Silence in text-based computer mediated communication: The invisible component.

The dissertation comprises three studies. The first study explores over 170,000 response latencies from highly diverse sources, and reveals a mathematical uniformity which not only suggests a practical definition of online silence, but might also be the numeric expression of a fundamental regularity which underlies human communication, online as well as offline. The definition of online silence suggested by the first study is based on the identification of three normative chronemic zones delineated by multiples of the average response latency (tau). These chronemic norms are explored in the second study, which confirms that the norms measured in the first study are reflected in the perception of e-mail users, and that when these norms are violated, for example by not responding to an e-mail, or by responding after a very long pause, these violations could damage the way the violator is perceived by others with whom the violator is communicating. These findings propose a role for response latencies as a nonverbal cue in text-based computer mediated communication (CMC) media, and support the claim that text-based CMC is not as poor in nonverbal cues as asserted by some. The third study analyzes the reports of e-mail users who were asked to recount specific cases in which they caused online silence by not responding to an e-mail, and cases in which they experienced expecting but not receiving a response to an e-mail. The analysis reveals a wealth of data about the causes and consequences of online silence, including uncertainty and hurt feelings. The analysis also reveals three main categories of explanations for online silence, as well as a few sub-categories.The three studies apply a host of methodologies, quantitative and qualitative, to the analysis of data collected from diverse sources, while using both obtrusive and unobtrusive measures. The theoretical and practical implications of each of the individual studies are presented. Moreover, the triangulation of the results of the three studies leads to a model of online responsiveness and online silence, and to additional theoretical and practical implications. The dissertation establishes the centrality of online silence to the study of CMC, and it proposes directions for further explorations of the nature of online silence in text-based CMC, as well as its causes and consequences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)