scholarly journals Identity and Online Groups

Author(s):  
Marko Siitonen

Questions related to identity have been central to discussions on online communication since the dawn of the Internet. One of the positions advocated by early Internet pioneers and scholars on computer-mediated communication was that online communication would differ from face-to-face communication in the way traditional markers of identity (such as gender, age, etc.) would be visible for interlocutors. It was theorized that these differences would manifest both as reduced social cues as well as greater control in the way we present ourselves to others. This position was linked to ideas about fluid identities and identity play inherent to post-modern thinking. Lately, the technological and societal developments related to online communication have promoted questions related to, for example, authenticity and traceability of identity. In addition to the individual level, scholars have been interested in issues of social identity formation and identification in the context of online groups and communities. It has been shown, for example, how the apparent anonymity in initial interactions can lead to heightened identification/de-individuation on the group level. Another key question related to this one is the way group identity and identification with the group relates to intergroup contact in online settings. How do people perceive others’ identity, as well as their own, in such contact situations? To what extent is intergroup contact still intergroup contact, if the parties involved do not perceive it as such? As online communication continues to offer a key platform for contact between various types of social groups, questions of identity and identification remain at the forefront of scholarship into human communication behavior in technology-mediated settings.

Communication ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Ju Lee ◽  
Soo Youn Oh

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is an umbrella term that encompasses various forms of human communication through networked computers, which can be synchronous or asynchronous and involve one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many exchanges of text, audio, and/or video messages. Early research has focused largely on how mediation by technology alters the processes and outcomes of social interaction and group processes, addressing issues such as how people express and construe self-identity, form and manage impressions, develop and maintain relationships, build communities, collaborate at a distance and make collective decisions, mostly in contrast to non-mediated, face-to-face communication. As such, core theories that guided earlier studies highlight the dearth of socio-contextual information as the defining characteristic of CMC working to its disadvantage. However, they were soon challenged by alternative models underscoring individual users’ active accommodation to the limited channel capacity and even more strategic appropriation of the constraints of the medium. In a similar vein, the dichotomous view that differentiates the “real” from the “virtual” gradually was replaced by the perspective that underscores the blurring boundary and the fluid interaction between the two. At the same time, researchers have also investigated who turns to online communication as opposed to offline, face-to-face interaction, and with what consequences. Going beyond dyadic interaction between unacquainted individuals, social and psychological implications of CMC have also been examined in various contexts, such as distributed workgroups (computer-supported cooperative work: CSCW), social network sites (SNSs), and online games.


Author(s):  
Jason D. Baker ◽  
Robert H. Woods

Early studies of online communication examined the predominantly textual nature of online communication (e.g., e-mail, discussion boards, chat rooms) and hypothesized that the reduced number of available message channels would restrict the level of social engagement. In other words, by reducing interpersonal communication to a textual experience, traditional nonverbal cues such as facial expression, eye contact, and gestures are eliminated. As Kiesler, Siegel, and McGuire (1984) stated in an early study of computer-mediated communication, “Once people have electronic access, their states, power, and prestige are communicated neither contextually (the way secretaries and meeting rooms and clothes communicate) nor dynamically (the way gaze, touch, and facial and paralinguistic behavior communicate)” (p. 1125). They questioned whether online communication was inherently depersonalizing, not only because of such reduced cues, but also because it forces communicators to imagine their audience.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-34
Author(s):  
Edward C. Warburton

This essay considers metonymy in dance from the perspective of cognitive science. My goal is to unpack the roles of metaphor and metonymy in dance thought and action: how do they arise, how are they understood, how are they to be explained, and in what ways do they determine a person's doing of dance? The premise of this essay is that language matters at the cultural level and can be determinative at the individual level. I contend that some figures of speech, especially metonymic labels like ‘bunhead’, can not only discourage but dehumanize young dancers, treating them not as subjects who dance but as objects to be danced. The use of metonymy to sort young dancers may undermine the development of healthy self-image, impede strong identity formation, and retard creative-artistic development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the influence of metonymy in dance and implications for dance educators.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Marie Metcalfe

