Theoretical Framework

In connection to that situation, Joseph (Joe) B. Walther, a Professor in

Communication, the Mark and Susan Bertelsen Presidential Chair in Technology and

Society, and the Director of the Center of Information and Society at UCSB (University

of California Santa Barbara) proposed a theory that talks about the situation occurring

during CMC in terms of building a relationship.

His theory entitled “Social Information Processing” shows how CMC affects the

Interpersonal Relationship of an individual in terms of Verbal Cues and Extended Time

in contrast to face-to-face communication. Walter asserted that face-to-face

communication goes like CMC if an individual were granted an opportunity to have a

sufficient time for exchanging social information and subsequent relational growth.

Face-to-face Communication has been the most common of communication

methods from the past up to the present. However, In advancement of technologies

comes with the advancement of computer-based communication such as Computer-

Mediated communication which made some of the social interaction to move at such

platforms. Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) according to Brandon (2016) is

“a context with a distinct dearth of nonverbal cues.” Wherein the nonverbal cues

available on Face-to-Face communication that is needed to understand what the

communicators want to express to each other, is not present on CMC. Nonverbal cues

that include physical distance, body orientation and lean, eye gaze, facial expressions

and paralinguistic cues such as rate and tone. (Brandon, 2016)

 Although lacking with nonverbal cues, it does not necessarily mean that it will be

a hindrance for the effectiveness of CMC to develop impressions, as Walther believed.

(Sundar, 2015) Walther highlighted two features of CMC; the Verbal Cues and the

Extended time. (Griffin, 2012)

Under the Verbal Cues, Face-to-face communication includes both Verbal and

Nonverbal cues while in CMC, communicators adapt to any cue system that is

available, thus, communication in CMC remains solely in verbal cues, specifically in

texts which is the only written type of verbal cue available during that time. (Griffin,

2012). Both Verbal and Nonverbal Cues are important in the effectiveness of

communication, however, people have adapted the CMC context to overcome the limits

of CMC. There are two possible ways to compensate the lack of cues, Richer cues on

CMC methods and Self-disclosure. CMC methods needed improvements in cues that

will include the lacking cues that aren’t available in communication, one of the example

of richer cues mentioned such as emoticons. (Brandon, 2016)

On the other hand, Self-disclosure is a balanced reveal of information while some

are kept private. It compensates the lack of cues supported by Social Penetration theory

which suggests that “gradual, yet informative, increases in self-disclosure are necessary

to develop positive interpersonal outcomes.” Successful self-disclosure often produces

closeness to the other person involved in the communication and with positive

interpersonal outcomes therefore leads to positive interpersonal relationships.

(Brandon, 2016)
 In Extended Time, comparing to Face-to-face communication, CMC is much

slower in transmitting information, thus, delaying the formation of impression of both

parties involved in the communication, But Walther believed that if given enough time,

the amount of social information will be sufficient for the relational development of

communicators, with the same amount as with Face-to-face Communication. It can be

best explained by the name itself as, “SIP” an acronym with a liquid analogy in drinking

a glass of water. It proposed two ways of drinking water, by chugging it and by using a

straw. Chugging the glass full of water represents the Face-to-face communication,

wherein all the contents will be taken in a short span amount of time. On the other hand,

the use of straw in drinking represents CMC with a straw symbolizing the lack of cues.

This shows how the content is getting sipped, represents how gaining information are

slow but given enough time will gain the same amount of information such as in face-to-

face communication. (Griffin, 2012)

There two arguments that was included in SIP theory according to Sundar

(2015). First argument tells how impression development and relational depth will be

acquired the same as through face-to-face in translating social message encoding and

decoding into verbal behavior. The second argument tells that CMC will require more

time and are expected to require exchanges of information in order to achieve levels of

impression and relation definition the same as face-to-face communication. (Sundar,

2015)

Another theory is Social Capital Theory proposed by Vitak (2008), building online

relationships is like building weak bonds compared to face-to-face communication.

Social Capital Theory is a sociological concept describing the resources individuals

exchanging with members of their social network can be applied to studying

communication technologies like Facebook where in we exchange information and

interaction with our friends. Putnam (2000) and Williams (2006) explained that Social

Capital Theory has two types, ‘bridging’ and ‘bonding’ which describes how information

is shared in these two different aspects. Relationship that are weaker in ties are much

under the ‘bridging’ ties wherein as stated by Burt (1992) are “the ties that connect

different clusters within a network”. While Bonding Social Capital is more about on

stronger ties which has continuous interaction with higher level of trust, support and

intimacy. And, these ties normally engage in important aspects of capital conversion as

cited in Ellison,Gray,Lampe & Vitak, 2014).

These theories will help the researchers to identify the effects of social media

to the interpersonal relationship with friends among senior high school students in

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela. With the aid of SIP theory it will describe how

the information that are shared contribute to the relationship development of the

respondents to its friends and use the Social Capital Theory to prove the connection of

Social Media to the rapport.

RRL:

Griffin (2012)[

[Brandon, Niole Rae, "The Effect of Face-to-Face versus Computer-Mediated Communication on

Interpersonal Outcomes in GettingAcquainted Situations" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 1739.]]

[[ The Handbook of the Psychology of Communication Technology, First Edition. Edited by S. Shyam
Sundar. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ]]