Social Presence Theory and Miscommunication

Communication is a tricky field to navigate - we are constantly encoding and decoding messages - however, the meaning we associate with the messages we are encoding might get decoded into an entirely different message by someone else. Misinterpretations happen in every medium, whether it's text messages, emails, or even face to face - however, we're more prone to miscommunication in computer mediated communication due to the lack of cues. The Social Presence Theory can help us understand this minor phenomenon: with less cues, the worse the understanding of the message and the speaker. Tying into the Social Presence Theory is Media Richness, which can also have a large impact on our message. CMC like texting or emails is more lean in information, while face to face, phone calls and video calls are more rich in information. Forms of CMC, like texting or email, erase important cues like paralanguage, body language and proxemics. If we have a message simply encoded in text, there are less cues to help clarify the message intended and thus there is more ambiguity. (For an example, see Calvin's clever use of this "loophole.")



This article by Harvard Business Review discusses the frequent miscommunication faced in the workplace, and offers advice on how to avoid misinterpretations when using CMC. Their steps including acknowledging and fighting the thought that people understand what we mean, to understand that different people communicate better in different ways, to realize that we communicate less information than we think we are and to "amplify the signal", to remember that sometimes the medium you use can send a message as well, reply promptly, write well polished text, and know that everyone should expect problems eventually.

We can use these techniques to help combat the weaknesses of computer mediated communication, and help increase our social presence. Making sure that our emails and messages aren't sloppily written helps us to better represent ourselves so our social presence among others will be viewed more positively. Making sure that our message isn't relying on the other person interpreting our cues the same way we would helps to dwindle down on the number of misunderstandings we might suffer. Knowing the best way to communicate with someone helps their image of us, and increases the odds of our message getting through and getting understood successfully. Knowing what medium/media is most appropriate to use in relation to the message you are trying to send will help make sure that you aren't mixing signals. If you take forever to reply to a message, it'll definitely send a negative image of yourself - and sometimes replying too fast (as some guys will attest) can also be seen as being "too eager." Timing is crucial in communication and depending on when you reply it could be seen as a negative. Finally - it's important that they note that you will run into problems eventually and be prepared to face and handle them!

CMC is a useful tool for communicating with others around (and not so around) us, and is invaluable with staying in contact with those far away from us. However, it doesn't mean it should be necessarily a thoughtless progress, especially in the workplace. It's important to keep in mind various things like context, medium, timing, grammar, spelling, and so on to make sure we're sending the most efficient message possible. While we don't have to go "Mission Impossible" and critically analyze every text message we send out, it is something good to keep in mind to make sure you get through what you'd like to get through.

Identify Yourself

Online identity or in other words identity persona is the established identity of an internet user in online communities. This presentation of oneself is actively constructed. There are many different ways internet users choose to go about establishing an online identity. An individual can use their real identity, make up an identity, be anonymous or steal someone else's identity.

An individual may use their real identity for interactions with family and friends. Also, these individuals may choose to build their personal character or network on these sites. Those who make up an identity often do this to hide from others or create a new identity to be known by. I can relate to this, on the social network I use, that it is easy to find an individual, like facebook I do not use my real name. I had this profile to present my personal life and to communicate with family and friends, but I went to a junior high school where the principal actually looked for us. My peers were very involved on this social media and often got into trouble at school for what they did on the site, so I ended up using a nickname and false last name. Another reason, being I wanted my profile to be undiscoverable to employers, which I was constantly warned about when I was younger and creating these profiles. Anonymous users usually go this route to reveal confidential information that they'll be penalized for if their identity was known. An anonymous user is usually that user that reveals information on companies like Apple or information about a celebrity. Lastly, internet users steal identities from other internet users, these victims vary from average people to famous individuals. It is natural for social network users to enhance their identity but it may come as low as that. Many people do this in efforts to hide the real them and become more appealing to others. This is beneficial when trying to establish relationships, promotions and other reasons. In this video you can see why posing as someone who aren't isn't okay.

Then we have cases where users create multiple profiles but does it mean they have different identities. Often these users use different user names to engage with different users, like employers or friends. These profiles can be on the same social media website or across the social network. Internet users often pick and choose want to post within their profiles.

