When conventions collide: the tensions of instant messaging attributed

  • Authors:
  • Amy Voida;Wendy C. Newstetter;Elizabeth D. Mynatt

  • Affiliations:
  • Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA;Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA;Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
  • Year:
  • 2002

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Abstract

We discuss findings from observation, interviews, and textual analysis of instant messaging use in a university research lab setting. We propose a method for characterizing the tensions that permeate instant messaging texts and that expose the collision between conventions of verbal and written communication. Given this method, we suggest a design space for exploring potential design choices in instant messaging clients. Finally, we recommend an analysis of communicative conventions as a fruitful lens through which designers might anticipate or circumvent design tensions in emergent computer-mediated communication technologies