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Essay / Computerized communication and interpersonal relationships...
Concept of “computerized communication” and “interpersonal relationship” According to the I-Thou philosophy of Martin Buber, it is only through respectful dialogue that relationships develop. By being able to be true to ourselves and at the same time allowing others to be equally honest when we engage in dialogue with each other, we build intimacy and therefore create stronger interpersonal bonds. Buber’s view encourages “expressing one’s own ideas clearly while listening well and honoring the ideas of others (Littlejohn & Foss, 2008, pp. 216-17). Through the exchange of fully engaged dialogue, we exchange personal information about ourselves and learn more about the people around us. Although communication as a whole has been studied for centuries, interpersonal communication is a more recent area of interest. Since the late 1940s, communications scholars have focused not only on communication about “business procedures.” By adding the aspect of “shared meaning and relationship building” (Caputo, Hazel, McMahon & Dannels, 2002, p. 9), interpersonal communication emerged as an essential area of study. Just as the study of communication has changed, so has the way individuals communicate. While face-to-face (FtF) communication used to be the central mode of interpersonal communication, we now communicate using a variety of tools, including computer-mediated communication. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) was defined by John December as "a process of human communication via computers, involving people, situated in particular contexts, engaging in processes aimed at shaping media for various purposes ". (Thurlow, Lengel and Tomic, 2004, p. 15). The medium of communication can impact how messages are sent in the middle of a sheet of paper......more thoughtful, more personal messages that they know the receiver will read at the most advantageous time for them (Griffin, 2009). CMC creates a feedback system that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when CMC users “form highly favorable impressions of each other” (Griffin, 2009, p. 147). Personal information cannot be shared and interpersonal relationships will not develop without communication. Communication theories that support the shortcomings of CMC are based on filtered cue theories, which hold that without face-to-face interaction, the lack of nonverbal cues prevents successful interpersonal communication. These uncertainties of CMC have been condemned by social information processing theory, social penetration theory, and the hyperpersonal communication model. Not only can relationships arise from CMC, but they can also develop and mature through CMC..