I believe that O'Sullivan's theory and Media Richness theory can be applied in different circumstances. Take, for example, these two contrasting examples.
My boyfriend and I are beginning a long distance relationship after dating for three years. We will have to have a long distance relationship for about two years before it is even possible that we would be able to be together again long term. Thus, it is important to both of us that we stay in contact with each other as much as possible so we can stay involved with each others' lives. So, we both decided to get web cams and web cam software so that we can video chat. It has ended up working extremely well and we have video chatted almost every night. I would say that this is explained by media richness theory because I don't want to be ambiguous in my feelings toward him. Sometimes when we send email I dont know whether he is happy or sad. I think that in a long distance relationship it is especially important to know exactly how the other person is feeling in order to keep the relationship strong. Thus, we made sure we had the richest form of media communication available - video chatting. And I would say that it has come through extremely well.
My second experiece is best deifined by the Osullivan impression management model. I am the chores manager of my house of 11 girls. My job is to tell people what their chore of the week is and ensure that they do it. Sometimes there is a girl who doesn't do their chore. Then, I have to scold them and tell them to get on it and do it. I really hate doing that because I don't like to feel like I am accusing others. I especially hate doing it face to face because I feel vulnerable and usually back down. So, I usually pick email or facebook wall messages. This is supported by the Osullivan theory because my valence is on negative and my locus is toward others. Thus, I am likely to choose a cmc form of communication, which I did.
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3 comments:
Hi Jenna. I agree that trying to maintain a long distance relationship is a difficult and complex task. Trying to stay active in someone's life who isn't near you is definatly an equivocal task as Media Richness Theory would state. It is much easier to convey emotion through a web-cam (richer media) where facial expressions and tone of voice can be heard as opposed to lean media, like e-mail. Web-cam would also be much more efficient than e-mail for this task.
For your second situation, I would also much rather use e-mail than FtF to scold and accuse someone. Since valence is negative in this case (accusation) a buffer zone is prefered to distance yourself from the other person. I would feel uncomfortable and distressed if I had to yell at someone FtF.
Hey Jenna, I enjoyed reading this. I, too, am trying to maintain a relationship long distance. Communication via phone and IM is crucial to the survival of the relationship. I do not have access to the extremely rich media of video chat that you do, but the phone and IM work. Also, in regards to your second point, I feel like confrontation is easier when not Face to face. I know recently someone confronted me FtF and I was VERY uncomfortable. I wish we could have just IM'd instead.
Hi Jenna. I really enjoyed reading your blog. Maintaining a long distance relationship can be so daunting and difficult times. With so little cues to work with sometimes it’s hard to read a person without seeing their facial expression, which says so much. My roommate is currently in a long distance relationship and I can see the toll it can take on a person when some very important communication cues simply are not there. You can tell so much about a person, simply by looking at their face and seeing their reaction to what you say. When it comes to maintaining a relationship with a person, it is necessary to understand them completely, and in order to do that you must be able to pick up on the wide range of communication cues; and its much easier to do that using a web cam. I also entirely agree with your second situation. I am currently living in an apartment with 5 other friends and we definitely have our fair share of problems. We often communicate through e-mail or messages to express our feelings or a problem since we all want to avoid confrontation and accusation. We need that buffer of lean media to prevent a person from feeling attacked.
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