Interpersonal Uncertainty and Interpersonal Communication in Traditional and Mediated Encounters: A New Theoretical Perspective

• In Event: Interpersonal Relationships on Social Media: How Social Media Mediate

Abstract

This essay articulates a new perspective defining interpersonal impressions and interpersonal communication as based distinctly on contingent, interactive exchanges. It critiques extant theories of uncertainty reduction and interpersonal epistemologies as incomplete, and argues how a more definitive approach can help understand ironic and ineffective uses of new media in attempting to learn about prospective interactants.

Author

• Joseph B. Walther, Nanyang Technological University