Interacting on a video-mediated stage: The collaborative construction of an interactional video setting

Purpose – To explore the relevance of Goffman's theatrical metaphor to describe video‐mediated interactions.Design/methodology/approach – Grounded in four waves of observational data of MBA students interacting by videoconference in the context of a distributed course between Europe and Asia, with the students working in virtual teams on a consulting project.Findings – People in video‐mediated contexts adjust and evolve the well‐established routines we have developed for interacting in everyday communication in order to build a “stage” for interaction. The stage does not only refer to a spatial frame of reference, but that it also refers to a shared social context, a ”place” that participants collaboratively construct.Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on observations of MBA students, and not teams of professionals in an organization.Practical implications – The observations suggest that although people often blame the technology for frustrating or negative experiences and hoping for t...

[1]  Christian Heath,et al.  Disembodied conduct: communication through video in a multi-media office environment , 1991, CHI.

[2]  E. Goffman.  The Goffman Reader , 1997 .

[3]  Liam J. Bannon,et al.  Space, Place and the Design of Technologically-Enhanced Physical Environments , 2005 .

[4]  Carmen Egido,et al.  Teleconferencing as a technology to support cooperative work: Its , 1990 .

[5]  Ederyn Williams,et al.  Experimental comparisons of face-to-face and mediated communication: A review. , 1977 .

[6]  Austin Henderson,et al.  Your place or mine? Learning from long-term use of Audio-Video communication , 1996, Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW).

[7]  Austin Henderson,et al.  Interaction Analysis: Foundations and Practice , 1995 .

[8]  E. Goffman.  Relations in Public: Microstudies of the Public Order , 1971 .

[9]  Christopher Alexander,et al.  The Timeless Way of Building , 1979 .

[10]  Linda S. Lotto.  Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods , 1986 .

[11]  Wendy E. Mackay,et al.  Users and customizable software : a co-adaptive phenomenon , 1990 .

[12]  M. Abel.  Experiences in an exploratory distributed organization , 1990 .

[13]  E. Goffman,et al.  Forms of talk , 1982 .

[14]  H. Blumer,et al.  Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method , 1988 .

[15]  E. Goffman.  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life , 1959 .

[16]  Paul Dourish,et al.  Portholes: supporting awareness in a distributed work group , 1992, CHI.

[17]  Paul Dourish,et al.  Re-place-ing space: the roles of place and space in collaborative systems , 1996, CSCW '96.

[18]  Pamela J. Hinds,et al.  The Place of Face-to-Face Communication in Distributed Work , 2002 .

[19]  A. Strauss,et al.  The Discovery of Grounded Theory , 1967 .

[20]  T. Gieryn,et al.  A Space for Place in Sociology , 2000 .

[21]  Michael H. Zack,et al.  Interactivity and Communication Mode Choice in Ongoing Management Groups , 1993, Inf. Syst. Res..

[22]  David Seamon,et al.  The Human Experience of Space and Place , 1981 .

[23]  J. McGrath.  Time, Interaction, and Performance (TIP) , 1991 .

[24]  A. Buttimer,et al.  The Human Experience of Space and Place , 1980 .

[25]  Jeffrey Stamps,et al.  Virtual teams: The new way to work , 1999 .

[26]  Matthew B. Miles,et al.  Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook , 1994 .

[27]  Robert E. Kraut,et al.  Iterative design of video communication systems , 1992, CSCW '92.

[28]  Bonnie A. Nardi,et al.  Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart , 1999 .

[29]  Thomas Erickson,et al.  From Interface to Interplace: The Spatial Environment as a Medium for Interaction , 1993, COSIT.

[30]  E. Goffman.  Behavior in public places : notes on the social organization of gatherings , 1964 .

[31]  Ronald E. Rice,et al.  Video as a technology for informal communication , 1993, CACM.

[32]  John C. Tang,et al.  Montage: providing teleproximity for distributed groups , 1994, CHI Conference Companion.

[33]  Sara A. Bly,et al.  Media spaces: bringing people together in a video, audio, and computing environment , 1993, CACM.

[34]  P. Ekman,et al.  The Repertoire of Nonverbal Behavior: Categories, Origins, Usage, and Coding , 1969 .

[35]  James D. Hollan,et al.  Beyond being there , 1992, CHI.

[36]  Sara A. Bly,et al.  The Portland Experience: A Report on a Distributed Research Group , 1991, Int. J. Man Mach. Stud..

[37]  A. Strauss,et al.  The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research aldine de gruyter , 1968 .