This study investigated attraction and group cohesiveness under different visibility and anonymity conditions for social categories that differed in their capacity to be visually cued. Using computer-mediated communication in 36 mixed gender (visually cued category) and nationality (non-visually cued category) groups, we manipulated social category salience (via discussion topic), and anonymity vs. visibility (via live video links). Under high salience, the effects of anonymity versus visibility ... Continue Reading
Social presence in distributed group environments: The role of social identity
Rogers, P. & Lea, M. (2005). Social presence in distributed group environments: The role of social identity. Behaviour & Information Technology, 24,151-158.
This paper argues that to achieve social presence in a distributed environment, it is not necessary to emulate face-to-face conditions of increased cues to the interpersonal. Rather, it is argued, that a sense of belongingness to the group, or perceptual immersion in the group, can be realised through the creation of a shared social identity between group members. From this perspective, social presence is a function of the cognitive representation of the group by group members and not the ... Continue Reading
The In-SIDE story: Social psychological processes affecting on-line groups
Lea, M., Spears, R., Watt, S., & Rogers, P. (2000). The InSIDE story: Social psychological processes affecting on-line groups. In T. Postmes, R. Spears, M. Lea, & S.D. Reicher (Eds.) SIDE-issues centre-stage: Recent developments in studies of de-individuation in groups. Amsterdam: North Holland.
CMC provides a new paradigm for research into general deindividuation phenomena that can usefully clarify some of the complexities in earlier deindividuation research as well as test the intervening processes that deindividuating contexts supposedly activate. For example, it enables one to manipulate anonymity and identifiability independently from physical isolation and co-presence. Conceptual distinctions between different forms of anonymity, such as visual anonymity and nominal anonymity (not ... Continue Reading
Social Psychology of the Internet
Lea, M. & Spears, R. (2003). Social Psychology of the Internet. In K. Christensen & D. Levinson (Eds.) Sage Encyclopedia of Community: From the Village to the Virtual World. (pp. 779-783). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Social psychology has a long history of researching the effects of communication technologies, such as the telephone and television, on individuals and groups. Social psychological research on the Internet has focused predominantly on text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC), such as e-mail, bulletin boards, newsgroups, conferencing, and chat. These have been compared both theoretically and empirically with face-to-face communication or with some other standard that controls for certain ... Continue Reading
Facing the future: Emotion communication and the presence of others in video communications
Manstead, A.S.R., Lea, M. & Goh, J. (2011). Facing the future: Emotion communication and the presence of others in the age of video telephony. In Arvid Kappas (Ed.) Face-to-face communication over the Internet: Issues, research, challenges. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (pp. 144-175).
Video-mediated communication is becoming a ubiquitous feature of everyday life. This chapter considers the differences between face-to-face and video-mediated communication in terms of co-presence and considers the implications for the communication of emotion, self-disclosure, and relationship rapport. Following initial consideration of the concepts of physical presence and social presence, we describe recent studies of the effect of presence on the facial communication of emotion. We then ... Continue Reading