Computer-Mediated Communication Systems. Status and Evaluation PDF
Preview Computer-Mediated Communication Systems. Status and Evaluation
HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH SERIES PETER R. MONGE, Editor Monge and Cappella: MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUES IN HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH 1980 Cushman and McPhee: MESSAGE-ATTITUDE-BEHAVIOR RELATIONSHIP 1980 Woelfel and Fink: MEASUREMENT OF COMMUNICATION PROCESSES 1980 Kerr and Hiltz: COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS: STATUS AND EVALUATION 1982 COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Status and Evaluation Elaine B. Kerr Computerized Conferencing and Communications Center New Jersey institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey Starr Roxanne Hiltz Department of SocioJogy Upsala College East Orange, New Jersey and Computerized Conferencing and Communications Center New Jersey institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey 1982 @ ACADEMIC PRESS A Subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers New York London Paris San Diego San Francisco Sâo Paulo Sydney Tokyo Toronto COPYRIGHT © 1982, BY ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPY, RECORDING, OR ANY INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER. ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. Ill Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10003 United Kingdom Edition published by ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. (LONDON) LTD. 24/28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DX Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Kerr, Elaine B. Computer-mediated communication systems. (Human communication research series) Includes index. 1. Information networks. 2. Computer networks. 3. Electronic mail systems. I. Hiltz, Starr Roxanne. I I. Title. III. Series. TK5105.5.K47 1982 001.6V404 82-8841 ISBN 0-12-404980-X AACR2 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 82 83 84 85 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To our friendship: Now twenty-one years and stiJJ growing To our children: Jonathan, Katherine, and Paul And to Murray Turoff: Who got us both into this Preface The idea seems simple enough at first glance. Communications or information entered into a computer from one terminal can be retrieved immediately or at a later time from any other terminal linked to the central computer. It is the applications and impacts that are startling, and the ac ceptance of the technology that is problematical. Essentially, computer- mediated communication means that large numbers of people in busi ness, government, education, or at home can use the computer to maintain continuous communication and information exchanges. It also requires that people accept fairly radical changes in the way they work and even in the way they think, if they are to reap the potential benefits. More than a replacement for the telephone, mails, or face-to-face meetings, computer communication is a new medium for building and maintaining human relationships. It is faster and cheaper than alter native methods for linking geographically dispersed people in working groups. But more importantly, it tends to expand greatly the human and information resources to which one has constant and convenient access. This volume has its origins as a report for a National Science Foun dation-sponsored project (Hiltz and Kerr, 1981). In expanded and re worked form, it synthesizes current knowledge about computerized ix X Preface conferencing systems, electronic mail, and office information- communication systems. It should be of interest both to students and researchers studying this new form of electronic communication and to organizations that are planning the installation of electronic mail or other computer-mediated communication systems and that need to be aware of the information gleaned from the studies presented here. The book is organized into four main sections, focusing on the fol lowing issues: 1. What are the important considerations in designing software or choosing a system from the many available options and capabilities? 2. What factors determine whether such systems are likely to be accepted or rejected? 3. What are the likely impacts of such systems upon the individuals, groups, and organizations which use them? It is not the economic costs and benefits, but the social problems and "payoffs" in the form of enhanced performance and organizational efficiency that should be the main considerations in deciding whether or not to use a computer-mediated communication system. 4. Given the conditional nature of many of the possible impacts, no system should be implemented without formal evaluation and feedback from users to guide the implementation. The major kinds of evaluational strategies that have been successfully em ployed are described in this book. To date, implementations of this technology have taken the form either of proprietary electronic mail systems, with little or no assess ment and reporting of the results, or of relatively small-scale field trials with associated evaluations, generally published as organiza tional research reports and not available in the open literature. For this project, we attempted to gather all of the acquired knowledge and insights gained from existing evaluations by using the researchers as a panel of experts to systematically report their findings within a common conceptual framework. We also used a