Computer mediated communication (CMC) is becoming increasingly prevalent and relied upon as the Internet facilitates the rapid growth of global networks and expands communication boarders. Today, many individuals rely on CMC for professional purposes, such as connecting long distance with co-workers to collaborate and advance workplace tasks. These individuals often rely on professional online collaborative programs that allow them to connect with colleagues across cities, provinces, and around the world. Relying on CMC for the transmittal of important electronic messages places it at the forefront for understanding how technical communication devices and networks function. This also requires an understanding of how ambiguity with online conversations can be decreased through the use of the Internet. However, what professional collaborative programs currently lack is a singular professional software that integrates both collaborative on-screen practices and online chatting capabilities with visual icons; or professional emoticons. The following research aims to investigate the communicative value of emoticons within a structured sentence via a study involving professional communication graduate students from Ryerson University and senior marketing communication professionals from a marketing agency in Toronto, Canada. Using concepts from critical visual methodology and a theoretical framework of visual semiotics, emoticons will be examined to see whether or not these pictorial symbols act in a similar fashion to punctuation symbols within a given sentence structure. The goal of this research was to investigate the use and meaning derived from emoticons in relation to grammatical punctuation for sentence structures in online communication environments. Specific emoticons were selected and used to measure participants‘ interpretation of each symbol within the particular context of a given sentence.


1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kvan ◽  
Robert West ◽  
Alonso H. Vera

This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the effects of computer-mediated communication on collaboratively solving design problems. When setting up a virtual design community, choices must be made between a variety of tools, choices dictated by budget, bandwidth, ability and availability. How do you choose between the tools, which is useful and how will each affect the outcome of the design exchanges you plan? A commonly used method is to analyze the work done and to identify tools which support this type of work. In general, research on the effects of computer-mediation on collaborative work has concentrated mainly on social-psychological factors such as deindividuation and attitude polarization, and used qualitative methods. In contrast, we propose to examine the process of collaboration itself, focusing on separating those component processes which primarily involve individual work from those that involve genuine interaction. Extending the cognitive metaphor of the brain as a computer, we view collaboration in terms of a network process, and examine issues of control, coordination, and delegation to separate sub-processors. Through this methodology we attempt to separate the individual problem-solving component from the larger process of collaboration. There is a long history of research into the role and application of computers to communication and collaboration from which has arisen a variety of tools to facilitate work done in groups. Holtham (1994) traces this history from the 1960s through to the 1990s, from addressing basic issues of computer communication through commercial implementation and diversified applications of the tools. Little of this research has focused on the work of designers, with no commercial systems available specifically for the design professions. Research has tended instead to look at typical office work, with particular attention to group work in formal and informal but coherent groups. This research provides a rich and useful heritage for investigations of design collaboration, but the findings have to be interpreted with the recognition that design work differs from typical office work in one substantial aspect � the use of graphics is central to design communication and this places a significant and different burden on the computer-supported communication when compared to textual interactions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 51-77
Author(s):  
Jessica Kahlow ◽  
Hanna Klecka ◽  
Erin Ruppel

Conflict has been a topic widely studied in communication and management studies literature. How groups handle conflict can affect group performance, satisfaction, and commitment (Martínez-Moreno, González-Navarro, Zornoza, & Ripoll, 2009; Pazos, 2012; Staples & Webster, 2007; Workman, 2007). Much of this literature focuses on online, task-oriented work groups, and how these groups differ from face-to-face (F2F) groups. However, hybrid groups (i.e., those that work both F2F and online) are increasingly common. To better understand conflict in hybrid groups, we review 68 articles regarding online, hybrid, and F2F groups that highlight the differences between F2F and online groups and consider what these differences mean for hybrid groups. In doing so, we identify several emergent themes related to how conflict is managed in online and hybrid groups. The literature suggests that there are many benefits to online and hybrid groups, such as the ability to assemble more diverse teams and work asynchronously, but that conflict is also more common in online than F2F groups. Strong norms and leadership behaviors that encourage trust and cohesion appear to reduce conflict and its effects on group performance and decision making, especially in online groups. These findings suggest that in hybrid groups, F2F meetings might be used to quickly establish group norms, trust, and cohesion, which can then improve online group interactions. However, more research is needed to understand how conflict occurs and is managed in hybrid groups. Future communication research should focus on examining conflict management in hybrid groups using computer-mediated communication perspectives.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miloš Zarić

