One particular Internet miscommunication experience I have had was in my perception of a professor [Professor A] of one my online classes. Throughout the course of the term, I continuously found myself feeling on the defense, baffled, and rather put off by her ‘attitude’. Knowing full-well I can be overly sensitive, I even went to the point of conferring with a classmate in the area. Even she expressed the feeling that this particular professor came off as abrupt and disdainful. The majority of the term, I refrained from e-mailing to ask her questions and did my best to avoid direct communication with her, as being the daughter of an excellent teacher, I have great dislike for teachers who neglect the true purpose of being a teacher.
Finally, I happened to be having technical issues with another class [Professor B], and as this online business gives me heart tremors and anxiety (only a slight exaggeration) and correction of the issues were not successful online, I drove over to Corvallis to handle the conflict the way I know best, face-to-face. That, in itself, is an excellent example of miscommunication that would have been avoided had the Internet not been the primary communication tool, but the whole situation exhausted me (and some of my patience) and I do not have the desire to relate it.
What actually ended up happening was when I went to meet with Professor B, Professor A happened to share an office with Professor B, so I had face-to-face contact and communication with A also. Not only was I able to resolve the issue with Professor B’s class, but I was able to correct my own perception of Professor A. As it turned out, Professor A is an absolutely lovely woman, who is simply of a different cultural background and communicates within her learned cultural codes of communication. Similar to what Wood & Smith addressed with the claim that “The lack of cues limits the quality of interaction”; due to the fact that I missed her nonverbal cues- such as the way in which she ducks her head because she is shy, but also leans in intently and nods her head eagerly and is quick to smile- I also missed the true meaning of her communication; which, in person, emphasizes mutual understanding and the presence of the personal, or, when we talk and listen in ways that emphasize on our uniqueness, responsiveness, reflectiveness and addressability- the aspects that make you you.
Because I met her, and both gained insight into the way she communicated, as well as applied these communication strategies to her online communication, our future online interactions has been far more effective and productive. This is an interpersonal result that mirrors Wood & Smith’s claim (listed in Table 4.1 on page 79) that “learned behaviors can help compensate for the lack of cues. Unfortunately, I do not know that we would have been able to have cultivated this level of efficiency and productivity had I not by chance communicated with her face-to-face.
Which goes back to one of my earlier reflections that I am far more comfortable communicating online with persons I already know, or have come into actual contact with.
What will be interesting, is how I adapt (or don’t..) as our global society functions on a more increasingly online level…Hmmmn.
Just checking.
Yes, I do wonder how the world’s communication is going to evolve with the increasing amount of online conversations. I feel as though your story happens often, not just between students and professors but with any type of social relationship.