Social Information Processing
Theory (SIP) is focused on how we develop relationships through computer
mediated communication (CMC). CMC is great for information processing, however when
building relationships and creating bonds with others, it is useless.
Our world today is completely
surrounded and consumed in technology. When my generation was born, things such
as cell phones, laptops, and DVDs were crazy, new ideas. Pagers, palm pilots,
floppy disks, VHS, and dial-up; these are things that middle school students
today have never even heard of. Technology Innovation is zooming into our world
at a ridiculous speed. We now have computers fitting in our pockets and can get
information about anything in a matter of seconds.
My
communications teacher asked us to go 48 hours without technology. I was pumped
for this idea, I thought it would be very cool to see what other people’s reactions
would be if I stopped communicating with them over technology. I looked in my
planner to start planning when would be a good time to do this. This is when I
got tripped up. I could not find a good time. Every day I had something where I
needed to be on some sort of technology to communicate or accomplish something.
I thought to myself, this had to be the most ridiculous thing in the world. Two
days, that’s it! It really can’t be that hard to find two days where I can
ditch the cell phone and the computer. I just couldn’t do it though.
This
proves how much technology consumes our daily lives, especially the life of a
college student. Yesterday my computer shut down and was having a number of
issues. I waited almost 30 minutes for it to reload and update. You would think
there was something I could have accomplished during that time, but everything
I needed to complete my homework was on my computer. I am constantly on my
computer doing homework for classes, stuff for my job, checking my email, or social
media’s such as Facebook and watching movies/television. If I am not on my
computer I am using my cell phone to text, email, do my banking, look at the
weather, filter photos or social media’s such as Instagram. I am a good example
of a college student who is consumed in technology. Some voluntary and some
forcefully, yet I am not anywhere close to being fully consumed like many other
college students.
During
the first three weeks of school this fall I deactivated my Facebook for
sorority recruitment. Recruitment lasted one week, but I really enjoyed not
having it. I found myself constantly getting notifications on my cell phone and
checking it solely to fulfill my boredom. Being Facebook free was AMAZING! However
it posed a few problems for me when I kept missing some random events because I
simply didn’t know about them. It wasn’t too big of a deal until one day I went
downstairs for a meeting in my sweatpants to find everyone in black dresses and
heels for a ceremony. I had no idea this was happening and I missed the
ceremony. I concluded it was time to reactivate my Facebook. All the
information from my sorority is conveyed through Facebook. Computer mediated
communication has become a necessary form of communication in today’s world.
That
being said, it truly can detract from personal relationships and that
connection people make when they surround themselves with friends and family. I
feel it is becoming a problem how much technology is used over face-to-face
contact. Media richness theory says that face-to-face communication provides
both verbal and nonverbal cue systems that convey the emotions of the
communicator. With CMC, there is a lack of nonverbal cues creating a barrier to
communicating. The social presence theory
suggests that CMC deprives someone of the sense that another actual person
is involved in the interaction. My generation and those following are becoming
addicted to technology to the point where human to human contact is becoming unnatural
and uncomfortable for people. 
This photo is a perfect depiction about how the younger
generation of today uses technology in every aspect of their life to avoid
face-to-face communication. When we are bored, feel awkward, or with people we
aren’t familiar with we tend to pull out our cell phones to look occupied in
the eyes of others. It’s a very interesting concept and Einstein nailed it when
he predicted this outcome.
I am a big fan of country music and there is a song sung by
Brad Paisley titled “Online” which is about how anyone can have themselves look a
lot cooler and appealing while online.
This video represents selective self-presentation which is an
online positive portrayal in which you have no fear of contradiction. It
enables people to create an overwhelming favorable impression. In this video,
the pizza guy is creating an online persona to chat with women and look cooler
than he really is, based on society’s standards. Impression formation is the
composite mental image one forms of another. The women he is talking to have an
image in their heads of who he is, however because of the lack of face-to-face
communication they don’t see the real him.
Society has completely conformed to a technology based world
and sooner or later we will all become this guy:
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