Computer-mediated communication has "revolutionized social interaction," (Georgakopoulou, 2011, p. 93). On some days, I communicate with others more with digital devices than in person, such as days I am home studying. Instead of using the phone or talking in person, I will use messenger apps or email. Social media is also an important type of computer-mediated communication. It matters because of the ways technology transforms the nature of communication. The term "mediation" refers mainly to the means by which a message is transmitted (Thurlow, Lengel & Tomic, 2004, p. 18). When we are in person or even on the phone, our brains can pick up a slew of cues, such as tone of voice, pauses in the person's speech, pace of speaking, and other forms of non-verbal communication. We detect tone and emotion in body language, eyes, and timbre of voice. These cues are all absent in computer-mediated communication, with the possible exception of video chatting. Therefore, it has become important to establish new norms of communication, as most people rely increasingly on CMC in their daily lives.Paying special attention to our CMC means being more conscientious when we type out emails...

It might not matter so much with our closest friends or parents, because they already know us well enough to "read" into what we are saying, detecting emotion or the real meanings. However, most people we interact with will not have the background information about us that can make up for all the lost data or emotional cues. Romiszowski & Maston (n.d.) point out that the technology itself changes the communication style, too, which is why we need different sets of ground rules when using email versus messenger. As the technology advances, so do the standards and norms of communication. A prime example of this was the way we switched from emoticons to emojis when using the messenger apps on our phones. The emojos are more content-rich, and they have allowed for more media-rich communications with people. Although they are not considered professional, they can increase the clarity of a message. For example, I can convey sarcasm with emoji of rolling eyes. Using emojis is important to me personally, because I worry that what I am saying may be taken the wrong way. However, I do try to use them judiciously, not allowing the emoji to take the place of the meat of my…