"Some time ago, communication scholar Nikolas Coupland and his colleagues (1991) suggested that people often make the mistake of assuming that successful communication can be taken for granted. Instead, they argued, all communication is potentially miscommunication*. This really puts Face-to-face communication in its place: no communication, whether mediated or not, is perfect.
*We recognize this most easily when we have those frustrating 'but that's not what I meant' kinds of arguments. Or the kind of disagreement which runs 'I can't believe you took me seriously, I was only joking.' Meaning is always a matter of negotiation.
~ Thurlow et al., Computer-Mediated Communication. Social Interaction and the Internet
*We recognize this most easily when we have those frustrating 'but that's not what I meant' kinds of arguments. Or the kind of disagreement which runs 'I can't believe you took me seriously, I was only joking.' Meaning is always a matter of negotiation.
~ Thurlow et al., Computer-Mediated Communication. Social Interaction and the Internet
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