Communication Theory

In reading the articles pertaining to some of the theories pertaining to computer-mediated communication (CMC), there are three takeaways that I would like to discuss. The first is Technological Determinism. According to Dusek (2006) "Technological determinism is the claim that technology causes or determines the structure of the rest of society and culture" (Hallstrom 2020). The idea that technology can determine how society is structured may seem far-fetched, but one look at our world today demonstrates how this holds true. Not only is our society structured by technology, it is dominated by it. We have become dependent on smart phones that do everything from Google searches to managing our finances and daily schedules. Without technology, we are unable to access our bank accounts, our health records, or (in our case) further our education. It isn't that some of us wanted to be dependent on technology, but we were thrown into it. This is evident in the push for a cashless society. A lot of people do not want to go cashless, but technology advancements are heading that direction, and it is either get on board or be unable to pay your bills or buy groceries. In this way, technology structures society in our everyday lives. However, political theory suggests that technology structures how we think, the extent to which technology controls our lives, and that we are powerless to stop it. This leads into the modernization theory held within sociology, because we can't possibly be considered a modern society if we oppose technological innovations, right? Looking at it from an internalist perspective, we would see this push towards innovation as being driven by scientists and engineers who are constantly seeking to improve or create the most cutting-edge technology. I see you, Bill Gates. However, if we view technology from an externalist perspective, we start considering how social, cultural, economic, and political factors can be driving forces in technological advancements. Where this can get interesting is with a hybrid of the two perspectives, the contextualist perspective. The contextualist perspective is the idea that both the internalist and externalist perspectives complement each other. Hallstrom (2020) says that technological determinism is not necessarily a bad thing, but a natural result of technological design being a balance between what is societally desirable and what is technically possible.

The second theory to discuss is Social Construction Theory (SCOT). This theory says the opposite of technological determinism in that social factors influence technology development, technological change, and the meanings associated with technology. SCOT uses the concepts of social groups, interpretive flexibility, closure, and stabilization. Of importance to note is that interpretive flexibility recognizes that artifacts can be interpreted and have different meanings for different social groups. Where technological determinism holds the view that technology determines society, SCOT holds that technology is used because it serves a purpose for society, improves society, and helps to promote interests within social groups. Along this same vein is the idea held by social constructivists that society and technology "cocreate" or, rather, technology shapes society and society shapes technology (Social Construction of Technology). Within the social construction theory is the actor-network theory (ANT) that says that actors (human and nonhuman) and network (social systems and practices) combine with material objects to form the cocreation of technology and social factors. One aspect of SCOT that I find troubling is that an analysis showed that particular social groups wield power over others through technology. Although there is research being done to counteract misuse of power and unfair social patterns "created and reinforced" through technology, this is an issue that will be impossible to eliminate as long as there are socioeconomic, educational, and cultural barriers (Social Construction of Technology). My immediate thought when I think of unfair social patterns is Mean Girls, or the use of technology through social media platforms as a bullying tactic. I know that this isn't necessarily the implication but seeing how popular and celebrity personas drive the use of technology through social peer pressure certainly brings it to mind. Another thought with this comes back to the political arena and how certain groups buy and dominate websites in order to promote their agendas. Let's not even get started on the use of social media to create a political polar divide.....

Lastly, the theory of social presence explains how the use of communication mediums can affect how people communicate. What is social presence? It is the degree of salience (yes, I had to look this term up, but it means the "quality or state of being there") between two communicators using a communication medium (Lowenthal, 2009). Researchers (such as Swan and Walther) argued that a person's personal perceptions of presence mattered more than the medium that they used. They believed that, for that reason, CMC could be personal and social. The definition of social presence has changed numerous times because it cannot be clearly defined or agreed upon. There are also very few measurements to evaluate social presence. Gunawardena created surveys and conducted interviews with students about their perceptions of CMC and social presence. Rourke et al. (2001) focused on identifying observable behaviors used by students who project themselves as "real" people. Aragon identified strategies in developing and maintaining social presence. They are course design such as class size, instructor strategies such as feedback, and participant strategies such as sharing personal stories. Online students and instructors can use discussion boards, humor, and emojis to maintain social presence. I would argue that communication through group chats and messaging on Canvas are valuable tools as well. Social presence within CMC is directly related to student satisfaction in the course, the instructor, and their learning. However, research has shown that student perceptions of HOW they communicate matter more than the medium used to communicate. That said, it is the quality of communication that matters more than anything else. Further proof that humans need connection in order to thrive.

Resources:

Hallstrom (2020). Embodying the past, designing the future: Technological determinism reconsidered in technology education (Technological Determinism: TD): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10798-020-09600-2

Lowenthal, P.R. (2009). Social presence. In Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, Second Edition (pp. 1900-1906). IGI Global. https://patricklowenthal.com/publications/2009/2009-social-presence

Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedia-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/social-construction-technology