Technology & Interpersonal Communications

Technology & Interpersonal CommunicationsUnit 13

Ways We Communicate

SpeechesPresentationsCorrespondence/office communicationTelephoneVoice mailEmailWebsitesBlogsOthers?2Review and discuss these note that email exercise will follow so focus on the othersImpact of TechnologyGlance around a restaurant and youll be hard-pressed to find people who dont have their heads down using their cell phones to text, Tweet, or update their Facebook statusesall while sharing a meal with others at their table.The time people spend watching TV is time they are not actively socially engaged. Basing their estimates on detailed time dairies, Robinson and Godbey (1997) reported that a typical American adult spends three hours each day watching TV;; consuming 40% of the typical Americans free time; childrens TV watching is much higher (Condry, 1993).

Impact of TechnologyAccording to a research (Robert K1998) , greater use of the Internet was associated with: Statistically significant declines in social involvement as measured by communication within the family and the size of peoples local social networks, Increases in loneliness, In terms of social involvement, greater use of the Internet is associated with a declines in size of the social circle, declines in social contact, and declines in family communication. Greater use of the Internet also was associated with increases in depression. What does this mean for interpersonal communication? According to Paul Booth, assistant professor of media and cinema studies, College of Communication at DePaul University, Chicago, social media certainly affects how we engage with one another across all venues and ages. There has been a shift in the way we communicate; rather than face-to-face interaction, were tending to prefer mediated communication, he says. Wed rather e-mail than meet; wed rather text than talk on the phone.According to Booth, studies have shown that people actually are becoming more social and more interactive with others, but the style of that communication has changed so that were not meeting face-to-face as often as we used to.That said, our interactions on social media tend to be weak tiesthat is, we dont feel as personally connected to the people at the other end of our communication as we do when were face-to-face. So while were communicating more, we may not necessarily be building relationships as strongly, Booth says.

Role of Social Media in Communication StylesThree key issues: First, when we communicate through social media, we tend to trust the people on the other end of the communication, so our messages tend to be more open. Second, our social connections are not strengthened as much through social media as they are face-to-face, so we dont tend to deepen our relationshipsthey tend to exist in the status quo. Last, we tend to follow and interact with people who agree with our points of view, so we arent getting the same diversity of viewpoints as weve gotten in the past.

Far-Reaching Effects

Nicholas David Bowman, PhD, an assistant professor of communication studies in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University, says actions that trigger a bad online relationship likely are the same ones that trigger a bad relationship in real lifeonly the modality has changed. For example, cyberbullying has largely the same antecedents and behavioral, emotional, and affective consequences as does [noncyber] bullying, Bowman says. Yet the difference is the morethat is, social media allows for more contact, more communication, and in a more public manner.

Information Overload

One big concern surrounding social medias impact is communication overloadlearning how to handle and make sense of this more information we now have.As Bowman explains, were getting more information about more people than ever before, and we feel a need to process and perhaps even respond to it all. In fact, there has been some very early recent data suggesting that teens are perhaps pulling away from Facebook because its just too much for them to handle, he says.

Technology AddictionWhen individuals spend more time with their smartphone than interacting with the people around them, to the detriment of those face-to-face relationships. It may be the parent checking his or her e-mail during a family dinner or the young college student updating Twitter, Bowman says. For these people, they likely feel such a strong sense of identity online that they have some difficulty separating their virtual actions from their actual ones.

Communication and Information TechnologyE-Mail (Written messages have replaced many telephone and in-person interchanges.)Company blogs or Web logs (Sends information with soft, human touch.)Presentation technology (Eye contact and human touch still needed.) Telecommuting and the distributed workforce (Many positives and negatives.)Impact of Computer-Mediated Communication on BehaviorCommunication more widespread and immediate, and can be fast-pacedLimited human touch a problemInvites Web surfing and useless e-mailsRepetitive motion disorder widespreadToo many wired managerial workersMultitasking has benefits but can lead to rudeness and low productivity

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Examples of Media RichnessFace-to-face dialogue *Videoconference *Telephone conversation ** Voice mail* E-mail * Informal letters/memos * Organizations own videos * Formal written documents * Formal numerical documents SingleMultipleFastSlowSpeed of Personalized FeedbackCues and Language* Organizations Web site Technology and Interpersonal Communication

A. Marshall McLuhan:1. We are currently living in the electronic age. Beginning with the invention of the telegraph in 1850, electronic inventions have transformed the ways that we live and communicate, such as telephone, television, computer etc.2. The electronic media foster the creation of one global village where everyone is linked (directly or indirectly) through technology with everyone else. In the electronic age, close human systems no longer exist.B. George Gerbner: Television is the dominant force in shaping modern society.The result of of Gerbners research studying the relationship between television viewing and perceptions of reality: People living in a community with little, if any, violence were likely to see their community as more violent than it actually was if they watched a lot of television.Reminder!Final Presentations on June 11th and 12th Each student will submit a two page report on his/her presentation on June 12th .Assignment due on Wednesday, June 4th Open Book Quiz (based on Case Studies 1,2,3) on Wednesday June 12th .Activity #1Cultural Dimensions and Barriers ApplicationCase 1: Barely LegalRoy, an international student from Singapore, comes to see Barbara Jones, an International student advisor, to inquire about an on-campus summer employment. As Barbara pulls out Roys academic record from the computer, she discovers that Roy is currently enrolled below the minimum limit of being a full-time student. Barbara immediately warns Roy: Did you know that you are now out-of-status? Roy asks, What did you mean? You are an illegal now. You can be deported! Barbara adds with an angry tone in her voice. Roy finally explains to Barbara that he had to drop calculus because he was doing poorly in the class. Despite Roys explanation, Barbara continues to tell Roy that he can be deported back to Singapore. After that conversation, Roy feels badly about himself, leaves the office, and does not intend to return to see Barbara again.Activity #1Cultural Dimensions and Barriers ApplicationCase 2: TV DinnerPhil, an American, invites his Filipino co-worker, Pedro, for a dinner at his familys house. As the foods are being served, Pedro is surprised to find out that Phil and his family eats dinner in the living room in front of the television. Pedro feels uneasy about this, and Phil realizes that he is receiving dirty looks from Pedro. Why is Pedro feeling uneasy about where Phils family is eating their dinner?Activity #1Cultural Dimensions and Barriers ApplicationCase 3: Kenyan Public SpeakingJack, a White American foreign exchange college student, visits a Kenyan village to talk to them about the AIDS Epidemic. As a seasoned public speaker and having done a lot of research on the AIDS epidemic in Africa, Jack is obviously qualified to give a presentation on this topic. Jack is dressed in a business suit, nicely groomed, and confident about the presentation. However, Jack notices that his Kenyan audience does not even want to listen to him; they are all inattentive and are not interested at all with what he is saying. What is the reason behind Jacks audience reluctance to listen to him?Robert K., Michael P.,Vicki L.,Sara K.,Tridas M.,William S.(1998), Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? Carnegie Mellon UniversityMaura K., Social Media and Interpersonal Communication (2013). Social Work Today,Vol. 13(3) Page 10