Case study 7
raw data for IM
EXAMPLE IV.
Here is a fragment of an IM conversation between
mutual acquaintance, who have never met physically. The conversation had
started out about spirituality but the male (speaking in capital letters)
quickly turned it into a sexual theme with the female finally ending with
"thats (sic) what i (sic) thought you were going to say.....but i didnt
want to go there!" At this stage the female writer (lower case text) could
have been revealing a familiarity with social norms (ie. Male sexual behaviour)
or with IRC practices or both. Without other cues: visual, knowledge of the
participants and their familiarity with one another, it will be difficult to
define the "talk". Here the grammar, fonts and abbreviations are all
significant. Several of the abbreviations are shorthand for several words. Two
in this IM I am not familiar with: IBE in line 14 and OBE in line 11. In line
10, LOL is shorthand for lots of laughs. It is also used for "lots of
love", but in this context I believe it is "lots of laughs" as
it follows the word "HE", as in "he he he". To some extent
the textual "appearance" of IRC script is accidental. If people are
not skilled at typing, they make a lot of errors trying to keep up with IRC
conversation. This is especially true in chatrooms where there are several
people all 'speaking' at the same time. Nevertheless, contributors do also use
text forms in deliberative ways. I will reproduce the extract first as it
downloads from the IM screen, where limited window and scroll capacity makes it
visually confusing. Then I will provide a provisional transcription,
highlighting some of the interpretive complexities of this dialogue.
1. ######: WE WERE TOGETHER IN THE HAREMS OF CHINAS
THRONE, THE GOOD OLDL DAYS
2. ######: MINE
3. ******: ah...one of those past life miracles
4. ######: COOL LETTERS. I LIKE GRAPHICS AND BIG BLACK
LETTERS, COOLNESS
5. ******: oops....better get a little more humble
again
6. ######: WE WERE INDIANS IN THE NEW WORLD TOGETHER
TOO
7. ******: WOW! far out man!
8. ######: YES, I GET TO CALL HER IN ABOUT 2 HOURS
9. ******: lucky you
10. ######: I PRACTICE THE 4 RULE. I HOPE YOUR NOT
INTO THE EQUALITY TRIP BUT I FEEL THE MAN ONE THE WOMAN 4. THAT WORKS GOOD, SHE
REALLY SMILES A LOT AFTER THAT HE LOL
11. ******: and where does she live....I hope not in
12. ######: IN THE SOUTH OF
13. ######: CA
14. ######: WE DO A
15. ######: THE I FOR IN
16. ******: so she is near....that is good.......and a
peice of down to earth advice from mother earth.....dont contract any viruses
17. ######: WE IS PURE AS THE FRESH FALLEN SNOW
18. ******: as long as it doesnt include too much
nuclear fall out
19. ######: BUT IT MELTS AFTER A SHORT WHILE AND WERE
IN THE CARRIBEAN
20. ******: dont want to loose any hair....that would
be a real shame
21. ******: oh...ok........sounds like a plan
22. ######: NOT YET ON THE FALL OUT, BUT I HAVE HIT
SPIRITUAL ATOMICS AND IT PUCHES HOLES IN THE ATOMOSPHERE LIKE THE EARTH ATOMICS
23. ######: HOW DID YOU KNOW MAMA MY HAIR IS THINING,
BUT ONLY ON THE HEAD HE HE LOL
24. ******: I'm sure........we could invent a fix a
flat for sub atomic stuff and get rich then, huh?
25. ######: HUUUMMMMM??? NOT BAD IDEA
26. ######: IF I GET RICH I M DOWNIN THE CARRIBEAN.
WELL I WAS A PIRATE IN A PAST TIME HE HE .. IT WAS STILL GREAT AND WORTH IT.
27. ******: sorry........cant rewind that one....so
forget it ever happened....your here now big guy!
28. ######: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY 4 RULE?
29. ******: but I got your parrot...hahahaha
30. ######: HE HE I LOVE TUCANS, THE BIG BEAK ONES
31. ******: dont get it...please explain better for us
illiterate unpsychic ones 4 what?....ask i thus
32. ######: THE WOMAN HAS FOUR ORGASIMS, A LEAST ONE
VERY BIG TWO MEDIUM AND ONE OR MORE SMALL THE MAN HAS ONE BIG AND MAYBE A FEW
SMALL ONES
33. ######: THIS RATIO KEEPS THE NIGHT ALL NIGHT.
34. ******: oh my god!...thats what i thought you were
going to say.....but i didnt want to go there!
EXAMPLE
IV-A (with notations)
1.
######: WE WERE TOGETHER IN THE HAREMS
OF CHINAS THRONE, THE GOOD OLDL DAYS
2.
######: MINE
3.
******: ah...one of those past
life miracles [3Ù 1]
4.
