Group Dynamics and CMC

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Unit 5

• Group Dynamics and CMC

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• What is a group?
• What about a crowd?
• What defines small group communication?
• Interaction of three or more interdependent
  people working toward a common goal
• Elements
• of participants (or perception of )
• Interaction
• Interdependency
• Common goals (most important)

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Schutzs Theory of Interpersonal Behavior

• FIRO Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship
  Orientation
• We join groups to fulfill needs
• Inclusion need to belong
• Control need to feel influential
• Affection need to feel that others like us
• Needs vary with the individual
• FIRO attempts to explain and predict group
  behavior

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FIRO

• Inclusion need to feel accepted
• Ideal social member needs are met
• Undersocial member needs not met likely to
  withdraw to avoid being hurt
• Oversocial member needs not met likely to
  overcompensate, attract attention, try to impress
  others. Will not work alone

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FIRO

• Control need for influence in the group varies
  with the individual
• Democratic member needs are met
• Abdicrat needs not met. Submissive dont
  believe situation can change. They avoid
  responsibility
• Autocrat needs not met. Attempt to dominate to
  compensate. They use force, coercion, criticism

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FIRO

• Affection need to feel others like us
• Ideal personal member needs are met (they like
  me, or I dont care)
• Underpersonal member needs not met. They avoid
  friendships, sharing of ideas and feelings
• Overpersonal members needs not met. They
  overcompensate They are too personal, they share
  too often, sometimes inappropriately

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• RSC Model (Reduced Social Cues)
• Nonverbals
• Feedback (verbal and nonverbal)
• Creates an environment of communication
  aggression, inhibits relationships
• If the RSC and other dystopian perspectives are
  correct, what about letter writing?

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• Downside of group dynamics (RL and CMC)
• Disinhibition
• Deindividuation
• Polarization
• Upside
• Cohesion
• Interactivity
• Identity

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• Anonymity
• Not either/or it has degrees
• Freedom from constraints (nonverbals, RL cues,
  etc.
• Freedom for responsibility
• Effects of anonymity are context-sensitive
• Disinhibition reduced concern for the judgment
  of others, self-presentation management issues
• RSC assumes disinhibition is inherent in CMC
• Is it?
• Depends again on context

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• Deindividuation
• Related to gang behavior
• Group behavior becomes more important than the
  individuals
• Higher in CMC because of reduced social context
  cues. Easy, perhaps only, way to assert identity
• Group polarization
• Extreme positions, little moderation, negotiation
• No opposing voices allowed. Flaming

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• Leads to conformity
• Positive? Negative?
• Convert, or at least comply to get along
• Cohesion
• Positive feeling of group unity
• Netiquette online help and camaraderie
• Breaking of rules results in strong group
  disapproval
• A way of signaling group affiliation

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• Interactivity
• Very strong in CMC
• Enhances integration and bonding
• In stable online groups, participants are more
  likely to be helpful than aggressive
• Aggression more common in less stable online
  environments

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• SIDE Model (Social Identification Deindividuation
  Model)
• Identity has both personal and social aspects
• CMC can be hyperpersonal
• Online, we rely more on group-based
  discriminators (cues as to social norms)
• Display of these norms becomes a way to assert
  identity

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Group Dynamic and CMC

• SIDE Model
• In RL, our differences often signal our identity.
  Online, its our similarities that rule
• Perceived similarities is a strong attractor
• Were more likely to get along in online
  environments
• Management leads to idealized identities. We
  live up to those identities

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Unit 6
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Flaming

• How common is it?
• RSC approach asserts that its due to reduced
  regulation and anonymity
• Interactional-Normative Framework (norms are
  complex, dynamic, context-related)
• Flaming is based on individual perspectives
• Differing groups have differing norms
• Flaming isnt necessarily based on content, but
  context and function. (e.g. we can use
  name-calling positively) see pg. 74
• Flaming behavior not unique to CMC. Tendency to
  blame the technology

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Unique Features of the Internet

• Packet switching
• Sensory appeal
• Interactive
• Synchronicity
• Hypertextuality

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Embedded Media

• The Internet has become an embedded media
• Study of the actual integration of the Internet
  into our lives (versus the intended use)
• Need both objective research (e.g. scientific,
  empirical) and subjective (e.g. ethnographic,
  interpretive)
• Broad social patterns versus depth of
  understanding individuals
• Internet as open and sharing, to regulated and
  commercial