Groups

1. Groups Chapter 9 Shedletsky & Aitken Human Communication on the Internet

2. Groups and the Internet • By a group, Communication scholars mean 3 to 30 people; • On the Internet, a group can mean connecting large numbers of people, hundreds or thousands or more; • The Internet seems to be accomplishing McLuhan’s idea of a global village, community;

3. Functions of Internet Groups • Internet groups connect people who have needed information or resources; • Internet groups empower the self; through information and self expression; • Internet groups improve the quality of life (of course, with exceptions);

4. What Goes On In Groups • Story-telling in groups; • The Internet is a story-telling medium • People share their real and imaginary stories online • People in electronic discussion groups often have a common bond of some kind, a shared interest in a subject

5. Electronic Discussion Groups and Identity • Most lists (listservs) require a name attached to the user; • Some groups allow the name ‘anonymous’; • Many people believe they are anonymous this way;

6. Electronic Discussion Groups and Identity • In communication, knowing the identity of your interlocutor is essential for understanding and evaluating interaction; • Yet in the disembodied world of virtual reality, identity is ambiguous; • Internet discussion groups allow individuals to play with identity; • Online, identity is a cognitive creation--we create our identity and we imagine the other’s identity;

7. Developing Community through Groups • Many online discussion groups provide members with a sense of support, belonging, and connection; • Through online interaction, people communicate with each other as they establish community; • By community we mean the ability of people to come together, to have a sense of sharing and commonality, to feel a sense of oneness;

8. Characteristics of Online Groups • “Real” vs. “Virtual”: Online groups have a reality people sometimes fail to achieve face-to-face; • Online groups tend to contain much self disclosure or telling of personal information; • Successful participation can enhance self-acceptance and skills for other communication contexts;

9. Characteristics of Online Group Discussion • Motivations for online discussion align closely with those of interpersonal communication: • Affection • Control • Escape • Inclusion • Pleasure • Relaxation

10. Behaviors of Users of Online Discussion • Self-absorption; • Unique Language; • Ignoring; • Lurking; • Conversation lulls; • Participation in multiple lists; • Experimentation with identity; • Conflict; • Lack of nonverbals

11. Behaviors of Users of Online Discussion • Unique Language; • Some groups develop their own language conventions • The unique language may involve capitalization, combining words, abbreviations, and other devices

12. Behaviors of Users of Online Discussion • Accuracy of Information; • For every site with valid scientific information, you can find others with false informatiion; • Some people seeking a cure for a medical problem turn to the Internet instead of the medical community;

13. Talking to Others • Of special interest is the ways in which talking to others online differs from talking face-to-face; • In both contexts, online and face-to-face, talk and social variables influence one another; • But the differences in the two contexts do seem to influence talk;

14. Talking to Others • For instance, in online talk people may care less about what the moderator thinks of them and hence are more willing to share potentially embarrassing information; • Online we can tailor talk to the individual in a group; • We may be inclined to react to messages without knowing or processing who sent them: deindividuation;

15. Talking to Others • Online, we do not have the nonverbals to guide us with feedback; • Online, we do not have the built in connection between a body and identity and talk; • Online, we do not (typically) hear our interlocutor’s voice; • Online, we are likely to use our imaginations more intensely than in face-to-face groups;