cacfull_ch03

Functions of Mediated Communication

Even though the specific platforms, sites, and apps you use to communicate via social media change constantly, there are still established ways in which these tools meet your communication needs. As Chapter 1 discusses, communication helps you meet three types of goals, and these apply to mediated communication as well:

Instrumental goals are the practical objectives you want to achieve or tasks you want to accomplish. This includes using social media to find information, coordinate schedules, and confirm reservations.
Relationship goals include how you build, maintain, or terminate bonds with others. This is a popular way to use social media, allowing you to get in touch with people you haven’t spoken to in a while, share your own news, and even block or defriend people you aren’t close to anymore. Such tools are often at the center of our social lives. In one study, college students reported that online posts are the easiest way to find out about upcoming social events (Quan-Haase & Young, 2010).
Self-presentational goals involve presenting yourself in certain ways so others view you as you want them to. Through photos, updates, posts, and comments, you create a public self. As Chapter 2 discusses, a public self is the self you present to others (Fenigstein, Scheier, & Buss, 1975). In this chapter, we’ll explore how you use online self-presentation to create that self.

In addition to fulfilling such goals, mediated communication serves two other important functions:

Participating in professional and public communities means you can engage with people outside of your intimate networks of family and friends. For example, e-mail can be used to express your concerns about proposed new laws to government officials. Or you could deliver a virtual presentation to work team members at offsite locations. (We’ll discuss more about delivering speeches online in Chapter 15.)
Alleviating boredom through social media is a common experience (Quan-Haase & Young, 2010). People often seamlessly integrate mediated communication into the less stimulating moments of their lives. You might text with coworkers during slow work shifts (“Are you as bored as I am?”) or chat online with friends when you need a break from studying.