Risky Business: Why People Feel Safe in Sexually Expicit On-Line Communication |
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| Authors: | Diane F. Witmer |
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| Affiliation: | Diane F. Witmer (PhD, MA, MS, University of Southern California, BS, University of La Verne) is an assistant professor of communication at Purdue University. Her practical experience includes both corporate and not-for-profit public relations, and she holds Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) accreditation. Dr. Witmer's research interests include computer-mediated communication and organizational communication, and she has been instrumental in the development and maintenance of a several World Wide Web sites. She is an active member of the International Communication Association, Speech Communication Association, Central States Communication Association, Public Relations Society of America, and Communication Institute for Online Scholarship.;Sandra Katzman, an independent journalist and communication researcher, teaches English in Japan. She is a pioneer of the University of California at Santa Cruz (BA cum laude English Literature), and studied social science at Stanford University (MA Communication). Her editorial opinion articles appear in The Los Angeles Times;and The Sacramento Bee. |
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| Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to assess the use, in computer-mediated communication, of the strategic message structuring tactic known as framing. Interlocutors in computer-mediated environments have software supported systemic resources facilitative of constructing messages using framing tactics in their argumentative discourse. It is hypothesized that framing strategies are related to the emotional tenor of a disputant's message and that a speaker's emotional involvement with an issue should be curvilinearly related to the appropriation of framing as an argumentative discourse strategy. Results from the analysis of 3000 messages, obtained from a diverse sampling of computer-mediated discussion groups and forums, provided support for the primary hypothesized relationship. A speaker's emotional involvement was significantly and curvilinearly related to two message framing devices (message dependency and coalition building) and a measure of conciliatory face-saving moves. |
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