3 media selections

My first media selection was done so in order to contact a friend from high school. In doing so, I chose to use a medium that most of us use everyday, the are of Instant Messaging (IM). The two of us talked about how school was going thus far (she goes to Albany College of Pharmacy), our different responsiblities, and the good old days (the days that didn't involve prelims). I believe I chose to use the medium of Instant Messaging for a few reasons. First, Instant Messaging is something that most of us use everyday, it has simply become a normal mean of communication. Second, the conversation between my friend and I was quite informal, as we simply just did some catching up with one another. Also, I believe I chose this medium because it simply fit the situation or task at hand. What I mean by this is that email would have been to slow and inconvenient, while face to face would have been a hassle considering the two of us were three hours apart, and although a cell phone could have served the purpose as well, it was just unnecessary, and plus that wastes minutes. Instant Messaging served the purpose well; it was synchronous and the two of us understand one another well enough to know what one another is saying without the need for nonverbal cues.

My second media selection came when dealing with a job of mine. I currently am employed by the Cornell Fitness Centers (CFC) and our permanent schedule has just been posted. While viewing my permanent schedule I noticed that one of my shifts conflicted with an off-campus job that I also hold. Unfortunately, CFC usually will only let an individual drop a shift if it directly conflicts with a class, and this isn't the case in my situation. Immediately, I sent the head of scheduling an email explaining my situation, but for some reason this just didn't do it for me. I felt that the email would be to slow, and that I wouldn't fully be able to defend myself, so even after I sent the email I chose to go up and speak with him in person as well. I felt that this would not only be much quicker, but more professional as well. In doing so, I was able to convince him to allow me to drop the shift, but I still had to help him find someone to pick it up. Honestly, I don't believe this situation would have worked out in my favor if I had simply sent the email and attempted to communicate that way. Face-to-face communication seemed to fit the situation better, so that is what I chose.

I believe my selection of Instant Messaging to contact my friend relates to the Media Richness Theory. At the time Instant Messaging seemed to be the perfect choice because catching up with a friend isn't a very equivocal task, therefore, a leaner media like IM could be used to do it sufficiently. Although, IM isn't nearly as lean as email, it is much leaner than that of face-to-face communication or the telephone, and I thought it was perfect for the task at hand.

As for my selection of Face-to-Face communication, I believe this related to the Media Richness Theory as well. I believe it relates to the Media Richness Theory because convincing my employer to allow me to drop a shift was a rather equivocal task and a richer media was needed to deal with the situation. Using face-to-face communication allowed me to be there to pick up on the nonverbal cues, as well as, defend myself properly and quickly.