I found the articles this week extremely engaging, particularly Nancy Baym’s article: Interpersonal Life Online. To what extent has this digital medium altered our relational lives is a fascinating question.
From Baym’s perspective, technology is fundamentally social. She also points out that many early scholars failed to understand the social implications of the medium.
Since online interpersonal communication filters out the traditional cues that are present in an FtF encounter, we base our judgments of other on different criteria. There is more emphasis on conversational style rather than appearance. There is also a heightened potential for identity playing. People can be whoever they want to be on the internet.
Certainly the established rules of interpersonal behavior and etiquette (if I can use that dated term) are changing radically.
We are now in a digital world where people are being introduced by matching algorithms. Is this proof of a broad cultural shift in society? If the answer is yes, are we in fact in the third wave, the information revolution? I think we shall soon know.
I also find it rather fascinating that "the established rules of interpersonal behavior and etiquette... are changing radically." Granted that we can be whoever we want to be online, I find that people are ascribing certain "rules" to interacting online. Perhaps the rules are just offline etiquette transferring to online etiquette. Perhaps they are alterations. For example, a couple of my friends equate writing in all capitals as being angry and discourage writing this way. Or, apparently if someone friends you Facebook, it is only polite for you, who has received the request, to write on the requester's wall first after confirmation. What do you think? Are they transferring or they adapting?
ReplyDeleteThose are some interesting points you bring up Chris....
ReplyDeleteI think there is definitely some offline etiquette transferring to the online platform but some of the examples you give us are definitely "new" kinds of etiquette, if you will.
I did not know that "etiquette" about having to first post on a newly friend's wall. That is interesting. What is interesting though is that no matter what we consider the proper and expected "online" etiquette is there are always going to be those who do not follow those "rules" or "expectations" and who deny such things exist. Just like in real life there are people who are simply inconsiderate and refuse to respect other people's lives. So maybe all the behavior we "see" online is just another embodiment, rendering, representation of what kind of society we really live in and what kind of behavior we would normally pursue in our real lives. What do you guys think?