Session 5 Prepared by Drs. Rendro Dhani, MSi.

Communication Edited by Hersinta, M.Si

Theory The London School of Public Relations © rendro2009
 Next...
1. Uncertainty Reduction Theory
- URT: Makna & Asumsi
- Seven axioms/concepts in URT
2. Social Information Processing
- Pengertian & Asumsi
- Tahapan Proses
- Karakteristik CMC
- Hyperpersonal

© rendro2009
 Makna URT
• Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) dikemukakan
oleh Charles Berger & Richard Calabrese (1975).
Dikenal juga sebagai Initial Interaction Theory.
• Berger & Calabrese berteori bahwa komunikasi
digunakan untuk mengurangi ketidakpastian antar
orang asing yang berhubungan dalam
pembicaraan untuk pertama kalinya.
• Sebaliknya, pengurangan ketidakpastian
menciptakan kondisi yang sangat baik untuk
pengembangan hubungan interpersonal
 Makna URT
• Berger & Calabrese yakin bahwa ketika orang asing
bertemu pertama kalinya, mereka terutama tertarik
pada meningkatkan prediktabilitas sebagai upaya
memahami pengalaman komunikasi mereka.
• Versi terbaru dari URT: ada 2 tipe ketidakpastian yaitu
• Ketidakpastian kognitif: merujuk pada tingkat
ketidakpastian yang dihubungkan dengan keyakinan
dan sikap yang kita pegang.
• Ketidakpastian prilaku: tingkat ketidakpastian yang
berhubungan dengan prilaku.
 Asumsi Teori
• Orang mengalami ketidakpastian dlm latar interpersonal
• Ketidakpastian tidak mengenakan, menimbulkan stress
• Untuk mengurangi ketidakpastian, orang asing yang
bertemu meningkatkan prediktabilitas
• Komunikasi interpersonal adalah proses yang bertahap
• Kom interpersonal: alat utama mengurangi ketidakpastian
• Kuantitas & sifat informasi yang dibagi orang akan berubah
seiring perjalanan waktu
• Memprediksi prilaku orang dapat dimungkinkan dengan
menggunakan pendekatan hukum (law-governed
approach)  URT follow the “If…then…” statement. For
example: “If uncertainty levels are high, the amount of
verbal communication between strangers will decrease.”
 Beberapa Istilah dalam URT
• Prediction: adalah kemampuan untuk memperkira-
kan pilihan-pilihan prilaku yang mungkin dipilih dari
sejumlah kemungkinan pilihan yang tersedia pada
seseorang atau rekannya.
• Explanation: upaya untuk menerjemahkan makna dari
tindakan-tindakan masa lalu dalam suatu hubungan.
Prediction & Explanation inilah yang membentuk
dua sub-proses utama dalam mengurangi
ketidakpastian.
• Cognitive uncertainty: tingkat ketidakpastian yang
berhubungan dengan kognitif
• Behavioral uncertainty: tingkat ketidakpastian yang
berhubungan dengan perilaku
“
When strangers meet, their primary focus is on
reducing their level of uncertainty in the
situation because uncertainty is uncomfortable.
People can be uncertain on two different levels:
behavioral and cognitive. They may be unsure of
how to behave, and they may also be unsure of
what they think of the other person and what
the other person think of them. High level of
uncertainty are related to a variety of verbal and
nonverbal behaviors.
” Berger & Calabrese
 Seven Axioms
Berger & Calabrese mengatakan bahwa uncertainty
berhubungan dengan 7 aksioma/konsep yang
berakar dalam komunikasi dan pembangunan
hubungan:
– Verbal output
– Nonverbal warmth (such as pleasant vocal tone, &
leaning forward)
– Information seeking (asking question)
– Self-disclosure
– Reciprocity of disclosure
– Similarity
– Liking
 Next...
1. Uncertainty Reduction Theory
- URT: Makna & Asumsi
- Seven axioms/concepts in URT
2. Social Information Processing
- Pengertian & Asumsi
- Tahapan Proses
- Karakteristik CMC
- Hyperpersonal

