Welcome dear participants.
In the fourth module of the fourth week we
would take up digital body language which
is an emerging aspect of nonverbal communication.
In the previous modules, we have looked at
those aspects of nonverbal communication which
have been traditionally associated with its
studies.
As a society is developing with the interface
of technology we find that newer dimensions
in our understanding of nonverbal communication
are being added.
One major aspect is digital body language,
which we would discuss today.
When these studies and researches were taken
up in nonverbal communication, they excerpt
different responses to it.
On one hand it resulted into sustainable research
programs and at the same time it also attracted
the media people resulting in regular columns
looking at the body language of different
famous people.
And, at the same time the professional settings
were also influenced by this enriched understanding.
And, that is why we find that gradually it
became a compulsory part of different evaluation
processes in professional settings.
The conventional understanding of body language
used to provide us a personalization.
We could look at a person and on the basis
of different kinesics use etcetera, we could
form a particular opinion.
However, once the technology started to develop
and with the presence of artificial intelligence,
when we are looking at an unprecedented development
in related fields this conventional personalization
has become not only obsolete, but also in
many ways redundant.
And, now we find that in all aspects of Computer
Mediated Communication that is CMC and understanding
of Digital Body Language that is DBL has become
an indispensable part for developing an insight
into the user sentiments, particularly at
a massive scale and also to help us in benchmarking
these tastes and preferences.
Our understanding of digital body language
improves the digital experience as a user
and also as a person who has to develop further
strategies on the basis of DBL.
Our understanding of Digital Body Language
has generated a renewed interest in studying
this aspect of nonverbal communication in
the light of new technological immediacy.
This aspect of DBL has further been enriched
by certain other researches, particularly
in the area of NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming
which suggest that we can shift from a negative
body behaviour to a positive one and we can
learn it as a new skill.
We will look at the conventional aspects of
body language be it the kinesics or our expressions
through our face, the voice quotes etcetera.
It is generally believed that they reflect
our emotions and are an indication of our
mind-sets.
And these indications used to complete our
understanding of any communication process
and they also helped us in generating a proper
feedback.
In terms of feedback and in terms of understanding
the message completely, these used to provide
valuable indications and cues.
Now, we find that in the digitalised age,
these aids are not any more accessible to
us.
Sometimes, people feel that the digital age
has killed these aids to the immediate transference
of meaning.
However, I would say that instead of killing
these aids that digitalised age has only digitalised
these aids and it has provided us a different
set of cues for effective and intelligible
communication.
No study of any aspect of communication can
be absolutely isolated from the context in
which it is taking place.
And today’s context is moulded by our technological
understanding.
We cannot imagine any communication today,
without any direct association with technology
and it is only natural that our understanding
of body language is also given an additional
dimension.
The digital body language initially is started
to track a person’s behaviour, how does
a person behave while browsing the pages and
it helped us to know whether the website users
are bored with the content or they are frustrated
or they are engaged etcetera.
I would like to quote from an article by Joseph
Walther, who has suggested that most of the
theories on computer mediated communication
tend to reduce nonverbal communication to
a ‘black box’.
Assuming that our nonverbal cues lead to a
variety of functions, which are compulsorily
isomorphic and I quote suggesting that “nonverbal
cues are tied directly and exclusively to
communicative social functions, such that
the absence of such cues precludes functional
effects from occurring”.
At an early stage of their development, the
communication theories which tend to address
CMC by and large looked at the negative aspects
of a communication event, which is occurring
without traditional nonverbal cues.
And, they assumed a one to one correspondence
between NVC’s and its associated social
functions, even though there are many theoretical
approaches to address this situation.
I would prefer to refer to these three theories,
which is started different responses in their
wake.
The first is a social presence theory, the
second is lack of social contact hypothesis
and the third is the media richness theory.
The first theory social presence theory was
put forward by Short, Williams and Christy
in 1976.
The theoretical approaches which come under
this theory is started when there was a remarkable
shift from a face to face communication to
audio or video conferencing.
When we shifted to audio or video conferencing,
we found that many cues of nonverbal communication
started to become absent.
For example, in video conferencing haptics
was absent, proxemics was also absent.
In audio conferences, we find that even kinesics
lost it is significance.
The theoretical approach felt that these conventional
cues helped us in registering a social presence
that is associated with certain levels of
association.
For example, they can indicate whether there
is any sense of friendliness in the attitude
of the interactant or not.
The second theoretical approach is in a way
not very different from the first one.
