Temporal aspects of computer-mediated communication

Abstract The present paper introduces a transactional framework for studying the temporal aspects of computer-mediated interaction. The transactional world view is an approach to understanding phenomena which proposes that events are best viewed as holistic unities. From this perspective, persons, environments, and temporal qualities are inseparable and mutually defining aspects of phenomena. Computers provide a wholly new medium of communication and the transactional perspective provides a particularly useful approach for examining how social interaction operates as part of this environmental context. This paper focuses on temporal aspects of social interaction as it occurs in various computer-related settings. Aspects of temporal scale, sequencing, pace, and salience are applied to computer interaction at the level of the individual, the dyad, and the group. Recommendations are given for using the framework to guide research, intervention, and further theory development.

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