Reading Critique 2

As it is an information overload century today, the messaging software ICQ

becomes my daily communication tool. It’s especially convenient for us to conduct a

on-line discussion for the various kinds of group projects. It’s also a much faster way

in sending files through ICQ than any other methods. That’s why I have chosen this

piece reading to write about in my second critique.

I’ve learned three new things in this reading: the social situation, the social occasion

and the social gathering of communication. These three dimensions of communication are

rather different in the form of Computer Mediated Communication for which we are

going to focus on. Studies show that most people use the internet to communicate via

computer with people theyalready knew off-line rather than to meet new people on-line,

which is in contrast to most media portrayals of ‘virtual communities’. I think it’s

especially the case for the student groups. They feel more comfortable to talk with their

friends through ICQ as they are able to have more time to think of how their reply can be

typed and they can do other kinds of things at the same time. In other words, the problem

of dead air can be solved. I also enjoy chatting with my friends through the net more as I

can express something for which I feel embarrassing to say in front of them.

On the other hand, I agree that on-line communication itself plays an important role

in constructing the contexts of off-line interactions, dramatically expanding our access to

people, information and ‘objects’. When I’ve searched something interesting or

attractive in the internet, such as a video clip, a funny mail or a lovely MP3 song, I’d

always like to share with my family members. And I can still chat with my friends in

ICQ during the process of sharing. That’s my polyfocal experience.

As the various involvement screens CMC makes available can act as emotional

buffers and hence increase people’s intimacy, interacting through computers is really

worthy to study on. There’s a close relationship between Computer Mediated

Communication and the face-to-face one. We should try to study both of them and

develop our good communication skill.

Source: