The Construction of Away Messages: A Speech Act Analysis
Research suggests that "away messages" in instant messaging express informational and entertainment communicative goals while displaying a users' identity. This study investigated the extent to which these communicative goals are reflected in the language structure of away messages, by examining the speech acts performed through the production of 483 away messages crafted by 44 participants. The messages were also analyzed for the use of non-standard orthography and humor. The results show that the messages were constructed primarily with assertives, followed by expressives and commissives, but rarely with directives, confirming that away messages tend to reflect both informational and entertainment goals.
While some messages provide information about one's activities and others focus more on personal beliefs and mottos, what these messages all have in common is that they provide information regarding a user's current communication status (e.g., online/offline), activity, schedule, emotional state, etc., potentially offering cues for impression formation and the maintenance of social links. Through posting away messages, users can express their identity and maintain their sense of connection to their friends and family by providing them with a window into their lives.
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2 comments:
I like instant messaging. It is a great way for me to stay in touch with my friends that I rarely get to talk to. I also agree that away messages are great way to know how everyone is feeling and what they are doing. It seems like a very minor thing but it does help you stay in touch.
My away messages are really different for professional and personal useage. My professional messages are just that, professional and to the point. I rarely use humor at work.
In my personal away messages, I often use humor to communicate with family and friends. My sence of humor is one of my trademarks. But I find it interesting that I only use it with family and friends.
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