One may have many reasons to include all of their personal information and many factors where they may not. The internet shows us everyday that it must be used with caution and that is sometimes the factor behind users' decisions on what they share on their online profile.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/19/online-identity-authenticity-anonymity

Hype and online dating

Nicky Daniels

With the hype of the internet, there are a lot of people who are excited that it allows you to connect with people who are in different countries, or that are a far distance from where you are at. The internet is a great place to connect with people who you do not know or are just looking to reconnect with.  Many people who believe in the hype of the internet are optimistic that they will make new friends and meet new people.  These people are the type of people that are completely fine with telling their deepest, darkest secrets to strangers.  It is also known that these people are more susceptible to start relationships over the internet as well.  There was a study that was done in 2013, that one third of people are more likely to get married when they meet over the internet.  Most people are more likely to tell their secrets to people they do not know therefore, they are willing to start intimate relationships with these people because they come off as more vulnerable to strangers.  Most times anonymity promotes disclosure.  That makes most people feel better about themselves when they can unleash their true selves to people who they do not know.  My cousin for example, had met her now boyfriend online.  They met through a dating website, and she told him her most personal secrets.  This caused them to feel closer to one another, even though he lived in a different state.  They now live together and are planning on getting married, and it is all because neither of them had hysteria about the internet.  Neither of the two were pessimistic of meeting in person after they had told all of their secrets to each other.  I think this is a prime example of how the internet can contribute to a healthy, long lasting relationship.  Online dating does not always work out the way we hope it will.  There is a popular show on MTV called Catfish.  In the show, a guy named Nev finds people who have online relationships and helps them meet the person they think they are in love with.  Most of the time these people are talking to someone who is not necessarily who they say they are.  Most of the time, the person impersonating someone else claims that their feelings are real, but they are ashamed of their appearance and find photos of someone who is what they perceive to be attractive.  When they find out that they have been talking to a completely different person, it usually does not work out.  All in all, internet relationships could go either way.  There are a lot of people who believe the internet is a safe haven for relationships, but it could also take a terrible turn and end up being a completely different person from who you think you are talking to.  While the internet can make marriages and help people find love, it can also be very deceiving. 

Is Online datring a good thing?

    

    Kyle Hamilton

 Online dating is a revolutionary way of meeting new people. It has slowly forced it’s way into the everyday life of single people. At first online dating was a very foreign way of meeting new people and looked like it was going to be a fad that society would eventually fade out. Surprisingly it did the opposite and growth to be as popular as it is today.   

     I think that online dating can be successful or turn out horrible depending on how and what sites or apps you use. If a person sticks the more structured dating site such as eHarmony or Farmers only they will be a lot more likely to find a person that is worth dating. The reasoning is that a person normally has to pay money for these more legitimized sites. The fact that the users of the sites have to pay money to meet other people makes the users take the site more serious. Unsuccessful online dating could be due to people not taking the online site serious. For example I made a Tinder account to see what all the hype was about and tried communicating with a few people and the results surprised me. I logged on to Tinder expecting to start a simple conversation and get to not some people. I quickly found out that Tinder is more of a "hook up" app. Within Ten minutes of being on the app people were already asking to have sex with me. This app turns out to be nothing as I expected.  Another thing I noticed about Tinder was that the users start a conversation with each other based solely on appearance. This make self-presentation extremely impotent because it’s the only way for a person to attract anyone on Tinder, Compared to other online dating site such as eHarmony that matches the users based common interests personality and some self-presentation.

      In order to start a successful relationship through online dating I think a more legitimized site would be best. Through personal experiences  I have seen a few online relationships play out and only one has been successful and this relationship started on eHarmony. The other relationship I witnessed were short lived and ended up being "hook ups".

     One of the largest benefits of online is that shy people can be more open. An article I found online talks about how there is less pressure, less chance of being embarrassed, and more people. This sets up shy people to flourish when it comes to online dating. For example if a shy man wants to ask an attractive women out at a bar, he would have to worry about getting rejected and having to see her face to face. Online dating takes the embarrassment factor out completely. If one is rejected online they can delete that person and never come in contact with them again. It’s not that the embarrassment isn't there it’s just not open to the public and easier to forget about.   

      In the end I think online dating is a good thing can be a successful tool if it’s used properly.  In the future people will be more adapt to online dating. The website will also develop further benefiting the users more. I think online dating will only grow in popularity and maybe one day even take the place of normal face to face dating.


http://www.bestdatingwebsites.net/guide/benefits/

 

 

Hype Vs Hysteria: Online Dating

                Online dating is becoming more and more common, in fact according to Dr. Amber Walker of the Pennsylvania State University that as of 2013 1/3 of marriages started online.

Think about that for a second… 33% of all marriages started with strangers who turned to the internet for dating.  While this can be contributed to the fast pace life that Americans live, in which few find time to meet new people at the grocery store, library, or bar and then take time to get to know them before finally starting to go on dates, it also can be associated with the fact that it is easy to manipulate the human mind over a computer than face to face. 

Being a short, scrawny male it’s a hurdle that I must face every time I go and talk to a female, but online I can easily hide the fact that I am not ideal mating material.  I can easily use photos that make me look average height and average weight, and rarely the topic of weight and height come up because it is considered very personal. 

So the main question facing online dating is if it is good or not?  The correct answer is… its complicated.  Many people are buying into the hype, or the positive feedback and possible outcomes, that may occur, and with the numbers of marriages that started from an online relationship, why wouldn’t you buy into it?  According to the same lecture by Dr. Walker referenced above, online relationships (of all forms) have the same breadth, depth, and quality as face to face relationships.  Therefore, if you can have the same exact result for less effort it sounds like the ideal situation!  I mean why isn’t everybody using this??

