Technology and Interpersonal Communication

Assumption #1: The computer screen can deceive

The Internet is an easy place to deceive people because do you really know who is sitting at the other end of that connection? Do people really portray themselves for who they really are? This assumption directly relates to Facebook because it is easy to lie about your information and post deceiving pictures. For example, I know for my Facebook page, I pick the picture I like the most and what I want to portray. In result, I get to choose how people see me, which can influence them. All you need to sign up is an email address and you can start “facebooking” instantly. On Facebook, they ask for you name, age, interest, hometown, and much more and who’s stopping anyone of lying? From personal experience, I know people who created fake accounts to friend someone who wouldn’t be friends with them if they knew who they really are. With the creation of all these social networks, people need to be aware of what they post, and whom they are revealing that information to.

Assumption #2: Online discussions often prompt introspection

This assumption explains how people send messages to each other through Facebook. When sending messages to each other through Facebook, you have time to sit and reflect on the discussion and what you should reply back. However, in a real face-to-face conversation, you don’t have that time to reflect on what you’re going to say. This type of communication had its positives and negatives because it might be better to sit down and think about the situation especially if you are in a fight with someone but on the other hand, if you are in a fight with someone, you cant see their nonverbal and verbal communication.


Assumption #3: Online discussions promote self-orientation

This assumption applies to the idea that your Facebook is yours. You create, and post information that you want people to see. In addition, you decide whom you want to be friends with, what your friends can see, and what groups you want to join. You have the ability to create a persona online with all these different tools.

Assumption #4: Self- Disclosure occurs online

With all these tools, you can choose what information you want people to see. For me personally, I choose not to reveal a lot of information to people who aren’t my friends. Furthermore, I choose to hide my pictures, birthday, hometown, and my last name because I like to keep the details in my life private. On the other hand, I know many of my friends who post their phone number, email, and have all of their information public for anyone to see.

Other Concepts:

Screen Names: Many might not realize that screen names, and email addresses are things that still portray an image of you. In our day and age, many colleges and employers use online resumes and applications. In result, these people see your email address and if it is distasteful or offensive, it could turn that potential employer off.

Abbreviated language: Over the years, there has been a revolution on the new Internet language. This includes the popular “loll,” “omg,” “brb,” and many many more. These words have created a lot of problems within communication because some people do not understand that kind of jargon. These problems occur within the age-gap because many older men and women don’t understand this slang. For example, when I text my parents I have to make sure I don’t use these words because then they will call and be confused about my messages.

Write Literally: This concept stresses the idea that whatever you post online, someone can take that information and interpret it a different way. For example, when communicating through Facebook messaging, when writing a message it is hard to express your idea to the other person without using hand gestures or nonverbal communication. Furthermore, when the message is sent there is a possibility the receiver can interpret the message wrong, and there’s a break in communication.