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An Approach to Media Multiplexity in Superior-Subordinate Relations in Government Institutions
Mutia Susana*
Postgraduate Department of Communication Studies,
Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia Minister for Public Works and Human Settlements, Indonesia
Received: July, 28 2022; Reviewed: August, 28 2022; Accepted: March, 10 2023
Abstract
This paper aims to show how the use of multiple media (multimodality) has an effect on increasing the closeness of relationships. The problems are focused on improving relationships that are usually "equal"
such as partners, friends, family, allowed to be applied in "unequal" relationships, such as superiors and subordinates. In order to approach this problem, a theoretical reference from Hyaronthwaite's Media Multiplexity Theory (MMT is used which states that the more use of media creates close relationships and the weaker the relationship we have with someone, the less media we use to interact with that person. This research was analyzed interpretively by interviewing employees at the Ministry of PUPR.
The data is collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed qualitatively by clustering 3 things to be observed, which is relationship ties, hierarchy of media use in the institution studied, convenience and motivation from using multiple media. This study concludes that generational differences and motivation for using media affect the formation of strong bonds between superiors and subordinates that influenced by the motivation for using social media, which is to be appreciated by superiors. On the other hand, social media in "unequal" relationships is used only a complement to communication. In addition, culture and digital work processes also affect the convenience of media users.
Keywords: Media Multiplexity; Haythornthwaite; Government Institution.
How to Cite: Susana, M., (2023), An Approach to Media Multiplexity in Superior-Subordinate Relations in Government Institutions. PERSPEKTIF, 12 (2): 434-440
*Corresponding author:
E-mail: [email protected]
ISSN 2549-1660 (Print) ISSN 2550-1305 (Online)
INTRODUCTION
The development of the use of the internet has brought influence and change to the way we communicate, from what used to happen face to face (FTF) to switch through the use of media (mediated) such as pagers in the 1956-1990s, and cellphones in 1973. This mediated communication also created an atmosphere that is more conducive to personal and intimate communication than FTF, for example communicating feelings of
"missing" between partners will be easier and more enjoyable if done through the media by sending pictures (Soukup, 2000). In addition, several studies have also refined certain aspects of this theory such as how people prefer to communicate online, how effective online communication is in building long- term relationships and found that they enjoy online relationships rather than face-to-face, because they feel it is easier to express on the internet so as to create relationships that are
“much deeper” and “higher quality” than real life (Parks & Floyd, 2006).
So easy and efficient online social interaction certainly makes us increasingly inseparable from the use of social media. We Are Social research last February 2022, proved that data on active social media users in Indonesia amounted to 191.4 million or 68.9 percent of the population in Indonesia (Riyanto, 2022). Social media with various embedded features is a distinct advantage that makes us free to choose how to use it and to whom we use it. It's not uncommon for us to use several social media at once to connect with family, colleagues, or partners. In accordance with the results of a survey conducted by GlobalWebIndex (GWI) in 2020, it was found that Indonesians have an average of 10-11 social media accounts (Lidwina, 2020). To be able to understand how much or how little media is used when interacting with other people, we can observe the Media Multiplexity Theory (MMT) by (Haythornthwaite, 2005). This theory emphasizes that the more technological connections or commonly called multimodality that one person has with another person, the stronger the relationship between the two (strong tie). Conversely, the weaker the relationship we have with someone (weak tie), the less media we use to
interact with that person. Usually people expect that a strong tie is a good thing (Griffin et al., 2019). However, the reality is that weak bonds are not entirely negative, there are times when weak bonds that we have, such as new acquaintances on Facebook, provide useful information and resources that we don't get from strong bonds, because there is a tendency that over time we spend with strong bonds, then we will share the same friends, or in the sense that the farther a person's close relationship, the different information, experience, resources, and relationships with other people that might be useful to us. In another study, Haythorn sees that there are norms that influence the hierarchies of media use in an environment.
For example, the use of Google Classroom in classroom situations is used for all ties (weak or strong ties), but some students who have certain affinities need to use other media for certain reasons, such as more privacy, more fun, and less formal.
