10. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) Flashcards
What was the predominant perspective on early CMC research (1970s-1980s)?
Nonverbal cues were filtered out, where focus was o the technology itself
What is the Social Presence Theory, and what are its 3 central claims?
The degree of salience of the other person in the interaction.
1) Communication media vary in its capacity to transmit cues
2) Less bandwidth technology = less cues transmitted = less presence = less warmth & involvement perceived = impersonal communication
3) CMC is always impersonal
What are the 4 factors to measure bandwidth of media?
1) number of cues
2) immediacy of feedback
3) potential for natural language
4) potential for personalisation (tailoring messages specifically)
What is the Media Richness Theory, and what are its 2 central claims?
Greater bandwidth of media = richer
1) Match been equivocality (ambiguity) of message situation and richness of medium produces best outcomes
2) Sees CMC as a lean medium as it has limited cues and is non-immediate
What is the Social Identity/Deindividuation Theory (SIDE) and what are its 5 factors?
SIDE explains the effects of anonymity and identifiability on group behavior.
1) Visual anonymity
2) Deindividuation (due to visual anonymity - lack personal qualities making you a unique individual)
3) Group identification of netizens (they think of themselves as part of a group because of deindividuation, so they observe themselves and others based on group-based cues)
4) Group dynamics
5) May be good for task-orientated communication, but not for interpersonal relationships
What is the Social Information Processing (SIP) Theory? (2; effect on CMC)
1) It describes the process:
Interpersonal information -> impression formation -> relational development.
2)It claims that CMC users can get to know each other and develop a mutual affinity by using the medium’s available cues to manage relationship development
What are 3 assumptions of SIP?
1) nonverbal cues are missing in CMC
2) communicators motivated to develop impressions & affinity (regardless of medium). With first impressions of each other, interacting parties draw closer if they both like the image of the other that they’ve formed
3) When nonverbal cues are unavailable, communicators adapt and focus on available cues in CMC
What are 2 components of SIP in CMC?
Verbal cues: in CMC, users need to create full impressions of others based on verbal communication only
Time: exchange of social information through text-only CMC is 4 times slower, thus relationship needs more time to fully develop. However, with anticipated interaction, it extends psychological time & our drive to reduce uncertainty about a person gets an added boost when we think we’re going to see each other again.
What does the Hyperpersonal model mean for CMC?
Sometimes, CMC relationships surpasses face-to-face communication
What are 4 factors of the Hyperpersonal model?
1) Sender: selective self-presentation; can edit and sustain an overwhelmingly positive impression
2) Receiver: over-attribution of similarity; lack cues but still jump to conclusions and over-attribute to info on profiles (have idealised image)
3) Channel: CMC is/can be asynchronous. Because it is communicating in your own time, one may plan, contemplate and edit comments more mindfully. Can help avoid conflicts and help busy people maximise their time
4) Feedback: self-fulfilling prophecy (similar to confirmation bias) where people want their expectations to be confirmed. Behavioural confirmation in CMC leads to greater affinity than in FTF. Creates hyperpersonal relationships only if they first form highly favourable impressions of each other
What is the benefit of CMC as exemplified by the Hyperpersonal model?
It may improve relationships between groups with a strong history of conflict and tension, as long as both parties focus on common tasks rather than group differences, and use only text (less nonverbal cues = more positive presentation and receiver attribution)
What is the Warranting Theory?
Since people know that claims can be easily fabricated in CMC, “warrant” (warranting cues) provides information about warranting value (the extent to which information is immune to manipulation by the source, by perception). It moderates the degree of impact of the information on forming impressions
What are 3 factors that determine the Warranting value?
1) source of information (source from others - more reliable)
2) perceived motivations
3) valence of information (positive/negative)
