Radicals of presentation in persistent conversation

Going forward from N. Frye's (1969) "Anatomy of Criticism", we derive from genre literature the idea that radicals, i.e. root characteristics, of persistent conversation exist and can help define important aspects of such conversations. We identify from longitudinal interviews with members of a distributed, computer-supported learning environment, three dimensions of interactivity that revolve around speaker-audience relations. We propose three "radicals of presentation" in persistent conversation: (1) visibility (the means, methods and opportunities for presentation, addressing primarily speakers' concerns with the presentation of self); (2) relation (the tie between speaker and audience, and among audience co-participants, addressing the speaker's concerns with the range and identity of the audience, and audience members' concerns about relations with each other); and (3) co-presence (the temporal, virtual and/or physical co-presence of speaking and listening participants, addressing concerns about being with others at the same time and place, and giving and receiving immediate feedback). We conclude with implications for social and technical design.

[1]  A. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. , 1992 .

[2]  W. Orlikowski,et al.  Genres of Organizational Communication: A Structurational Approach to Studying Communication and Media , 1992 .

[3]  A. Kellerman,et al.  The Constitution of Society : Outline of the Theory of Structuration , 2015 .

[4]  John M. Swales,et al.  Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings , 1993 .

[5]  Aviva Freedman,et al.  Rhetorical Community: The Cultural Basis of Genre , 2003 .

[6]  B. Wellman.  The Community Question: The Intimate Networks of East Yorkers , 1979, American Journal of Sociology.

[7]  JoAnne Yates,et al.  Shaping Electronic Communication: The Metastructuring of Technology in the Context of Use , 1995 .

[8]  W. Orlikowski,et al.  Explicit and Implicit Structuring of Genres in Electronic Communication: Reinforcement and Change of Social Interaction , 1999 .

[9]  Carolyn R. Miller.  Genre as social action , 1984 .

[10]  Caroline Haythornthwaite,et al.  Community Development Among Distance Learners: Temporal and Technological Dimensions , 2006, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[11]  Karrie Karahalios,et al.  Visualizing Conversation , 1999, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[12]  M. Markus.  Electronic Mail as the Medium of Managerial Choice , 1994 .

[13]  M. Lynn.  Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences , 1996 .

[14]  S. Wasserman,et al.  Statistical Models for Social Support Networks , 1993 .

[15]  Walter Sutton,et al.  Anatomy of Criticism, Four Essays , 1958 .

[16]  M. Bakhtin,et al.  Speech genres and other late essays , 1986 .

[17]  Caroline Haythornthwaite,et al.  Work, Friendship, and Media Use for Information Exchange in a Networked Organization , 1998, J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci..

[18]  B. Wellman.  Computer Networks As Social Networks , 2001, Science.

[19]  N. Contractor,et al.  Communication networks and new media in organizations , 1990 .

[20]  Gerardine DeSanctis,et al.  Understanding the use of Group Decision Support Systems: The Theory of Adaptive Structuration , 1990 .

[21]  W. Orlikowski,et al.  Genre Repertoire: The Structuring of Communicative Practices in Organizations , 1994 .

[22]  Thomas Erickson.  Persistant Conversation: An Introduction , 1999, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[23]  Thomas Erickson,et al.  Persistent Conversation - Introduction , 2000, HICSS.

[24]  John Short,et al.  The social psychology of telecommunications , 1976 .

[25]  Mark S. Granovetter.  T H E S T R E N G T H O F WEAK TIES: A NETWORK THEORY REVISITED , 1983 .

[26]  Dimitrina S. Dimitrova,et al.  Computer Networks as Social Networks: Collaborative Work, Telework, and Virtual Community , 1996 .

[27]  Caroline Haythornthwaite,et al.  Exploring Multiplexity: Social Network Structures in a Computer-Supported Distance Learning Class , 2001, Inf. Soc..

[28]  P. V. Marsden,et al.  Measuring Tie Strength , 1984 .

[29]  Bonnie A. Nardi,et al.  It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know: Work in the Information Age , 2000, First Monday.

[30]  N. Baym.  From Practice to Culture on Usenet , 1994 .

[31]  B. Nardi,et al.  It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know: Work in the Information Age , 2000, First Monday.

[32]  M. Bakhtin,et al.  The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays , 1981 .

[33]  Thomas Erickson,et al.  Rhyme and punishment: the creation and enforcement of conventions in an on-line participatory limerick genre , 1999, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. 1999. HICSS-32. Abstracts and CD-ROM of Full Papers.

[34]  Masao Nobe,et al.  The Community Question , 1991 .

[35]  C. Haythornthwaite.  Online Personal Networks , 2000 .

[36]  Michael A. Shepherd,et al.  Genre in digital documents , 2000, Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[37]  Margaret McLaughlin,et al.  From terminal ineptitude to virtual sociopathy: how conduct is regulated on Usenet , 1998 .

[38]  Mark S. Granovetter.  The Strength of Weak Ties , 1973, American Journal of Sociology.