MMT is often used to observe the closeness of "equal" relationships such as partners, family, and friends. What is often compared in MMT research is which is stronger between MMT and Face to Face (FtF) to maintain relationships. The results of research conducted by (Balayar & Langlais, 2021; Schon, 2014) prove that the use of many media does help strengthen relationships in a family context such as uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, but has little effect on improving parent-child relationships. Besides that, the natural form of this "equal" relationship also influences the convenience of communicating through the choice of media use (Taylor & Ledbetter, 2017).
So far, researchers have only found two journals related to MMT's understanding of
"unequal" relationships, namely research conducted by (Clark-Gordon, 2019) which observed MMT in student-instructor relationships in the context of school institutions. The results found are in accordance with the multiplexity media theory by (Haythornthwaite, 2005) that as closeness occurs, more and more media are used to interact and also have an impact on communication satisfaction, cognition and learning affection and motivation. As well as
research on MMT on Entrepreneur-Mentor relationships between organizations, by (Shi
& Weber, 2021) and found that MMT is important for this type of relationship because the many layers of communication increase useful resources for business continuity. Interestingly, similarities in age, ethnicity, religion, and shared values influence the use of many media. This relates to the theory of media multiplexity in which the norms that exist in certain contexts influence the use of media (Haythornthwaite, 2002). However, the relationship between mentor and entrepreneur is not in the governmental organization. If observed in the world of work, there are many factors that need attention, one of which is employee commitment to the company with indicators:
personal characteristics, job characteristics and roles, structural characteristics, nature and quality of work experience, relationship factors with leaders or colleagues, and organizational character factors (Steers and Porter, 1983; Mathieu and Zajac, 1990) in (Candra & Alsa, 1997). The closer the relationship between the two, then a boss will often discuss with his subordinates regarding work and personal issues, and is motivated to help his employees, and vice versa, what the author wants to prove from MMT.
In relation to improving relationships, there is a cultural context and digital ways of working that are often left out of discussion.
Culture is complex and composed of values, beliefs, including ways of communicating (Dainton & Zelley, 2022), for example collectivism and individualism that each person adheres to. Research conducted (Barakji et al., 2019) in transnational families, found that increasing connections does increase closeness, but it is not proven to increase the quality of relationships.
Improved relationships only occur in families that adhere to collectivism which emphasizes family closeness rather than other things, whereas individualistic people who only focus on self-achievement tend not to be motivated to use one or more media to improve relationships with their families (Balayar & Langlais, 2021). Social interactions that used to be face-to-face have now turned into interactions linked by digital technology (Center For Digital Society, 2021).
Chat features, video chats, private chats in social networks are made for the purpose of providing intimate communication which is almost the same as FtF (Suratnoaji et al., 2019). The digital way of working through algorithms and hypertext also cannot be ignored, its role in increasing the frequency of use of social media which in turn can increase the closeness between social media users. In accordance with research conducted (Fogués et al., 2014) the algorithm works accurately in social networks to create a community, or increase the closeness of relationships, and the information filtered by the algorithm raises filters according to the account owner's preferences so that suggestions appear to do
" follow” based on the contacts on the user's cellphone. So that the user's desire is created to follow and develop relationships with the people closest to them, which of course has been stored on the cellphone.
An algorithm is a mechanism that can sort out and influence how we perceive online and offline realities and how users interact with each other, such as social media users who choose viewing preferences according to what users like (Klug et al., 2021). The algorithm itself is composed of three elements, namely interest, timeliness, and relationships (Hutchinson, 2018; Setiyanto et al, 2021). Likewise with hypertext which allows easy transfer from one social media to another social media, increasing interest in using social media (Fahrimal et al., 2018). So that in the end the use of social media can adjust to user preferences, it may improve relationships or even have no effect on closeness.
Based on the development of the theory of media multiplexity above, the researcher wants to further explore what the application of MMT is like for "unequal" relationships, namely superiors-subordinates within government institutions, especially in PUPR government agencies, as well as whether there are norms, motivations and digital ways of working that influence the use media among employees in PUPR government agencies.
