Assig-5,Opt-1: Finding My One True Funny Wuv

Some people call me picky when it comes to the fairer sex. In my opinion, one of the most important qualities a girl must have is a sense of humor. Within that, which is more important, is that the girl must like MY sense of humor, regardless of how brutally pathetic my jokes can get. Dead silence after I deliver a joke is my kryptonite. My brother has completely exploited this trait, even withholding laughter after some of my greatest gems just to tick me off—and I am talking pure gold­. In my interpersonal communication and attraction experiences with woman, I have found that this humor neurosis is only more evident.
The other summer, I began speaking with an old flame who I was involved with years ago, back when I was still in my proverbial macking diapers. I had met her through summer camp and since she lived far away from me, Florida, our reconciling conversations took place over AIM or sometimes via telephone. Wallace’s attraction factors were epitomized with my rekindled love for my lil’ Florida Orange and my quest to see if she obtained humor wisdom to be my…One True Funny Wuv.
Wallace’s first factor is Physical Attractiveness. Much of the current literature argues the sad but true reality that attractive people are more enticing to get to know. However, Wallace asserts that during CMC, this traditional sequence of being attracted to an individual and then wanting to learn about them becomes reversed; getting to know a person followed by physical attraction. Although I was one attracted to my female friend during summer camp, our relationship waned over the years as did my physical attraction to her. However, we began communicating via AIM and our good report during CMC eventually translated my once apathetic attraction into a more intense one. In our CMC interactions, my friend and I followed an attraction sequence more similar to Wallace’s opposed to the traditional progression.
This newfound attraction can also be greatly attributed to another one of Wallace’s attraction factors, Common Ground. This factor states that attraction is increased when there is a presence of mutually shared beliefs, especially when there are favorable proportions of shared to unshared beliefs. During our interactions, since humor is very important to me, I was very in tune to our shared interests concerning humor and comedy. When we shared a favorite movie or comedian, it was duly noted. In CMC, Wallace states that even though you may have fewer cues and learn less about a person, this greatly enhances his notion of proportion, which in turn, leads to greater attraction. The few shared comedic interests between my friend and I created greater attraction, potentially even greater than when we had interacted FtF in the previous years. This notion of few, but proportionally favorable shared beliefs can be somewhat related to the hyperpersonal’s “intensification process” and behavioral confirmation. I may have taken the few shared humor related beliefs and began treating my friend like we had the exact the same sense of humor, thus beginning the vicious cycle of perhaps false attraction.
Additionally, Wallace’s fourth factor, Disinhibition Effects, contributed to the attraction created by the CMC between my friend and me. The CMC environment made us feel perhaps more anonymous, causing an increase in self-disclosure. This ties into both McKenna’s predictions of relationships and facilitation factors. Mckenna asserts that with anonymity, there is more self-disclosure which leads to increased relationship development. Mckenna also argues that people like those who they disclose to and those who disclose to back to them. All these factors, both Wallace’s and McKenna’s, contributed the attraction and relationship that was created during my CMC with my old flame.