Introduction
The virtual world of online gaming has developed into a popular genre among young people using it to play multiplayer games and establish social connections. However, like it or not, the same dangers may be associated with online games as with any other technology type. Therefore, parents must learn to be aware of these. This paper will analyze a conversation in an ABC News report titled “What Your Kids Do not Want You to Know: “Online Gaming: A Caution”. As per the Communication Privacy Management Theory, our analysis will cover the role of communication parties in a relationship during the conversation about the pitfalls and advantages of online gaming. The subsequent analysis will offer suggestions about communication methods that can be employed to enhance parent-child relationships during tech-related sensitive conversations.
Communication Privacy Management Theory
Communication Privacy Management Theory (CPM) is a social and behavioral idea that explains how persons control their personal information inside the confines of relationships (Petronio & Child, 2020). Developed by Sandra Petronio, this concept suggests that individuals need privateness and deliberate interaction in verbal exchange practices to manipulate the disclosure of personal data to others. According to the CPM theory, men and women create and preserve boundaries around their non-public information, and the manner of managing this information is ongoing and dynamic. One of the critical principles of CPM is that folks have a proper to select with whom they share their non-public data and how many facts they reveal (Petronio & Child, 2020). This right is acknowledged as privateness boundary management and is influenced by non-public and relational factors. Personal elements encompass an individual’s personality, values, cultural beliefs, and previous experiences, while relational elements consist of the kind of relationship and degree of belief current between individuals. Individuals continuously consider and alter these boundaries primarily based on their perceptions of threat and reward, as correctly as the norms and guidelines of the relationship. CPM additionally discusses privacy rules, which decide what facts are fabulous for disclosure and below what conditions (Petronio & Child, 2020). These regulations are influenced using non-public and cultural beliefs and are fundamental in managing non-public statistics inside a relationship. The concept states that individuals negotiate and co-construct these guidelines with their verbal exchange partners, and they can be modified primarily based on the desires and preferences of each party. Continuing with the idea of privacy rules, CPM additionally talks about boundary turbulence, which refers to conflicts when people have one-of-a-kind expectations for their privacy boundaries (Petronio & Child, 2020). This can show up when one person discloses private data that the different individual thinks needs to have been stored confidential, resulting in anxiety and stress in the relationship.
Description of the Video Conversation
In the ABC News video, the dialog facilitates the risks of online gaming, in particular, the achievable dangers of online predators and the terrible effect on children’s safety (NEWS, 2016). The dialog in the ABC News document facets a mother, “Susan”, and her teenage boy, “Simon,” in the first scene, and a 10-year-old girl who has been messaging a stranger and her mother who gets suspicious of the ordeal. Simon, however, admits and recalls his ordeal with the stranger, how he had given the stranger his personal information and sent him his picture (Vogt et al., 2021). Due to his love for gaming, “Simon” argues that he and his buddies are cautious and conscious of plausible dangers. Throughout the conversation, Susan’s tone is anxious and frustrated as she desperately tries to persuade Simon to give up enjoying online games. Her physique language additionally displays her emotions, as she seems restless and eager to talk about her son’s encounter. On the other hand, Simon shows a calm and dismissive tone as he now understands the precautions he can take to protect himself from online predators. He continues with a blissful posture and a smile, suggesting he is now well-equipped for online dangers (NEWS, 2016).
In the second dialog between Olivia and the stranger posing as a younger girl, we can see how Olivia’s unawareness of the conceivable risks of sharing private statistics online can lead to damaging consequences. This also emphasizes the significance of managing privacy boundaries while using technology, especially by children and teenagers, with the help of their parents and guardians (Dorasamy et al., 2021). On the other hand, Olivia’s mom’s interruptions stem from her nervousness and urgency to tackle the issue. However, Olivia’s interruptions replicate her worry and fear of what could have happened if her mom had never found her messaging the stranger. Applying the Communication Privacy Management Theory, we can apprehend the verbal exchange techniques used throughout the video in both cases, as pointed out in their conversation.
Communication evaluation is primarily based on the CPM theory.
Based entirely on the CPM idea, privileged files (personal and intimate information) are usually guarded and shared selectively in relationships. The idea also highlights boundary management, where human beings manipulate private boundaries by disclosing or preserving returned information. In the first dialog between Simon and Susan, we can see how each character takes care of their privacy boundaries in another way while communicating. As a parent, Susan is worried about the attainable risks of online gaming; hence, her verbal exchange approach revolves around managing and disclosing applicable statistics to persuade her son towards it. She helps her argument with exterior sources, attempting to establish herself as a credible information supply.
On the other hand, as a teenager, Simon is more targeted at managing his boundaries by downplaying the doable dangers of online gaming and portraying it as harmless. He dismisses his mother’s worries and avoids discussing the theme further, indicating his reluctance to share private records or ideas about the matter. This dialog showcases the dynamic nature of boundary administration and how it can affect the verbal exchange dynamics between individuals.
Similarly, in the second dialog between Olivia and the stranger, we can see how Olivia’s lack of boundary administration and cognizance leads to her sharing non-public data with a stranger online. She will become a victim of doable damage, and her mother’s interruptions can be considered as her trying to re-establish and manipulate their relationship boundaries. She wants to shield her daughter and adjust her online activities as a parent. At the same time, Olivia also attempts to control her boundaries by making up excuses and deflecting her mother’s questions. This dialog highlights the significance of teaching teenagers about privateness administration and discussing possible dangers and boundaries when using technology (Faraz et al., 2022). Lastly, the news anchor also mentions information and information reviews as proof of online gaming being dangerous, suggesting that her previous experiences and cultural beliefs have made her more cautious about this topic.
Conclusion
In summary, the CPM theory gives a better understanding of how family members manage their private information in relationships between them and how it can affect the communication and relationship between parents and children, especially children. The conversation between Susan and Simon emphasizes the role of understanding and adopting privacy rules and boundaries of the other party. By interpreting and mediating these boundaries, people can effectively manage their relationships and enhance communication in subject areas such as technology and online gaming. Parents should appreciate their preconditions and attitudes and try to communicate with their children fairly and openly so the children can feel safe and respected in the parent’s relationship.
References
Dorasamy, M., Kaliannan, M., Jambulingam, M., Ramadhan, I., & Sivaji, A. (2021). Parents’ awareness on online predators: Cyber grooming deterrence. The Qualitative Report, 26(11), 3683-3723. https://expert.taylors.edu.my/file/rems/publication/103400_9108_1.pdf
Faraz, A., Mounsef, J., Raza, A., & Willis, S. (2022). Child safety and protection in the online gaming ecosystem. IEEE Access, p. 10, 115895–115913. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9933399\
NEWS, A. (2016) What your kids do not want you to know: Online gaming dangers, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjKi7nD3F-c
Petronio, S., & Child, J. T. (2020). Conceptualization and operationalization: Utility of communication privacy management theory. Current opinion in psychology, pp. 31, 76–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.08.009
Vogt, M., Leser, U., & Akbik, A. (2021, August). Early detection of sexual predators in chats. In Proceedings of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics and the 11th International Joint Conference on Natural Language Processing (Volume 1: Long Papers) (pp. 4985-4999). https://aclanthology.org/2021.acl-long.386.pdf