Lying, murder, fat people… this is just a small list referenced by the video Click into the downfalls of online dating, or the hysteria. It is very easy to manipulate yourself online, but when does manipulation become a flat out lie?  The line is very blurry, and often people tend to be on the side of flat out lying, whether it is intentional or not. 

Often people want to sound amazing, therefore they will put in little white lies about themselves that seem harmless, such as making more money than they actually do, or being more successful in a sport than they really are. These lies tend to be in the beginning of a relationship, in the phase of getting to know the other person, therefore we tend to think very little to these, but at the same putting a lot of stock into them, because this is how we get to know the other person, and have no means of telling if they’re lying.

There are also people who lie and deceive people on the internet on purpose, these people are usually trying to get revenge on those whom directly hurt them in real life, or those similar to the ones whom hurt them.  Catfish the TV Show is a prime example of this. Very often these people attack one individual, pretending to be a different person that the target will find attractive both on a physical level and on an emotional level.  As you can tell, there are many broken hearts.

While online dating has its pros, it has its cons too, therefore the Hype vs Hysteria phenomena carries weight in both categories.  If you are planning on turning to the internet for relationships, I have some advice: BE CAREFUL!!  

Online Dating and Presenting yourself

Online Dating  along with presenting yourself through the internet has had much positive and negative feedback. Online dating has been occurring for the past fifth-teen years and will continue to happen as long as their is social medias and the internet. Online dating takes away from the shyness or insecurities of an individual and they get to become who they want to be in reality. Like we discussed in previous classes about the looking glass self and selective presentation. People who use social media as a way to connect to other people in the world strategical set up their profiles to lure in certain types of people. An example of this term would be the profile picture of the people you see on linkedin. This social media is essentially used to find jobs and connections within the career field of an individuals choice. As a result of this being the essentials of the website, people decide to set up their profile to fit that description and to lure in possible employers in their field and also a person of attraction if they can.
People try to present themselves in a way that they believe others would be in favor for them. Another example would be using instagram or twitter. People typically use these kinds of social media to express their character in a funny way or sometimes to even promote their business. They would strategically use this platform to elevate themselves or their brand in a manner that it would be appealing to the demographic they are trying to pursue.
Presenting yourself through the internet is key to the success of many individuals and businesses. People want to be appealing when they are using the internet. But there can be some huge negative problems dealing with online dating and presenting yourself to others through the internet. You are leaving yourself at life risk when you meet up with a total stranger from the internet. This leaves you as bait for serial killers and even just people who lie about their actual selves through social media. You could think your about to meet a slim, short, long hair, and intelligent woman. But, when you actually see her in person for the first tine she is actually the total opposite. This has happened so often through the social world there is now a television show made named catfish. This show exposes individuals who occur in these kind of activities for the good and the bad. Here is some tips about online dating and strategically making your page look presentable for those who you are trying to appeal to.

Swipe Your Way Out of Singleness

It seems we have come to a point in humanity's history where a majority of people are starting to prefer meeting potential romantic partners via various CMC methods rather than in real life. With the rise of new dating and even hook up apps (such as Tinder or Farmers Only), it seems people are craving the digital side of dating more than the real life side now a days. And as the beloved (or dreaded in some of our opinions) holiday known as Valentine's Day approached even more people will turn to these various methods of trying to not be single.  By why do others prefer this type of meeting significant others through apps such as Tinder? The article i read for this week,  With Apps Like Tinder, You Can Swipe Your Way Out of Singleness, it makes the argument that it is partially due to convenience For example, Penn State is a huge campus, with tens of thousands of potential people to date. But wait, with so many how can one meet and know all of them. Chances are your future husband or wife could live in the building right next to you, but you never meet her because you don't ever run in similar circles. However, with things such as tinder, one can view others in their area that they didn't know existed and start relationships with them through online dating. Online dating also offers the ability for those who are too busy in their everyday lives to meet potential dates while still keeping up their busy schedule. For example, my buddy Kalin from back homes fraks for a living in Ohio. However, he works long hours, is constantly traveling, and has very little time to meet girls. However thanks to dating apps, he now has a girlfriend that he met online. Hence, it is probably why 1.2 billion profiles are swiped through on tinder each day.  But Tinder and other online dating apps also offer humans another plus: you can construct your own identity.  On these areas you create your own profile, what pictures you share, what you look like and what info you let other know about you. The article also goes into depth about how by being able to choose what you share you can potentially attract others with similar interests to you, such as being outdoorsy. In fact here are four tips on how to help up yourself get more matches or messages directly from my article:

1. Pictures of animals with you are a definite yes! The cuter of more dangerous the more attractive you are.

2. Pictures with musical instruments or drawings show off your artistic side (you don't even have to play or do them!)

3. Mirror selfies or shirtless/ bikini pics are a no!

4.  Post a pic of you hiking or doing something outdoorsy to attract some nice outdoorsy people.

Hence, as you can see you don't even have to do these things in real life to do them in "tinder you." The article does have a bias that tinder is a great way to meet others, displaying a Hype theory that we learned in class, but has great points to assert the claims it makes. And with Valentine's Day rolling around, if you are single take these tips to help "Swipe your way out of singleness!"

