Social Aspects of Communication (The How and Where of Social Life on the Internet)

I enjoyed reading interpersonal life online by Baym. It highlighted that the internet is an inherently social tool, and like its media predecessors, it was underused at it's inception. While many argued that the internet would lead to less communication, the exact opposite is true. Communication has become the domain of internet. Moreover, given Baym's description of the characteristics of communication on the internet (e.g., reduced social cues, limited information regarding participants, limited information regarding the structure of interactions between participants, visual channel of written discourse and the ability to edit, preference for explicit and direct communication, etc.), make communication on the internet a good option for individuals with poor social skills, disabilities, low processing speed, and poor executive functioning. These individuals are able to re-invent themselves at times or alter the way in which they are perceived allowing them to strengthen their self-efficacy for communication. At times, these individuals can express themselves in these interactions more truly than in real life interactions. However, while there is a reduced need to display skills related to social communication in real life and interpret social information in real-time, there are still large social demands present in CMC. For example, individuals must still be adept at using humor, knowing when to use informal versus formal speech/writing, and conform to the social conventions of the environment in which they are present. The article does lead one to understand that the view of individuals who spend time on the internet as socially inept is largely unfounded. Studies (such as Pew, 2000) have even shown that internet users were more socially active than non-users. Moreover, Kietzman even pointed out the powerful effect of social organization on the internet by relating the story of the individual who's guitar was broken by an airline company.

Overall, the internet is a powerful tool for social communication and CMC involves a number of highly social aspects that allow individuals to communication as effectively and in some cases more effectively than they could in face-to-face situations.

Hello World

Well, this is my first blog ever. I hope that it holds the interest of at least some individuals out there.