Interpersonal Communication - Chapter 2 Notes

Mediated Communication: Definition & Context

• Social media = electronic platforms where users build online communities.

• Mediated communication = any interpersonal exchange via electronic channels (email, text, social networks, video-chat) instead of face to face.

Similarities with Face-to-Face

• Serve same goals: physical, social, identity, practical needs.

• Follow same process: senders ⇄ receivers, messages, noise, feedback.

• Same principles: unintentional messages, irreversibility, impossibility of “not communicating.”

Key Differences

• Leaner: fewer non-verbal cues ⇒ more room for misinterpretation.

• Variable synchronicity: synchronous (phone, video) vs asynchronous (email, posts).

• Permanence & publicity: digital trail can last indefinitely.

Relational Consequences

• Disinhibition: online bluntness / honesty rises.

• Hyperpersonal effect: faster, deeper self-disclosure; can idealize partners.

Benefits of Mediated Channels

• Expanded relational opportunities (dating, niche communities).

• Easy maintenance of existing ties (texts, posts, blogs).

• Social support networks for health, addiction, crisis.

Drawbacks

• Superficial ties: people can only manage ≈ 150 stable relationships (Dunbar).

• Potential social isolation when online use replaces face time.

• Relational strain: distraction, jealousy, online affairs.

• Deception: selective self-presentation, catfishing.

• Harassment: cyberstalking & cyberbullying; serious psychological harm.

• Privacy risks: permanent posts, employer screening, sexting fallout.

User Differences

• Gender: women → more emotion words & personal pronouns; men → more objects, large words, swearing.

• Age: digital natives prefer texting & social media; older users lean on email/phone. Topic focus shifts from school → work → family across lifespan.

Competent Online Communication

• Netiquette: give undivided attention, keep tone civil, avoid bystander intrusion.

• Protect self: think before posting, doubt unverifiable info, weigh warranting value, balance screen time with face time.

Essential Terms (know definitions)

• Asynchronous: Communication where there is a time gap between when a message is sent and when it is received and responded to, such as email or social media posts.

• Cyberbullying: Deliberate, repeated, and hostile actions carried out by means of electronic communication, causing psychological or emotional harm.

• Cyberstalking: Using electronic communication to repeatedly harass or threaten an individual, often involving monitoring and unwanted contact.

• Disinhibition: The tendency to express messages more bluntly or honestly when communicating online than in face-to-face interactions, due to a sense of anonymity or detachment.

• Hyperpersonal communication: An accelerated and more intimate self-disclosure that occurs in mediated communication, leading to a faster and deeper connection, sometimes resulting in an idealized perception of the other person.

• Leanness: Refers to communication channels that carry fewer non-verbal cues (e.g., facial expressions, tone of voice), leading to more potential for misinterpretation.

• Mediated communication: Any interpersonal exchange that occurs through electronic channels (such as email, text messages, social networks, or video chat) rather than face-to-face.

• Online surveillance: The act of monitoring someone's online activities without their knowledge, often related to privacy risks where digital trails can be used by employers or others.

• Richness: Refers to communication channels that carry a high number of non-verbal cues, mirroring the comprehensive nature of face-to-face communication.

• Social media: Electronic platforms that allow users to build online communities and share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.

• Synchronicity: Refers to communication where there is no time lag between when a message is sent and when it is received, such as a phone call or video chat.