© rendro2009
We’ve learned about interpersonal communication
which happen face to face, but what happened with
interpersonal communication mediated by
computer?
• face
CMC is a process of human communication via
computers, involving people, situated in particular
contexts, engaging in processes to shape media for a
variety of purposes
John December, 1997
CMC is a communication that takes place
between human beings via the
instrumentality of via computers
Susan Herring, 1996
Media Characteristics
Asynchronous vs
Synchronous
Low vs High Interactivity
Low vs High Social Presence
Communication Mode Social Presence Rating*

Face-to face 0,81

Television 0.24

Multispeaker Audio -0,18

Telephone Audio -0,52

Business Letter -0,85

*Social presence scores range from +0.90 to -0,9

Mediated communication is
a mixed blessing…
Limited communication modes
Anonimity and Depersonalization
Decreased
sense
of place
In Computer Mediated Communication (CMC),
nonverbal cues such as facial expression,
appearance, gestures, tone of voice,
interpersonal distance, smell and touch are all
missing.
Let’s look at the Social
Information Processing
Theory which could
explain the
relationship
development in CMC
 Social Information Processing
• Joseph Walther (1992), claimed that CMC
users could adapt and use computer
effectively to develop close relationship.
• He believes that relationships grow only to the
extent that parties first gain information about
each other and use that information to form
interpersonal impressions of who they are.
Both interacting
parties draw
closer if they
both like the
image of the
other they
formed
Interpersonal Impression Relationship
Information Formation Developmen
t
 Two Features of CMC
• Verbal Cues
When motivated to form impressions and
develop relationships, we could use
verbal/linguistic content of computer-
mediated messages
• Extended Time
The exchange of social information through
CMC is much more slower than face to face
communication
CMC vs Face
to Face

Face to face communication

is like drinking a big gulp of
water-
the flood of verbal and non
verbal information makes it
possible to form a quick
interpersonal impression
 But when we
communicate through
computer, it’s like
drinking through straw-
one sip at a time.

The relationship could

developed, but it would
take much longer time.
CMC
Relationship is
hyperpersonal

Sender: Selective Self-

Presentation (Looking good! :
Anonimity, optimize our self-
presentation

Receiver: Overattribution of
Similarity (Birds of a feather:
Thinking that people are
more similar than the fact
may be
CMC is
hyperpersonal

Channel: Communicating on
Your Own Time (You’re all
mine: Giving time to
compose our messages more
thoughtfully)

Feedback: Self-fulfillng
Prophecy
In 1998, the movie
You’ve Got Mail could
portray how an
Internet romance was
built and developed.

The film stars Meg Ryan as

Kathleen Kelly, the owner of a
small children’s bookstore, and
Tom Hanks as Joe Fox, the head of
Fox Books- a Barnes & Noble- type
superstore. They meet online in an
over 30 chatroom as “Shopgirl”
and “NY152”.
Discovering a common love of books, music and New York
City, they exit chat and pursue their friendship through e-
mails. They decide not to reveal their real identities or life
stories, and they didn’t know that in real life, they both
are enemies.
You’ve Got Mail opens
with Kathleen wake up in the
morning and eagerly turn on
the computer to check for an
email from Joe.

Joe: Brinkley is my dog. He loves the streets

of New York as much as I do, although he
likes to eat bits and pieces of bagel off the
sidewalk, and I prefer to buy them. Don’t you
love New York on the fall? Makes me want to
buy school supplies. I would send you a
bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew
your name and address.
Kathleen: Dear friend, I like to start
my notes to you as if we were already
in the middle of a conversation.
“What will NY152 say today?” I
wonder. I turn on my computer; I wait
impatiently as it connects. I go online,
and my breath catches in my chest
until I hear three little words: “You’ve
got mail.” I hear nothing. Not even a
around on the streets of New York,
just the beat of my own heart. I have
mail. From you.
Kathleen and Joe followed
the verbal only path. They
become more than friends
through the content of
their words rather than
being distracted by their
physical appearance.