on the wall while I was trial out of the house, ran out of gas on the way to work and showed up 20 minutes late. Im feeling so show and upset the receiver of my information would definitely get a stimulate pi cture of how the morning made me feel.4. PRESENT YOUR IDEAS POLITELY When were online thithers a tendency to separate ourselves from the person were talking with. Sometimes this leads to saying things in a way that others will comprehend as offensive. Say Kyle and Chris got in an argument a few age ago. Rather than merely saying Chris I want to talk about what happened the other day, Kyle whitethorn want to say Chris, when you get a chance, I think we should talk about the other day. I truly value our friendship, and was wondering if you would want to get together to clear the cinch. Now Kyle is letting Chris know that he doesnt intend on letting the friendship get ruined because of one argument, but he also doesnt want to have any hostility sledding into the reconciliation.RECEIVER SKILLS1. LISTEN TO WHAT THE PERSON HAS SAID a tool one can use when reading an email is to say it out loud, not just skim through it. You are now adding the nonverbals that the simple words on the page are lacking.2. BE SENSITIVE TO THE PERSONS FEELINGS Even if the printed message may not capture a persons feelings as well as wed like, we must silence try and be in tune with them. Someone we are tight involved with may expect us to empathize with them when they are send us a message. So rather than simply reading the words, we must try and imagine how those words make the sender feel by thinking about that person in general. In some cases, we may still be unclear about the meaning of a indisputable message, and this is when perception checking comes in handy. We must ask the person to try and clear up what they meant when a message is ambiguous or vague.3. PARAPHRASE nominate IDEAS BEFORE YOU RESPOND DUH Perception check. If someone emailed you saying I speak with my manager the other day and he said hes laying off my closing curtainst friend here, you may respond I get the sense that you are upset with your manager for his termination to lay off your friend, and also feel bad for your friend about the possibility of him losing his job am I right? The person can then respond letting you know if you got the message right.4. BE verifying WHEN A PERSON IS SHARING GOOD NEWS Regardless of how a person has phrased their message, they expect their message to be fully understood. If someone shares good news with you, they expect you to respond in a positive manner.5. appraise A PERSONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS kinda self explanatory.6. TRY TO rest A PERSON WHOS HURTING People who are close to us seek puff of air. Because of the lack of sharing the same personal pose with the person whom we are communicating, we may not feel inclined to get involved in the issue with which that person is struggling. But remember, a person would not say anything unless they were seeking comfort. So if your friend emails you and says Ive been having a bad week.My click is sick, Im behind on homework, and I havent been myself lately, you musnt ignore that person, but provide some sort of support. Responding with Man, that sucks is NOT a good way to comfort someone. However, responding with, Wow, Im so sorry. I true(a)ly hope your dog is okay, and if you need any help with getting organized, let me know what I can do. Im here for you, and you can call me if you ever need to just vent is a better way of presentation the person that you care about them and their current situation.Participation question How practically do you use your email account on a periodical basis? Write down answer and then share with class. otherwise interactions that can take place using the internet is newsgroups and chat rooms. workaday millions of people chat online with friends, colleagues and st retchrs. Teens use this form of interaction the most heart and soul of time. Many teens engage in internet chat because they can be themselves more oppose to face to face interactions.This is due to them not being afraid of how people will judge them. One unique feature of being online is that your real identity is usually kept secret. Most people adopt a cyber identity or persona. In this make intend world you can become anything or anyone you want. This can besomewhat problematic because so can everyone else.Here are a few definitions on the topicNewsgroups- Is an electronic gathering place for people with kindred interests. (Online example)Chat- Is an online interactive exchange between two or more people. (Online example)Lurking- perceive in on newsgroups or chat conversations. (Online example)Flaming- A hostile or negative respond to what youve written. (Online example)Participation question Does anyone belong to a Newsgroup or likes to chat online? How often?Thomas gives example about chat rooms.thank to advances in technology, people are introduced to others they havenever seen through chat rooms and internet dating services. These people mostly meet in a room where they talk about a certain subject. The people who meet online are likely to try and erupt these Electronically Mediated relationships (or EM relationship) into a personal relationship. They will meet in a chat room, and if an interest in someone sparks the desire to meet in a private chat room, they may do so. From here, people are ableto communicate one-on-one and may then find out they have more than one thing in common. If the interest continues to grow, they may talk over the phone, and eventually meet in person. The result could be just a friendship, or an intimate relationship.Statistics show that 23.7% of the people in a study of a certain newsgroupor chatroom communicated with their spouse 3-4 times a week, and 55.4% communicated at least on a each week basis. These EM relationships are attractive to some people with busy lifestyles who subscribe to they have no time to do the bar scene. other(a) people who have a opposite relationships use EMC to sustain that relationship. E-mail was originally designed as a tool for conducting business, b ut is now used widely