The lack of social contact hypothesis was
suggested in early 1980s by Kiesler, Siegel
and McGuire etcetera.
They suggest that in face to face communication,
nonverbal aspects of communication establish
is social context of interaction within which
different people interact and the social context
helps the participants to infer what should
be the normative behaviour and perform accordingly.
In the absence of this social context, participants
are de-individualized and they tend to behave
in ways which are rather self obsessed because
they do not have the opportunity to look at
the behaviour of others and receiving the
cues and at the same time it can be aberrant.
In comparison to these two theories, we find
that the third theoretical approach is slightly
different.
The media richness theory was proposed by
Daft and Lengel in a paper in 1984 and then
they further extended it in 1986.
They suggest that the non verbal aspects of
communication as we traditionally understand
them, provide us to form as well as to interpret
our messages with the help of multiple cues
and these multiple cues provide a certain
richness to the message which is unequivocal.
And therefore, the comprehension of the message
becomes easier.
Whereas the first two theoretical approaches,
the social presence theory and the lack of
social contact hypothesis, focus on the absence
of social interaction, the media richness
theory is more related with a comprehension
at an individual level.
These theoretical approaches which have been
termed as the ‘black box’ theory, very
soon changed into adaptive models of hyper
personal CMC and social information processing
or SIP theories.
As the technology changed our perception about
it is use in different professional settings,
our attitudes towards it and our relationships
with it also changed.
And these changing perspectives are reflected
in the changing SIP theories.
According to these theoretical approaches,
users exploit or rather they work through
the relative lack of nonverbal cues and then
they can also develop a different set of cues.
According to these theories the cue that is
still remains dominant in CMC is Chronemics.
We have looked at chronemics as a part of
our newly emerging understanding of nonverbal
aspects of communication, but still it was
based on cultural perception.
These theoretical approaches in the context
of CMC have suggested that chronemics is available
even in computer mediated communication.
At the same time, we find that with a help
of technology, we can re-introduce certain
cues or generate a different set of cues,
which can be understood by people and can
replace the conventional set of cues.
For example: the emoticons, the avatars, the
videos as well as the anthropomorphic icons.
Body language conventionally believed that
one sends external messages through body behaviour
and it was thought that sensory perception
strength and communication.
And the understanding of body language was
linked as how our modes and attitudes, feelings
etcetera, can be grasped by the other person
and vice versa.
However, scientific researchers have now claimed
that our body language also sends internal
messages.
And, it can be used not only to influence
other people, but it can also be used to influence
and reshape our own attitudes.
For example, if we maintain a positive body
language, then gradually our emotions would
have a positive shift.
This scientific research has strengthened,
the conventional understanding which always
believed that there is a very close association
between the body and the brain.
At this point, we can also refer to NLP or
the Neuro Linguistic Programming again, which
focuses on how mind and body influence each
other.
In the context of computer mediated communication,
the temporal dynamics remain important.
This has been pointed out by various researchers,
I would refer to a particular research which
was published in 1988 by Hesse, Werner and
Altman.
They have suggested that chronemics of e-mail
are significant nonverbal cues as all users
check the time stamps.
They look at the time, when the response was
received as well as if there is any delay
in receiving the reply.
So, the time it takes the receiver to form
a reply and to post this reply to an e-mail
enables the receiver to form opinions.
And this research has also suggested that
these opinions often tend to be on the negative
side.
For example, they would be biased attributions
for delay in responses.
We can assume personal failures as reasons
instead of situational difficulties.
And these biases and the human tendency to
look at the negative side, first, can erode
the initial trust in any professional situation
and therefore, these researchers tell us that
chronemics in e-mail or in any social media
is important.
Another aspect, which has been termed as the
textual paralanguage is the use of emoticons.
Emoticons originated in Japan in 1990s and
have become very popular now.
They now have a pervasive presence, they convey
emotions and tone of voice in online communication
and are easily understandable.
For example, we understand, what is the meaning
of asterisk around words and phrases or for
that matter writing in all caps is equivalent
to shouting.
Digital Body anguage is a catch phrase in
the same manner in which body language is.
The phrase was first all introduced by Stevens
Woods in 2009.
In his book Digital Body Language, Steven
Woods is the co-founder and Chief Technology
officer at Eloqua.
And he used this phrase to describe track
able patterns in online behaviour of customers.
Steven Woods suggested that digital body language
is an art as well as a science which revolves
around detecting and understanding prospective
buyers signals and intentions to better communicate
with them.
