Graduation Year
2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Granting Department
Communication
Major Professor
Jane Jorgenson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Arthur P. Bochner, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Carolyn Ellis, Ph.D.
Keywords
Instant messenger, Online communication, Qualitative interviews, Interpersonal communication, Personal disclosure
Abstract
This study consists of qualitative interviews with 8 graduate students about the use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC), or instant message (IM), programs in their interpersonal relationships. Participants were interviewed twice, once via an instant message program and once in a face-to-face setting. They were asked about their frequency of use, their use of multi-tasking, and the types of conversations they have via IM. Results of the interviews are discussed, with a concentration on the paradoxical nature of IM communication as impersonal, but at the same time, conducive to personal disclosure and intimacy.
Scholar Commons Citation
Nicholas, Michael P., "(Re)defining Relationships in a Mediated Context: Graduate Student Use of Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication" (2008). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/427
