COM220- Discussion Post #10: Communication Theories classmates response
A substantive response to your peer does the following…
Advances the discussion of a topic—says something new
Demonstrates creative and original thought.
Provides reasons for a perspective—e.g. if it is agreeing or disagreeing with the assessment, it explains why.
Cites evidence (e.g., from the text, lecture, personal experience)
Is courteous (e.g., demonstrates respectful disagreement)
Is professional (you do not need to be excessively formal, but avoid spelling and grammar errors)
Classmate #1 (Margaret Litwin)
The clip shows an interesting perspective on uncertainty reduction theory. It’s clear that the applicant feels out of place at the pre-interview, and while she expresses her intelligence and quick learning style, she quickly self-sabotages and runs off. Assuming she wants to learn more about her potential boss, the position and the overall situation, she seeked information passively through observation first. Then, when she learned that the boss is on her way, she actively tries to gather information through the assistant, a third party. Finally, she directly gathers information through interactive strategy and hedging by saying that her own style sense “depends on who you are asking,” and gauges the response. She is motivated to reduce uncertainty in the unfamiliar and turbulent environment by knowing that she could be hired and expected to understand the Runway culture, which is incentive value. Additionally, if hired, she would expect a future interaction with the assistant and the boss. When she sees everyone hurrying to clean up the area for the boss’s entrance, that is a deviation, which her confused fcace shows she is taking careful observations to understand. I think this clip is an extreme, but pertinent example of the uncertainty reduction theory.
I believe that people use uncertainty to their advantage on the Internet. As children, we were taught stranger danger online and how to protect our anonymity. I remember classmates sharing how they protected people from becoming certain of their identities: fake names, fake jobs, no birthdays or hometowns listed. This is something that everyone just accepts. The situation where I see this most now is dating apps. People’s intentions are very well hidden. When I’ve used dating apps, I always want to reduce the uncertainty and figure out “what someone is looking for.” This is related to one of the axioms that communication, reducing uncertainty and increasing liking are all related. After all, I’m on a dating app to find real dates, with the goal being that there is little to no uncertainty in the long run. For an individual with a troubled dating past, uncertainty is desirable in this situation. They can create their profile without including those details, leaving someone to ask about them down the line. Uncertainty about relationship status can also be desired if someone wants to cheat through a dating app. Presenting as single and keeping up that guise, unfortunately many people get away with cheating and decieving both parties for several months.
The private information, originally between the four kids in the video was the existence of the Mighty Mutants Super Kids Club. At the beginning, the kids took an oath and decided to not tell anyone of its creation, and everyone agreed to a nasty punishment or sanction of eating toenails if they shared with anyone else. Michelle, thinking she can trust her dad and gain something (money) from him, tells him, permeating the bubble of trust. She may decide to do that because she feels like she has control over the information, or that she has a strong connection with him. In other words, we see from the clip that she can’t not tell him. From that point, her dad is a fifth co-owner of the information. The other three children feel violated by him knowing, creation tension in the relationship and turbulence. It results in the children kicking Michelle out of the club, and Michelle expressing dismay in her dad. This could be corrected, according to the lecture, by the kids being more explicit in their oath. What does the word “secret” mean to them? In the case of additional recipients, they had no terms written out. The children also failed to keep their sanctions, as ridiculous as they were, instead harming the friendship.
I coincedentally wrote about online environments in a previous question about uncertainty and I think a lot can be applied here. I personally manage my personal information by creating a fake persona for anywhere I post. I have the same handle on Twitter, Instagram, etc. but I eliminate traces to my real name. For me, this includes using different profile photos so people cannot reverse image search my face, and not sharing which school I go to. For example, I only made a vague reference to the College Football Playoffs online today, not saying Alabama or the #5 rank by name. I believe that we should strive to maintain privacy on the Internet as much as we do face to face. However, because people can hide behind equally fake personas with potentially bad intentions, we must try to have as much control as possible. I have only told five Internet friends my real name. Even with that trust and our terms for keeping that information private, we still take precautions such as not following each other on personal Instagrams, which can be tracked by anyone seeking that information. Additionally, we must be very careful with what information we give to websites, as we do not know who the recipients are or their motives.
Classmate #2 (Courtney Davis)
Uncertianty Reduction Theory
1. In this clip of Devil Wears Prada, the incentive value factor is what motivates the applicant to reduce uncertainty because she desires this job. The applicatn uses interactive strategies because it is an interview and talking face to face is the most effecient way to conduct and interview. She is attempting to show her qualification for this job hoping in result to get to know the type of the interviewer.
2. A darker, but very real situation, where someone would wish to maintain their level of uncertainty would be someone wishing to kidnap another. A kidnapper would try to keep their victim unknowing of their true intentions as much as possible.
Communication Privacy Management Theory
3. The private information was that Michelle was apart of the Mighty Mutant Super Kids Club. They managed them by a threat saying if you told anyone you have to eat toenails.This secret has thick boundary permeability because the club established no one but the members should know about it. Even though the boundary was so thick Michelle broke it because she trusted her father and she needed something from him and he wouldn’t give it too her unless she told him the secret. I think boundary turbulence can be restored if Michelle is tell her father another secret and he is able to keep it this time.
4. Yes CPM does still apply in the online enviroment and you can manage your information online by having strong passwords and not posting all of your private information online. Once your private information is put out into the online world it may be hard to reclaim it and say it was private because unfortunatly it is not private anymore.
