Talking heads on the internet : social interaction in a multi-user voice based 3d graphical environment

• This paper reports on the finding from a qualitative study which investigated how long-termusers of Traveler, a voice-based 3D online graphical environment launched in 1996 and stillrunning, experience their social relations in relation to this specific cue-rich communicationtechnology. The paper describes the subjective perceptions of the technology-mediated socialexperience such as the experience of social atmosphere in the community, of onlinefriendship, of the meaning of the online social interaction in the users' offline lives. The paperalso discusses the importance of these subjective experiences for motivation to regularly useTraveler. Conclusions drawn from the study suggest that it is crucial for users to have theability to handle the technical functions of the program in order to function socially in theenvironment such as using the functions of the graphical program and using the voice channelin a social significant way. As a result, in order to have a positive and meaningful socialexperience in online it is critical for users to adapt to technical as well as to social factors.This process of adaptation is very important since the way functions are used was interpretedas social signals by users suggesting that social and technical aspects are intertwined in socialpractice. The paper describes this process of adaptation and the positive social effects of asuccessful adaptation. 

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Data- och informationsvetenskap -- Datavetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Computer and Information Sciences -- Computer Sciences (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap -- Mänsklig interaktion med IKT (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications -- Human Aspects of ICT (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap -- Systemvetenskap, informationssystem och informatik med samhällsvetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications -- Information Systems, Social aspects (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Social interaction

graphical environment

Informatik

Informatics

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)