Or use the app BarkBuddy to do the tinder thing with puppies. That's right, you yes you can have all the fun and amenities of tinder without the people or lies. Just pictures of cute puppies for sale. The choices is yours. Swipe carefully my friends!

Is Social Media Sabotaging Real Communication?

Blake Johnson

CAS 283

 

It is no question that the emergence of the internet and people being online has changed the entire world of how people socialize with each other. The biggest question that rises from this emergence is whether or not being online has negatively affected socialization. People use media to achieve certain Gratifications that they believe a specific media will make possible for them. The process is defined as a person seeking gratifications, then using media to achieve those gratifications, and then finally perceiving that they obtained those gratifications. Some of the gratifications people look for when using social media sites, specifically Facebook as represented by a study done in 2007, are socializing, self-seeking, entertainment, and finally information. These gratifications are sought by almost everyone at some point in time and Facebook helps people achieve them at a much easier convenience. Regardless of convenience, Susan Tardanico suggests in her article (http://www.forbes.com/sites/susantardanico/2012/04/30/is-social-media-sabotaging-real-communication/ ) that social media is killing real communication. She believes that the gratifications people receive from using the internet are getting lost and not received by those who use it. She states “With all the powerful social technologies at our fingertips, we are more connected – and potentially more disconnected – than ever before” to suggest that communication online lacks credibility without the cues received from face to face communication. She believes that social network sites may actually be doing the converse of what they attempt to do for people, which is make people more social. She believes that social networking sites, such as Facebook may be making less social as the means of communication is a surrogate of the real things and brings out fake personalities of people.

 One of her biggest concerns deals with anonymity. Without definite identity of a person people lack ethos causing interactions online to be less genuine than conversations dealt with face to face. “Anyone can hide behind the text, the e-mail, the Facebook post or the tweet, projecting any image they want and creating an illusion of their choosing. They can be whoever they want to be. And without the ability to receive nonverbal cues, their audiences are none the wiser.” The author believes that people can project non-genuine images of themselves online which causes communication online to be less meaningful. I agree with this as I don’t always embody the personality that I put forth in online communications, mostly over social media. For example, I may suggest that I am lol’ing, while I actually sit behind the screen of my phone or computer stone-faced at what my counterpart assumed was hilarious. In a face-to-face conversation it is much easier for my conversing partner to realize I don’t find what they may have found hilarious, funny at all. Susan suggests that the emergence of social media has called for people to be more genuine and accurate to produce a truly effective communication vehicle.

We talked about in class how computer mediated communication could affect the workplace negotiations. Susan spends a great deal of the latter part of the article suggesting that the emergence of technology is depleting the work environments as well as relationships. She believes that they don’t develop as well behind technology against if it were primarily face to face. It has been shown through studies suggested in lecture that CMC in workplace causes less trust between individuals versus face to face. She is worried that people can’t develop meaningful relationships online as well as they would interacting constantly in face to face situations. She then illustrates six steps she feels are necessary to “keep E-communication real”. She ends her blog by suggesting that people should take advantage of all of the benefits that come from technology but must ensure they don’t lose touch with their most significant relationships, personal and professional. I agree that with technology comes a lot of benefits but also a lot of problems. Social networks may actually make us less social by eliminating all of the other cues that shape a conversation and reducing it to only words and possibly some emoticons.

Online Dating

Are Attitudes Changing in Regards of Online Dating?
Eric Lenhart

                For some online dating can be a life saver for another online dating can seem like a bad idea. Online dating of course is a romantic relationship started over chat through shared information over the internet. Depending on the  individual experience, online dating can pan out and develop a long lasting romantic relationship. Evidence of this  is becoming more prevalent than originally thought, and online dating sites are hoping aboard the love train to rack in the dough (money).  In an Article by Discovery, the online dating company Match.com purchased one of their competitors OKcupid for a cash sum of 50 million dollars. If this company is making millions to billions in business involving online dating, something must be working online. To me I had my doubts of online dating, from hearing horrible stories of people meeting others that look nothing like they said they were to even gruesome news stories of stalkers and serial killers online dating just seemed to scary and unpredictable for me.  The MTV show Catfish did not help change my views on online dating either, mainly because the online hidden realm where anyone can be anyone.