The paper analyzes the V for Vendetta comic books, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. These volumes are graphic novels whose characteristics place them in the literary genre of the critical dystopia, but they have also been associated with the genre of the superhero comic, which, according to a number of authors including Alan Moore, is inextricably linked to the ideology and practice of the political right, which in its extreme form assumes the form of fascism. The way that fascism is treated in that work, as well as in two other comics discussed in the paper (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s Watchmen and Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns), is linked to the way in which the process of creativity/innovativeness functioned in the context of the revision/deconstruction of the superhero comic book genre in the 1980s, both on the collective (intra-genre) and the individual level, on the level of the thought structure of the British writer Alan Moore. Using the structural-semiotic model of analysis, the paper seeks to fathom the logic of this deconstruction procedure "broken down" into the three comic books discussed in the paper, with particular emphasis on the analysis of V for Vendetta, with the aim of establishing its "hidden", connotative semantic dimension. The study adopts a modern view of the comic book according to which the essence of this medium, which distinguishes it from other narrative and graphic forms of expression as well as from film, can be recognized in the specific, sequential way of combining its visual and narrative components, thus generating meanings whose interpretation depends on the intention of the author but also on the view of the reader.


Probus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo García-Pardo ◽  
Rafael Marín

Abstract This paper argues that <ser ‘to be’ + past participle> constructions with subject-experiencer psychological verbs are adjectival passives, contra the received view that <ser + past participle> constructions are verbal passives across the board. We put forth a battery of morphological, syntactic and semantic tests to support our claim. The divide, we argue, is based on the individual-level/stage-level distinction, rather than on the lexical category of the participle. We provide a theoretical, aspect-based account that generates the distribution of ser and estar in verbal and adjectival participles and paves the way for a comprehensive analysis of the ser and estar distribution across other constructions where the alternation is attested, such as underived adjectives and prepositions.


2012 ◽  
pp. 1088-1095
Author(s):  
Kumi Ishii ◽  
Brittany R. Black

With the diffusion of networked technology in our society, online communication has become an integral part of daily life, and conflict no longer occurs only in face-to-face (FtF) contexts. Many people experience cyber conflict (i.e., a perceived incompatibility of goals among two or more cyber parties over computer-mediated communication (CMC) or online communication) and manages it online. While research in this significant and emerged topic is scattered across contexts and disciplines, this chapter provides preliminary knowledge by discussing the antecedents and outcomes of cyber conflict as well as factors that affect cyber conflict management. The chapter also offers future research directions.


Author(s):  
Michael G. Hughes ◽  
Jennifer A. Griffith ◽  
Cristina Byrne ◽  
Darin S. Nei ◽  
Lauren Harkrider Beechly ◽  
...  

Methods of individual communication continue to expand through online media. Given the dynamic nature of online communications, traditional methods for studying communications may not suffice. A hybridized content analytic approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods offers a unique methodological tool to researchers who seek to better understand computer-mediated communications and the psychological characteristics of those who communicate online by evaluating qualitative information using quantitative methods. This means of measurement allows researchers to statistically evaluate whether investigated phenomena are occurring in combination with the richness that qualitative assessment provides. As with any approach to computer-mediated communication, various ethical considerations must be borne in mind, and, thus, are discussed in concert with this hybridized approach to content analysis.


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