Furruzzia Landrito

COM31

1. Social Information Processing Theory

Based from what I have understood in this theory, this is all about
trying to know how relationships work or blossom through the use of
electronic mail. This theory tries to figure out how text messaging or
emailing would help a relationship grow rather than doing it face-toface. This is said to take up four times longer than the usual face-toface talk. This theory analyzes how communication works without
the non-verbal cues. They determine how it is possible to have
intimacy through email. Knowing that our world is becoming very
technological, they are trying to study how people work out things
in this computer mediated environment. It also has three theories
under it that defines Social Information Theory as something that
makes someone self-centered because they tend to talk about
themselves, that someone doesnt know if someone is really out on
the other line and that it is a very small medium for people to
express the relational messages they are trying to convey because
the non-verbal cues arent present, they are not sure if the person
on the other line gets it. They believe that this is just useful for
business transactions and not for maintaining relationships.
I dont know if its just me but I dont actually believe with the fact
that interaction through email is something that would take up four
times longer than face-to-face interaction with people. In my
experience, it is the opposite. One example is my friend, Bea. Bea
and I have never seen each other face-to face but we have been
chatting for almost two years now. I have been talking to her
through iMessage, this is a messaging app made by Apple for Apple
users. I dont know if its just me but I have been closer to her than
through face-to-face interaction with people. It actually took me
longer to know someone in face-to-face rather than through email.
Knowing that I am very awkward when meeting new people, I tend
to not speak to them unless I feel comfortable and there is a
connection between us. This has never occurred to me with my
Internet friends. I met them through twitter because of the same
interests. Then, when we talked to each other privately, I could

share anything I want and I dont feel uncomfortable or awkward

because I know that the person on the other line knows what Im
going through, what I like, and with what is happening to the same
artists we have a common interest. The only time I got to see her
face was when we have decided to add each other up on Facebook.
This just happened last April or May of this year. We continued
talking on Facebook but there still arent any signs of us showing
our faces to each other through Skype or anything.
Another example of this is when my uncle went to China for almost
two years. Since technology is something that could help people
maintain their relationship with my aunt, they Skype-d and emailed
all throughout his stay there. They were updating each other on how
their week went and what problems they have encountered. They
maintained their relationship with the help of this so they could be
up to date with what one is doing. Theyll be including pictures of
their son or a picture of themselves to show them that theyre doing
fine and all is well on both sides.

2. Symbolic Interactionism Theory

This theory looks at a very micro level. It states that people have
different meanings when it comes to things. We determine
ourselves based on the perception of our selves and of things. We,
human beings, tend to give meanings or connotations of what we
perceive and see. People have different meaning about the things
they see. They give different meaning to the things and events they
experience.
I actually have been observing this ever since I was in high school. I
saw how different peoples perspectives are over certain topics. This
makes or breaks a relationship because people get to argue over
their differences on how they view things. We can use prom as an
example. Many of my batch mates in high school, when they look
back at their prom night, they find it something that is memorable
and fun because they got to dance with their special someone or
spend their night with their friends. On the other hand, when I look
back at my prom experience, I would say that it wasnt that
enjoyable and memorable like it was said to be. It disappointed me

because I was looking forward to a magical night yet things started

escalating quickly that led to a disaster. Another proper example of
this is what happened here in La Salle. As we all know, our
university is full of trees and there are higads in it. There was this
one time that we have a very long break so we were deciding on
where we should be seating and studying. One of my friends
suggested, the kubos in the Botanical Garden but my friend
opposed the idea of it. She never wanted to go there because she
was attacked by a higad and wasnt able to go to her afternoon
class because it was all red-ish and its really itchy and has to be
taking immediate care. For the friend who suggested going the
kubo, she has never been there and she has never experienced
what my other friend has experienced so she suggested that we go
there.
3. Communication Privacy Management
Based from the report done here, I have understood here how ones
secret is being kept and how it flows out of someone. This is like
how people disseminates a certain secret and conceals it from the
public. It has like five levels. First one starts with you. Next is when
you talk to others. You are trying to control the flow for it is either
you told a few people or a small group. Once you have let in people
know in your secret, you try to set in rules and guidelines for them
not to be able to let other people in it. Next comes, the privacy
rules. If the owner of the secret lets you in, he or she will be setting
rules like the third step. Last comes the turbulence, this comes in at
last because this is where the misinterpreted messages happen
causing misunderstanding.
This theory is very evident in our everyday lives. Everyone in this
world has his or her own secrets to keep. Some try to keep it within
them selves but some tries to involve others in on it. I had a very
similar experience that happened to me. This was when I was in
Second Year College and this happened like this time last year. My
friends 18th was coming up and I was deciding on buying him a
case for his Mac. I realized that I couldnt afford it so I let my friends
in on the secret that I was planning to buy him this gift. They all
agreed with the idea and we kind of set up a plan. We had this rules
about not telling him even though we had to ask him about what his