RESEARCH METHOD
This study uses inductive, interpretive thinking, with a qualitative approach to help
understand the perceptions, understanding, and experiences of informants regarding the application of the theory being researched (Creswell, 2013; Arikewuyo et al., 2021)
Data collection was carried out by in- depth interviews with 3 informants selected through a purposive sampling technique with specified informant criteria, namely:
employees at the Ministry of PUPR agencies, active media users, have many social media accounts, have a certain closeness with employees in government agencies P, length of time working for more than 1 year, and compiled from generation X, Millennial generation, and generation Z to explore differences in the ways of interacting and the values possessed by informants. The PUPR government institution as a research locus uses several social media to interact so that the selected informants are employees who are familiar with media use.
After finding informants who fit the criteria, the researchers approached the informants and reached an agreement to conduct interviews via telephone because of the limited time in the researcher's lectures.
The decision to choose only limited 4 informants because it was felt to be sufficient to provide rich information as research material.
Based on predetermined criteria, four informants were obtained with the following information: Informant 1, 36 years old, social media user, has worked for 12 years.
Informant 2 is 37 years old, active social media user, has worked for 11 years.
Informant 3 is 25 years old, active social media user, has worked for 4 years, and informant 4 is 30 years old, active social media user, has worked for 4 years.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The results of the research show that there are several factors that underlie the use of social media, as well as how each informant prefers the closeness of the relationship that exists over the use of many media. The following are the results of observations obtained from the three informants in PUPR government agencies, which have been classified into several subs:
Relationship Bonds
The first thing that greatly influences the use of social media in government agencies P is the desire to interact FtF is higher than interaction using social media for equal relationships, thus rejecting the multiplexity media theory (MMT) from the results of similar research from (Clark- Gordon, 2019) which states that there is an increase in the number of social media users along with individual closeness, simultaneously with the stronger the bond of a person to maintain their close relationship.
As revealed by informant 1 who is generation Y (1977-1994).
"Prefer face-to-face interaction, because the coordination is more comfortable, connected, and seems involved, but if there are other activities that really require coordination, you can whatsapp them."
According to informant 1, social media is only a complement because he already knows his colleagues or superiors personally so that the use of social media does not necessarily strengthen the relationship between the two.
“Following and following back on Facebook with bosses used to be commonplace, because in my old days I was having fun using social media because this was something new, and because it was still new, everyone had a Facebook account. But now I have closed the account.
In contrast to informant 3 who is a generation Z (1995-2010) who revealed that they had followed each other's social media accounts besides WhatsApp as a joint coordination account. With the widespread use of social media among dyadics, there are frequent activities outside the office such as having dinner together, watching movies together, sending pictures, videos, and personal chats, which in turn strengthens the relationship between superiors and subordinates. Furthermore, observations with informants 1, 3, and 4 also showed the same results. But what about informant 2 who is a sub-coordinator (superior) in the PUPR government agency who is generation Y.
"When a subordinate follows me, maybe I can see his personal life, his life is like
this, indeed through social media we can get to know people better, but it's not personal because you see it from social media."
If related to the point of view of the closeness that arises between superiors and subordinates due to the expansion of the communication media, informant 2 revealed that it was not too significant. Thus, at the superior level, not all of them use social media as a means of approaching and improving good relations with subordinates.
Media Use Motivation
Interestingly, the variations in generational differences or the age of the informants prove that there is an influence that occurs in the use of various media for closeness. This is consistent with the theory of media multiplexity (Haythornthwaite, 2005) which states that there are norms in certain contexts that influence media use, according to research conducted (Shi &
Weber, 2021) for entrepreneurial and mentor relationships between organizations. One example that the author found from interviews with informant 3 who is a generation Z is that there is a strong bond created between superiors and subordinates that brings a number of advantages that are useful in the work context.
"Certainly our indirect superiors are friends with other superiors, when we are followed and are good and close friends, appearing in stories, or something else it makes other superiors notice that we are being followed by the indirect superior, thereby expanding our connections with superiors who other people and sometimes when there are achievements from me that are blown up by superiors who have followed earlier, and so get noticed by other superiors and our achievements are recognized.
