Chapter 15 Question #1

There are many ways in which computer-mediated communication differs from face to face communication starting by the obvious use of technology. There are many mediums of CMC such as e-mail, text, instant message, and video/audio conferencing. One reason I like (and most of the time prefer) CMC is because it gives me more time to prepare my thoughts/messages rather than just blurting out anything that is on my mind. For instance, If I need to speak with a professor, co-worker, etc about a serious issue, I would rather do it through e-mail first so I can clearly get my message across. I say this because a lot of times (more often than not) I get interrupted when I am speaking and it drives me crazy. I hate not being able to say exactly what I need to without someone barging in during the mid of the sentence. Also, using CMC documents everything each person said so there is no issue regarding who said what. On the other hand, for some things it is much easier to use f2f communication to get the point across. For example, I have friends who will send me really long and complicated texts such as what happened to them at work, school, and explaining their emotions. However, it is really hard to detect how someone is feeling via text so in this instance I would rather have face to face interactions to better understand where they are coming from. Aside from the emotional aspect of these forms of communication, CMC also differs from f2f because it allows people to connect in different time zones, across the world. As previously mentioned, my brother recently went to Barcelona and I was able to use CMC to track exactly where he was and how he was doing. Such cmc mediums as Facebook and Youtube allowed him to upload photos, videos, and certain events within minutes! It was truly amazing to see and I felt as if I was also on vacation in Spain! :)