Theory of Social Information Processing:
A Theoretical Application
Nicholas McCann
Kennesaw State University Application of the Theory of Social Information Processing
In 1992 Joseph Walther developed the idea of social information processing which is an interpersonal communication theory that describes how individuals establish relationships with one another through a computer-mediated environment and how they can progress and manage the relationships while using an online medium or channel (Van Der Heide, & Walther, 2009). Social information processing theory can be applied to various forms of media such as computers, phones, videogames, and television. The uses of these applications have different purposes. For instance online
…show more content…
Chronemics is a major variable in social processing theory, since certain mediums take slightly longer for responses than others allowing for different interpersonal affects. For example e-mails may take a couple of days waiting for one person to reply to the other, while software likes Skype immediate responses allowing a constant conversation. Once established, online personal relationships may demonstrate the same relational dimensions and qualities as face to face relationships (Walther et al, 2010). Online relationships may help facilitate relationships that would not have formed in the face-to-face world due to intergroup differences, geographic challenges, etc. (Walther et al, …show more content…
Thus, moral development is seen as a productive component of the online advancement being described in social information processing (Terzian et al, 2015). As such, aggression is also actively altered in response to feedback generated through the process of engaging in social life (Wang et al, 2009). The social information processing research on aggression have two broad issues that must be addressed the regard of how both morals and aggression play apart in interpersonal communication. The first has to do with the ways general systems or structures of social knowledge are defined (Nucci, 2004). The second has to do with the relationships between general systems of knowledge and the specific procedural knowledge, known as scripts, employed to direct specific actions in context (Nucci, 2004). Because of these issues, moral development and aggression research has slowed in its progression of understanding child
15). This research speaks volumes to the overall effect that the spread of technology has on our addiction to social media. It shows that we now value our time and interactions that happen over the Internet more than we value the true face-to-face interactions that real relationships actually depend on. One study performed on a university campus in Turkey used a questionnaire to evaluate different factors that could have significantly positive or negative effects on a relationship. This study performed by Egeci and Gencoz found that “…those with lower communications problems…were more likely to experience relationship satisfaction” (388). The type of communication that is proven to help grow relationships occurs most effectively face-to-face, where people can read each other’s emotions in their facial expressions and non-verbal
Electronic communication plays vast roles in the way individuals communicate in today’s society, this has created a significant change to the quality of interpersonal
The relationship between people has been changed because of the widely using of new technology. People can easily communicate with other people by using different kinds of methods. Because of the use of those methods, people have more space with others and frequently hide part of themselves on the Internet in order to show the best of them. In the essay “Small Change: Why he Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted”, Malcolm Gladwell states that the relationship between people can be categorized by strong ties and weak ties. For example, in the past, people communicated by the method of interpersonal hierarchies, which are considered as strong ties. However, with the development of technology, social network, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Skype, which have become very popular in the world, are regarded as weak ties. Moreover, in the essay “Alone Together”, Sherry Turkle claims that people are distant with others and get lost in the virtual world through the new technology. She points out that now people communicate with others through technology instead of directing talking to real people. Furthermore, some people suppose that sociable robots as substitutes for people. Both Gladwell and Turkle agree with the idea that technology plays an important role on people’s connection. Technology only creates inauthentic relationship because it hides identity of many disorganized people.
The article Electronic Intimacy by Christine Rosen talks about the relationships people have with the online world and how it affects relationships because everything is just so fast. The purpose this article was written is to give her audience which is people who use social media to experience an actual in person relationship because the only relationship we know today lies in a direct message. Rosen poses a question to her audience that has us all thinking and also is her thesis. The question says “But does the way we communicate with each other alter that experience significantly?” (Paragraph 5). But it makes sense because in today’s world there is no such thing as personal relationships which is why Rosen states that “We are living in an
7-1). In preparing information to discuss with Ms. Gordon on January 13th, pieces of information such as the divorce, her feelings towards the divorce, the daughters wellbeing, would all be areas to explore if the meeting went in such direction.
In addition to affecting written communication, face to face communication has drastically changed due to technology. Due to the heavy use of electronic communication we are losing the ability as humans verbally communicate with others in a person manner. In Computer mediated Communication (CMC), a generalized term to cover all electronic communication, what we call communication is the passing of information without the emotional or intellectual connection to the parties we are communicating with(Bird, 2003, p.122). This causes a person to lose touch with those around them. Since it is thought that making emotional links with others is the basic facilitator for learning from experience. CMC has hampered this avenue for human intellectual growth(Bird,
But this has ceased to exist after the introduction of Smartphone 's and the internet. People prefer to chat in the many social media offered on the internet and accessed by their Smartphone 's, play games, listen to music and even blog than strike a conversation with a person sited next (Tuckle, 2011, 23). As much as people are communicating more, a threat of communication becoming more of quantity than quality is emerging. As much as the use of Smartphone 's and internet has expanded people socially and geographically, it drives people from authentic relations. Too much use of Smartphone 's and web results in declining people social circle. It is a fact that the more time people spend on their Smartphone 's and the internet the less time they has with their families, friends and other people in the society.