laptop size was. Theres also this misunderstanding that happened

between my friends and I because we were kind of getting the vibe
that he is getting the hints we were subtly laying down. We didnt
know how to manage it so we kind of continued on acting like we
werent aware of it or that it is not true. The day of his birthday
came and we gave him the case. He was speechless though he said
that he kind of got the idea that that was what we are giving him.
There was another time when I tried keeping a secret to myself. It
was kind of something that I didnt want to disclose with others but
it felt like it needed to be shared. So I let in on a few of my friends
about it. Set up the rules and boundaries but then, my friend
decided that that secret should be known by her best friend
therefore making it a turbulence in our relationship for I am certain
that the rules and guidelines I have implemented doesnt include
her best friend in people knowing the secret.

4. Uncertainty Reduction Theory

We do this certain theory when we try to find out about someone so
we could avoid the first meeting, which could be an awkward
experience for people involved in the conversation. This theory
states that we people try to figure out someone so we could be able
to predict what theyll react and how theyll react towards a certain
topic when two people meet for the first time. This theory focuses
on the human interaction on how they use communication to gain
knowledge over the other person and how it creates the
understanding between them. As we all know, meeting new people
can either be stressful or full of uncertainty. We never know if the
person on the receiving end of the conversation is feeling
comfortable or uncomfortable. So with this theory, it shows that
people try methods to get to know people via third party for them to
know what they like and dislike so they could be able to talk to them
in person or they would be able to predict the conversation flow.
They could search them from Facebook or ask people, who know the
person, about them. This could be risky because the other person
might get offended when they know that the person they are talking
to did a little research about them.

I am guilty of using this theory. As I have stated above, Im kind of

an awkward person especially when I am meeting new people. This
theory is very useful for I tend to use Twitter or Facebook when I am
about to meet someone. I do a little research about his/her so I
could avoid offending him/her in our first meeting. This was useful
to me when I first started in college. Since we live in a very
technological world, I made the most out of it. It was summer before
classes start, we were added into a group which I later learned was
where people reach out to their supposedly block mates. I saw
someone posting about his/her section: COM11. I commented on
it and was added to the group. Then, one by one, my block mates
added me up. There was this girl whom I have talked to loads in the
summer. We were chatting up about seeing each other on the day
of our freshman introduction thing. In my effort to avoid
awkwardness and embarrassment, I tried taking a glimpse at her
life, likes, dislikes, and experiences on Facebook. I tried to analyze
how I would react, act, and start conversations with her. I dont want
to make a fool out of myself when I meet her. But when I met her, it
kind of made sense that I shouldnt have researched about her. She
was just like me. She was bubbly, cool, awesome, and it actually
never felt like there was any awkwardness in the air. It felt like I was
talking to someone whom I have known for a long time. She was fun
to be with and our first conversation never felt dull.
I have asked some of my friends about this and they kind of do the
same twitter stalking. Since in twitter, your profile could get into the
public once you have been followed, my friends and I kind of stalk
people with the pictures posting on there. Its never really our
intention but it kind of is interesting to know someone through the
pictures they post. You get the gist of what their doing or how life is
working on for them at the moment. It also is kind of cool that you
get to know them just through the pictures they post on social
media. And when the time comes that we get to meet the person,
we kind of control the conversation and predict what is going to
happen next.
5. Expectancy Violations Theory
This theory explains how and why the unexpected behavior of a
person violates others expectancy. When people do things with the

people they interact with that are not what the other predicted,
their expectancy is violated by it.
I had an experience that involves this theory. As you see, I had a
kind of weird friend in high school. No one at our school really
understands her like yes we know that shes into anime and drawing
things, but we were never able to understand her. There would
come some times when Ill be really early in school and knowing
that shes my shuttle mate, we arrive together. There would be
times where I would be eating for I tend to forget eating breakfast
at home, she would just be at my side, getting a piece of my biscuit
and eat it without even asking. She has violated my expectancy at
some sort. There would also be sometimes where my friend would
refuse to show her my friends work because she is still working on
it but she insisted. When my friend said no, many times, she got
really angry and mad at her that she started throwing her things at
the ground and got a really bad tantrum. We werent expecting her
to throw a tantrum but were kind of thinking that shell just stop
with it and just to get on with it. I didnt mean to make her sound
bad but the actions she made seemed perfect in describing this
theory.