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PS 066
Young People's Face Practices on Chinese Social Media
S. Chen
1
1
University of Leicester, Media and Communication, Leicester, United Kingdom
Research regarding different social media platforms, in particular focus on how individuals perform strategically online to present self-image (e.g. Hogan,
2010), develop or explore new identities online (e.g. Davies, 2011), maintain and intensify existing offline relationship (e.g. DeAndrea andWalther, 2011).
This research investigated how the use of social media affects the interpersonal communication among Chinese young people. Goffman (1967) states
facework make the interpersonal interaction become smooth, Brown and Levision (1987) states people should avoid face-threatening actions in social
interaction to be polite, Chinese researchers state‘bao’(reciprocal) is the key to maintain the interpersonal relationship among Chinese (e.g. Hwang, 1987).
This research studied how Chinese young people use online service to conduct face practices, form, maintain, or terminate their relationship on social media.
By conducting semi-structured interview and digital ethnography among 30 Chinese college students, the research results show that ‘like others online
posts’, ‘comment on others posts’, ‘block without others known’and ‘mention others in their own posts’are four kinds of face practices participants conduct
on social media. Participants name relationships they form and only want to maintain online as ‘wanwan’(for play), they describe this relationship as tem‑
porary, untrusted and unimportant, to conduct face practices or not become a sign of terminating this online relationship or not. Similarly, face practices
are keys for participants who want to extend online relationship to offline life or maintain the existing relationship online. Participants also explain one
important reason to select ChineseWeChat a mobile app as their main online interaction platform, as WeChat allow them with allow them to select which
posts they want to show to online friends, whose online posts they want to see, without their online friends known. They describe this block function as
a new version of online face practices, which allow them to express with less online conflict concerns. Reference: Brown, P. and Levinson, S (1987) Polite‑
ness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Davis, K(2011). Tensions of identity in a networked era: Young people's
perspectives on the risks and rewards of online self-expression. NewMedia and Society, 14(4,) 634–651. DeAndrea, D,C.Walther, J. B. (2011) Attributions for
Inconsistencies Between Online and Offline Self-Presentations. Communication Research, 2011(38),805–825. Hogan, B. (2010) The Presentation of Self in
the Age of Social Media: Distinguishing Performances and Exhibitions Online. Bulletin of Science Technology & Society, 30(6), 377–386. Hwang, G,G(1987)
Face and Favor: The Chinese Power Game, American Journal of Sociology, 92(4), 944–974. Goffman, E. (1967). Interactional Ritual: Essays on Face to Face
Behaviour. New York: Anchor Books.
PS 067
Problem Focused Interaction Processes in Hospital Management Group Meetings
T. Laapotti
1
1
University of Jyväskylä, Department of Communication, Jyväskylä, Finland
Public health care is facing many challenges in Finland, due to the current reform of social welfare and health care services. Especially health care man‑
agement is under pressure. This study approaches hospital management from the perspective of social interaction and focuses on management group
meetings. Despite their omnipresence around societies and organisations, meetings have only recently started to get substantial research attention as
phenomena in their own right. However, more research is needed in order to understand the role of meetings for organisations, groups, and individuals.
This study focuses on the significance of meetings for hospital management. The theoretical background of the study is built upon the tradition of bona fide
perspective on group communication. The bona fide group -perspective argues that the group’s interdependence with its immediate context and the per‑
meable boundaries of the group are a defining part of the group’s interaction. According to the perspective, groups’boundaries, relationships, and contexts
are socially constructed. This study is interested in how the management group meetings are embedded in the hospital organisation. The aims of the study
are to describe the problem related interaction processes that take place in the management group meetings and to understand the functions of these
processes. The aims are pursued by focusing on what kinds of problems are brought to discussion and on how these problems are faced when they emerge.
The data consists of video recordings of ten hospital management group meetings from two different organisational levels, five from each level. The data
was collected in a large regional hospital in Finland. The analysis adhered to the principles of grounded theory, and focused on episodes of the meeting
talk where any kind of problem or concern was mentioned or discussed. First, all problem focused episodes of discussion were picked out from the data
transcripts. Second, the data was categorised according to different types of problems discussed or mentioned. Third, the data was categorised again, now
according to different strategies for processing the emergent problems. Finally, the connections between the types of problems and the strategies used were
analysed with network analytical techniques. Preliminary results show that both the types of problems (N=10) and the strategies for facing the problems
(N=11) were manifold. Most commonly, the emergent problems were related to administrative issues, clinical work, HR, and forthcoming organisational
change.The most commonly used strategies included sensemaking, announcing with no discussion, and problem-solving.The network analytical approach
revealed that the groups’ solved simple problems, local administrative problems, and some problems related to clinical work. At the same time, more
global administrative, economical, or organisational change related problems were not solved. However, the group made sense and fantasized about also
the problems it could not, or did not have power, to solve. The meetings seem to have an important relational function for the participants: This is evident
in the sensemaking, fantasizing, and supportive interactions. Overall, problem focused talk carries many functions in the meeting interaction and it is about
much more than just solving the problems.