Throughout this year, we have studied numerous theories and phenomena regarding social computing and its psychological effects. Although no one can truly know what the future will hold, we always have and will continue to make predictions. As the world becomes more dependent on computers and the Internet, I believe a few theories in particular will hold true. First, the Hyperpersonal Model, as CMC will always lead to a reduced breath of content (there is only so much you can learn over the Internet about a person) and consequently lead to an increased intensity in attributions. In addition, a few others include Media Richness Theory, Social Distance Theory and the Feature-based Model of deception. In terms of the former, as our society becomes increasingly computer dependent (with online dating becoming even more popular with time), there will always be a need for a match between the equivocality of a task and the appropriate means of communication. As for the latter, I believe an increase in social computing dependence will lead to increased problems with Internet deception, and therefore, both theories will be important, as they predict which medium will be used for different forms of deception. Finally, Caplin’s Theory on Problematic Internet Use will also hold, as greater social computing dependence will lead to greater PIU symptoms.
A few theories that will not be applicable in the future include Social Presence Theory, Reduced Social Context Cues and Social Information Processing. As we are currently seeing trends toward increased Internet dating (and modality switching actually working), these theories that predict less social presence, poorly developed and negative impression formation, and slower impression formation in CMC, respectively, will not hold in the future. Moreover, if these were even entirely true today, I do not believe there would be such an increase in Internet dating.
Certainly, we have learned quite a bit about the psychology of social computing. From examining impression formation via computer mediated communication to studying the switch from an online relationship to off, Comm 245 has covered a great range. However, new technologies are born everyday. Thus, many studies that seem pertinent today may not be appropriate tomorrow. As video chat has become increasingly popular, perhaps studying the technology’s effects on impression/relationship development may provide interesting results. Furthermore, in light of the future, maybe studies on dating through virtual reality may also be applicable, as our society moves closer toward blending the online world with reality.
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I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your post. I think that it was well written and focused, and that you also managed to incorporate a lot of what we learned in class into the blog. I tend to agree with your predictions regarding most of the theories, especially the Hyperpersonal Model and the Feature-based Model of deception. I tend to think that these two theories especially will remain relevant even as technology progresses. That's not to say that they will remain the same, for as technology does progress aspects of the models will change, but the same underlying principles will still be significant. Well done!
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