269111 – Communication Technology in a Changing World

1. 269111 – Communication Technology in a Changing World Week 6 Dr. Ken Cosh

2. Recap • Introduction to Semiotics • Saussure • Dyadic Model • Peirce • Triadic Model

3. This Week • A little more on Semiotics • Communication and Collaboration Models • Human Computer Interaction (Dix – Chapter 14)

4. But First • Remember “Layers” • TCP/IP • Application Layer • Transport Layer • Internet Layer • Link Layer • Today we’ll look at a different set of layers • The Semiotic Ladder

5. The Semiotic Ladder • Social World • Pragmatics • Semantics • Syntactics • Empirics • Physical World

6. The Semiotic Ladder • Physical World

7. The Semiotic Ladder • Empirics • Physical World

8. The Semiotic Ladder • Syntactics • Empirics • Physical World

9. The Semiotic Ladder • Semantics • Syntactics • Empirics • Physical World

10. The Semiotic Ladder • Pragmatics • Semantics • Syntactics • Empirics • Physical World

11. The Semiotic Ladder • Social World • Pragmatics • Semantics • Syntactics • Emprirics • Physical World

12. Communicating via signs • If all communication is carried by signs • For communication to succeed we need to consider all the rungs on the Semiotic Ladder

13. Face to Face Communication • Primitive • In terms of technology • Sophisticated • In terms of complex interplay between different channels • Not just speech and hearing • Also body language & eye gaze

14. Personal Space • How much space do you need? • Different cultures allow different distances • Environmental factors (such as noise) affect space • But can you be comfortable? • What does this have to do with technology?

15. Video Conferencing #1

16. Video Conferencing #2

17. Video Conferencing #3

18. Solution? • Can I control the zoom on Tom’s camera, and he control mine?

19. Eye Gaze • What’s it for? • Lovers • Checking attention • Conveying interest / confusion / boredom • Authority / Power • Building a bond • How about on video conferences?

20. Video Conferencing #4

21. Gestures • “Lets move this one there…” • Technological Assistance • Group Pointer • Shared Work Surface

22. The Power of “Um” • Aha! • Erm! • Hmmm…! • Er! • Um! • Uhh!

23. “Back Channels” • For Confirmation / Interruption • Electronic communication reduces the channels available; • Sight • Sound • Gesture • As we lose channels, we lose back channel responses

24. Context • Context helps us understand, and back channels provide context; • Internal context • Depending on previous utterances • External context • Depending on the environment

25. “Do you want one?”

26. “Do you want one?”

27. “Do you want one?”

28. Turn taking • A conversation is a series of turns… • I could request a ‘turn’ with “well, uh…” • You could offer a ‘turn’ with “what do you think?” • Often turns are signified with a pause or gap in conversation. • We live in a physical world, and physics says communication can not be instant… • Quick(er), but not instant • Given these pauses are short, often the pauses are lost during telecommunication • Leading to confused conversations

29. Breakdown • A: Isn’t that beautiful? • B: The symmetry of the branches • A: How some people can dislike them I can’t understand. • B: Yes, the rangers should cull those deer, they strip the bark terribly in winter…

30. Repair • We are efficient at repairing communication breakdowns • However with electronic communication • Lack of redundant channels • Reduced turn taking frequency • Reduced back channels • In reality it isn’t the breakdowns that cause problems, but the inability to recover from them.

31. Constructing a shared understanding • What is different between reading a book, and sitting in class? • Here we can build a common ground • Much of communication is concerned with building common ground • Utterances should be relevant & helpful • Relevant – continuing the current topic • Helpful – considering the listeners knowledge & understanding

32. Where is it? • “Just passed the pub…” • Assuming we know which pub, this is relevant and helpful • It creates a common ground within the conversation • It doesn’t matter that “A” thinks of the pub with memories of a great party, while “B” has never been, but has seen the sign. • i.e. we don’t necessarily need the same sense of individual signifiers if the conversation leads us to the same global sense.

33. Text Based Communication • Common & Familiar • From letters to Google wave • Very different style from face-to-face communication • Discrete: directed messages such as email, with no explicit connection between messages • Linear: Participants messages added in temporal order to a single transcript • Non-linear: messages are linked together in hypertext fashion • Spatial: Messages arranged across 2D surface

34. Back Channels • Text based communication loses channels • Gesture, Body Language, Facial Expressions • Loss of Affective State of speaker • Happy, Sad, Angry, Humorous • Loss of Illocutionary Force of the message • Importance, Urgency

35. Emoticons • Emoticons are often used to convey this • :-) • ;-)

36. Netspeak • LOL BRB • BBL IDK • WTF GTG • ASL RL • ROFLMAO 555 • PRW NIFOC • 2BH FOOBAR • GNOC IMHO • J/K L8R • NOOB

37. Emotion • Text based communication is often more heated, by calmer conversants • Stronger language, as message has to be explicit • Emotionally distanced, often time to calm down between messages

38. Email culture • Becoming more or less important? • Originally Email was unreliable • “I didn’t get it” ;) • No guilt felt • Originally we wouldn’t react the same way to an email as a formal letter • But different cultures treat email differently

39. Turn Taking • Different environments • Cotemporality? • Message is seen as soon as it is typed • Simultaneity? • Participants send and receive at the same time • Sequential? • Utterances are ordered • How often have you misunderstood an online chat conversation due to sequential issues?

40. Overlapping • A: How many should be in the group? • B: Maybe this could be one of the four strongest reasons? • A: What do you mean? • B: I agree • A: Hang on? • B: What did you mean?

41. Group discussions • When multiple users chat simultaneously, these issues grow: • Alison: Brian’s got some lovely roses • Brian: I’m afraid they are covered in greenfly • Clarise: I’ve seen them, they’re beautiful • Google Wave?

42. Group Project • How did the Google Docs project go? • How did you work as a group? • In what ways was Google Docs useful? • In what ways was Google Docs unhelpful? • What alternative collaboration means would be useful?