Sex Categorization in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC): Exploring the Utopian Promise

Abstract

Cue-lean media lack the physical information people traditionally rely on for social status attributions. It is possible the absence of this visible physical information reduces the influence of categorizations such as biological sex. If this were true, then cue-lean media may facilitate more egalitarian participation in interactions where all voices are equal (These predictions are part of what has been called the utopian promise of cue-lean media. At the same time, these social status attributions are mentally salient, perceived to provide useful information, and frequently used in the person perception process (Bodenhausen & Macrae, 1998). It is possible that the mental salience of these categories sustains people's reliance on them whether the physical indicators are visible or not. These contrasting predictions were tested using a between-subjects experimental design. Forty-two undergraduates at a large Midwestern university took part in this experiment. Participants engaged in the desert survival task across networked computers using text. Following the interactions, more than 1/3 of participants did not assign their partner to a sex category. The majority of those who made an attribution of their partner's biological sex were inaccurate. Those who did not assign their partner to a sex category felt more immediacy and credibility as compared to those who did. Female participants reported the medium as being able to provide more social presence than did male participants. Implications for the utopian predictions in computer-mediated interactions are discussed.The increased proliferation of telecommunication technologies has the potential to alter both the way people interact with computers as well as how they perceive and MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY, 5,

The Effect of Image Features on Judgments of Homophily, Credibility, and Intention to Use as Avatars in Future Interactions

“…Nowak and Rauh (2005) found that participants reported a preference for gendered (highly masculine or feminine) avatars, that users preferred to select avatars with the same gender, and that androgyny reduced both homophily and a person's likelihood to choose an avatar. This finding is consistent with other research, which has shown that sex categorization remains salient in computer mediated interactions (Cherny, 1994;Cornetto & Nowak, 2006;Herring, 2000;Nowak, 2003). Making attributions of gender online may reflect people's desire to categorize others, which the viewer may use to categorize and make predictions about how the avatar, or the person behind it, is likely to behave in the future.…”

Gender Differences in Virtual Negotiation: Theory and Research

“…These social cues influence impressions about communicators and the meaning of their message (Daft and Lengel 1984;Latané 1984;Nowak 2003;Sproull and Kiesler 1986;Tanis and Postmes 2003;Wellens 1986Wellens , 1989. Tanis and Postmes (2003) found that social cues are significant factors in impression formation.…”

“…Instead of focusing on the status of the other individual, women in virtual negotiation may be more likely to concentrate on the content of the interaction (Nowak 2003;Ridgeway 2001). Recall also that psychological distance theory predicts that virtual negotiations lessen the social influence of the other communicator (Latane 1984;Wellens 1986Wellens , 1989.…”

Evaluating the Risk and Attractiveness of Romantic Partners When Confronted with Contradictory Cues

“…For example, there is evidence that internet dating agencies and bulletin boards are increasingly being used to meet other persons and, at times, to subsequently have sex Bull et al, 2001;Halkitis & Parsons, 2003). Using internet personal ads, bulletin boards, and chat rooms, people get information and make decisions about a potential partner in computer mediated communication (Nowak, 2003) even though the "information" about the potential partner may be exaggerated or falsified (Knox et al, 2001). Public health researchers predict that relationships arranged through the internet will contribute to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) .…”