Medium Matters: Signaling Social Power in the Age of Online Messaging

Siff, Emily J.

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Overview

Year:: 2020
Contributor:: Siff, Emily J. (creator); Amit, Elinor (Reader); Sloman, Steven (Advisor); Feiman, Roman (Reader); Brown University. Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences (sponsor)
Genre:: theses
Subject:: Cognition; Cognitive science; behavior; Power (Social sciences); Social media; Abstraction; social distance perception; visual representations; verbal representations
Extent:: vi, 55 p.

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Abstract:: Our capacity to swiftly and easily send digital images is an advancement unique to the last decade. Facilitated by the rise of online messaging platforms (e.g. Facebook, iMessage), the exponential surge in online graphic use (e.g. photographs, emojis) raises the question: Do images convey different information than words? Research in two distinct fields – linguistic abstraction and social distance perception – strongly suggests that there is an unexplored link between the medium of a message (images versus words) and social power. Specifically, past research lends itself to the prediction that those in higher positions of power use images (versus words) less frequently than those in lower positions of power (e.g. Magee & Smith, 2013; Smith & Trope, 2006; Torrez et al., 2019). Via four online studies, we investigated this potential link between medium and social power. Studies 1 and 2 (Perception Studies) examined how the medium of a message affects the perceived power of another person. Studies 3 and 4 (Production Studies) examined how a person’s position of power affects which medium they choose to use in their messages. Across all studies, results consistently indicated that people can signal and infer social power from the medium of a message. With billions of people now using online messaging platforms that have digital image options, it is particularly critical to understand how the medium we use (images versus words) conveys our social power.
Notes:: Thesis (Sc. M.)--Brown University, 2020

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Rights: In Copyright
Restrictions on Use: Collection is open for research.

Citation

Siff, Emily J., "Medium Matters: Signaling Social Power in the Age of Online Messaging" (2020). Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences Theses and Dissertations. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:1129370/

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Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations for the Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences department.
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