Can creative keyboarding ever truly disambiguate computer mediated communication? Reflect on how good creative keyboarders might actually capitalize on the techniques to enhance impression management.

Creative Keyboarding techniques

The fact that cyberspace has reduced sensations - in which you can't see features such facial expressions and body language, or hear inflections and tone of voice, understand jokes or sarcasm - is quite a weakness. As a result ‘creative keyboarding’, using text to convey non verbal aspects of interpersonal communication, was introduced. See opposite for examples of creative keyboarding techniques. 

For example, one could just say ‘Thank you for the present. I really like it.’ but using creative keyboarding to full extent: ‘Thank you, thank you, thank youuuuuu for the present! :D I REALLY like it! *hugs*’ conveys much more emotion and expression, to the point where the first message is now interpreted as almost cold in delivery.

As demonstrated above, creative keyboarding techniques do help to disambiguate CMC, but I still can’t consider it as being as good as face to face communication, such as actually seeing the expression on the person’s face when they receive my gift. An individual can use action accentuation, such as *hugs* in CMC, but this still doesn't feel as personal as actually receiving a hug. A hug can convey a lot of information too, such as closeness to the other; if somebody hugged me in a tight embrace, I would feel that this individual held me dear a lot more than if they engaged in a loose embrace upon receiving their gift. Whereas online, this information is not received; all '*hugs*' hold the same value. Also, some creative keyboarding techniques may have different meanings to different people. For example, an exclamation mark can sometimes come across as shouting if interpreted that way, or manic if overused - even if it wasn't intended. With the lack of context online, it can be difficult to disambiguate a persons use of creative keyboarding. 

Another point of interest is the possibility that creative keyboarding can actually go on to help people form impressions when meeting others online. Wallace (1999) explains a situation where she formed a negative impression of somebody because of the way they spoke to her online. It later transpired, upon meeting this individual, that this negative opinion had been gained purely because he was not savvy in creative keyboarding. If somebody with a complete lack of creative keyboarding skills can accidentally give off a cold impression, can somebody expert in the ways of creative keyboarding capitalize on these techniques? Reflecting on this, there is no doubt that it can, and does happen. I can imagine the situation in which I have accidentally given somebody an awful gift, and to make me feel nice, the recipient says 'Thank you, thank you, thank you for the present! :D I REALLY like it! *hugs*' to give off a certain impression, whilst they're also currently wrapping this gift up for somebody else. Also, situations of online dating have occurred where an individual portrays themselves in a suave and appealing nature, through the use of winking emoticons and seductive trailers, when in reality, this individual has no idea how to be romantic. 

See, those good in the ways of creative keyboarding are in an excellent position to actively manipulate the impressions of those they speak to online. This may also go on to reduce the effectiveness of creative keyboarding techniques, because individuals may start to become sceptical of the sincerity of that colon and parenthesis. At the end of the day, it's much easier to press buttons than it is to pull your facial muscles into a certain expression, and as a result I don't feel creative keyboarding will ever replace the comfort and security of face to face communication.

Until next time... ;)

Philippa. *hugs*