panel of system de signers to rate the importance of the many optional features an or ganization or individual can choose from the technology. The result is a synthesis of the "state of the art," designed as a reference for anyone contemplating the use of computer-mediated communication systems. Acknowledgments The initial phases of this project were financed by a grant to Upsala College (IST-8018077) from the Division of Information Science and Technology of the National Science Foundation. The opinions and conclusions reported here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the National Science Foundation. Peter and Trudy Johnson-Lenz wrote the section on "groupware" that appears in Chapter 2, and Murray Turoff coauthored the first section of that chapter. In addition, Valarie Lamont provided a first draft for the section on group determinants of acceptance, and Jane McCarroll contributed a first draft for the section on group level im pacts. Their contributions to the planning and review processes are also gratefully acknowledged. We wish to thank others who helped to make this book possible. From participation in the Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES) project to sharing of data on design and evaluation to critical reading of early drafts of the manuscript, the following have provided invaluable assistance in one or more capacities: James Bair, Robert Bezilla, John Bregenzer, David Brown, Richard Dalton, James Dan- owski, Morley Greenberg, Edward Housman, Kenneth Johnson, Hubert Lipinski, Clifford Lynch, Joseph Martino, Richard Miller, Jacob Palme, Robert Parnes, Charlton Price, Ronald Rice, John Senders, Elliot Siegel, Sarah Spang, Richard Stern, Don Tapscott, and Stuart Umpleby. xi XII Acknowledgments We are grateful to Harold Bamford for his support and encourage ment throughout the project. We would also like to thank Upsala College, and particularly President Rodney Felder and George Fen- wick, for support that assured completion of the project when it greatly exceeded initial time estimates. CHAPTER 1 Introduction INTRODUCTION Research in a new area is like an assault on the wilderness: Skilled observers are first sent forth to explore promising new territories and gather information. Next comes the phase of gathering this information together to systematically map what is known of the terrain. The in formation in this book can be likened to the mapping of available knowledge gained from exploratory studies of computer-mediated communication systems. Having identified the opportunities and the dangers, we are in a better position to conclude that the new technology is "safe" for permanent settlers who are less adventuresome or perhaps less foolhardy than the pioneers who first explored it. This book was stimulated by the desire to capture and document what was learned from the completion of the operational trials of the Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES), and to compare these findings with those of other computer-mediated communication sys tems: conferencing systems, electronic message systems, and general information-communication systems designed to support ''knowledge workers" (managers, administrators, and professionals who retrieve, process, and communicate information). In our post-industrial econ omy, or "information society," there is an expanding population of 1 2 1. Introduction such white-collar and service workers who can potentially achieve significant productivity gains from the use of these communication systems. Following are examples of current applications: 1. Hewlett-Packard's internal message network handles more than 25 million messages a year. 2. Small science and technology advisory offices in many states try to respond to questions bearing on proposed new legislation. The same inquiry frequently occurs in several states, producing du plication of effort. By joining an electronic information exchange, they share their "inquiries" and "responses" and build a common knowledge base to aid them in their work. 3. Half a dozen authors located throughout the United States jointly write a major report. Each can read, edit, and make comments about the others' work as soon as it is entered. 4. Middle managers in a major corporation take a "continuing ed ucation" course; much of the "class" is conducted on-line. 5. College-educated professionals in many fields resign from their nine-to-five office jobs and work full-time from their homes, as free-lance consultants on nationwide communication networks. 6. A group of cerebral palsy children in New Jersey establishes "computer pen pals" across the world. 7. Approximately 250 individuals, representing most of the utilities which currently operate nuclear reactors, use a computer-me diated communication system to share technical data on a daily basis. This small selection from hundreds of groups currently working on dozens of systems represents only a sample of the uses of this new technology. OVERVIEW OF THE MEDIUM Computer-mediated communication systems use computers to struc ture, store, and process communications. Users compose text items by typing on terminals linked to a central computer, either directly or by telephone lines and a packet-switched network such as Telenet or Tymnet. The terminal may have a typewriter-like device that produces printed "hard copy," or it may have a television-like screen, called a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube).
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