Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)

By: Low Pei Yee and Chan Xin Ling

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) is a fairly new way of communicating. CMC only requires electronic devices like computers, mobile phones and Smart Phones. As we can see that, nowadays most of the people are using technology devices to communicate or interact with others. Even senior citizens have to learn how to use the devices such as video calling, messaging, typing, and taking photos in order to get to update the news from their friends and families online. 

However, do CMC really enhance human? Or the other way round? We all know CMC does not require any verbal communication skills, non-verbal communication skills such as gestures, facial expressions and eye contacts do not play a part.

Doubtless CMC gives us a sense of security when we are chatting with people we do not know in real life. We can say whatever we want, shares our deepest secrets, gossip about other people with them and not to be responsible for that. It is also a good choice to communicate with others electronically. This is because, for those people who are hated being confronted; not good in expressing themselves or when they are very emotional in the middle of the conversation, all they can do is just type whatever they want to say to express their feelings. This helps them to tell others how they think. But, this may leads to the inability to express ourselves appropriately when we are facing people in real life.

When we get used to CMC we no longer have the communication skills in real life due to lack of implementation. As verbal and non-verbal communication is very crucial in our daily lives, we need to interact or communicate with real people, instead of technology devices. People would become emotionless if there is overuse of CMC and lack of real life communication.