04.18.05
Posted in life, grad school at 9:08 pm by
Well, friends, my semester is on the downswing. Finally. And, frankly, I’m exhausted. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard at anything as I have at school in the past 3 or 4 weeks. Thus, I’m the satisfied version of exhausted. The kind of exhausted you feel after you rake some older person’s lawn for free.
I was supposed to write about the festival of faith and music, and Christian higher education. I’m sure that those posts will come out someday, but honestly, before I can think about those things I need to recoup some of my stamina. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got some posts in mind, but I just need to breathe a bit before I endeavor to head off into such heady topics.
What I’d like to write about today is about the blogosphere. I went to a colloquium this weekend by a fellow by the name of Joe Walther. Joe is a pioneer–though if you could see through his beard when you called him that, you’d probably find him blushing. Of particular import is Joe’s work in Computer Mediated Communication. Joe has studied the phenomena of hyperpersonal interaction.
Hyperpersonal interaction, simply explained, is basically the premise that individuals engage in an extrordinary level of attachement when given enough time in a virtual environment. I think the blogosphere, for me at least, provides a community to which I (and research shows that I am not alone here) become quickly and amazingly attached.
However, when individuals meet their computer mediated pals in a face to face setting, there is almost always some level of disappointment. Reality cannot live up to the fabricated reality we’ve created in our minds. This all just makes me ponder about this medium of which I am so fond. Is it true?
I don’t really have any answers–although, I’ve been speaking with Joe, and he and I have some interesting speculations as to what may be happening to facilitate such effects. Regardless, our speculations don’t really deal with what is true.
Nonetheless, this is a curious phenomena, no?
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Posted in life, grad school at 9:08 pm by
Well, friends, my semester is on the downswing. Finally. And, frankly, I’m exhausted. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard at anything as I have at school in the past 3 or 4 weeks. Thus, I’m the satisfied version of exhausted. The kind of exhausted you feel after you rake some older person’s lawn for free.
I was supposed to write about the festival of faith and music, and Christian higher education. I’m sure that those posts will come out someday, but honestly, before I can think about those things I need to recoup some of my stamina. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got some posts in mind, but I just need to breathe a bit before I endeavor to head off into such heady topics.
What I’d like to write about today is about the blogosphere. I went to a colloquium this weekend by a fellow by the name of Joe Walther. Joe is a pioneer–though if you could see through his beard when you called him that, you’d probably find him blushing. Of particular import is Joe’s work in Computer Mediated Communication. Joe has studied the phenomena of hyperpersonal interaction.
Hyperpersonal interaction, simply explained, is basically the premise that individuals engage in an extrordinary level of attachement when given enough time in a virtual environment. I think the blogosphere, for me at least, provides a community to which I (and research shows that I am not alone here) become quickly and amazingly attached.
However, when individuals meet their computer mediated pals in a face to face setting, there is almost always some level of disappointment. Reality cannot live up to the fabricated reality we’ve created in our minds. This all just makes me ponder about this medium of which I am so fond. Is it true?
I don’t really have any answers–although, I’ve been speaking with Joe, and he and I have some interesting speculations as to what may be happening to facilitate such effects. Regardless, our speculations don’t really deal with what is true.
Nonetheless, this is a curious phenomena, no?
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ryan king said,
April 19, 2005 at 1:41 am
It is a peculiar phenomenon. Several times I’ve met people in person who I’d first known online and it was always disappointing in some way. Sometimes its physical- they aren’t as good looking as I imagined, but sometimes its personality- they aren’t as outgoing or engaging as I’d imagined.
I think we have a better opportunity to control how people view us online, because the channels are always limited in some degree- its either asynchronous, which allows us to edit and rethink things or, even when the communication is synchronous, its coming in through a narrow channel (think IM, where’s its text only).
I’ve also found that people who meet originally online will have trouble making eye contact when they meet in person.
Shannon said,
April 19, 2005 at 10:03 pm
I was rather startled when you mentioned Joe Walther - he’s a professor in my department (although my focus isn’t in the Computer-Mediated-Communication area). I forget that people here sometimes are kind of famous.
Personally, I know the one person I knew from online who I met up with was actually much like I expected. I had seen pictures of her before though, and had a sense of her personality from a series of e-mails. I think it might be different for a blogger, as they are sending things out into the world with only comments from readers (unlike e-mails that are more of an equal discussion). It’s a different kind of relationship.
Frank Carver said,
April 21, 2005 at 5:57 am
Reminds me of one of those old truisms.
Imagination is always more powerful than reality.