E-mail communication
E-mail communication, its limitations and the lack of research
As an international exchange student, I have to rely on email communication with my professors in
Germany a lot. But not always being able to bring the message across and conveying the right
information that I want to, is one of the problems I have to face on a daily basis which made me
interested in the limitations on email communications in organizations. As I was full of hopes to find
out about certain topics that caught my interest, such as gender bias, racism and emotional reaction
towards nonverbal communication, I was harshly disappointed by the reality, that there was hardly
any research done about those topics. As much as there was research about language, how it change
s and develops, how new words come forward and old words vanish, how too specific language can
be as hindersome as too less information in nonverbal communication, as little research had been
done about more personal reasons concerning the process of communication via email, such as
gender bias, emotions or racism.
Germany a lot. But not always being able to bring the message across and conveying the right
information that I want to, is one of the problems I have to face on a daily basis which made me
interested in the limitations on email communications in organizations. As I was full of hopes to find
out about certain topics that caught my interest, such as gender bias, racism and emotional reaction
towards nonverbal communication, I was harshly disappointed by the reality, that there was hardly
any research done about those topics. As much as there was research about language, how it change
s and develops, how new words come forward and old words vanish, how too specific language can
be as hindersome as too less information in nonverbal communication, as little research had been
done about more personal reasons concerning the process of communication via email, such as
gender bias, emotions or racism.
Because no problem can be solved where no problem is seen, I believe it is very important to pay
closer attention to those matters.
closer attention to those matters.
Emotions and communication
One of the topics that I believe need more research is the topic of emotion influencing the way we
perceive messages. Emotion plays a big role in life and a big role in communication, but in nonverbal
communication such as email communication, no emotional cues are given. The interpretation of the
message depends on the communication skill of the sender and the ability of the receiver, to correctly
decode and understand the information. But that is not always the case. But why? Is it the fault of the
sender? Could message input be improved? Is it the fault of the receiver? Is it possible that we
unconsciously portray our own emotion on emotion free messages and create unwanted
misinterpretations? Are there other reasons involved? The main question here is, how can we avoid
misinterpretation and miscommunication if we don’t know the reason?
perceive messages. Emotion plays a big role in life and a big role in communication, but in nonverbal
communication such as email communication, no emotional cues are given. The interpretation of the
message depends on the communication skill of the sender and the ability of the receiver, to correctly
decode and understand the information. But that is not always the case. But why? Is it the fault of the
sender? Could message input be improved? Is it the fault of the receiver? Is it possible that we
unconsciously portray our own emotion on emotion free messages and create unwanted
misinterpretations? Are there other reasons involved? The main question here is, how can we avoid
misinterpretation and miscommunication if we don’t know the reason?
Discrimination
Two other reasons that could play a big role of miscommunication are everlasting problems people
are confronted with daily on person to person interaction. Sexism and Racism. That is why it is even
more shocking to me that no further research has been done on either field regarding nonverbal
communication. Several studies have shown that racism as well as sexism are still a big problem in
this world. The wrong name, the wrong ethnicity, the wrong sex or the wrong birthplace can be such a
big hindrance, that some people even change part of their identity, such as name or heritage, to have
equal opportunities in the workforce. So, if we receive an email, do we treat it differently according to
the name we read, if it is a woman or a man, is it Anglo-sounding or not? How would we treat it
differently? Why would we treat it differently? And how can we change it that and give all people equal
treatment?
are confronted with daily on person to person interaction. Sexism and Racism. That is why it is even
more shocking to me that no further research has been done on either field regarding nonverbal
communication. Several studies have shown that racism as well as sexism are still a big problem in
this world. The wrong name, the wrong ethnicity, the wrong sex or the wrong birthplace can be such a
big hindrance, that some people even change part of their identity, such as name or heritage, to have
equal opportunities in the workforce. So, if we receive an email, do we treat it differently according to
the name we read, if it is a woman or a man, is it Anglo-sounding or not? How would we treat it
differently? Why would we treat it differently? And how can we change it that and give all people equal
treatment?
What will the future bring?
I hope that in the near future, some, and if we are lucky, all of those questions will be answered, and
solutions will be sought and found and that this is a wake-up call for further research.
solutions will be sought and found and that this is a wake-up call for further research.
The research on email-only communication is very interesting. I wonder if the concepts that have been applied to email could be combined with the research involving internet trolling. Although internet trolls can hide behind an anonymous username and in email communication you are directly attached to the message, Media Richness Theory can still be applied to both situations.
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