Loss of context in your typical e-mail conversation

(This blog refers to one of my last blogs “Your typical e-mail conversation”…so it would probably make more sense to read that one first)

When using e-mail, another common problem (which also results in the misinterpretation of online conversations) is the lack of understanding for the context in which the message is written. Unless you literally explain the factors that are affecting the construction of your message (i.e. you are in a rush, stressed out, in a good mood or working in a noisy or uncomfortable environment, etc), the other person is forced to justify your words for themselves. The problem here occurs when this justification is inaccurate.

Throughout the week that Dan and Sarah had been e-mailing each other, for instance, Sarah had other things on her mind. On November 13th, Sarah’s sister, Kylie, was involved in a car crash, and has been in critical condition at the hospital ever since. Dan did not know this, however, and as a result, instead of seeing Sarah’s unenthusiastic responses as a result of stress and sorrow, he understood them as rejection. In his eyes, the fact that she had “stuff to do” and the fact she had “something come up” at the last minute were just excuses not to see him.

When an email is written, the message is twice removed from the subject by whom it is written. Firstly, your thoughts and feelings are transcribed into a literary form, thus removing it from its association with the physical and human body…and secondly, that message is then decoded by someone else at the receiving end, who is interpreting it in a completely different space. Abstracted from the conditions under which it was written, an e-mail message (or any other literary message, for that matter), is more subject to the interpretation of the receiver, than anything else.

This reminds me of what Sturken and Cartright (2001) talk about in Practices of Looking; the meaning of an image is influenced by 1) how viewers interpret it, and 2) the context in which it is seen. In terms of its meaning, although a text-based message is usually more direct and easier to understand than an image, in my opinion, the same idea can be applied. As a result, in a way, I find that in order for e-mail communication to be very effective, you must construct the messages kind of as if you are dealing with international correspondents (something I learned in Organizational Behaviours). That is…if you want your message to be understood clearly, you must 1) use common/easily understood language, 2) be direct, and 3) keep it simple).




Sturken M. & Cartwright L. (2001). Viewers make meaning In Practices of looking: An
introduction to visual culture. Great Britain: Oxford University Press.