Computer-Mediated
Interpersonal Communication

Com 482:  Winter 2005   Department of  Communication

Easy Print Syllabus
 

It is all these, of course, but these are not the most important aspects of the Internet.  The Internet is fundamentally social.  It is a new social space-- a new kind of place for people to gather, to get to know one another, and to explore their interests.  More than any previous communication medium, the Internet allows people to connect along lines of common interest rather than geography, race, age, or social class.  Wireless technologies still further amplify the Internet's power to connect people in new ways.   This changes everything—personal relations, business, politics, entertainment.  So understanding the Internet means understanding how it connects people.  And that's what this class is about.

The Internet creates new opportunities and risks for interpersonal communication.  Through readings and class discussion, you will apply theories of interpersonal communication to Internet settings, examine theories of computer-mediated communication, explore recent research, and sample popular overviews of interpersonal life in cyberspace. In addition, you will get "hands-on" experience with several Internet settings, although the class is not intended as a workshop on Internet skills.  

Major topics will  include:   How the net works   Who we are on the net   Privacy and freedom on the net   Personal aspects of  E-commerce    Wireless technologies   Developing relationships on line   Finding social support on the net   Joining others for civic action   Effects of the net on civic participation   Evaluating Internet communities

Key issues to explore: Why is the Internet so hard to control? How do social technologies affect us? How do we use them? What can we learn about face-to-face communication by studying the Internet? What's real, what's virtual? What does the Internet revolution have in common with previous revolutions in com- munication technology? Who are you when you're on the Internet? How is business creating personalized shopping online? How can we use the Internet in our social and family lives?  What are the risks? How is the net creating new forms of cooperation? Is the Internet helping people build strong communities or is it a drain on our real life communities?

Prerequisites and Background Requirements

	E-mail account and regular access to a computer connected to the Internet.
	Internet skills required for entry:

	Able to send and receive e-mail messages.
	Comfortable using at least one web browser (e.g., Netscape, Explorer, AOL)
	Able to use at least one common search engine (e.g., Altavista, Hotbot, Google).

The class is open to undergraduate majors and non-majors alike.  Graduate enrollment is discouraged.

	Previous courses in interpersonal communication (e.g., Com 270  or 472) are recommended but not required.
	Previous courses in new media skills and concepts (e.g., Com 300 or 301) are recommended but not required.

Readings

Howard Rheingold (2002). Smart mobs:  The next social revolution.
     Cambridge, MA:  Perseus Books.
Patricia Wallace (1999).  The Psychology of the Internet.   New York:  
      Cambridge University Press.
Reading packet.   Available at Rams Copy Center, 4144 University Way
      NE    Phone 206-632-6630. 

Evaluation, Grading, Assignments

Scores on the assignments will be summed to produce an index your overall 
performance in the class relative to others. Your final grade will be determined 
by that. Please feel free to come see me if you have concerns about your grades, 
the materials, or any other aspect of the class. I also try to be very responsive 
to e-mail. I encourage you to bring any complaints to me first. If you wish to 
make individual arrangements for a test, assignment, or some other aspect 
of the class, you must let me know in advance. I may not be able to make such
arrangements after the fact.

Class Schedule

January 3 - Monday  - Class Introduction, Understanding Social Technologies

Class introduction, overview of the class and a framework for understanding how we relate to new communication technologies-- how they affect us and how we shape them.  Online survey exercise.      Readings:

Wallace, Chapter 1, "The Internet in a  Psychological Context.
Rheingold, Chapter 1, "Shibuya Epiphany"
Kiesler & Sproull, "Group decision making and communication technology" (1992)
Explore class links on "Net History and Background"

January 5 - Wednesday - Lab session, Theories of Computer-mediated Communication

The first half of class will be devoted to an overview of the "trios" mini-projects that will be such an important part of the class.  Please be in class today.   The second half of class will begin a unit on theories of computer-mediated communication.  It will lay the foundation for the rest of the course. 

January 10 - Monday  - Theories of Computer-Mediated Communication

Theories of computer-mediated interaction as impersonal, personal, and hyperpersonal
communication.  A theoretic foundation for understanding CMC-- helping us understand how computer-mediated communication operates and how it differs from face-to-face (F2F) communication. Readings:

Walther & Parks "Cues filtered out, cues filtered in: Computer-mediated
 communication and relationships."  (2002)

 January 12 - Wednesday - Lab Session:  Social Venues of the Internet

The Internet is not an "it"-- it's a "they."  In other words, the Internet is not a single medium, but rather a collection of distinct digital media.  Using small group reports by "Trios" we will begin to explore the various social venues of the Internet today.

