GRA 315 Key Communication Technology Theories
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Southern New Hampshire University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
315
Subject
Communications
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
6
Uploaded by KidSummerGull21
GRA 315 Communication in Digital Age
Tamara Pizzeck
February 1, 2023
Key Communication Technology Theories
In the Summer of 2021, my family moved from Washington DC where I was a stay-at-
home mother who homeschooled her children, to a small town in TX. We made the decision to place our children into the public school system and I began looking for a job. For this assignment I have chosen to analyze my relationship with a co-worker. Let’s refer to her as Mrs. M. I began working in the public school system in a branch of the Special Education department (SpEd) where my role is to assist my group of dyslexic and autistic students move from class to class and complete their assignments. I met Mrs. M. on the first day of school of school 2021 when my students and I entered her class. My title as a teacher’s aide often stretches beyond the daily tasks of my students to the direct assistance of the teacher. It is in this way that Mrs. M and I began our relationship. Strong and Weak ties Theory states that both types of ties are important to networking interactions. According to Mark Granvetter, strong ties are formed between family members or close friends, your strong ties are your friends, and your weak ties are your acquaintances. (Brown) He also went on to state that time, emotional intensity, intimacy and reciprocal service were four variables that could be used to determine the strength of a relationship. (Wright).
Often, weak ties are relied upon when you are unable to obtain something through your strong ties as they tend to have the same network as yourself. When we take notice of our week ties or our acquaintances, we can utalize those connects as a bridge to more information. Prior to working for the school, I was a stay-at-home mother. I had no prior knowledge of what these students would need from me. When I looked to my strong tie relationships for ideas on how I could overcome some of the daily challenges I faced as a new Special Education Aide, they had the same resources and connections that I did, therefor they were unable to help me further my knowledge. In the case of Mrs. M. and I’s weak ties relationship, I needed more knowledge of working with directly children with disabilities and she was my bridge to that knowledge. Her former role at the school was head of the sped department which meant that she had access to all sorts of amazing seminars and training videos that she shared with me. By using my using this theory I was able to look beyond my strong tie relationships and utilize my network of weak ties in order to gain the information needed to become successful at my job. Rather that focus on the different types of relationships that strong a week ties present, the theory of social penetration looks deeper into how a relationship can transform from a week to a strong tie. It states that intimacy in relationships develop over time as partners progressively disclose more and more personal information to one another. (
Wright) It was described by Irvin Altman and Dalmas Taylor as the process of bonding that moves a relationship from superficial to more intimate. It has also been described as the onion theory in its metaphoric model of pealing one’s layers back in order to know someone on a deeper level and reach one’s true self. (
Carpenter and Greene) In order to for a relationship to achieve this deeper level there is an exchange of information. Essential to this exchange is breadth
, which refers to the number of the
topics discussed and depth
, the level of intimacy of these interactions. (
Wright) It is through this
theory that I have gotten to know Mrs. M. It started with cordial greeting and niceties. As time passed, she began to trust me with tasks around the classroom, I would confide in her with the struggles of my job and so on and so forth. 6 months into our relationship, we began eating lunch
together and it was then that we slowly began sharing information about our personal lives and we started to get to know more about each other outside of our roles as educators. Through this theory we evolved from a relationship form from a weak tie, became a strong tie and through our
sharing of personal views and opinions.
It is at this point this point in our relationship where I could see how the social construction theory also plays a role in our relationship. Similar in the way we use the penetration theory to strengthen our relationships, we can use the social construction theory to get to know someone based upon how they construct and view the world around them. Social construction theory examines how individuals develop their knowledge and understanding of the world. (Nickerson). While it is said there is not a specific definition of social constructionism, there are four beliefs and I gravitate towards the belief that “knowledge is sustained by social processes” (Nickerson). Meaning that, “an individual’s perception of “truth” is a product of social processes and the interactions that an individual is engaging in rather than objective observation” (Nickerson).
As humans we develop or construct our own ideas and what we believe is truth based on our life’s experiences. When applying this to the relationship between Mrs. M and myself, I will give the example of the holiday season. She constructed the idea that all visits with family during the holidays are stressful and that all husbands are lazy and do not often help with the mental and physical demands that come along with the visit. Using the penetration theory, I learned that she believed that everyone felt this way. When our daily conversation would center around these thoughts it was hard to relate to her constructed reality
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
as it is different than mine. As a military spouse my perception of the holiday was vastly different as I tend to rarely spend a holiday with family and would cherish the ability to do such a thing. I also do not hold the same negative opinion of my spouse. I believe husbands are fully present in the planning process and are dependable. His presence is a stress reliver and I wish I had him around. While I know it was a stressful time in her year, it put a strain on our relationship as I could see the different realities we had constructed for ourselves.
The theory of social exchange is one of the oldest theories of social behavior according to
sociologist George Homans. (Wright) Different than how we share information back and forth in
the penetration theory, the exchange theory is a give and take. According to this theory, people often weigh the benefits of a relationship and subtract the costs in order to determine how much it is worth. (Cherry) Once the scale tips and the risks outweigh the rewards, people will often “cut ties” and end relationships. In terms of my relationship with Mrs. M I looked deeper at what it is I gain from this relationship. On the negative or risk side of the scale, she is emotionally draining and often I will leave our conversations feeling negative and slightly depressed. On the opposite side she is also generous and a very knowledgeable seamstress. It was during the time of negative thoughts on Mrs. M’s part that I considered pulling away from the relationship. While pulling away would have taken a large portion of negativity in my daily life, I would be letting go of a level of peace in our classrooms and the ability to have a crafty person in my back pocket. That might not sound like a big deal, but as a mother of three girls scouts, Mrs. M is a lift saver when it comes to sewing on their hundreds of badges. When looking back how I communicate in other relationships, I can see how having a more in-depth knowledge about how relationship can be strengthened or terminated can be a key
when it comes to networking. I’ve gained a better understanding of the give and take of exchanges theory. Also trusting the development of a strong relationship through the process of getting to know someone on a deeper level with penetration. Realizing that not everyone has to be your best friend. There is beauty in utilizing both your strong and week tie relationships to make connections and realizing that construction theory shows that not everyone has the same point of view.
Works Cited
Brown, Eileen. “Strong and Weak Ties: Why Your Weak Ties Matter.” Social Media Today
, 30 June 2011, www.socialmediatoday.com/content/strong-and-weak-ties-why-your-weak-
ties-matter.
Carpenter, Amanda, and Kathryn Greene. “Social Penetration Theory.” Social Penetration Theory
, 2016, wp.comminfo.rutgers.edu/kgreene/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2018/02/
ACGreene-SPT.pdf, 10.1002/9781118540190.wbeic0160.
Cherry, Kendra. “Understanding Social Exchange Theory in Psychology.” Verywell Mind
, Verywellmind, 25 Feb. 2022, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-social-exchange-theory-
2795882.
Nickerson, Charlotte. “Social Constructionism Definition and Examples.” Www.simplypsychology.org
, 4 Oct. 2021, www.simplypsychology.org/social-
constructionism.html.
Wright, Kevin B. Computer-Mediated Communication in Personal Relationships
. New York, Ny
; Frankfurt, M., Lang, 2011.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help