And he also suggests that the transition that
had started about a decade ago with the arrival
of the internet and the introduction of various
new ways of accessing information and passing
it onto others, required a significant rethinking
on the people of marketers, sales professionals
and the organisations they serve.
Digital body language according to him has
become a need in today’s society.
So, what exactly the phrase digital body language
refers to?
It refers to every interaction and gesture
a user makes on a website or on an app.
Ranging from how fast and at which angles
they move their mouse, where they click, where
they hover around in a scroll, how do they
device rotations, the rate at which they tap,
where they pinch and similar other things.
These concerns basically is started with the
sales people, people who wanted to tap the
online availability of resources for marketing.
So, gradually we find that increasingly online
sales and feedback systems for getting data
and related information about the customer
behaviour were generated.
The people, who manage company policies, started
to realise the significance of and I quote
“capturing, understanding and processing
the subtle signals” that are part of the
online processes and they came to be known
as digital body language.
The creation of the digital profile was primarily
done by the sales people, but with the help
of the connotations we find that very soon
it started to be used in almost every other
dimension of our life.
With the help of our digital profile, one
can analyse information about our interest,
intentions and concerns not only about a product,
but also about any other issue about which
we might have shown an online curiosity.
So, digital body language and its understanding
results in meaningful campaigns and questions
also.
A 2007 survey, which was conducted by Knowledge
Storm and Marketing Sherpa, acknowledged the
changing sales world and it found that 93
percent of the customers felt that online
information was almost as valuable as information
which they receive from any other source.
For example, the publications or handbooks
or other printed publicity material.
84 percent of the customers used one of the
major search engines to begin their exploration
for information.
Nearly 75 percent of the buyers gather the
maturity of their purchasing information online
and four-fifths of the customers use the web
at least once a week to search for new information.
These findings are from a 2007 survey and
since that we find that the presence of technology
has only been enhanced.
So, we can imagine the contemporary impact
of technology in our understanding of interpersonal
behaviour.
And therefore, Digital Body Language has started
to become a focus in contemporary research.
Whereas, all the researches are unanimous
in suggesting that the digital world is important
and so is our understanding of digital body
language.
There are certain reservations about its applicability
particularly in those organisations, which
are focused on learning and related with development
of human beings.
Technology enabled communications and earning
transactions bring about various changes in
our behaviours.
And we find that not only the professions,
but services also are shifting to digital
modalities.
It is convenient of course, it is quick also
it saves time and it is cost effective also.
Normally it is within reach of common man.
However, concerns have been raised particularly
about the classroom situations, where it was
felt that the traditional ways of receiving
of feedback about the behaviour of the students
through eye contact, proxemics, voice differences
etcetera; if absent may be detrimental to
their development.
Digitization may result in lesser real time
engagements, which may affect the opportunity
on the part of a teacher to adapt to the body
language in a classroom and suggest intervention
if it is required.
At the same time we have to admit that our
lack of comfort or our lack of competence
in the use of digital methods may also result
in certain reservations.
Digital body language has been succinctly
explained in this interesting video.
So, we all know what human body language is;
often times up to 80 percent of face to face
communication is really through body language.
But in today’s world, when we are often
in global virtual teams most of the time up
to 80 percent of the time we are not in the
room with one another anymore.
It is right.
We have to understand, what are the new cues
and signals of being able to read people,
to understand what do they really mean, when
they wrote that e-mail when they sent.
Yeah.
At a certain time and digital body language
are the new hidden cues in signals in our
digital conversations.
They help us to understand, why did someone
said that timing of the e-mail at that point.
Yes.
Or, if a CEO writes in ok with a period does
that period mean something, everything from
the trace of the medium we use to the punctuation
we used to the timing of our response to who
we CC and BCC in our conversations are signals
at digital body language today.
Often times, we think we know exactly what
another person is saying.
Right.
But what we have actually seen in the data,
is that there is an immense amount of misunderstanding,
anxiety and confusion on what did that person
really mean?
Because we do not have the context of the
stare, the eye, the nod, the shake that we
use to in human body language.
So, I have a few best practices to help people
actually make sure that they are learning
a little more about their own digital styles
but also using digital body language intelligently.
Can you give me one example?
Of course, the first one is that brevity can
cause confusion.
Often times, we go for the shortest team.
Right.
