--- Conor Schaefer <conor.schaefer@gmail.com> wrote:
For some reason, this aspect seems "new" and unique to technology to a
Conor - I think this is well explored in the personal communication literature that covers role play, identity theory and so on. I certainly put on a different 'face' for each role I play - work, home, etc. This is from a former post, the following is their abstract and references on the topic of computer identity. I believe that multiple computer identities are assumed to be fairly normal in the CMC environment. Bishop-Clark, C., B. Beth Dietz-Uhler, et al. (2003). The Formation of and Adherence to a Self-Disclosure Norm in a Computer-Mediated Setting. Social Psychology Dept. at Miami University located in Oxford, OH, Miami University, Ohio. One of the hallmarks of communication on the Internet is the ease with which users self-disclose (Wallace, 1999). In Internet chats and on-line discussion boards, Internet users reveal a good deal of personal information about themselves, typically with positive consequences (McKenna & Bargh, 1998). In a recent investigation of self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication (CMC) settings, Joinson (2001) found that participants disclosed more personal information in CMC than face-to-face settings, and did so under conditions of high private self-awareness and low public self-awareness. However, it may be possible to explain those results using the Social Identity Deindivuation Model (SIDE) of norm formation (Postmes, Spears, & Lea, 2000), which argues that norms emerge in groups through referent informational influence (Turner, 1982). The present studies tests whether norms of self-disclosure emerge and whether these norms are adhered to in a CMC setting. Procedure Students (n = 8) in an online Introductory Psychology course participated in an asynchronous on-line discussion as part of the course requirements. Students were not anonymous and had never met face-to-face. The topic of discussion was the stigma of mental illness. Transcripts of the communication were coded for number of self-disclosing (e.g., I am manic-depressive) entries. Also coded were the number of entries supportive of self-disclosing (e.g., It must be tough being manic-depressive) and non-self-disclosing statements (e.g., I agree that the mentally ill are stigmatized), to assess the strength of conformity to a norm of self-disclosure. Results There were 298 entries, of which 6.4% were self-disclosures, 1.7% were supportive of prior self-disclosures, and 4.7% were supportive of non-self-disclosing statements. Correlational analyses indicated that there were more self-disclosing posts over time (r (296) = .22, p < .001), more self-disclosing supportive posts over time (r (296) = .12, p < .05), and less non-self-disclosing supportive statements over time (r (296) = -.14, p < 02). In an ANOVA examining the effects of time (divided into four periods) on the ratio of self-disclosing posts (to total number of posts), results indicated significant effects of time on self-disclosing posts (p < .05), self-disclosing supportive posts (p < .05), and non-self-disclosing supportive posts (p < .05). Discussion Results provide support for the SIDE model of norm formation. A norm of self-disclosure emerged and was reinforced by more supportive feedback for self-disclosing than non-self-disclosing statements. Once a norm of self-disclosure developed, there was pressure to conform. References Joinson, A. N. (2000). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 177-192. McKenna, K. Y. A. & Bargh, J. (1998). Coming out in the age of the Internet: Identity demarginalization through virtual group participation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 681-694. Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Lea, M. (2000). The formation of group norms in computer- mediated communication. Human Communication Research, 26, 341-371. Turner, J. C. (1982). Towards a cognitive redefinition of the group. In H. Tajfel (Ed.), Social identity and intergroup relations (pp. 15-40). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Wallace, P. (1999). The psychology of the Internet. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
lot of researchers; like this doesn't happen in face-to-face interactions, for instance. On this subject, can anyone point me to research which does draw parallels between the two paradigms?
Denise N. Rall, PhD Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW 2480 AUSTRALIA Tues: Room T2.17, +61 (0)2 6620 3577 Mobile 0438 233 344 http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/drall/ Virtual member, Cybermetrics Group, University of Wolverhampton, UK http://cybermetrics.wlv.ac.uk/index.html ____________________________________________________________________________________ Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news, photos & more. http://mobile.yahoo.com/go?refer=1GNXIC