Instant messaging or face-to-face? How choice of communication medium affects team collaboration environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun M Tang ◽  
Adrian Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Digital Communication ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
Nonverbal Cues ◽  
Communication Effectiveness ◽  
Communication Medium ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Team Projects ◽  
Project Objectives

Working on team projects is a common feature in higher education as a way to foster team learning and collaboration. For a team to work well towards achieving project objectives, it is important that there is effective team communication. Conventionally, face-to-face interactions allow students to interact with each other in multiple communication channels, simultaneously sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages in real time. Today, modern mobile technology offers students a variety of alternative digital communication media for collaboration. Unlike a full-channel communication medium such as the face-to-face interaction, a digital communication medium like instant messaging does not normally transmit nonverbal cues. As a result, to compensate for insufficient nonverbal cues, users of instant messaging services have to put more effort and time into understanding each other. If more effort and time is required to understand each other better, then why is it that today’s students prefer instant messaging to face-to-face interactions for collaborative project work? To answer this question, this study conducted a questionnaire survey to collect responses from university students who have been involved in team projects. This study analysed students’ copresence (a second-order formative construct consisting of two first-order constructs: self-copresence and partner-copresence) and its relationships with media satisfaction and communication effectiveness. It investigated whether these relationships differed between the students who used instant messaging and those who used face-to-face interactions. In addition, this study also examined whether media satisfaction played a mediating role between copresence and communication effectiveness. The findings of this study could help explain how different communication media can facilitate teamwork in collaborative learning environments.

Social anxiety is associated with similar emotional impairments during digital and face-to-face communication in daily life

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Doorley ◽  
Kristina Volgenau ◽  
Kerry Kelso ◽  
Todd Barrett Kashdan ◽  
Alexander J. Shackman
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Medium Study ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Communication Behaviors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Emotional Impairments ◽  
Emotional Safety

Background:Retrospective studies have found that people with elevated social anxiety (SA) show a preference for digital/online communication, which may be due to perceptions of enhanced emotional safety. Whether these preferences for/benefits of digital compared to face-to-face communication manifest in the real world has yet to be explored. Methods: We recruited samples of college students (N = 125) and community adults (N = 303) with varying levels of SA, sampled their emotions during digital and face-to-face communication using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) (Study 1) and a day reconstruction method (DRM) (Study 2), and preregistered our hypotheses (https://osf.io/e4y7x/). Results: Results from both studies showed that SA did not predict the likelihood of engaging in digital compared to face-to-face communication, and SA was associated with less positive and more negative emotions regardless of communication medium. Study 2 also showed that whether digital communication was synchronous (e.g., in real time via phone/video chat) or asynchronous (e.g., texting/instant messaging) did not impact the association between SA and emotions. Limitations: EMA and DRM methods, despite their many advantages, may be suboptimal for assessing the occurrence of digital communication behaviors relative to more objective methods (e.g., passively collecting smartphone communication data). Using event-contingent responding may have also yielded more reports of digital communication, thus strengthening our power to detect small, cross-level interaction effects. Conclusions:These results challenge beliefs that digital/online communication provides a source of emotional safety for people with elevated SA and suggests a greater need to address SA-related emotional impairments across digital communication platforms.

scholarly journals Android Robots as Telepresence Media

Robotics ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 1319-1327
Author(s):  
Kohei Ogawa ◽  
Shuichi Nishio ◽  
Takashi Minato ◽  
Hiroshi Ishiguro
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Communication Medium ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Natural Conversation ◽  
Conference System ◽  
As If

In this chapter, the authors describe two human-like android robots, known as Geminoid and Telenoid, which they have developed. Geminoid was developed for two reasons: (1) to explore how humans react or respond the android during face-to-face communication and (2) to investigate the advantages of the android as a communication medium compared to traditional communication media, such as the telephone or the television conference system. The authors conducted two experiments: the first was targeted to an interlocutor of Geminoid, and the second was targeted to an operator of it. The results of these experiments showed that Geminoid could emulate a human’s presence in a natural-conversation situation. Additionally, Geminoid could be as persuasive to the interlocutor as a human. The operators of Geminoid were also influenced by the android: during operation, they felt as if their bodies were one and the same with the Geminoid body. The latest challenge has been to develop Telenoid, an android with a more abstract appearance than Geminoid, which looks and behaves as a minimalistic human. At first glance, Telenoid resembles a human; however, its appearance can be interpreted as any sex or any age. Two field experiments were conducted with Telenoid. The results of these experiments showed that Telenoid could be an acceptable communication medium for both young and elderly people. In particular, physical interaction, such as a hug, positively affected the experience of communicating with Telenoid.

Android Robots as Telepresence Media

2013 ◽  
pp. 54-63
Author(s):  
Kohei Ogawa ◽  
Shuichi Nishio ◽  
Takashi Minato ◽  
Hiroshi Ishiguro
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Communication Medium ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Natural Conversation ◽  
Conference System ◽  
As If

In this chapter, the authors describe two human-like android robots, known as Geminoid and Telenoid, which they have developed. Geminoid was developed for two reasons: (1) to explore how humans react or respond the android during face-to-face communication and (2) to investigate the advantages of the android as a communication medium compared to traditional communication media, such as the telephone or the television conference system. The authors conducted two experiments: the first was targeted to an interlocutor of Geminoid, and the second was targeted to an operator of it. The results of these experiments showed that Geminoid could emulate a human’s presence in a natural-conversation situation. Additionally, Geminoid could be as persuasive to the interlocutor as a human. The operators of Geminoid were also influenced by the android: during operation, they felt as if their bodies were one and the same with the Geminoid body. The latest challenge has been to develop Telenoid, an android with a more abstract appearance than Geminoid, which looks and behaves as a minimalistic human. At first glance, Telenoid resembles a human; however, its appearance can be interpreted as any sex or any age. Two field experiments were conducted with Telenoid. The results of these experiments showed that Telenoid could be an acceptable communication medium for both young and elderly people. In particular, physical interaction, such as a hug, positively affected the experience of communicating with Telenoid.

