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 Australia.....thats too far
even for a good old fashioned OBE
12.
######: IN THE SOUTH OF SANTA CLARA, COUNTY
13.
######: CA
14.
######: WE DO A LOT IBE
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 Australia.....thats too far even for a
good old fashioned OBE [11Ù 8]
12. ######:
IN THE SOUTH OF SANTA CLARA, COUNTY [12Ù 11]
13. ######:
CA
14. ######:
WE DO A LOT IBE
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.
@@@@@@: Terrell......we will probably never
meet on this plane
@@@@@@: realize that
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.]
T Neuage: why not
@@@@@@: I dont know
T Neuage: but you believe that?
@@@@@@: I am am not going to be around too
much longer [here I first realize she is talking about leaving the world]
T Neuage: that is not true
@@@@@@: on this plane
T Neuage: why do you say that
@@@@@@: it is so
T Neuage: that is silly stuff
T Neuage: it is not so
T Neuage: for what reason would you leave
@@@@@@: it ois time soon
T Neuage: i am not into control but you
can't go
T Neuage: it is not time soon
@@@@@@: but I will always be with you [a
metaphsical translation being that she believes she will die and her spirit
will be with me]
T Neuage: who told you that that you will
leave
T Neuage: it is not true
@@@@@@: 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.]
T Neuage: you need to be around different
poeple
T Neuage: by whom [this refers back to 21]
@@@@@@: it is not people [this confirms
she is not talking about earthlings]
T Neuage: if they take you can they come and
get me too
@@@@@@: I have had a good life [proclaiming
her death sentence here]
T Neuage: and you will have a better one
Here on this planet
@@@@@@: I have to go home soon
T Neuage: where is your home
@@@@@@ : inside my heart
@@@@@@: because.....this is not my life
T Neuage: It is not fair for you to have
information that yhou won't share with me
T Neuage: I thought we were mates
T Neuage: mates share
T Neuage: tell me
@@@@@@: I gave up my life.....so what is
left is not up to me
T Neuage: what
T Neuage: come on you can't believe that
@@@@@@: I should be dead.....should
be....and am not [proclaiming her death sentence again]
T Neuage: no you should not be dead
@@@@@@: yes
T Neuage: you can not trade or sell your
soul
T Neuage: that is myth
@@@@@@: no
T Neuage: reality is what you are in right
now
@@@@@@: my daughter was my dear friend and
she died 26 years ago from an overdose of heroin
T Neuage: what about your daughter now
@@@@@@: I really better not tell you anymore
T Neuage: up to you
T Neuage: we can change the subject
@@@@@@: she is still my friend.....we are
not like mother and daughter....not at all
T Neuage: what about the daughter you said
died
T Neuage: mixed me up
@@@@@@: never mind
T Neuage: ok
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.