by friends, family, and lovers to maintain close connection that tycoon be difficult to sustain when there is a lack of time, or there is great(p) distance between the two parties.Instant pass along is one of the most widely used tools for sustaining or developing relationships. My brother lives with me, yet when we are at home, we get the mosttalking make while using Instant Messenger from separate rooms in the house. This is not to say our relationship wouldnt last if we didnt communicate via the internet, but it is a good way to catch up on each others lives while still working on what needs to get done like homework, and obviously communicating with others as well.EMC is less red-fruited than face to face communication, because text messages areprimarily verbal. We have talked about the loss or lack of intimacy in EMC, and this is mostly because the way we say our words means more than just what is said. Ms. Mallard used the example of I Love You in c lass. Typing I love you, while getting the message across, does not necessarily reflect the sensation and intent behind those three words. We refer to our EM encounters as talking to people, but the words we write seldom carry out as much meaning as we think. Only with videoconferencing is the full range of nonverbal messages available.After all, communication is at its most effective when there are verbal ANDnonverbal messages being carried out EMC, conducted via keyboard entries, is laggard paced than face-to-face conversations. We think faster than we cantype (unless youreSuper-Secretary). Although this slower rate may provide a person more time for thought, this slower transmission reduces the spontaneity that is an important characteristic of face-to-face interaction.EM communicators are perceived to be less supportive. As stated before, short messages may be interpreted many different ways, and are more often seen as very impersonal. In face-to-face communication, anywhere fr om 33% to vitamin C% of the meaning depends on how the message was stated. Many people are attracted to EMC as a means of developing or maintaining relationships if they have had difficulty cultivating powerful interpersonal relationships in person. Because EMC is planned, some people are able to show verbal skillfulness and humor in their writing, but lack those skills in face to face settings. Some individuals report that EM relationships are more lusty than face-to-face relationships.Now is this because we have advanced so far in the proficient field that more and more people are online, thus providing us with a greater range of people to meet, or is this because people are losing the ability to hold their own in a face-to-face encounter. Americans used to go to clubs or bars to meet people, but are now staying home on Friday nights to talk to their online partner because they are more comfortable suppressing their need for group interaction in a less threatening atmosphere. Think about it, it is easier to talk to someone you are equaled in online because the things you would have trouble saying in person simply roll right off your fingertips when using the internet. The awkwardness in a first conversation is virtuallynon-existent. You feel more connected to that person, and relationships tend to develop faster this way.Role of Electronic Communication in make RelationshipsToday communication technologies are changing the way we building and maintaining relationships. earlier to 1990, people became more acquainted mostly with those with whom they had personal physical contact. At the sametime, dating services advertised that they can get people in the same community acquainted with each other in spite of appearance a week. Today, people are able to make acquaintances with people around the world within seconds.From Online to In-Person RelationshipsIn face to face relationships, put is built over time. In EM relationships, making a religion evalua tion is more difficult. Some of the media through which relationships are developed are very opaque.Kelly gives example about Justine (trust factor).The dark side of Electronically Mediated CommunicationThere are three main problems with EMCEM communication to form relationship and acquire information has a number of risks and abuse. ( vitiate of Anonymity) Write on board- One type of abuse in Internet- based relationships stems from the common practice of assuming a fictitious online persona. (Dishonesty) Write on boardA second risk in cyber relationships lies in the ease with which one can be deceived. In cyberspace, people usually lie about their sex and physical attributes, and create fictitious careers, homes, and so forth. Unfortunately, some people use cyberspace to prey on others. When we develop in-person relationships, we usually have independent ways of plump foring that the people are what they are representing themselves to be. Because we dont know our EM partners in person we are severely limited in our abilities to independently confirm what we are told.Abuse of anonymity and dishonesty are of special concern for EM relationships formed by children. In 1998, seventeen million children ages two to eighteen were online. That number is expected to grow even higher. This is of some concern as well due to the growing numbers of Addiction. (Addiction) Write on board A third potential problem for children and adults alike is technological addictions, defined as non chemical (behavioral) addictionsthat involves human machine interaction. People who are addicted spend inordinate amounts of time online and begin to prefer their cyber relationships to their real ones.So in conclusion technology has made some great strides in bringing the world closer, meaning we literally have the world at our fingertips. We can communicate with someone in Ireland at the press of a button. The effectiveness of Electronically Mediated Communication as it relates to inter -personal communication lies solely in how we choose to use it. EMC, if used incorrectly can drastically deteriorate the level of human intimacy and can take away the private aspect of communication with loved ones and has in turn made it into a public affair.