Paper Summary:

This paper thoroughly examines interpersonal communication. It specifically focuses on computer-mediated communication (CMC)--such as the use of e-mail, chat rooms, and instant messaging--as a valid medium for developing relationships. The paper discusses CMC compared to face-to-face (FtF) contact and looks at some of the issues that surrounded CMC.

Table of Contents:
Chapter I
Background
Self-Disclosure And Computer-Mediated Communication
Communication and People With Disabilities
Computer-Mediated Communication and People With Disabilities
Communication Privacy Management Theory
Summary and Research Questions
Procedures
Data Analysis
Chapter III
Results
Desire for Accurate Self-Portrayal
Familiarity With Technology
Desire for Acceptance
Chapter IV
Discussion
Overview
CPM Theory and the Results
Limitations
Future Research

From the Paper:

"Due in large part to its inherent limitations and relative lack of scope, this study provides ample opportunities for future research, including opportunities to investigate a broader range of circumstances relating to people with disabilities and their decisions to disclose their conditions to online relational partners. Future researchers may want to discover how factors such as gender, age, a poor self-image, and lack of familiarity with the Internet contribute to both the success and failure of online relationships begun by people with disabilities and their tendencies to disclose or withhold information from their relational partners. A further opportunity remains to extend the present study to include individuals with other types of disabilities, specifically those which do not require the use of an assistive device such as a wheelchair, but are nonetheless visually obvious (such as a person who was severely burned). There is little doubt that people with physical disabilities constitute an important segment of the population, and to the extent that researchers can build upon this line of research, scholars and practitioners alike may someday come to a better understanding of the decision-making processes people with physical disabilities go through as they develop healthy and satisfying personal relationships."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bleakley, A., Mertzel, C. R., VanDevanter, N. L., & Messeri, P. (2004). Computer access and Internet use among urban youths. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 744-746.
• Bowker, N., & Tuffin, K. (2002). Disability disclosures for online identities. Disability & Society, 17, 327-345.
• Braithwaite, D. O., & Thompson, T. L. (1999). The handbook of communication and people with disabilities: Research and application. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Buhrmester, D., & Fuhrman, W. (1987). The development of companionship and intimacy. Child Development, 58, 1101-1113.
• Caplan, S. E. (2003). Preference for online social interaction: A theory of problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being. Communication Research, 30, 625-648.

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