CAS283:

Lesson 08: Issues in Computer Mediated Communication

Lesson Overview

Communicating on through the computer brings with it some interesting issues and challenges.  In this lesson, you will learn more about these.

Lesson Objectives

After successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• define computer-mediated communication
• discuss the issues related to privacy and security
• define hoax, urban legend, rumor, and junk
• find out whether an e-mail message is legitimate or not
• discuss current issues in cyber-culture including privacy, hostility, deception and other on-line behavior

Key Terms

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)

E-mail

Privacy

Cookies

Hoax

Cyber Stalking

Netiquette

Junk

Rumor

Urban Legend

Netizen

Cybercitizen

Flame

What is Computer-Mediated Communication?

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has been defined as “synchronous or asynchronous electronic mail and computer conferencing, by which senders encode in text messages that are relayed from senders’ computers to receivers.” CMC has also been described as “any communication patterns mediated through the computer.” Walther and Burgoon (1992) argue that, “for many of us, CMC is no longer a novelty but a communication channel through which much of our business and social interaction take place, and this transformation is expected to continue.” They note, “CMC produces much different affective and relational patterns than do other types of communication, due to the reduction and types of cues available to participants.”

Concerned with processes of online social interaction such as identity construction, relationship formation, and community building (Thurlow, Lengel & Tomic, 2004), computer-mediated communication scholars have demonstrated the potential for online social interactions to enhance self-presentation, relational maintenance, and social bonding. This somewhat complex experience has potential to change and reduce identity to categories that the user decides to create. Individuals exploit the features of these media to make their best impression and attract attention or to ward off undesired contacts (Tong & Walther, 2011)

Santoro (1995) expands the idea of CMC to “encompass virtually all computer uses... (including) such diverse applications as statistical analysis programs, remote-sensing systems, and financial modeling programs all fit within the concept of human communication." CMC most commonly refers to human communication via computers and includes many different forms of synchronous, asynchronous or real-time interaction that humans have with each other using computers as tools to exchange text, images, audio and video.

It is the process of sending messages--primarily, but not limited to text messages--through the direct use by participants of computers and communication networks.

In the case of the characteristics of the participant, it is important to realize that each person possesses a range of different characteristics, and any one of these might become prominent, depending on the situation. For example, in face to face interaction, a shy person might become loud and flamboyant around good friends, but he or she might seem reclusive in an unfamiliar situation. In the same way, participants on different forms of CMC can exhibit a number of different characteristics at different times. This theory is known as the Self Categorization Theory because each person decides which of his or her categorizations he or she will make salient at a certain time. Turner (2005) sees the categorization process as the causal driver of power and influence. From this perspective, embodying the prototype of the "in group" is what maximizes influence, influence is the basis of power, and power leads to control over resources. CMC enables people to have a certain sense of power that they may not have in their lives.

Changes often occur in social boundaries and status as participants often feel more freedom. Advances in technology-enabled social arrangements allow us to see if theories can stretch their original assumptive boundaries. (Walther, 2011) Audiences are no longer bounded by space and time in using social media. Individuals from different social circles and life streams become connected as they share information and interests. 

Citations:

Santoro, G. M. (1995). What is Computer Mediated Communication? In Z. L. Berge & M. P. Collins (Eds.), Computer Mediated Communication and the Online Classroom:  Overview and Perspectives (pp. 11-27). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Thurlow, C., Lengel, L. Tomic, A. 2004). Computer mediated communication: Social interaction on the internet. London: Sage.

Tong, S. T., & Walther, J. B. (2011). Relational maintenance and computer-mediated communication.  In K. B. Wright & L. M. Webb (Eds.), Computer-mediated communication in personal relationships (pp. 98–119). New York: Peter Lang.

Turner, J. C. (2005). Explaining the nature of power: A three-process theory.  European Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 1–22.

Walther, J. B. (2011)Theories of Computer-Mediated Communication and Interpersonal Relations (chapter 14) in The SAGE Handbook of Interpersonal Communication edited by Mark L. Knapp, John A. Daly.

Walther, J. B., & Burgoon, J. K. (1992). Relational communication in computer-mediated interaction. Human Communication Research, 19, 50-88.

Issues Related to Privacy and Security in CMC

In the recent literature on privacy and technology, considerable attention has been paid to privacy issues and concerns involving the Internet. The most significant impact that the Internet has had for personal privacy so far has not been with respect to any Internet-specific privacy concerns. The most important questions are related to the public vs. private nature of personal information. In many ways the Internet might be viewed not so much as an entity but rather as a medium through which the information residing on connected servers and databases can be accessed. People are always looking for information about people and locations.

The Internet has made it possible for certain existing privacy threats to occur on a scale that would not have been possible before. Issues such as identity theft and digging into private records are now prevalent. Specific privacy threats that were not possible with earlier information and communications technologies are now made possible by the Internet.

Through the use of a data-gathering technique called Internet cookies, online businesses and Web-site owners can store and retrieve information about a user who visits their Web sites, typically without that user's knowledge or consent. Cookies are considered by most to be a tool which can be used for user-tracking, a common concern in the field of privacy. Even though most web designers and corporations commonly use cookies for legitimate and desirable purposes, there are cases of abuse that can and do occur.

