Last Week Discussion Question#3

The most interesting concept that I encountered from the class is would be nonverbal communication’s chronemics. I knew before that nonverbal communication is important as well, considering the impact of first impressions and how verbal messages are interpreted differently based on nonverbal cues. However, I had not given a lot of thought about how present and future time may affect human behavior and thus used as nonverbal messages. There is the dimension of psychological time orientation, involving the way that an individual may think about time, view time as, and experience it. One may focus on the present or the future, or even feel anxious about time obligations from both time perspective categories. There is the way that bodies may influence the nonverbal behaviors that one exhibits, the biological time orientation. Finally there is the cultural time orientation where one’s culture influences the perspective of time. Time is important and how one views and spends it determine how one acts within a daily basis.

Last Week Discussion Question#2

I think that how the self-concept is constructed needs further construction. There was not much discussion about interpersonal communication’s self, a topic that includes the looking-glass self-concept. One constructs a view of oneself through the numerous interactions within the course of an individual’s life, and the continuously knowledge that gets built up after each new experience. If parents and others tell one specific girl that she is beautiful continuously, praising her and spoiling her, that girl may deem herself as beautiful. This then raises her self-esteem and self-confidence in herself as a beautiful person, which should normally garner attention and thus influencing her daily behavior and attitude. This may include activities such as spending more time and money on herself with the reasoning that it is worth it. She may feel inadequate about other traits other than her beauty if the dialogues of her interpersonal relationships are solely centered on beauty rather than intellect, athleticism or other traits. Thus she may solely focus on keeping that beauty or enhancing it, feeling that this beauty is the one good trait that she has. There are many ways in which the relationships that one has affects how one sees oneself and also the world and thus behave within that reality.

Last Week Discussion Question#1

Among all research methods listed in Table 13.3 of the textbook, the most interesting to me is Ethnography. I consider this method the most interesting due to the fact that the researcher becomes a part of the group he or she is studying. Also, the fact that the researcher does not impose his or her own assumptions and the conclusions emerge naturally is something fascinating to me. If, for instance, I was going to study some aspect of deception, let’s say, how some romantic partners deceive each other, my research question would probably be: “what are the communication patterns of romantic partners who deceive each other?” Although it would not be easy to obtain true information from romantic partners who cheat on the other party, I wonder that I would go to places where couples usually go, such as clubs, and I would observe how romantic partners behave when they are accompanied by his or her other half, as well as how they behave when they go to the club without the other half. I imagine that talking to people in public places would be another interesting way to obtain data for my ethnographic study.

Week#13 Discussion Question# 3

When it comes to the function of media, in the book it describes that it had four functions which are surveillance, correlation, cultural transmission, and entertainment. The first on to show info, the second is the analysis of info, the third is education, and the fourth is to entertain people. I feel that all of these are important for media, but I feel that the most important are correlation and entertainment. The reason why we engage in media is to be entertained. It doesn’t matter what program you watch or listen to ranging from Howard Stern to Oprah, we watch them because we find their programs interesting and entertaining. Correlation is analyzing the info that we are given and we must decide if the info we are given is accurate. I feel that this is a good function of the media to expose lies because the fact of the matter is that we aren’t taught to question media that much, we tend to go on face values, instead of trying to find the truth. That’s what news is all about, trying to find the truth, and I think that media does a good job with these functions.

Week#13 Discussion Question#2

I agree with Marshell McLuhand that the medium is the message. As part of an audience, we have become either interested or disinterested on a subject/topic depending on what we first see or hear. For example, in watching television, we like to see changing pictures and things that are direct in order to understand what is trying to be conveyed to us. McLuhand states television has a mosaic logic which stimulates thoughts from the audience by providing information that resembles puzzles that have to be put together. He states television “encourages sensory involvement”. I like to watch CSI and Law and Order and I find myself more immersed in the show if I'm watching it directly. If I were to hear this show on the radio, I do not think I would be as involved to solve the crime. Another example that McLuhand provides is the linear logic where messages are transmitted through print media and people understand the topic in an orderly sequence. Watching or hearing a baseball game going on over reading the newspaper provides different information for the audience even though the topics are usually the same.

I think McLuhan's statement about a television being a “cool medium” is interesting. I agree that TV does demand its viewers “fill in detail”. As a TV viewer, I like to be actively watching a show. I prefer to think how a story is going to end rather than a spokesperson or narrator telling me what is going to happen. Because TV provides rapidly changing images, the audience is constantly changing their ideas; it is not static. 

Week#13 Discussion Question#1

As far as having friendships in cyberspace, I generally don't keep them unless they are family members and friends who I used to hang out with but now live too far away to see them frequently. Since talking online is free and can be accessed anywhere, especially with my Iphone, I find it easier to keep friendships remotely. I generally use Google Chat or Skype to stay in contact with family and friends. As convenient as it is with the online chat, I don't think it's comparable to face-to-face communication. I like to see the reactions of the people I am talking to rather than seeing emoticons. Also, people may not be able to convey their feelings or emotions appropriately online because words or messages may be interpreted differently. Another thing is that people can easily fall into the “fake” category when chatting online because there is no one to stop them from not being genuine, whether it is someone you know or a complete stranger. I had one experience where I befriended a person online and later learned he was not a genuine person. Luckily, I didn't let the person damage me, but the experience did leave me to be more aware of cyber communication and favor more face-to-face relationships.

Week#12 Discussion Question#3

After reading chapter 8 what I found to be the most interesting to me was the section on the "Promoting Professionalism in Workplace Relationships". I have plenty of friends that I have workplace relationships. I met a co-worker through my current job and we have become the best of co-workers. We are really close at work, however that's where the relationship stays, we both have our own set of friends outside of work. With Office Romance, this one is interesting because when I went to the new hire orientation for my job it simply states in the work handbook that a line staff cannot date a supervisor or a manager because it is a conflict of interest, but it’s ok if you are line staff and the person you are dating is a manager as long as he/she works in a different department then you. I personally would never date anyone from my place of work because it can be ac ward and sometimes cause unwarranted conflict.