                Those opposed to online dating and online dating sites cite that the authenticity of many of the members is what keeps them away. Often times people will fake out another person  by pretending to be someone else whether it be of a different gender or race these people intentionally mess with individuals to get a laugh or some type of thrill. The idea of being able to present yourself in so many different ways online and be able to be hidden and unknown is what ultimately keep people away from online chatting and dating. Proponents of this side think highly of traditional routes of dating and face to face communication.

                 After being rather skeptical myself of online dating, I decided to do some research. I read up on online dating by visiting match.com. the discoveries article and number of other articles. This weeks' assignment for lab involving the viewing of the documentary When Strangers Click and discussion questions also helped change my view of online dating. Instead of a rather creepy industry, online dating is very beneficial to those seeking a relationship when their frightened or shy with face to face communication. In another way online dating helps people get comfortable with each other in order to allow their relationship to blossom into reality romance. A startling statistic in the Discovery article is found by Rueben J. Thomas an Assistant Professor of Sociology at City University of New York, stating "we estimate that 23 percent of the couples in the United States who met in the two years 2007 and 2009 met online. More people meet online now than meet through school, work, church, bars, parties, etc." What I make out from this percentage is that more and more people are seeking a relationship online and are genuinely looking for a partner.

                Who exactly is online dating for? Well, online dating is mostly  for adults 18 and older, and seems to be more prevalent to the 30s to 40s age group. This range is mostly centered around the ideology that between the ages of 30 and 40 populations are largely already coupled and the search for someone seems dire. For most of these people a long lasting relationship is the goal and that is why dating sites don't translate to the younger demographic as much from 20-30. College students and other young adults have other ideas in mind than love, usually short lived sexual desire but that doesn't mean everyone is looking for a quick sex experience. Younger demographics turn to other forms of communication via apps to land a partner, examples are Kik and Tinder. Online dating isn't for everyone that is for sure. My opinion since researching has changed significantly on online dating. I do not plan on using the services but  there is always a possibility since it has worked for many people even in light of the risks. I see both the positives and negatives of online dating and being anonymous behind the computer chatting. There will always be adversaries but as long as connections are being made and long lasting relationships keep occurring more frequently, online dating might be changing some opinions, and creating a rather wealthy business industry.

Eric Lenhart

http://news.discovery.com/tech/does-online-dating-work.htm

Authenticity? Anonymity?

Online identity: is authenticity or anonymity more important?

In our world of ever increasing technological reliance and online integration, more and more people are allowing full access to almost every aspect of their life. People are building their online identity to be a true representation of themselves. Ten or so years ago, things were very different. We all know the somewhat famous "on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog" adage, and this used to be true. In the olden days, real life and online life were two very separate aspects, but this is no longer the case.  

We all know that Facebook and Google accounts are tied to our real name. We all have "friends" or connections in real life that are also connected to these accounts and our internet activity is monitored and logged as we surf the web. But we don't care that this traffic is kept track of because these popular social networking sites make our lives infinity easier. We sign in, and as data is logged, the webpages we view are tailored to our interests and search history. This information, along with that which we supplied to create a social network account, creates a full person, almost exactly the same online as in real life.

Christopher Poole believes Facebook's commercial motivations kill the online experience: "Mark and Sheryl have gone out and said that identity is authenticity, that you are online who you are offline, and to have multiple identities is lacking in integrity. I think that's nuts." he also goes on to talk about how there are still some places on the web where the "anonymity" aspect of the old web are still available. 

Others believe this attitude of wanting anonymity is naive. Since the web has moved from a geek sport to a mainstream occupation, the millions want somewhere safe, where "real" people are much less inclined to behave in a negative manor. Where their fake identity cannot be stolen of imitated. This attitude is even written into popular social networking sites' terms of service. If a profile does not appear to be ties to an offline person, that profile is deleted by the moderators. This ties the online and offline world even closer together.

While I may be a normal person in terms of what social network profiles I have, I also believe in the ability to remain anonymous whenever I want. This has lead me to the discovery and use of something called Tor. It is software that hides your IP address by bouncing all communications through several different "nodes." These nodes are other people located throughout the world. So that means that I can start up the Tor browser and for anyone who may be watching, it will appear as if I'm not even connected to the internet. You can become even more anonymous by keeping off of sites with Java, using a VPN, and learning how to encrypt messages with a 2048-bit PGP code. There is a lot that goes in to keeping yourself invisible online and it isn't the easiest of tasks to accomplish. It is something you really need to be dedicated to which is one of the reasons I think most people don't care that they are giving up so much information each time they turn on the computer.

Overall, I think that because of employers using social networks to gauge applicants before even meeting them, the amount of information that is logged, and how much a person is willing to share with strangers, we need to be more careful with what we put out there. I wish there was a "business" profile and a "social" profile for Facebook that would allow a presentation of the professional aspects for companies to view while still maintaining the fun, social profile for friends and families.

Your Online Identity

My blog this week was inspired by the Online Identity lecture. I decided to review two articles because I felt that they were both important to online identity.

