Date Approved
2021
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department or School
English Language and Literature
Committee Member
Eric Acton, Ph.D.
Committee Member
T. Daniel Seely, Ph.D.
Abstract
Given the ever-growing presence of computer-mediated communication (CMC), it is important to understand CMC and how it relates to communication in general. Despite considerable research on CMC, various features are still underrepresented, such as GIF communication. This study examines what GIF usage suggests about interlocutors’ social relationships. In particular, through a perception experiment among young adults, this study investigates how GIF usage affects perceptions of social closeness between interlocutors. I find that participants perceive interlocutors to be significantly closer when one responds to another with a GIF with embedded text instead of a text-only response, an effect that I link to increased expressiveness between people who are socially close. In addition, this effect is stronger for participants who self-report as frequent social media and GIF users than for those who do not. This could imply frequent CMC users perceive more social closeness because of their familiarity with online social cues.
Recommended Citation
Druckmiller, Alexa F., "Overhearers’ perceptions of familiarity between interlocutors in computer-mediated communication based on GIF usage" (2021). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 1110.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1110