In defense of low-bandwidth interactions
I am currently taking (and enjoying) a course in Virtual Communities in which we are reading Jennifer Preece’s Online Communities. Preece’s book is enjoyable (if dated in parts), but there a few things that really bug me about the chapter on interpersonal communication. The chapter has a nice introduction to the social science behind interpersonal communications, and mentions prominently the finding that visual communications (aka high-bandwidth) are superior to textual (aka low-bandwidth) communications. Noted are the difficulties in establishing common ground and the effect of reduced social cues on “presence.” I suspect that few would argue with these statements. However, many (myself included) would note that low-bandwidth communications also have distinct advantages.
- Easier to archive and review
- It is easier to come and go from an interesting discussion thread than from a conversation
- Conversation can extend over a much greater length of time
- Much easier to include secondary material into the discussion
Many of these issues have been covered in the short section “Common Ground and Different Media,” but I would think that in a book on online communities, more time would be given to exploring the benefits and possibilities of the modes of conversation available rather than lamenting the absence of visual communications.
Now, should a discussion of the sort I just described occur later in the book I will immediately delete this post and deny all knowledge of its existence.