Research

The term computer-meditated interaction is also known as computer-meditated communication CMC. The term is self-explanatory in nature. CMC is the communication or interaction between two persons or a group of people using the electronic format. Electronic forum means computer-supported systems. It includes messaging, emails, chat rooms, calls and other forms of social networking. CMC is of two types. One is synchronous in which people interaction to one and other are present or using the app on the same time for example during audio or video calls while the other type of CMC is asynchronous where the receiver is not active at the same time with the sender for example emails and text messages (Smolkas, 2020).

As far as we are concerned with the impacts of computer-meditated interactions, it can impact the communication socially, professionally and educationally. We discuss the impacts of computer-meditated interaction on distance learning, relationship between people, business, interpersonal impacts and the impression it creates of a person that is connected to outer world via computer or electronic forum.

Computer-based or electronic forum based interaction has made things a lot more easy then before. But everything has two aspects i.e. positive aspects and negative aspects. We discuss the positive and negative impacts of computer-meditated interactions. How it will affect people and their preferences. We discuss its effects socially, professionally and educationally. By studying and searching about the term, we can make and propose useful strategies to make it more useful and beneficial. It will also help in lowering its negative impacts.

The objectives are as follows

· To understand what is computer-meditated interactions

· To learn its positive aspects

· To learns its negative aspects

· To give possible strategies that help in making it more useful

Computer-meditated interaction is a fast-growing electronic forum because it keeps on engaging people worldwide. The four basic forms through which we are connected to CMC are using electronic media for entertainment purposes, using electronic media for getting and exchanging information, using electronic media for emails and texting and using it for making money transactions (Lane, 2015). According to this study, CMC has negative impact on communication between two or more people. Since we are unable to see their face while communication. And we all know that expressions play a major role in comprehending what the other person is trying to say. In CMC, we are unable to see their gestures and expressions and it can cause non-reliability, misconception and misunderstanding between people who are communicating (Norris & Ashly, 2015).

They say that CMC has made it difficult to read faces and understand body languages because people are really busy interacting to each other on social media despite having meetings in person. It will cause the cancellation of several physical and real aspects that just fades away during online interactions (Norris & Ashly, 2015).

There are many studies that work on CMC and analyze how people react to it. The basic idea of the study is to observe how people use their computer, how the interact to each other, how they built their interaction, what is the difference between online and offline interaction and what benefits they get from CMC (Walther, 1996). There is difference in using electronic media as well. People interacting socially, professionally and educational settings use different kinds of computer-meditated communication applications. And it will vary the impact of CMC on people. For example, for professional concerns, people mostly use emails. Emails help a lot. It makes the work so easy and economical. We do not need offices, papers and many office members just to send one message to the other party, rather we simple compose an email and send it to the concerned party. While during social interactions, people use texting apps, electronic media and internet to communicate. It will help in communication but as described in the earlier studies, make several difficulties in understanding the real message.

People can be friends on social media but find it hard to communicate in person. Because using computer for a longer time, they have lost the confidence of talking someone in person. Messages make things easy but at the same time create a lot of misunderstandings too (Herring, 2004).

Computer-meditated interaction has made education very easy and manageable. Distance-learning is now very easy and it has many participants. CMC in educational setting is all about curriculum and assessment approaches. In days of pandemic-19, many universities worldwide have started classes online. It helps the students and the universities not to waste a year. They were unable to attend classes physically but many applications of electric media made it possible to seek education for the students and to deliver curriculum for the universities.

CMC is really important if we talk about higher education. It includes online class facilities and data-saving applications. If we talk about the role of CMC in business, many studies have shown that it helps a lot during the ongoing pandemic. Businesses collapse due to pandemic but shifting of some of the departments to online settings has made things easy and under control.

It is the qualitative analysis of the impacts on computer-meditated interactions. The data is supposed to be collected from research articles, published papers and internet resources. The reason of this analysis is to know the direct and indirect impacts of computer-meditated interactions. The targeted sample is people who use electronic forum for different purposes that are socially, professionally and educationally.

CMC makes the communication between two or more persons easy that are present in different locations. It will help its users to join and participate online into such events and projects which otherwise cannot be approachable due to long distance and geography. It helps people like introverts who find it hard to make friends in person and give them a chance to communicate to other people online without showing up. It will decrease their depression as well (Lane, 2014).

It gives them confidence and they are less-stressed about their physical appearance. CMC has helped a lot in business. It makes business deals so easy. We do not need wide offices and many workers rather we shift our business to online settings and get more profit and work energy from a smaller number of workers. They work at home and give even a greater amount of profit then to work in offices. Same is the case with education. Distance learning is now very easy and beneficial due to CMC.

CMC can affect the communication as well. Online communication misses the physical gestures and tone of the person which can cause misunderstandings. CMC cause social isolation too, people are friends only on social media but do not talk in person. It can leak important data of any institute or organization which can cause a severe damage to their reputation and financially. Cybercrimes also involves CMC. Applications of CMC are not fully reliable. They can use and leak the personal information of their users. That’s why it is not safe to rely on electronic media and share personal stuff randomly. It can be used to harm you as well (Karen et al,. 2016).

References

Godwin, S. J., Thorpe, M. S., & Richardson, J. T. (2008). The impact of computer‐mediated interaction on distance learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(1), 52-70.

Walther, J. B., & Burgoon, J. K. (1992). Relational communication in computer‐mediated interaction. Human communication research, 19(1), 50-88.

Smolskas, L. (2020). Žaidimų vaizdo tinklaraščių komunikacija Twitch kanale (Doctoral dissertation, Mykolo Romerio universitetas).

Walther, J. B. (1996). Computer-mediated communication: Impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research, 23, 3-43.

Lane, D. R. (1994). Computer-mediated communication in the classroom: Asset or liability. In Workshop presented.

Karen, S., & Martin, W. (2015). Virtual distance: Technology is rewriting the rulebook for human interaction. Conversation.