Sterkin (2012) stated, individuals speak with desire to be heard. Typically developing children naturally learn to listen to others and to engage in social interactions from early age as they contact reinforcement or punishment from their audiences (Catania, 2013; Skinner, 1957). They learn to engage in successful social interactions, such as engaging in social conversations and cooperating with other individuals as they contact mutual benefits (Cosmides, 1989). However, many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental disabilities (DD) have shown deficits in the area of social communication and social reciprocity, which results in decreased opportunities to successfully interact with peers to establish friendship (Radley,
Over the past decade, a visible social movement has been induced by the uprising of media and websites. However, it has undoubtedly peaked during the last couple of years. With the steady establishment of new social networks, there are varying viewpoints regarding the time the majority of people spend fixed to a screen. This is certainly food for thought. Is society isolating itself from face-to-face contact and resorting to online relationships? Possibly. But are such actions always critical and destructive? Opinions range on the subject. Through the analyzation of the argument, using examples such as an article by Barry Cooper, "Infatuation with Facebook friends knows no limits," the common myth of Echo and Narcissus, and a personal perspective,
As a high school student, I was required by my parents to get a job. When I first read the directions for the assignment, customer service immediately popped into my head. With my experience working as a cashier I thought customer service would be the perfect social situation to use for this assignment. There are many situations in customer service where you would use of all the terms listed in the text. As the text says, "70% of jobs today involve some sort of public speaking."
People are now connected electronically to 24-hour news cycles, updates on all the movements and activities of friends and celebrities, and even, in the case of physicians, with latest research findings on diagnoses and treatments of illnesses. Even counseling has expanded thanks to the Internet where some counselors now offer group sessions via chat, or provide treatment via instant messaging and emails. Psychologists have expressed concern whether computer mediated communication (CMC) will help or hinder those individuals who may be lonely and isolated from others. CMC has definitely changed how we communicate with others and has had an equal amount of problems related to misinterpretation.
Laughey, (2007) asserts that due to the development of the media of communication, the social situation may not only be regarded as the physical environment such as a home, workplace or school, but also extended to various aspects of life which is considered as an information system. Human behavior in the society is always influenced by the nature of the medium of communication that it adopts and this may result into either the isolation or segregation of people into clearly defined information systems (Meyrowitz, 1994). This defines their boundaries and also determines the extent to which they can interact with the society ( Meyrowitz,
Social sites are a beneficial way to communicate, however, it affects a person’s ability to communicate face to face with others. Many people spend much of their leisure time online rather than connecting with the offline world. In a specific article, a participant spends several hours each day updating her profile instead of talking face to face with others (Livingstone 399). Being online more than offline, decreases people’s abilities to interact with others who are disconnected. Furthermore, by communicating online also contributes to misrepresentation, which leads to misreading a text, leading to mixed emotions of a person who wrote the message. Therefore, social networking reduces an emotional aspect between people as it is hard to tell what a person is feeling through text. In addition, people lack confidence talking to an individual physically rather than virtually. In an
People have become social animals. The society is made of human beings and their interaction in many forms. The interconnected chain of people to one another in all aspects of life is termed someway a social value. An emergence of globalization and information technology’s revolution posed many significant impacts on the humans’ life. The traditional society turned into digital societies, such as the keeping links, debates, discussions, speeches, gathering, online dating (examples are eHormony, Spark Networks, Match.com, Plenty of fish), orientation, training, and video conferencing through many websites such as facebook, twitter, Google circle, whatsapp, logman.com and Skype etc. These are
I’ll begin with the social applications of Information Technology. Social interaction and social standings have never been more complex yet nowhere as simple to form. Simple because you may make tens, hundreds or thousands of friends, acquaintances, and other social connections without leaving your place of comfort. Complex because individuals are linked in so many different ways. Whether it be through social media, a game, or somebody you used to know. All of these links offer a broad variety of relationships all the while this webbing of intercommunication is quite capable of having people never meet. I for one have several connections via the games I play. All of these people go to work or school or whatever their lives entail and