Co-Constructing Non-Mutual Realities: Delay-Generated Trouble in Distributed Interaction

Abstract

The use of remote communication technologies to carry out dailywork is becoming increasingly common, and their use in certainsettings is already commonplace. Yet, in spite of the fact thatsignificant sums are being spent on the acquisition oftechnologies to support distributed work, we are only beginningto understand the intricacies of these interactions. This paperidentifies and analyzes one particular limitation of video-basedteleconferencing, the impact of an audio and video delay ondistributed communication. It offers a detailed microanalysis ofone distributed team's use of videoconferencing to support remoteteamwork. We explore through this analysis the impact whichtechnology-generated delays may have on shared meaning-makingbetween remote participants. We draw conclusions about thesignificance of our findings for understanding talk, interactionand collaboration across remote links, and conclude withrecommendations for designers, users and implementers.