Interactional Sociolinguistics
Reading
Week 10
Required Reading
Most of the concepts we have learned so far have been developed in the study of face to face interaction and interaction over fixed phone lines. New technologies (computers and mobile phones and other wireless devices) introduces new forms of interaction which force us to rethink and revise many of the assumptions about interaction that we have be working with so far. Computer mediated interaction is not only enormously popular with yourn people like yourselves. It has also had a dramatic effect on the way people experience things like space, context, communication and relationships.
Digital Performances
One of the biggest ways computers have changed the ways we interact is by making available to us new kinds of fronts. Electronic fronts are very different from those we use in face to face interaction. On the one hand, they offer us 'more', enabling us to use all sorts of graphic capabilities and textual tools to advance our lines. On the other hand, they offer considerably less, robbing us of the use of things like physical appearance, gestures, tone of voice. Ironically, in this case 'less is more'. The 'muting' of different channels in, for example, ICQ chat allows us greater flexibility in the kinds of roles we can take on and the kinds of lines we can advance. There is an expression: 'On the Internet nobody knows you're a dog.' Computer mediated communication in many ways frees people from the constraints of physical fronts allowing them to assume multiple identities and take part in multiple storylines.
Politeness On-line
Computer mediated communication also alters the way we use politeness strategies. For some mediums (like ICQ), involvement strategies seem to be predominant. One reason for this that some researchers have pointed out is that computer mediated communication has an equalizing effect, fostering more egalitarian face systems (perhaps because many of the symbols of power--age, badges, uniforms, etc. are not available to ICQ users).
Special norms of politeness have built up over the years around computer mediated communication. These rules are called 'netiquette'. At the same time, however, many researchers have noted that people seem to be more willing to behave aggressively over the internet, giving rise to phenomena called 'flaming' and 'net-rage'. Perhaps because of the reduced cues in computer mediated communication, people often find it easier to express emotions or talk about topics which they might have difficultly talking about in face to face interaction.
Frames and Contextualization Cues
One of them most dramatic ways CMC has changed the way we interact is in changing the ways we use contextualization cues to frame what we are doing in interaction. Over the computer, many of the cues we use in face to face interaction are not available. At the same time, users have developed other ways of signaling context (emoticons, typology, etc.) Interestingly in Cantonese computer mediated communication, users typically retain the most important contextualization cues of their face to face speech: final particles (which in CMC are often spelled out with English letters). CMC has also given rise to new and creative forms of code mixing and code switching.
Conversational Management
Finally, CMC has changed the ways we manage our conversations. In various kinds of computer mediated communication we have different norms of opening and closing conversations, different mechanisms for turn taking, different methods of topic management, and different kinds of ritual exchanges. One characteristic of ICQ chat, for example, is that people tend to change topics much more than in face to face conversations.
One of the biggest differences between face to face conversation and computer mediated communication is the polyfocality associated with CMC. When they are 'playing ICQ' people are typically involved in a great number of other activities. ICQ also facilitates engaging in more than one conversation at a time. Thus the whole field in which interaction takes place and the kinds of 'participation status' users take up becomes more complex.
Supplementary Readings
Boyd H. Davis and Jeutonne P. Brewer. 'A First Look at Electronic Discourse' (from Electronic Discourse: Linguistic Individuals in Virtual Space, 1997, SUNY Press, pp1-6) (e-group)
Nikki Sannicolas, 'Erving Goffman, Dramaturgy, and On-Line Relationships' (URL)
Deborah Tannen. 'Fast Forward Technologically Enhanced Aggression' (from The Argument Culture) (egroup)
Optional Readings