Discrete, Sequential, and Follow-Up Use of Information and Communication Technology by Experienced ICT Users

Abstract

Most prior media use research has assumed that people use information and communication technologies (ICTs) independently of other ICTs, that is, as discrete media. This study uses cross-organizational, in-depth interview data to uncover the important role that ICT sequences play in persuasion, information exchange, and documentation. The primary occasions for sequential ICT use were (a) preparing for meetings, (b) performing daily tasks, and (c) following up to persuade. When people need to follow up initial communication episodes, the overall groupings of ICTs represent two underlying attributes: degree of connection with others and extent of synchroneity. These findings support an expanded perspective on media richness theory and information theory by illustrating that ICT sequences can expand cues and channels and provide error-reducing redundancy for equivocal and uncertain tasks.

Meetings as Persistent Conversations that use ICTs and Face-to-Face to Build Social Capital

“…Furthermore, many of these betweenmeeting conversations happen through combinations of ICTs. Coordination purposes include activities like doing meeting pre-work over email before attending a FtF meeting [18]. Relationship development also occurs by continuing conversations through ICTs since combinations of FtF and technologies are often needed to strengthen relationships [15].…”

“…There is growing research that links SNSspecifically Facebook-to the development of bridging social capital in college students [31,32,34,36] and working adults [33]. We also know that text messaging is used to foster personal relationships [29] and email is a dominant ICT in work organizations for sending meeting agendas and following up after meetings [15,18]. But that research has not linked those ICT use behaviors to specific forms of social capital and they have not been studied in volunteer-membership organizations.…”

“…Researchers who have considered between-meeting activities tend to focus on meeting follow-ups or premeeting conversations [15,17,18]. While this research has helped expand the idea of meeting boundaries, these concepts still compartmentalize meetings based on a pre-meeting, during meeting, and post-meeting framework.…”

“…Theoretical work on ICT use, including FtF, proposes how combinatorial ICTs might be used between meetings (ICT Succession Theory, [21]). Empirical studies have found that people use a mix of ICTs to search for information and communicate with others before they attend a meeting, and they also follow up using ICTs after a FtF meeting [18]. In Chudoba et al's study of distributed meetings [15], one respondent explained: "Email is distributed mainly after meetings-we may share ideas between meetings.…”

ICTs and Network Relations: Exploring Knowledge Sharing and Coordination in Distributed Organizations

“…"Combinations of ICT use" can be categorized as multiple media use that occurs either simultaneously (multi-tasking) or sequentially (Stephens et al, 2008). "Simultaneous use" means multiple ICT use at the same time (Stephens et al, 2008), whereas "sequential ICT use" occurs when people communicate an activity or project over time.…”