Computer-Mediated Communication
Many problems arise when people communicate over the internet. In fact, over the past few weeks, with our class communicating via email and GoogleSites, I encountered a few obstacles. It was difficult to process all the information being sent out. I was wary of reading every single post because it was just so much information. I certainly thought it was a great way to really see how computer mediated communication affected relationships. The interesting thing is that my generation is so keen on using facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. But when it comes to something like email, it feels disorganized or confusing to us.
When it came to the GoogleSites, I found it difficult to navigate through everything. I rarely check my email and really just use it to send junk mail to. Relationships develop differently over the internet than in person or over the phone. For one thing, the internet creates a certain veil for people hide behind. Here you can take as much time as you like to think about what you will say. You have much more power to direct which way the conversation will go. You have the ability to say whatever you please without much of a consequence. There is also a huge disconnect between the two people communicating.
It’s not uncommon for strangers to get in heated political debates, saying hurtful things in order to get a message across. It’s much less common to lose control of yourself when speaking face-to-face because there are possible consequences if you offend the other person. You may feel more sympathy and guilt. Whereas on the internet, the disconnect is greater. The internet can be very beneficial for relationships, however. For instance, many people who have difficulty communicating their thoughts to people in person, now have the ability to speak freely and comfortably.
They often find it easier to talk to another person this way. Another benefit is the easy access to communicating on the internet when no other communication is available. Soldiers across seas may be able to speak daily to their loved ones over the internet. During the wars before the internet, soldiers relied on written letters. This may be a more romantic and story tale way of communicating, but the reality is, the internet brings much comfort to the soldier and his family. There are obvious downsides of communicating over the internet. Relationships may often develop too rapidly or dishonestly because of it.
Feedback from one person to the other may become unclear create confusion. In person, because of body language, eye contact, and vocal tone, it is much easier to communicate clearly and express your thoughts. While we can still express our thoughts on the internet, we must take into account that our voice, body language, and tone, are all missing. It is especially important to express your thoughts clearly on the internet so that all audiences and people you are speaking with understand you clearly. The internet is a window to almost all information you could possibly be in search for.
It is the world in the palm of your hand. Yet most people do not use it for this purpose. It can be a huge distraction and time waster when it comes to getting things completed. Students often use it as a way to keep their minds off of homework that needs doing. I strongly believe that it contributes to a person’s attention p, making it easy to multitask and do a million things at once. Life used to move more slowly, assignments were done thoroughly and thoughtfully with complete attention on the task at hand. Now, students may find it difficult just to sit down for an hour and focus on one thing.
When things need doing, they are usually done quickly and thoughtlessly without much effort being put into it. The one thing that makes computer-mediated communication different from any other form of communication is the speed at which you can communicate. There is almost no waiting for the message to be sent, just instant communication. The beauty of communication before the internet was how important it was to people. They held it very close to themselves and it was a very personal thing to everyone. Now, communication has lost its quality. Sure, it’s communication, but it’s not nearly as personal.
People speak without thinking, or even feeling. Relationships are diluted because of the internet. They are not as genuine, as rare, as special, anymore. Relationships formed before speaking on the internet may still be genuine and valuable. But relationships formed on the internet often develop too quickly and possibly dishonestly. There is no sure way to tell when a person is telling the truth and it is much harder to get to know a person this way. To overcome the problems associated with computer-mediated communication we must be able to trust what we are reading from the person sending the message.
The biggest and most crucial rule I would create would be honesty. It is so easy to form a different identity on the internet. A very extreme example of this would be child molesters pretending they are teens in chat rooms or on facebook to befriend younger children. Though this is a really extreme case, it just goes to show that when people are given unlimited opportunities to do what they please without any consequences, what they may never think to do in reality is now a possibility. By staying honest to the person, as well as that person remaining honest, communication can become much clearer.
When we can trust what we read, we can continue on with the relationship. Another rule to ensure clear communication would be the use of proper spelling and grammar. Many messages can be misleading because of misspelled words and can even give the impression to the reader that the person is uneducated. Incorrect spelling can create an image of the speaker that is not a true representation of themselves. I believe these two rules are the most crucial in ensuring that a message via the internet is interpreted correctly.