In contrast, when compared to generation Y where the age factor has influenced the frequency of using social media, such as the results of interviews with generation Y who do not really understand the use of social media or are preoccupied with work. As well as generation X which actually avoids conflict.
"Currently, I don't follow my direct supervisor's social media, but those who aren't my direct supervisor, I follow. I just
avoid conflicts, because we sometimes share sensitive things or complain about work in stories, worrying that if we are friends with our boss, he will be offended by our posts.
Even though if we met in person, there would be different perceptions and there would be no problem. However, with indirect superiors, they are more flexible, there tends to be no conflict.
Informant 4 considered that when his superiors found out about his social media, it would cause discomfort and disrupt work relations in the office.
Culture and Algorithms
There is an element that is often overlooked, namely culture also influences media use as did informant 1 by face-to-face communication (FtF) which can provide more comfort than media use. In accordance with informant 2 who is a superior who said that the use of the media is indeed interesting, but only to find out what his subordinates' personal and life is like, but it will be more intense when they meet or face to face. The author can relate this to the culture in Indonesia which is used to being spoken so that it prefers to communicate or interact directly rather than online communication (Sulistyo & Basuki, 2007). In addition, Indonesian people who are collectivists need
"gestures" to build trust such as observing voice intonation, gestures, or facial expressions (Siregar & Scheffer- Sumampouw, 2021).
Furthermore, there are differences in preferences that arise from the digital way of working as felt by informant 3 who is a generation Z where it is proven that the algorithm works by compiling a series of information posted by the boss regarding the
"achievement" of informant 3, so that it can be seen by fellow superiors who may be included in the "bubble filter" compiled by the algorithm. This is considered to be an advantage for informant 3. This is the most interesting finding because informant 3 considers the use of social media for
"unequal" relationships as an advantage and accelerator for self-actualization.
Furthermore, the role of the algorithm is also "directed" by users, namely subordinates who try to hide or filter the
content of their posts to avoid potential conflicts with their superiors. This filtering is also done with the intention to separate between office and personal life. Whereas for informants with superior status, viewing social media only as a means to get to know their subordinates better, but does not encourage any feelings of closeness.
CONCLUSION
Based on the analysis conducted on the data that has been collected, it can be concluded that close relationships can occur in the dyadic relationship model between superiors and subordinates, through whatsapp and other social media, but only occurs for the Z generation category due to certain motivations including the frequency of information exchange high, the emergence of emotional relationships, intimacy and self- disclosure become accelerators for self- improvement of employees of the Ministry of PUPR. For generation Y, regarding the fear of conflict arising from daily work between superiors and subordinates, there is no close relationship but the use of many media is only a means to better understand each other through their daily lives.
The use of media that is active and mutually followed by employees at the Ministry of PUPR agencies is Instagram and Facebook, in addition to special media used such as Google Mail for office coordination purposes. However, age, motivation, and differences in work responsibilities affect individual motivation in using social media. In other words, closeness occurs with a specific goal. However, a number of informants considered social media as a complement to closeness besides face-to-face meetings.
This finding rejects previous studies using theory (Haythornthwaite, 2005), which is usually applied to create close, equal relationships, for example in the context of friendship, romance, and family. In fact, from the results of this study, it is known that close relationships can be created in unequal relationships, namely superiors and subordinates. Another finding is that there is another motivation found in the use of many social media related to the closeness of the relationship. This motivation is supported by
the working system of the social media algorithm used.
The use of social media helps for generations who are proficient in using social media, because this online interaction is considered to help coordinate work, increase comfort and closeness, and support increased work. Although for some people algorithms and hypertext in the virtual world are beneficial, both of them sometimes make the context of proximity shift, more adapted to their preferences and purposes of use.
THANK-YOU NOTE
Acknowledgments are extended to the Ministry of PUPR, the institution where the researcher currently works, as well as FISIP lecturers at the University of Indonesia who have guided and directed this writing. The researcher also thanks his colleagues who have supported this writing..
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