######: COOL LETTERS. I LIKE GRAPHICS
AND BIG BLACK LETTERS, COOLNESS [#]
5.
******: oops....better get a
little more humble again [3Ù 1]
6.
######: WE WERE INDIANS IN THE NEW
WORLD TOGETHER TOO
7.
******: WOW! far out man! [7Ù 6]
8.
######: YES, I GET TO CALL HER IN
ABOUT 2 HOURS [8Ù ?]
9.
******: lucky you [9Ù 8]
10.
######: I PRACTICE THE 4 RULE. I HOPE
YOUR NOT INTO THE EQUALITY TRIP BUT I FEEL THE MAN ONE THE WOMAN 4. THAT WORKS
GOOD, SHE REALLY SMILES A LOT AFTER THAT HE LOL [#]
11.
******: and where does she
live....I hope not in
12.
######: IN THE SOUTH OF
13.
######: CA
14.
######: WE DO A
15.
######: THE I FOR IN
16.
******: so she is near....that is
good.......and a peice of down to earth advice from mother earth.....dont
contract any viruses [16Ù 12-13]
17.
######: WE IS PURE AS THE FRESH FALLEN
SNOW [17Ù 16]
18.
******: as long as it doesnt include
too much nuclear fall out [18Ù 17]
19.
######: BUT IT MELTS AFTER A SHORT WHILE
AND WERE IN THE CARRIBEAN [# 19Ù 17]
20.
******: dont want to loose any
hair....that would be a real shame [# 20Ù 18]
21.
******: oh...ok........sounds like
a plan [21Ù 19]
22.
######: NOT YET ON THE FALL OUT, BUT I
HAVE HIT SPIRITUAL ATOMICS AND IT PUCHES HOLES IN THE ATOMOSPHERE LIKE THE
EARTH ATOMICS [22>18]
23.
######: HOW DID YOU KNOW MAMA MY HAIR IS
THINING, BUT ONLY ON THE HEAD HE HE LOL [23Ù 20]
24.
******: I'm sure........we could
invent a fix a flat for sub atomic stuff and get rich then, huh? [24Ù 22]
25.
######: HUUUMMMMM??? NOT BAD IDEA [25Ù 24]
26.
######: IF I GET RICH I M DOWNIN THE
CARRIBEAN. WELL I WAS A PIRATE IN A PAST TIME HE HE .. IT WAS STILL GREAT AND
WORTH IT. [26Ù 24Ù 6Ù 1]
27.
******: sorry........cant rewind
that one....so forget it ever happened....your here now big guy! [27Ù 26Ù 6Ù 1]
28.
######: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY 4 RULE?
[28Ù 10]
29.
******: but I got your
parrot...hahahaha [#]
30. ######: HE HE I LOVE TUCANS, THE BIG BEAK ONES [30Ù 29]
31.
******: dont get it...please
explain better for us illiterate unpsychic ones 4
what?....ask i thus [31Ù 29Ù 10]
32.
######: THE WOMAN HAS FOUR ORGASIMS, A
LEAST ONE VERY BIG TWO MEDIUM AND ONE OR MORE SMALL THE MAN HAS ONE BIG AND
MAYBE A FEW SMALL ONES [32Ù 31Ù 29Ù 10]
33.
######: THIS RATIO KEEPS THE NIGHT ALL
NIGHT. [33Ù 32Ù 31Ù 29Ù 10]
34.
******: oh my god!...thats what i
thought you were going to say.....but i didnt want to go there! [34Ù 33Ù 32 Ù 31Ù 29Ù 10]
Already evident is the increasing degree of regression
in the dialogue. By line 24 participants are referring back across more than
one exchange to continue the discussion. By the end, they refer back to
multiple exchanges. Part of my analysis will focus on how far this is a
specific condition of IRC/IM chat, not depictable in spoken texts.
EXAMPLE
V.
This is
another example of an Instant Messenger dialogue. And as I was one of the
participants I am able to give a different interpretation than I would for
Example IV. With any conversational analysis the interpretation is key to the
understanding of the textual interaction. There are limitations to how people
speak with others they are already familiar with. One of the areas of on-line
conversation I will investigate is the differences between conversations of
known participants and unknown. Most chatrooms conversations are between
participants unknown to one another. Because of nick-names in chatrooms it is
often difficult to know the gender, nationality or social positioning of the
"speakers". In IM, the "speakers" are generally known to
one another as they establish IM contact for a specific purpose. Instant
messenger is thus similar to face-to-face talk in that participants already are
familiar with each other, even if through only a few correspondences.