It can be both useful and harmful. Those who are in favor of this use maintain that they are performing a service for repeat users of a Web site by customizing a user's means of information retrieval and by providing the user with a list of preferences for future visits to that Web site. Does mining personal data on the Internet violate or invade an individual's privacy? There are some who are very opposed to such information mining. They still fear the use of the Internet for this reason. Privacy measures are provided on several social networking sites to try to provide their users with protection of their personal information.

Identity theft, cyber-stalking and credit card theft are some of the clearly illegal activities that take place. Being educated about cookies as well as the potential for employee monitoring, are aspects that may cause one to become more aware about the protection of their own privacy.

Online Dilemmas

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who make up an identity or information that may not be true and pass it on via e-mail or discussion lists. Interspersed among the junk mail and spam that continues to enter our Internet e-mail boxes are extreme warnings about devastating new viruses and malicious software that can steal the computer right off your desk. Added to that are messages about free money, children in trouble, and other items designed to grab you and get you to forward the message to everyone you know. Most of these messages are hoaxes or chain letters. While hoaxes do not automatically infect systems like a virus or Trojan, they are still time-consuming and costly to remove from all the systems where they exist.

There are two known factors that make a hoax “successful,” they are:

1. credibility by association—who sent the message originally
2. technical sounding language

The digital dilemma is that the same technology that is making more current information available more quickly and completely also has the potential to demolish a careful balancing of public good and private interest. The public good is the broad availability of information anchored by the constitutional mandate to promote the "progress of science and the useful arts"; the private interest is the time-limited monopoly given to a contributor to that progress. The challenge is to strike and maintain a balance, offering enough to motivate authors, inventors, and publishers, but not so much as to threaten important public policy goals, such as promotion of education and scholarship. Many authors and musicians hesitate in putting their information or music online. What may be good for one may end up being costly for someone else. Advances in technology have produced radical shifts in the ability to reproduce, distribute, control, and publish information. The average computer owner today can easily do copying that would have required significant investment and perhaps criminal intent only a few years ago.

Chain Letter and Hoax

Chain letters and most hoax messages all have a similar pattern.

• Hook - something to catch your interest and get you to read the rest of the letter
• Request - such as mail a dollar to the top ten names on the letter and then pass it on
• Threat - warn you about the terrible things that will happen if you do not maintain the chain

Chain letters usually do not have the name and contact information of the original sender so it is impossible to check on their authenticity.

Example: “The Make Money Fast (MMF) chain is read by thousands of people daily. It is also known as: "Easy Cash", "Make Cash Fast", "Turn $5 into $50,000" and many others. They are all basically the same scheme, in which the reader send $1 to each of the 5 people at the bottom of the list, then moves his name onto the list.”

Hoax vs. Urban Legend vs. Rumor vs. Junk

It is good to understand the differences between a hoax, an urban legend, a rumor, and just plain junk. A hoax is a message which includes false, deliberately deceptive information. An urban legend is a popularly believed narrative which is usually false. A rumor may take the form of a personal anecdote, it may be true, false, or in-between. Junk is the flotsam and jetsam of the Net, such as advertisement windows that pop up, or lists which sign you up for e-mail advertisements or notifications.

Become a Good Netizen

Do you spend hours on the Internet and use it as a primary communication tool? Then, you are a Netizen.

The term Netizen is derived from the term citizen, referring to a citizen of the Internet, or someone who uses networked resources. Sometimes users are also referred to as cybercitizens. Generally, a netizen can be any user of the worldwide, unstructured forums of the Internet. The word netizen itself was created by Michael Hauben.

The term connotes civic responsibility and participation. Netiquette is etiquette on the Internet. A “flame” has come to refer to any kind of derogatory comment, such as when an online discussion degenerates into a series of personal attacks against the debaters, rather than discussion of their subject matter itself. There are many sites today that will actively disregard the truth about people just for the attempt of increasing their audience.

Key Terms

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) - refers to human communication via computers and includes many different forms of synchronous, asynchronous or real-time interaction that humans have with each other using computers as tools to exchange text, images, audio and video.

E-mail - Electronic mail, most commonly referred to as email or e-mail

Privacy - the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves, or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively

Cookies - a message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file.

Hoax - message which is written to deliberately spread fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Cyber Stalking - the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, a group, or an organization.

Netiquette - the do's and don'ts of online communication

Junk - unsolicited bulk email

Rumor - a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person

Urban Legend - a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true

Netizen - an entity or person actively involved in online communities and a user of the Internet

Cybercitizen –very actively involved in online communities

Flame - a searing attack by a writer in an e-mail or bulletin board message as well as to a highly sophisticated strain of malware

Assignment

1. Use the search engine of your choice to find a site that discusses Urban Legends.
   
   
   1. Read two of the legends on this site. Describe and discuss their content in a few paragraphs.
   2. Why is this phenomenon of “urban legends” dangerous to society?
   3. What are some of the effects of the two legends you read?


2. Provide an example of each of the following and discuss each.
   
   
   1. Hoax
   2. Urban legend
   3. Rumor
   4. Junk


3. Find another Web site that is useful for revealing false information and list its URL with a brief description of what it covers.


4. Discuss some issues in privacy in using the Internet. Find 2 examples of violations doing a search on this topic.

Submit your assignment.