 The first article is titled " Taking Control of Your Online Identity". I found this article very relevant and interesting because I feel that as a younger generation we don’t fully grasp how important our online identity’s are or have the potential to be. People can tell a lot about a person by looking at their social media sites which is probably why sites like LinkedIn are used by employers. While I think being too focused on online presence and identity can create an element of hysteria, I do think being conscious of your online identity and presence if healthy and important. The article stresses the importance of a positive first impression threw online identity via social media. It take seven seconds for someone to form a first impression of you. The power of that first impression, at the right moment, with the right person, is immeasurable. It could lead to a new colleagues, creative projects or beautiful relationships. The author of the article also questions translating the perfection of a real life first impression to the digital world. In my opinion, making a positive online first impression can be hard because you never know who is viewing your profile, but if you stay positive and respectful you will better your chances of having a great first impression.  

The second article, “Stop Trolls Stealing and Abusing Your Online Identity”, was very interesting because I actually know people who have fallen victim to people stealing their identity to make fake pages on social networks like Twitter and Instagram. It's kind of scary and creepy when you think about it and I appreciate this article for trying to offer ways you can protect yourselves. The article goes on to explain that week privacy settings and professional trolls have been the reason why so many people are being people have been the victim of online identity theft. But while online identity theft is not 100% preventable, there are ways to make professional trollers have a hard time stealing your identity. One way that was listed a few times for various social media sites was removing your location to protect your identity. Having locations settings on gives trollers an insight to where you live, work, and socialize, which is an advantage for trolling. Before reading this article I never really thought about how something as simple as sharing your location with your friends and followers could play such a huge part in someone stealing your personal identity. That really does create an element of hysteria for me. The pleasure and luxury of being able to update your friends on where you are (sometimes to make them jealous) has now become a feature that could result into something really terrifying and unfortunate. It’s discouraging that you can work so hard in perfecting your online impression and in seconds someone can steal that away from you.

Article 1: Taking control of your online identity

Article 2: Stop trolls stealing and abusing your online identity

Misunderstandings Over Computer Mediated Communications

In this time and age, people are increasingly turning away from face-to-face communication and moving towards utilizing computer mediated technology ever more frequently.  The benefits of this are many.  Using texting and other forms of computer mediated communications facilitates near instantaneous communication, allowing for quick changes of plan.  Gone are the days when you had to wait anxiously by the mailbox for days, even weeks, for a letter from your loved one; those days where you were constantly refreshing your email inbox for hours on end awaiting your friend’s email are gone, your boyfriend/girlfriend could be reached by a simple text from your phone, and that special someone would most likely respond within minutes, perhaps even seconds.  

However, there is one major flaw to computer mediated communications, especially in the field of texting or instant-messaging. There is a huge potential for miscommunication over texting or facebook-messaging.  You may possibly write in all upper-case letters to show you are excited about something, but then the bro you’re texting misinterprets said upper-case letters as anger.  You might be writing something sarcastic or as a joke, and then your loved one reads the text and thinks you are being serious.  People may even get offended if you don’t respond to their texts within minutes, thinking that you are intentionally ignoring them even if you may simply be busy at the moment and haven’t checked your phone yet.  According to an article written by PR Web, texting has the potential to damage relationships, as although texting is a good way to reach your spouse, you don’t get to read body language and voice inflections you would be able to pick up if you were communicating with them face to face or even just on the phone, leading to a huge potential for miscommunication.  

Misunderstandings over computer mediated communications  has the potential to ruin lives.  One major form of cmc that plays a huge role in many of our social lives is social media sites.  Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are all commonly-used social media platforms, and many of us do not make our tweets or statuses private on our Facebook and Twitter.  This means that anyone would be able to view our pictures and what we have to say, especially on Twitter.  I came across a New York Times article focusing on public shaming on social media, namely Twitter.  As the article stated, a 30 year-old woman named Justine Sacco tweeted a casual joke, saying, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS.  Just kidding!” in a matter of hours, what started off as a casual joke received backlash from multitudes of twitter users, who stalked all of her social media and constantly harassed her with death threats and hate mail, and Sacco was eventually fired from her job.  Similar things happened to Lindsey Stone, a 32 year old woman who uploaded a Facebook picture of herself standing next to the Arlington National Cemetery and flipping her middle finger, and Alicia Ann Lynch, a 22 year old woman posted a picture of her “Boston Marathon Bombing” Halloween outfit on Twitter.  Both of these women were fired from their jobs as well.

A joke you texted to your friend that you perhaps thought was funny could turn into a heated argument over iMessage, and a joke you shared on twitter has the potential to get you fired from your job.  Although computer mediated communications has the benefit of convenient, near-instantaneous communication, texting and social media communications are missing verbal and facial cues, important elements to face to face communications.  Unfortunately, computer mediated communications has the potential to go wrong, to go very wrong due to simple misunderstandings, and this is why computer mediated communications should never be used as much as face to face communication.

