The communication accommodation theory posits that people generally adjust their communication techniques, based on the situations and the people with whom they interact. The ability to mould oneself in any social situation to control social differences is the core concept within this theory. Therefore, people will always try to seek approval during communication, to create positive images of themselves in front of others. People conform through two major approaches, which include convergence and divergence, to minimize social differences.
Discussion
According to Sabater (2017), adjusting one’s communication to fit in with the rest of the population may have adverse effects on one’s self-satisfaction and self-worth. In this work, Sabater (2017) contends that computer-mediated communication, especially on social media, involves social cues, which may manifest in other forms of communication. Just as face-to-face communication, computer-mediated conversations apply the communication accommodation theory; whereby communicators online adjust their language and speech over text, to reduce their social differences. Sometimes, the lingo developed could be specific to a social media site, and users conform to this language. Failure to understand the lingo could make one feel like an outcast, and reduce their self-satisfaction in the process of trying to fit in with the rest of the users. For instance, on Twitter, some words such as “retweet”, “mention” or “handle” have a specific meaning. Users must conform to this language to reduce their social differences. Those unable to do this are considered outliers, which may be unfit for the Twitter world. Individuals with weak identity formation may experience lower self-satisfaction levels.
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According to the theory of communication accommodation, individuals in communication tend to remain conscious of their social differences and try their best to minimize them, to remain on one accord. Sometimes, this is achievable through divergence, which is non-adaptation of the various communication characteristics to reduce social and cultural differences (Gasiorek et al., 2015). The divergence could lead to low self-satisfaction levels, especially when the individual fails to conform to the communication aspects of the majority of the population. In his study, Giles (2015) observed that communication, especially for the transgender people, often leads to a dip in their self-confidence, and ultimately, their self-satisfaction levels. One of the causes for this is the fact that they appear to be non-conforming, hence are treated as outcasts. While most transgender people will try to conform to communication practices that belong to the general population, those who undergo hormonal treatment may not achieve this convergence to minimize social and physical differences in communication. Therefore, through divergence, they are considered non-conforming, which is frowned upon by the general society.
Another way that the communication accommodation theory could lead to low levels of self-satisfaction is by experiencing non-accommodative practices by peers within social groups. Giles (2016) contends that sometimes, the divergence processes of communication accommodation may trigger low self-confidence in an individual, especially when the majority of the society is non-accommodative. For instance, one of the ways that a society could be non-accommodative would be to treat members of the minority population as lesser beings and mock their native languages. In such scenarios, some members of the minority population may develop low self-confidence in themselves because of the treatment they receive from the rest of the community. The low confidence leads to low levels of self-satisfaction in the person, hence, worsening their communication and socialization skills.
Another perspective to examine this concept and how it affects an individual’s self-satisfaction could be power imbalance between individuals socially superior, compared to those in lower positions. Giles et al. (2006) contend that a power imbalance leads to either divergence or convergence, depending on the parties’ power levels. The researcher exemplifies this concept using police-civilian interactions, which indicate power imbalance between the police and the civilian. The civilians have to conform to police communication approaches because they have less power, which is convergence. The police diverge and make civilians converge towards them. This sort of power-play could hurt either party’s self-satisfaction. For instance, if a civilian refuses to converge towards the police officer, he or she may feel undermined by an individual they consider weak, hence, engage in police brutality because of a bruised ego. The police officer may also unnecessarily impose their communication practices on the civilian, leaving the civilian with low satisfaction levels. Therefore, the power imbalance is a significant factor in the communication accommodation theory and its effect on individual self-satisfaction.
Conclusion
The communication accommodation theory posits that people generally adjust their communication techniques, based on the situations and the people with whom they interact. The dynamics within this theory could lead to a negative self-satisfaction outcome for an individual because of factors such as power imbalance, experiencing non-accommodative practices from the society when the group is the minority, and divergence when the members of the minority group fail to conform to the rest of the societal practices. The underlying reason behind the low self-satisfaction is the low confidence that develops when people are treated as outcasts.
References
Gasiorek, J., Giles, H., & Soliz, J. (2015). Accommodating New Vistas. Papers in
Communication Studies , 166.
Giles, H. (2016). Us, Them, and Me! Intergroup and personal challenges of aging successfully. Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association 2015 (8).
Giles, H. et al. (n.d). Accommodation and Institutional Talk: Communication Dimension of
Police-Civilian Interactions. Palgrave Advances in Linguistics .
Sabater, P. (2017). Linguistic Accommodation in Online Communication: The Role of
Language and Gender. Scielo