One
person, with whom I no longer dialogue, I got to know quite well over a short
time period on IRC. This person has a history of psychiatric illness, confirmed
not only by her, but also several others on my buddy list. (IM has category
lists such as Buddy, family, Class-mates) Most of our chats were just bantering
and at times quite silly. Our IMs were more entertainment than anything and
provided me with a break from the stresses of every day life. However, there
were times when this person drifted into suicidal talk, wanting 'to return to
her home in the cosmos', her cue that she "wanted to die." Mood and
directional changes affect the dialogue even without having tonal or gesture
signals. This can be read back within the flow of talk by creating a string of
text of lines 1, 7, and 9, or as coded above: 1>7>9. It is line 9, when
the person says "on this plane", that the message becomes clear. Even
though it is using the same text: "on this plane", by line 9 it has
taken on new meaning, following line 7 "I am am (sic) not going to be
around too much longer". It is now clear the person is thinking of dying.
The
following has the other party's name deleted. Until this scenario begins the
respondent was telling jokes and seemed quite happy. As this stage I have only
arranged the text into single exchanges, omitting the full transactional coding
(as above.) Instead I have added interpretive commentary, to indicate the
response processing I will undergoing as I anticipated in the exchange. At a
later period I intent to use the more objective "coding" on this
transcript as well, to test the efficiency of my own "intuitive"
conversational responses.
|
1.
@@@@@@: Terrell......we will probably never meet on
this plane |
|
2.
@@@@@@: realize that |
|
3.
T Neuage: really we will never meet [at this
point I thought she meant because she lived in California and a I lived in
Australia - and due to the distance this would never go beyond a
cyberfriendship.] |
|
4.
T Neuage: why not |
|
5.
@@@@@@: I dont know |
|
6.
T Neuage: but you believe that? |
|
7.
@@@@@@: I am am not going to be around too much
longer [here I first realize she is talking about leaving the world] |
|
8.
T Neuage: that is not true |
|
9.
@@@@@@: on this plane |
|
10.
T Neuage: why do you say that |
|
11.
@@@@@@: it is so |
|
12.
T Neuage: that is silly stuff |
|
13.
T Neuage: it is not so |
|
14.
T Neuage: for what reason would you leave |
|
15.
@@@@@@: it ois time soon |
|
16.
T Neuage: i am not into control but you can't go |
|
17.
T Neuage: it is not time soon |
|
18.
@@@@@@: but I will always be with you [a
metaphsical translation being that she believes she will die and her spirit
will be with me] |
|
19.
T Neuage: who told you that that you will leave |
|
20.
T Neuage: it is not true |
|
21.
@@@@@@: I am not sure.....but I am am being taken
soon [here begins the 'I will be taken' beliefs. She claims to be an
'experiencer' - an abductee.] |
|
22.
T Neuage: you need to be around different poeple |
|
23.
T Neuage: by whom [this refers back to 21] |
|
24.
@@@@@@: it is not people [this confirms she is
not talking about earthlings] |
|
25.
T Neuage: if they take you can they come and get me
too |
|
26.
@@@@@@: I have had a good life [proclaiming her
death sentence here] |
|
27.
T Neuage: and you will have a better one Here on
this planet |
|
28.
@@@@@@: I have to go home soon |
|
29.
T Neuage: where is your home |
|
30.
@@@@@@ : inside my heart |
|
31.
@@@@@@: because.....this is not my life |
|
32.
T Neuage: It is not fair for you to have information
that yhou won't share with me |
|
33.
T Neuage: I thought we were mates |
|
34.
T Neuage: mates share |
|
35.
T Neuage: tell me |
|
36.
@@@@@@: I gave up my life.....so what is left is not
up to me |
|
37.
T Neuage: what |
|
38.
T Neuage: come on you can't believe that |
|
39.
@@@@@@: I should be dead.....should be....and am not
[proclaiming her death sentence again] |
|
40.
T Neuage: no you should not be dead |
|
41.
@@@@@@: yes |
|
42.
T Neuage: you can not trade or sell your soul |
|
43.
T Neuage: that is myth |
|
44.
@@@@@@: no |
|
45.
T Neuage: reality is what you are in right now |
|
46.
@@@@@@: my daughter was my dear friend and she died
26 years ago from an overdose of heroin |
|
47.
T Neuage: what about your daughter now |
|
48.
@@@@@@: I really better not tell you anymore |
|
49.
T Neuage: up to you |
|
50.
T Neuage: we can change the subject |
|
51.
@@@@@@: she is still my friend.....we are not like
mother and daughter....not at all |
|
52.
T Neuage: what about the daughter you said died |
|
53.
T Neuage: mixed me up |
|
54.
@@@@@@: never mind |
|
55.
T Neuage: ok |
|
56.
T Neuage: how is your bird [time to # - change
the topic] |
The next
day this respondent was back on-line, seemingly with little memory of the day
before conversation. Apart from the psychological implications of such
conversations, systematic analysis shows that such conversation may seem
aimless in structure, but it is in fact a structured conversation.
"Casual" format is carrying serious social, and maybe psychological,
consequences. Yet I have never met this person. Nor am I sure of how our
interaction operates within this construction of a social self.