Article #1: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10192960.htm
Article #2: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/magazine/how-one-stupid-tweet-ruined-justine-saccos-life.html?smid=fb-share

Online Dating: Pros vs Cons

                Online dating is a dating experience that allows individuals to contact and communicate with one another over the Internet. Over time online dating has been used more and more and is becoming a “normal” thing to do. Many people use online dating to find a variety of relationships: serious relationships, hooking up, or even just meeting someone they can connect to. In a 2011 study by Match.com approximately 40 million people use online dating services. That number is increasing as time goes on as well.  Another interesting statistic I found is that as of 2013, approximately 1/3 of marriages happen due to meeting online rather than face-to-face. That is beyond incredible to me. In an article on psychologytoday.com it shares the pros and cons of online dating and how there can be some excellent experiences as well as some endings that do not go as well.

                In this article by Jeremy Nicholson he describes the works of “Finkel and associates” in 2012.  Nicholson is referring to Eli J. Finkel, a Ph.D. Professor of Social Psychology.  Finkel’s goal was to evaluate whether online dating was fundamentally different from face-to-face and to see if it was superior to face-to-face. After their study they concluded that online dating was definitely different from the traditional dating style, but it also proposed problems. The three main areas in which online dating differed from the traditional style of dating was access, matching, and communication. For each of these three main areas, Finkel found pros and cons. First, with access, online dating provided people with many varieties of other people. However, with so many choices of people, someone can be easily confused and become overwhelmed and can just continue looking for “Mr. or Mrs. Right” instead of finding a good and stable relationship. Next, with matching, online dating offers many different tests on compatibility which enables people to find a better dating partner.  On the flip side though, matching becomes a difficult process and may not always be accurate for everyone. People may present themselves as something that they’re truly not which makes people attract to them which could cause them to miss their perfect match. Lastly, communication through online dating is obviously a pro because it allows you to get to know someone before you make any kind of commitment. It is also a con though because communicating through computers lacks the kind of face-to-face communication that is needed which makes it harder to match up with somebody online.

                I chose this article because some of my friends and I have recently used online dating apps such as Coffee Meets Bagel for example. In using this app I have noticed that there are pros and cons such as Finkel had described. While using it, it has provided me with many of options of potential partners that I would have never have been able to link up with without using the app. However, there are so many people on the app that I am unsure of who to talk to and who not to talk to. On the app, you are allowed to fill out a bio and put different things that you like, but I have run into the problem with many people lying in their bio which is a con of matching as described by Finkel. My last problem I run into is not having that kind of face-to-face communication with someone which makes me stray away from online dating more and more.

Just recently I have stopped using all kinds of online dating services/apps such as Coffee Meets Bagel and Tinder. I personally feel that online dating is on the rise and that it is not for everyone.  But, it seems to be unavoidable if you are single. In just writing this blog I have had the TV on counting the number of online dating commercials I have seen. In the hour that I have taken to write this, there have been eleven online dating commercials (including re-runs). That is absolutely absurd to me and is why I feel as if online dating is unavoidable.  As I said, it may not be for everyone, but if the pros outweigh the cons then online dating might be the way for you to go.

Article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-attraction-doctor/201404/pros-and-cons-online-dating

Binge Watching Television

 Jessica Toyber

Blog #2

February 13th

     As American society delves deeper into the age of technological fixation, more and more continuous patterns emerge when viewing and polling the entirety of this nation’s obsessions. Teenagers (other age groups are also included, teenagers are the most prominent group) misuse their time sending hashtags to each other, gawking blankly at a television set, uploading pictures on Instagram to boast their infatuation with underage drinking, and comprehensively stalking their friend’s Facebook pictures. As a culture, we fascinate ourselves with distraction; a distraction that can only be wholesomely conquered (how ironic) with high tech gadgets. A colossal portion of society’s engrossment with electronics is found in a commodity so casual that a sweeping percent of society possesses this electronic ‘gadget’ in their own home: a television set. 

   Ever since the ingenious development of TV, society as a whole refuses to peel their eyes off of a show whether it’s being showcased in a theatre, on a television set, a Macbook, or any other device that possesses the ability to stream TV. The human race is so captivated with the idea of virtually this other world found within a box that we engross ourselves into this different universe. Despite the abrogating criticism that so many Americans place on channel surfing and TV watching in general, Kevin Fallon, a writer for thedailybeast.com claims otherwise. In Fallon’s article, he declares that binge watching television is rather beneficial as opposed to the perceived disapproving side. How could this be true? How can a machine that possesses the competence to rob a person’s attention span for several hours a day, if not more, be in any way advantageous?

