Document Type : View Point

Author

• Nasim Boustani

Department of English, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

In the fast-paced era of digital communication, technology-mediated communication (TMC) has created remarkable changes in users’ behaviors. Unraveling passive and active behaviors of TMC users, this study investigated the psychological patterns that emerge when individuals rely on technology for outcomes. Adopting Pishghadam’s (2024) “waitance” model, the research explored the TMC users’ psychological patterns during waiting behavior and addresses the complicated involvement of emotional-cognitive processes during the waiting period, especially when one expects others to complete tasks. The paradoxical nature of waitance and technology was delineated, first by describing the waitance period, which encompasses the underlying senses of physical stillness and psychological involvement, and then by discussing the dual nature of technology, which simultaneously facilitates and exacerbates communication. Some discussions of technology users’ passive behaviors emphasized the importance of active involvement. Understanding waitance psychological patterns can inform technology users about their behavior and encourage them to mitigate prolonged periods of waitance.

Keywords

• Digital communication
• Waitance
• Technology
• Technology-mediated communication
• User behavior