Computer Mediated Communication and Solving the Solstice Mystery

"Solving the Solstice Mystery” as an online group ended up being a bit more challenging than expected, mainly due to having to re-learn how to use the discussion board on Blackboard, which I had not used in awhile.

Overall the exchange of clues went fairly well, with most of us task-oriented toward solving the mystery.  This is typical of Computer Mediated Communication, according to the authors (DeAndrea, et.al, 2008).  A couple of tendencies of CMP that did not pan out in this online group project include attribution, or blaming others when struggling to solve the mystery (DeAndrea, et.al., 2008, p. 110) and having a scapegoat.  But the authors point out that when members of the online work group know each other, as ours did, there seldom is someone on whom the group puts the blame when things do not go smoothly (DeAndrea, et.al, 2008, p.111). 

I found it interesting that once group members sensed the mystery had been solved as well as it could be, the CMC became more light-hearted, with members resorting to poetry and games to learn more about each other, in an attempt to guess who the others were.  But this was not surprising, given the fact that, according to Chapter 5, CMC is a good way for people to get to know each other and explore their similarities and interests (Sprecher, 2008, p. 125).

References

Cupach, W.R., & Spitzberg, B. H. (Eds.). (2011). The Dark Side of Close Relationships II. New York: Routledge.

DeAndrea, D., Tom Tong, S., & Walther, J. (2008).  “Dark Sides of Computer-Mediated Communication.”  In Cupach & Spitzberg (Eds.), The Dark Side of Close Relationships II (pp. 95-118).  New York: Routledge.

Sprecher, S. (2008). “Internet Matching Services: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Disguised as Attractive).”  In Cupach & Spitzberg (Eds.), The Dark Side of Close Relationships II (pp. 119-143).  New York: Routledge.

Reflection Paper on Chapter 6 of The Dark Side of Close Relationships II

Personal Ads vs. Online Listings: A Comparison of Remote Matchmaking Tools

Based on my own personal experience of having experimented with personal ads and the online matchmaking site Match.com during my single years, from approximately 1995 to 2005, I compared and contrasted the two remote matchmaking tools.  The following areas were discussed:

• Ease of Use and Time Consumption
• Accuracy of Representation
• Safety and Risk
• Effectiveness

Both tools had benefits and risks, as described by Susan Sprecher in her essay on "Internet Matching Services: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Disguised as Attractive)" (Cupach & Spitzberg, 2011, pp. 119-143).  Risks ranged from what Sprecher calls "socially-acceptable lies" -- such as changing your age, weight, height or career history -- in an attempt to achieve more or better connections (p. 129), to "lies to victimize" where an individual intentionally misrepresents him- or herself for ulterior motives that could potentially harm the other person (Sprecher, 2008, p. 128).

The conclusion is that there are risks in using remote matchmaking tools, just as there are risks in accidentally meeting a potential mate in a bar or other location, but there is also the potential for excitement as well as enduring companionship and satisfaction.  Only you can decide if the potential benefits outweight the potential risks.