January 17 - Monday - No Class - Martin Luther King Day

  January 19 - Wednesday - Negotiating Identity and Gender on the Internet

How do we present ourselves on line? Do you really know who you are meeting in
cyberspace? How do we manage gender and sexuality in online settings?  In this unit we will explore how people establish and maintain online identities.   Readings:

Wallace, Chapter 2, "Your online persona:  The psychology of 
impression formation."
Wallace, Chapter 3, "Online masks and masquerades."
Wallace, Chapter 11, "Gender issues on the net."

Trio 2 - Chat demonstration
Trio 3 - Blog demonstration

January 24  - Monday - Lab Session:  Exploring Identity Issues Online

Trios reports on how identity is managed in several popular online social venues.

Trio 4 - Self-presentations using personal homepages (two groups)
Trio 5 - Managing identity in newsgroups or chats
Trio 18 - Managing identity in network settings (Friendster)


 

January 26 - Wednesday - Interpersonal Conflict on the Internet

Builds on our previous discussions of online interaction to explore how basic 
group processes of cooperation and conflict play out in online settings.  How 
does the net influence the way we come together, rivalries between "us" 
and "them"?  How and why do we fight online?  Readings:

Wallace, Chapter 4, "Group dynamics in cyberspace."
 Wallace, Chapter 5, "Intergroup conflict and cooperation."
 Wallace, Chapter 6, "Family and fighting:  The psychology of aggression on the net."

Trio 7 - Interaction in visual virtual worlds.

January 31 - Monday - Lab Session:  Conflict & Cooperation on the Net

Laboratory session continues our discussion of conflict and aggression online 
and applies it using a multi-group bargaining game.

 February 2 - Wednesday -  First Test

Materials to date...

February 7 - Monday -  Personalizaton in E-Commerce

Online retail sales grew by over 25% in 2004 and now approach $150-160 billion. 
They now represent 7% of total retail sales.  In this unit we examine how the
principles of interpersonal communication are being applied to the growing
world of online business.    Readings:

Trio 9 - Collaborative filters and recommendation systems (two groups)
  Trio 10 - Personalization and interactivity on Amazon.com

February 9 - Wednesday - Building Reputation and Trust on the Internet.

An overview of Internet strategies for building reputation and trust in an 
impersonal environment.  Reading:  

Rheingold, Chapter 2,  "Technologies of cooperation
Rheingold, Chapter 5,  "The evolution of reputation"

Trio 11 - Trust and reputation on eBay

February 14  - Monday - Lab Session:  Developing Relationships Online

Trio 12 - Internet dating sites
  Trio 13 - Debating online relationships (Hax column). (two groups)
Trio 18 - Managing identity & relationships in destination sites (Facebook)
 

February 16  - Wednesday - No Class (Mac at Conference)

February 21 -  Monday - No Class - President's Day

February 23 - Wednesday - Developing Relationships on the Internet

Personal relationships of many kinds develop in the social venues of the Internet.  
We will begin by looking at previous research and theory in interpersonal 
communication and then discuss how it helps us understand the development 
of relationships online.  Readings:

Wallace, Chapter 7, "Liking and loving on the net."

February 28  - Monday -  Social Support on the Internet  

Each day tens of thousands of people turn to the Internet to seek and give 
social support. Online social support groups cover an incredibly wide range of 
topics. Using Internet examples, we explore the nature of social support and 
the functions it serves for people. We explain why social support is one of the 
things the Internet does best.   We will also discuss some of the risks 
associated with seeking support online.  Readings:

Wallace, Chapter 10, "Altruism on the net:   The psychology of helping."
Lorig, et al. "Can a back pain e-mail discussion group improve health status
and lower health care costs?"   (2002)

  Trio 14 - Reports and commentary on Internet support groups (two groups)

March 2 - Wednesday - Smart mobs and grass roots collective action

In this unit, we will examine how groups of people come together to pursue 
their social and political agenda using the Internet and wireless technologies.  
How grassroots social action movements use the Internet .  What are the limits
of democracy and social action in on line settings?  What are the risks of the 
electronic public square?  Readings:

Rheingold, Chapter 6, "Wireless quilts"
Rheingold, Chapter 7, "Smart mobs:   The power of the mobile many."

  Trio 15 - Flashmobs in action

March 7  - Monday - Civic Involvement, Community, Privacy, and
                               the Sense of Self