Table of ContentsTime Spent Communicating DigitallyImportance of CMCNonverbal CommunicationFunction of LanguageConclusionIn recent decades, computers and digital technology have become much more popular. In the early days of the Internet, only a small group of people used it as a communication tool. The modern world is very different. In the United States, many people of all ages regularly use things like laptops or smartphones to communicate digitally. Different opinions exist as to whether such communication is a good thing. Some people believe that it increases the feeling of connection with their friends and family by allowing them to instantly contact them at any time. On the other hand, others believe it is detrimental because it takes away from traditional social interactions and the ability to read body language and social cues. Although excessive use of digital communication can harm some people's ability to interact in social settings, I don't think the downsides of digital technology outweigh the benefits. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Time Spent Communicating Digitally I was surprised how much time I spent on a smartphone or computer in a single day. I was aware that digital communication and technology was an important part of my life, but I didn't realize how much I depended on it. I spent about half my day using some form of digital technology. Even though I didn't always communicate with people while using my phone or laptop, I still spent a lot of time doing things like playing games, browsing the web, or checking my Facebook profile. Importance of CMCStudying our computer-mediated communication is important because of the amount of time it occupies in a single day. It is possible that some people use traditional social interactions much more frequently. However, many people are increasingly relying on digital forms of communication (Simpson, 2002). The number of people buying a smartphone or laptop is increasing every year (Simpson, 2002). This is a topic worth studying because it can give us insight into whether or not digital communication has a negative impact on our social interactions. Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication involves things such as body language, emotional expressions, and other aspects of communication that are not limited to just the words a person says (Harper et al., 1978). I have noticed that some misunderstandings have occurred in some of my digital communications, and these are likely due to a lack of non-verbal communication in the interaction. For example, a friend of mine was sarcastic in a text message. At first, I misunderstood their sarcasm because it was difficult to interpret the tone and way they pronounced the words on screen. Using emoticons has sometimes helped me understand the emotions someone was trying to express in a conversation. Sometimes emoticons can't convey the more complex or subtle emotions a person is feeling. Function of Language Overall, I realized that it is difficult to interpret things like sarcasm, humor, and frustration when communicating digitally. On the bright side, I was able to have interactions almost identical to face-to-face interactions usingvideo calls on my smartphone. I could always see the person's body language and read their facial expressions whenever we were on a video call. ConclusionDigital forms of communication are becoming more and more popular. As people spend more and more time each day using their phones or laptops to communicate, it's useful to examine the impact of these communications. Time of Day Total Minutes of Interaction Type of Communication Recipient Notes on Verbal Elements Notes on NonverbalCommunication Functions of Verbal/Nonverbal CommunicationSample: 9:30 a.m. Sample: 1:30 a.m. Phone (cell), computer – ( Facebook) Computer (email) Computer – (purchases) Other family, friend, work, business, other. Formal or informal language, use of slang, denotations, etc. Example: She used words like “difficult” and “bad,” which made me feel like she was upset. But she also said “we have the resources,” implying that everything is fine. Although I didn't know if "I" was the essence of this "we" or if she was referring to others. Example: I couldn't understand the tone of my supervisor's email. She looked upset, but I wasn't sure. I'm going to talk to him directly to get a better idea of ​​what the email is about. I'll relate this to the advice Bevan and Sole offer on impression management, because I want her to have a good impression of me by showing confidence through my body language. Verbal – “Expressed messages of confirmation and disconfirmation” (Bevan & Sole, Section 4.1). She told me about some problems she had with my document, “invalidating” my work plan. Nonverbal – due to the lack of nonverbal cues, I could not easily detect “messages of emotion, influence, and deception” (Bevan & Sole, Section 4.2). If we had spoken, I could have interpreted what she was feeling and avoided feeling bad myself.10:00 8 minutes Messaging test 4 different friends Informal communicationAbbreviations and emoticons were used during our interactions My friends used emoticons in our communication to help make their message clearer Verbal – The verbal elements of our communication were the words my friends used. Although they sometimes used abbreviations, I was able to interpret their message correctly.Nonverbal- in order to convey certain things nonverbally, my friends used emoticons. Additionally, they also used abbreviations like “smh” to indicate that they were shaking their heads about something. 12:45 30 minutes Video call with friend The verbal elements of the conversation were easy to understand. The video call had a good connection, so I could clearly hear everything my friend said. Non-verbal communication was present in the video call. I was able to see my friend's body language and facial expressions as we spoke, which helped me understand exactly what she was trying to communicate. Both verbal and non-verbal elements were present in the video call. I was able to hear all the verbal elements of the conversation and simultaneously see all the non-verbal elements of our interaction.3:00 p.m. 5 minutes Email my colleagues The words used in my emails with my colleagues were more formal than those. used in text messages with my friends. I haven't seen any slang or abbreviations in our work-related emails. Nonverbal communication hasn't played a big role in my work-related emails. Most emails had an objective and professional tone. None of them expressed.