    61% of Americans binge-watch (key word:binge) television on a daily basis. When being polled about their craving for TV shows, only about 20% of Americans preferred watching weekly TV shows over TV that a person can stream at any time of day without having to wait for the next episode to come out. Again, several people may question this ‘beneficial’ theory: how can TV show access 24/7 be anything but a factor of diversion? The disapproving connotation that comes along with the word ‘binge’ turns off a lot of people who are looking at the bigger picture. But in reality, TV has transformed into more then a high-tech box with little beings. TV has grown into something resourceful and the quality of these “mind-draining” TV shows has become more sophisticated and original, breaking the barriers of already established conventions that so many older TV shows follow.

   Is binging really that atrocious? At least, is it that deplorable in Netflix terms? The negative connotation that so many people associate with watching TV is the biggest factor in opposition of this new theory. If people took their pessimistic views towards the matter and started viewing technology as a helpful part of every day life instead of constantly discussing the negative impacts, binge watching television shows wouldn’t be looked at as an abomination. Binging allows people to immerse themselves into television without having to take the time out of their busy itinerary for a scheduled TV show. Applications such as Hulu and Netflix give people the freedom to roam the internet world of television and categorize their options by genre, date, “similar interests”,e.t.c. The universe of online TV streaming has opened up the doors to an entirely new technological world and instead of rejecting this change, we must embrace it with open arms.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/08/why-we-binge-watch-television.html

  

Socializing Online

 

            Socializing online is widely prevalent in today’s society. At almost any given time you can look around and see someone one their phone on some type of social media. This type of socializing between either two people online, or large groups is a new thing for people. Our technological advances have made it easier than ever to stay in touch with our friends, families, and loved ones. Everyone that you would want to talk to is potentially only a few clicks away, provided you are near a computer. With a new generation of people utilizing modern technology it has been easier to stay connected, but it is taking a toll on peoples’ overall wellbeing.

           

            In a recently documented study on college freshmen, it is found that socializing online should not be substituted for real world interaction. It was shown that when people spend less time interacting with people in person, and more time doing the same through an online platform, they are more likely to be depressed. The study showed that in recent years people have been going out less and talking to their friends online instead, and the depression rate has gone up five percent as a result. The report says, "Such increases may continue to influence how students conceptualize socializing with friends". Talking to people online can be good for a little while, but if it becomes one’s main source of interaction, it may result in emotional distress.

 

People have also become more dependent on their phones and computers to stay in touch with others. Think about the last you lost your phone, you get a sense of urgency to retrieve it, because you are worried someone may have called and you were not able to talk to them. Our over dependence upon technology is a reflection of how integrated it is in our lives. As stated in the first paragraph, you can almost always find someone on his or her phones. There is even a term called phantom vibration syndrome, which is the feeling of your phone going off in your pocket, when it is actually not even there. It is easy to be social online, because one can do so with very little effort. This is the reason people are so integrated to talking online instead of person. This ease of communication over the internet also diminishes social skills in person.

 

            It is essential to be able to talk to people throughout your day. Most people want to make good relationships with others and have friends. However for the new generations of children growing up who are closer to technology, speaking online may be replacing conversing in person. People who are used to speaking online never fully develop the social skills needed for face-to-face interaction. This can lead to anxiety and stress in social situations. I personally am in favor of a society in which get together and talk with each other rather than all sign in to the same chat room from their bedrooms. This is why I believe socializing online will ultimately be negative for humanity.

 

Resources:

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/02/06/college-freshmen-socialize-less-feel-depressed-more

Online Dating

Online dating is becoming more and more prominent in todays world. Whether it’s for serious relationships, meeting new people, or just hanging out there are different online dating resources that can be used. As we talked about in our class a little bit since the early 2000s online dating has been being used more and more. For example how in 2002 there was a study that showed 50% of online relationships would lead to face-to-face relationships and being just as stable. In 2013 another studied showed that 1/3 of marriages started online and when meeting online you are more likely to get married than when meeting face-to-face.

In an article I read in the Washington Post, it asks the question if online dating really works and then talks about different concepts that are involved with online dating and different positives and negatives along with some interesting statistics that go along with it.  

Looking at the online dating scene from a college students perspective may seem a little different from what people in there late 20s-30s may see as online dating. The differences come down to what we are looking to gain from the online dating. College students may be looking for short term relationships, physical relationships, or just to find people to go out with. Older adults may be looking for more serious relationships with intentions of getting married, starting a family, starting a life together. Obviously everyone was different so there are college aged people who may be looking for something more serious and also older adults who are looking for something less serious.

Some things that the article talked about that were a little different from the statistics we saw in class about how online dating leads to committed stable relationships there are statistics that show otherwise. The differences, the statistics above are more general and based off of all users and probably based off more serious online dating websites. Statistics in the Washington Post article show that for college students who use online dating sites have fewer committed relationships and lead more towards using the online sites for a hook up culture. In 2010 a study showed that more people are using online sites to meet then meeting at schools, bars, or parties.