Affordances and individual variables
by jeff68 ~ July 14th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.When I think of the various affordances that social media have to offer, I repeatedly return to the question- no doubt because of the techno-phobe in me- ‘Who actually needs to do that?’ But as discussed on the wiki page, individual variables will play a crucial role in how and whether someone will take advantage of a given technology’s affordances. It is interesting to note that research has been done that links certain affordances with particular personality traits.
For example, Reid and Reid (2010) identified two very real but hidden 
affordances of SMS messaging. First, the lag between responses allows interlocutors to carefully craft their message “to achieve important self-presentational goals, free from the multiple distractions of real-time social interaction” (p. 5). According to various reports, this expressive control fosters a confidence that texters lack with more immediate ways of communicating. On the other hand, SMS also allows users to engage in near-synchronous interaction with one another (extended conversational involvement). A number of the very basic functions of SMS support these two affordances. According to their survey research, the young, single, and socially anxious were more likely to benefit from these affordances. As the researchers note, this study has relevance for the deeper debate about the relationship between technology (and the internet in particular) and social withdrawal. Its results contradict theories that the socially withdrawn become more so with use of the internet, while only the extroverted will see the benefits. Texters who were able to notice and exploit the expressive and interactive affordances of SMS were thereby able to increase their social interaction.
This article is intuitively appealing on a number of levels. It is certainly in accordance with my own experience with cell phones; the SMS is a valuable tool I’ve used in the past to overcome shyness, particularly when communicating with people I don’t know well. But more importantly, it clarifies for me the difference between affordances and functions, while illustrating how the former can be actually ‘constructed’ by certain users. It would seem that the concept of affordances is important for measuring the worth of new technology.
Reid, F., & Reid, D. (2010). The expressive and conversational affordances of mobile messaging. Behaviour & Information Technology, 29(1), 3-22. doi:10.1080/01449290701497079.
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closeup sms http://www.sxc.hu/photo/649115
July 14th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Hi Jeff,
I never thought about how the delay in SMS messages allows for carefully crafted responses. I know I’ve deleted a few before I got to the send button. And yet drunk texting still happens…
Now that IM and email are getting integrated into mobile devices though, I wonder if SMS technology will soon be a thing of the past given the greater affordances of the former two (photos, files, emoticons and multiple device access).
On a side note, I think it’s interesting that you choose the word e-portfolio. I’m taking a class in educational technology right now, and they’re constantly bringing up this category! I think the choice of term definitely means you’re planning on raising the bar, as you’ve already proven in this post.
July 15th, 2010 at 7:39 am
Hi Jon,
And thanks for the comments. I have a feeling it’s going to be a challenge for me to have much to say about social media in this course, as I am not a heavy user but a recreational one (ah, but that’s what all addicts say…). So it is great to get a thoughtful and encouraging response to my first post so quickly. Your points about IM and email were well-taken, too. That I hadn’t considered these other options shows I haven’t had a cell phone for a while (and the one I had was pretty bare-bones). But I remember those darn keys do seem to get smaller after a few pints, don’t they…
July 16th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
This is a good post, a very thoughtful and interesting post.
As you strive to make meaning of social media and move through all of the noisy channels, seek to cut through as you have done here in your writing. Be critical and be open at the same time.
I am glad you are in class. We need your perspective.
Dean
July 18th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
This is an issue that, in a slightly different format, I think about a lot; I was a kid who preferred the written word to the spoken long, long before my dad would hook our early-90’s computer up to a hideously slow, black-and-white version of the internet. I definitely use social media (not texting, for whatever reason, but Facebook, blogging, etc.) because I love having the ability to think out an answer and re-shape it into something I like. I always wonder what would be the case for me without the internet: would I become more eloquent and quick-thinking in face-to-face interactions if I was FORCED to, or would I remain a bit awkward and not have as many satisfying interactions in any social situation?
… I guess I could give myself an internet break and find out through field research. But I have to at least wait till this course is over.