The notion that ‘uninhibited behaviour’ is associated with communicating via computer has gained a great deal of attention. One manifestation, ‘flaming’ (the hostile expression of strong emotions and feelings) has been widely reported in the research literature and commented on in the national press. Indeed, flaming has come to be regarded as symptomatic of the down-side of installing computer conferencing and electronic mail systems in organizations. Advice on how management can best avoid or ... Continue Reading
Engaging in email discussion: conversational context and social identity
Watts, L, Nugroho, Y, Lea, M. (2003). Engaging in email discussion: conversational context and social identity in computer-mediated communication. In G. W. M.Rauterberg, M. Menozzi & J. Wesson (Eds.) Human computer interaction: INTERACT'03 (pp. xx-xx). Amsterdam: IOS Press. ISBN: 1586033638.
For millions of people, text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) is a convenient and engaging way to exchange information and opinion. Research shows that the social ambiguity of text-based CMC, such as email, can both promote participation and group cohesion and lead to misunderstanding, offence and social division. We report a field experiment that attempted to expose some underlying factors. GNU Mailman was configured to promote either individual or group perspectives during email ... Continue Reading
Constructing the networked organization: Content and context in the development of electronic communications.
Lea, M., O’Shea, T. & Fung, P. (1999). Constructing the networked organization: Content and context in the development of electronic communications. In G. DeSanctis & J. Fulk (eds.). Shaping Organizational Form (pp. 295-324). Thousand Oaks: Sage. First published: Lea, M., O'Shea, T. & Fung, P. (1995) in Organization Science, 6, 4, 462-478
This paper presents a case study of the development of electronic communications in a changing organization with the aim of studying the complex relationship between content and context in the design and implementation of technological change in communications. The development of a computer-mediated communication system was followed over a period of four years during which time the participating organization expanded by acquisition and then reformed in conjunction with its neighbours in other ... Continue Reading
Love at first byte: Building personal relationships over computer networks
Lea, M. & Spears, R. (1995). Love at first byte? Building personal relationships over computer networks. In J. T. Wood & S. Duck (Eds.). Under-Studied Relationships: Off the Beaten Track (pp. 197–233). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Our discussion of personal relationships and computer networks focuses on three issues of central concern in this volume. The first issue is to do with how relationship research currently privileges certain kinds of relationships while neglecting others. We describe relationships that have been observed in this new medium and identify a number of assumptions and biases underlying much social psychological theorizing that are common to both relationship research and media analyses. These ... Continue Reading