Computer-mediated Communication Behavior Research Articles

The Impact of Emoji on Cooperative Behavior in Computer Mediated Communication —Based on an Emotional Perspective

以计算机为媒介；Emoji；合作行为；情绪

Automating Discovery of Dominance in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication

With the advent of electronic interaction, dominance (or the assertion of control over others) has acquired new dimensions. This study investigates the dynamics and characteristics of dominance in virtual interaction by analyzing electronic chat transcripts of groups solving a hidden profile task. We investigate computer-mediated communication behavior patterns that demonstrate dominance and identify a number of relevant variables. These indicators are calculated with automatic and manual coding of text transcripts. A comparison of both sets of variables indicates that automatic text analysis methods yield similar conclusions than manual coding. These findings are encouraging to advance research in text analysis methods in general, and in the study of virtual team dominance in particular.

Gaming Disorder and Computer-Mediated Communication in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: This study investigates how children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make use of computer gaming and computer-mediated communication (CMC) in comparison to their nonautistic peers. Method: Parents filled out a standardized questionnaire on media use, gaming disorder (GD), and CMC. Sixty-two boys with a diagnosis of ASD aged 4 to 17 years (mean = 11.5; SD = 3.2) were compared to 31 healthy control boys (mean = 11.5; SD = 3.7). Results: Children and adolescents with ASD used CMC less frequently than their nonautistic peers but played video games for longer times than the controls. They preferred playing alone rather than in company of others and less frequently in multiplayer mode. Levels of GD symptoms were higher in boys with ASD. Conclusions: Children and adolescents with ASD seem to be an especially vulnerable subpopulation for GD. For them, the gaming situation (alone and in single-player mode) and CMC behavior seem to correspond to social patterns in real life. Our findings also provide support for the inclusion of offline gaming in the GD definition.

The Effect of Relational Satisfaction and Media Synchronicity on Attributions in Computer-Mediated Conflict

An experiment investigated the effect of relational satisfaction and media synchronicity on dating and married couples’ attributions for their partners’ positive and negative conflict behaviors. Couples completed measures of relational satisfaction, and then engaged in an online conflict discussion using synchronous or asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC). After the discussion, posttest questionnaires assessed their attributions for their partners’ conflict behavior. Individuals with greater relational satisfaction tended to ascribe their partners’ positive conflict behavior to internal attributions. Additional findings revealed that satisfied individuals made more internal attributions for their partners’ behavior in asynchronous CMC, rather than synchronous CMC, and satisfied individuals made more internal attributions for their partners’ positive conflict behaviors in asynchronous CMC. Relational satisfaction affects attributions in online conflict, and, contrary to prediction, satisfied individuals appear to benefit more in conflict when using asynchronous CMC.

Deviant Behavior in Computer-Mediated Communication: Development and Validation of a Measure of Cybersexual Harassment

The use of computer-mediated communication continues to increase dramatically in organizations, bringing with it new avenues for sexual harassment. Despite the recognition that cybersexual harassment is an important phenomenon and that the online behaviors of employees can adversely affect the organization, there is little research on the development of instruments to measure related constructs. In the present study, scales are created to measure perceptions of the online environment that are thought to precipitate the occurrence of harassment and intentions to engage in sexually harassing behavior. It is found that perceptions of the online environment as stimulating where risk taking is exhilarating, and as an environment in which blatant prejudice is acceptable, are related to multiple forms of cybersexual harassment.

Social structural behavior of deception in computer-mediated communication

Deception essentially takes place in social interaction. While deception has been studied from the perspective of interpersonal interaction, little is known about social structural characteristics of deceptive communication. To fill the knowledge gap, this research investigates deception behavior in computer mediated communication (CMC) via the lens of social structure by answering the questions of how one deceiver socially interacts with multiple receivers and what structural characteristics can be used to delineate deception in CMC. To this end, we first conceptualize deception in terms of social structure by drawing on the interpersonal deception and social network theories. We then propose a model of structural behaviors of deception in CMC that consists of three components: centrality, cohesion, and similarity, followed by an empirical evaluation of the model with real-world data collected from a game website. The findings of this study provide new evidence that deception is a strategic activity where the deceiver juggles between the dual goals of promoting his or her deceptive agenda and avoiding detection.

The positive and negative implications of anonymity in Internet social interactions: “On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog”

The growth of the Internet at a means of communication has sparked the interest of researchers in several fields (e.g. communication, social psychology, industrial-organizational psychology) to investigate the issues surrounding the expression of different social behaviors in this unique social context. Of special interest to researchers is the increased importance that anonymity seems to play in computer-mediated communication (CMC). This paper reviews the literature related to the issues of anonymity within the social context, particularly in CMC, demonstrating the usefulness of established social psychological theory to explain behavior in CMC and discussing the evolution of the current theoretical explanations in explaining the effects of anonymity in social behavior in CMC environments. Several suggestions for future research are proposed in an attempt to provide researchers with new avenues to investigate how anonymity can play both positive and negative roles in CMC.

Patterns of Programmers' Use of Computer-Mediated Communications Systems

Communication behavior of programmers plays an essential role in success of software development. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) system, such as e-mail, or the World Wide Web (WWW), have substantial implications for coordinating work of programmers. Yet, no studies have dealt systematically with CMC behaviors of programmers. Drawing upon theories in organizational studies, information science, computer-mediated communication and software engineering, this research examines what programmers accomplish through CMC systems. Data were gathered from survey questionnaires mailed to 730 programmers, who are members of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and are involved in a variety of programming work. Based on factor analysis, the study found that programmers use CMC systems (1) to achieve progress in work-related tasks (i.e., task-related purposes), (2) to satisfy their social and emotional needs (i.e., socio-emotional purposes), and (3) to explore for information (i.e., exploring purposes). The findings of this research extend an insight into important patterns for which programmers use CMC systems. This insight has advanced theories of computer-mediated communication in the context of computer programmers. Also, practitioners, especially in software development, may use the results as guidelines in fostering a firm’s feasible network policy that fits with what their programming staff accomplish through computer-mediated communication.

Contexts of uninhibited online behavior: Flaming in social newsgroups on usenet

Recent research on uninhibited behavior in computer-mediated communication (CMC) systems have suggested that flaming is social-context dependent and not a media characteristic of CMC. This study takes a closer look at the social context in which flaming occurs, which need not necessarily be developed online but, as well, can be the social, religious, and political background and affiliations of the participants. The study analyzed messages posted during 1 week to 4 Usenet social newsgroups that represent different national and cultural groups. The levels of flaming in these groups were found to be higher than any reported in other studies. The findings show that the frequency of flaming differed between the newsgroups, and differed within newsgroups according to the general topic under discussion, confirming that social context and not the medium is the primary determinant of online uninhibited behavior. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Nonverbal cues in computer‐mediated communication, and the effect of chronemics on relational communication

Computer‐mediated communication (CMC) has been described as lacking nonverbal cues, which affects the nature of interpersonal interaction via the medium. Yet much CMC conveys nonverbal cues in terms of chronemics, or time‐related messages. Different uses of time signals in electronic mail were hypothesized to affect interpersonal perceptions of CMC senders and respondents. An experiment altered the time stamps in replicated e‐mail messages in order to assess two time variations: (a) the time of day a message was sent and (b) the time lag until a reply was received. Results revealed significant interactions among these variables, and the task‐orientation or socioemotional orientation of the verbal messages, which affected perceptions of communicators’ intimacy/liking or dominance/submissiveness. Findings extend recent theories regarding social attributions and the adaptation of social cues in CMC behavior.