Multi-Modal Interaction Through Anthropomorphically Designed Communication Medium to Enhance the Self-Disclosures of Personal Information

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Nobuhiro Jinnai ◽  
Hidenobu Sumioka ◽  
Takashi Minato ◽  
Hiroshi Ishiguro ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Information ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
Communication Medium ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Conversation Partner ◽  
The Relationship

Although current communication media facilitate interactions among individuals, researchers have warned that human relationships built through these media tend to lack the level of intimacy acquired through face-to-face communications. In this study, we investigate how the long-term use of humanlike communication media affects the development of intimate relationships between human users. We examine changes in the relationship between individuals while they converse with each other through humanlike communication media or mobile phones for approximately a month. The intimacy of their relationship was evaluated using the amount of self-disclosed personal information. The result shows that a significantly greater amount of self-disclosure is made through a communication medium with humanlike appearance and soft material compared with the use of a typical mobile phone. The amount of self-disclosure showed cyclic variation in the experiment through humanlike communication media. Furthermore, we discuss a possible underlying mechanism of this effect from the misattribution of a feeling caused by intimate distance with the medium to a conversation partner.

scholarly journals Cyber-Flirting: An Examination of Men's and Women's Flirting Behaviour Both Offline and on the Internet

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica T. Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
The Body ◽  
Nonverbal Cues ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Interactions

AbstractWhile flirting is a relatively underresearched area within psychology, even less is known about how people cyber-flirt. This paper explores how often individuals flirt offline compared to online. Moreover, it attempts to examine how men and women flirt within these different spaces. Five thousand, six hundred and ninety-seven individuals, of which 3554 (62%) were women and 2143 (38%) were men, completed a survey about their flirting behaviour both in face-to-face interactions and in chatrooms. The first hypothesis, which stated that the body would be used to flirt with as frequently online as offline, was partly supported. However, it was found that individuals downplayed the importance of physical attractiveness online. Women flirted by displaying nonverbal signals (offline) or substitutes for nonverbal cues (online), to a greater extent than men. In chatrooms men were more likely than women to initiate contact. It is concluded that cyber-flirting is more than simply a meeting of minds and that future research needs to consider the role of the body in online interactions.

scholarly journals Communications Preferences Among International Students: Strategies for Creating Optimal Engagement in Programs and Services

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravichandran Ammigan ◽  
Kaitlyn N Laws
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
International Students ◽  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Communication Patterns ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
Diverse Populations ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Student Audience

As U.S. institutions continue to welcome larger and more diverse populations of international students, campus support offices are also expected to adjust their programming and outreach strategies to engage a wider student audience and provide them with key information and services. This quantitative study examines the communications preferences of degree-seeking international students enrolled in a mid-size U.S. university. It specifically investigates students’ preferred methods of communication, patterns and frequency in sending and receiving messages, and the types of information they prefer to be informed of. The survey also looks across a number of communication media including email, social media, print communications, and face-to-face interactions to better understand how resources may be directed to individual channels. The authors argue that the most impactful engagement model requires an accompanying, analytics-driven communications strategy to support international students during their stay on campus

scholarly journals The Power of Voice: Using Audio Podcasts to Teach Vocal Performance and Digital Communication

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 38-50
Author(s):  
Amanda Hill
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Nonverbal Cues ◽  
Communication Studies ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Nonverbal Behaviors ◽  
Group Project

Today’s students often speak through mediated technologies. Thus, understanding how nonverbal cues impact meaning-making is key to understanding effective communication across mediums. This case study explores a group project where students created audio podcasts to teach others about a specific aspect of communication studies while considering the way sound and vocal performance affect the transference of the message. This article examines the use of audio podcasts as a vehicle for teaching university students about the power of paralinguistic and chronemic nonverbal behaviors.

Social Interactions and Automated Detection Tools in Cyberbullying

2014 ◽  
pp. 1175-1195
Author(s):  
Michael J. Moore ◽  
Tadashi Nakano ◽  
Tatsuya Suda ◽  
Akihiro Enomoto
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Future Perspective ◽  
Chat Rooms ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
New Form ◽  
Art Research ◽  
Automated Tools ◽  
E Mail

Face-to-Face bullying is a traditional form of bullying in which bullies attack victims through physical, verbal, or social attacks. Cyberbullying is a new form of bullying. Cyberbullies abuse digital media to attack victims (such as attacks through websites, social networking services, blogging, e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, and cell phones). Cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying share many similarities. For example, bullies achieve power over a victim in both cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying. On the other hand, cyberbullying has differences from face-to-face bullying that arise from characteristics of digital media such as anonymity and rapid spreading of attacks. This chapter highlights key concerns of cyberbullying stemming from the use of digital media and discusses existing models of face-to-face bullying which may aid in model cyberbullying. This chapter then introduces state-of-the-art research in automated tools to detect cyberbullying. Finally, this chapter concludes with future perspective of research in automated tools to detect cyberbullying.

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