dinsdag 29 maart 2011

Friendships and relationships through Social Media


Nowadays we are using social media tools all the time, our communication take place through email, instant messaging, and other electronic ways.  In addition to what we express verbally (face- to- face), there are many other facets to communication that make up a comprehensive message. Some 93% of what we are thinking is said non- verbally.  When we think of non- verbal communication, we think of body language, hand gestures of facial expressions. But what happens in online conversations if 93% of what we are thinking is said non- verbally, how are we going to detect this thoughts? And is it possible to form new friendships or relationships?  In science, there are two conflicting perspectives about computer mediated communication called  ' Lost'  and ' Liberated' .

Lost
The first perspective ‘Lost’ assumes that communication through computers lacks many aspects of traditional communications, such as physical presence, social, nonverbal and contextual cues.  Also they say, social relationships are superficial, not personal and often hostile, group formation is an illusion and there is little information available to misunderstandings and ambiguities. The bottom line is that computer mediated communication through datingsites, social networksites, e-mail and other forms are anti-social.

Liberated
The second perspective ‘Liberated’ assumes that communication through computer makes relationships free (liberated) from physical proximity and therefore offers many opportunities for new, real and interpersonal relationships. Computer mediated communication is therefore true relational and the lack of physical presence actually offers opportunities.   In other words, computer mediated communication is social.
Everyone will have a different point of view about these two perspectives and you will have yours. With this in mind I wrote a piece for one of my courses about communication and online friendships.  The main question was;

“Is it possible to form a close friendship or relationsships through online communication?”


Based on several existing theories, I believe that it is possible to form close friendships or relationships through online communication. I believe that the internet can be a good starting point for the emergence of a friendship or a relationship. For example, forums where members communicate with each other about shared interests. According to Berger and Calabrese (two researchers in this field) people find each other nicer in online meetings compared to offline meetings. Because people have limited information about the other person they will search for information to make a first impression. More information about the other person makes him or her more predictable. More information leads to a more secure en comfortable feeling. Another research by two scientists (Chan en Cheng) shows that offline friendships are deeper, more understanding and more intimate compared to online friendships. But on the other hand, the quality of friendships improved for both online and offline friendships as the relationship lasts. However, a theory of Walther (1992) argues that it is possible to form online interpersonal relationships but is takes more time compared to face-to-face relationships. Also, studies of Park en Roberts (1998) demonstrated that individuals within online friendships use other tools for communication over time, such as telephone, letters and even inter- personal communication.

In conclusion
The internet in my opinion could be a good starting point for establishing friendships, because people find other people nicer in online meetings. Offline friendships are deeper compared to online friendships, but the quality of both “offline” and “online” friendships improve after time expires. Because people after time expire, use other communication tools to maintain the friendship. There is an offline friendship born out of an online meeting.

Thank you for reading my blog this week!
See you next time...
Denise