The results of most studies that are done in regards to online relationships do not surprise me in the least bit. I often thought that online relationships were not as strong a offline relationships. This article reinforces my initially perception. I don't think it takes a study to come up with a conclusion.
One thing that I thought was interesting was the fact that there were a few studies done. Two studies that caught my attention were studies done between bank employees and college students. I know that both groups of people are very different. It would be like comparing apples to oranges. Both groups saw no real benefit socially in regards to a deepness in relationships.Not suprisingly so. However, it appears that the function of e-mail is a productive business tool. Just as equal to using a telephone in order to address and issue.
Just look at were we are at with our online relationship.This online course that we are enrolled in puts us in the position of being in an online relationship. No face to face interaction since we are not all together in a class room. We read each others blogs and comment on each others entries. We don't know each other since we are operating under an alias. You don't know me and I don't know you. I think I would have more of a psychological closeness to you if I studied with you during group study or worked on a project together. However, that is not the case. I would not even know who you are if I walked by you on campus. Therefore the quality of our social relationship is actually, non-existant. I don't think we needed a study to figure that one out. Would you agree?
The results of the studies do not surprise me either! It’s interesting to me to think that some people think online relationships could be stronger than offline ones, however that is not my initial belief. It was quaint when I read that there were studies done; I guess that is because I have always been a face-to-face relationship type of person. Not shocking, the studies showed that there is no significant advantage socially, with an online relationship.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the email serves a good purpose for work, because I experience this everyday at my sales job. Sometimes there are benefits to calling my customers (the conversation is quicker, and I can hear the tone of voice of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction), but sometimes customers prefer email.
I enjoy the fact that you put our class into the online relationship perspective because I wouldn’t have thought to do so. I agree with you that there is no social relationship considering the fact that I don’t even know your real name or anything about you. Yet I can hold a conversation with you about online and offline relationships and how they may or may not be satisfactory. This is weird to think about!
Wow, I definitely agree with your closing statement and I couldn't have phrased it any better! I can definitely say that the relationship I have with my classmates in face to face classes is a lot closer than the relationship (or lack of) that I have with my classmates in this online course. While I wouldn't necessarily say I "know" a lot more about my classmates that I see in person, I can definitely say that I feel more of a connection with them than my classmates on here. With face to face interraction, it's a lot easier to communicate as well as understand other people's feelings and emotions. The problem with online relationships is that you end up building expectations and theories of what other people really think. Since we are pretty much reading other people's thoughts and sounding it out in our own head, it's a lot more difficult to truly understand other people when you don't hear their words coming out of their own mouth.
ReplyDeleteI find your closing paragraph very insightful. While I am a technological addict, constantly checking my email and Facebook accounts, I am extremely reliant on face to face communication. I am enrolled in two online courses this semester and am having an extremely hard time keeping up to date with course work and feeling engaged in discussions. It is interesting to take the time and compare the two styles of teaching to see which renders the greatest benefits. While this unit does engage students through the blog posts I find that in class debates and discussions are vital in extending your learning and stimulating thought process. I am excited to learn via the online medium however it is a learning curve and your final point brings this up.
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