I will be ok or send me this, but many stories
one of my favourite examples was the CML,
who was sent a big document from her team
about a big project and write some one liner
that has just a random thought she had on
her head, that she would say in a meeting,
but people would not take serious you know
they would take as just an idea.
Although, sudden after that one liner email,
because they had not really seen her context,
they created a work stream within a week and
spend hours working on something that she
did not even really need.
I see.
And so, sometimes we have to be really conscious
of how are we communicating and are we really
being clear.
Right.
In today’s world and that there are new
signals that, we have to be conscious of.
The second is that timing is everything.
Often times what we see is, that we can respond
24 7 all the time, some people expect that
some people would never expect that.
Right.
And we really have to think differently about
expectations around timing.
One of the greatest things, I found in my
research is that if you send a thank you e-mail
within a few minutes or an hour of the meeting
versus a few days or week later there is a
significant difference in how people feel
connected to that thank you.
And it is simply, because it is almost like
a signal of the virtual handshake which is
something that, we cannot do in a same way
in our virtual round.
So, I had encouraged everyone to think about,
what type of digital body language am I projecting.
And how can I make sure I am being clear and
avoiding being misunderstood in today’s
digital.
Digital Body Language is about how with the
help of computers, we can understand body
language.
And now we feel that computers are coming,
which can read our body language.
Real time detectors can understand hand gestures
and track multiple people and make detections
on the basis of the hand movements only.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s
Robotics Institute have enabled a computer,
which can understand the body poses and movements
of multiple people from video in real time.
Including for the first time the pose of each
individuals hands and fingers also.
The technological capability to track and
individuals movements had been there for a
very long time now, but this idea that computers
can look at the individual people gestures
in a crowd and can make detections on it is
basis is a revolutionary concept.
This new method was developed with the help
of the panoptic studio, which is a two-story
dome embedded with 500 video cameras.
And, the insights gained from experiments
in that facility have made it possible to
detect the individual pose of a group of people
using a single camera and a laptop.
It is interesting that the word panoptic has
been retained to level this recent technological
development.
The Panopticon is initially an architectural
design which was put forth by Jeremy Bentham
in the middle of the 19th century.
As a revolutionary concept for the design
of prisons, insane asylum, schools, hospitals
and factories and the idea behind it, that
the modern democratic state needed a system
to regulate it citizens which was different
from medieval torture rooms and dungeons.
The Panopticon offered a powerful and sophisticated
internalized coercion, which was achieved
through the constant observation of prisoners
by a single sentry.
The constant observation according to Bentham
acted as a control mechanism; a consciousness
of constant surveillance was internalized,
which enabled the people, the prisoners or
the school children for that matter to understand
the propriety of behaviour.
This particular design was also cited by Foucault
as one of the techniques and regulatory modes
of power and knowledge dyad to explore the
relationship between them.
So, Foucault used to understand the systems
of social control and people in a disciplinary
situation.
It is interesting that this smart mass scale
reading of body language uses the same metaphor
design; uses the same metaphor the same design,
which had been used in the 19th century.
These methods for tracking 2D human form or
motion open up new ways for people and machines
to interact.
And very soon it is hoped that it would allow
a robots to serve in social spaces.
In a way, we can say that the understanding
of body language would allow the scientist
to program the behaviour of robotics in a
manner in which they can interact with human
society without any conflict.
In today’s world, we continuously leave
what is known as on-line footprints.
Our digital body language as well as our on-line
presence has become a favourite tool for recruiters.
Particularly, when there is a strong connectivity
of different on-line sites, which creates
an inescapable digital personality.
And therefore, it is important for us to understand
that our body language not only on social
media, but in the use of any technological
resources should be positive.
For example, the way we use hash tags on our
Twitter account, the response which we send
to different messages is delete or is it immediate,
what is the time of the day during which we
are using the social media and what is the
time of the day in which we are using the
media for our work related issues.
What are the links and people whom we follow?
What are the types of messages we share?
How often we link different media platforms
in our own suggestions, for example, are we
habitual of re-tweeting the old tweets, do
we connect our Facebook post with our linkedin
post also.
Does our media presence show a respect for
other people for the diversities of opinions
through likes and shares also or is it a negative
one.
So, we can conclude by saying that in today’s
technological world, the understanding of
Digital Body Language is important.
And equally important is our capability to
maintain our digital personality in a positive
manner.
It brings us to another aspect of body language
and that is the precautions which we should
take while facing an interview on Skype.
This is one particular aspect of body language,
which perhaps can be taken later on in live
sessions.
Thank you.
