Published on Jan 30, 2013 Day 1: "CMC: What is it?" Monday, 4 February 2013 (NOTE: Download file to play audio narration) The first day of our #WVUCommMOOC will orient students to the basic concepts of computer-mediated communication, or CMC. This day's discussions will help us define what is meant by "computer," "mediated," and "communication" and allow us to begin discussion why CMC matters in today's Information Age. Join the MOOC at www.wvucommmooc.org or on Twitter using #WVUCommMOOC!

1. #WVUCommMOOC
CMC: WHAT IS IT?
© Peter Steiner, 5 July 1993
for The New Yorker

2. TODAY’S OBJECTIVES
• (backwards) working definition of CMC as
– “computer”
– “mediated”
– “communication”
• Why this (might?) matter

3. COMMUNICATION Process by which we stimulate
meaning in the minds of others
using both verbal and non-verbal
messages (McCroskey & Richmond,
1996)
• It’s a process
• It’s both verbal and non-verbal
• It’s a goal-driven pursuit

4. MEDIATED (MEDIATION)
• A medium is any “vessel” that
can contain a message
• For us, medium = channel

5. MEDIATED (MEDIATION)

6. COMPUTER
• Computer = digital technology
• Technology = tools
• Tools = devices to achieve goals
• Digital: information that is not
restricted to space or time

8. WHAT IS CMC?
• Basically, the sharing of
information through
digital technology
• Communication Technology =
Tools for Sharing
• But, all tools are not equal!

9. WHAT IS CMC? IT’S NOT YOU,
IT’S ME
MESSAGE
RECEIVER
SENDER
CHANNEL

10. WHY CMC MATTERS

11. ENGAGE!
• Question: Do different channels…
1. …fight entropy better than others?
“Likely, as some channels are more permanent
than others, resulting in more persistent
information in our social networks. But, do we
always want permanence with social
information?”

12. ENGAGE!
• Question: Do different channels…
2. …increase message redundancies?
“Not so much through one channel, but
through a combination of channels. One can
sent single messages through several channels
at once. However, might the medium itself
be a message?”

13. ENGAGE!
• Question: Do different channels…
3. …remove or introduce noise?
“Of course! But, in addition to physical and
psychological noise we might even think of
social noise – when we share online, we
usually share with a wider audience than we
consider.”

14. ENGAGE!
• Question: Do different channels…
4. …vary in their capacity for communication?
“The most apparent and least understood
aspect of social media is that each channel is
able to share more or less information; we
refer to this capacity in terms of social
cues, and we can understand medium as being
rich or lean in these social cues.”

15. IT’S NOT
ENGAGE! YOU,
IT’S ME!
• Which is better?
IT’S NOT
YOU,
IT’S ME!

16. ENGAGE
• Let’s chat more! Share your answers and bring
your own questions and commentary:
– @bowmanspartan with #WVUCommMOOC
– WVUCommMOOC discussion forum
• 5 February 2013: “We are all Media!”