Computer-Mediated Communication: Decisionmaking and Informal Interaction

摘要

The impact of computer-mediated communication on group processes was assessed in both formal decisionmaking and informal communications settings. Respondents, who were part of ongoing, three-person work groups took part in two decisionmaking tasks under either anonymous or identified conditions. The effect of these conditions on productivity (measured by time on task, amount of information generated and quality of information generated) and on accuracy of decision (compared with expert ratings) was examined. Measures of actual and perceived influence were also obtained. The data indicate that effective group communication can take place in the computer-mediated environment and that anonymity had little effect on either performance quality or patterns of influence, perhaps because of the relative weakness of the identified condition in this research. The data on informal interactions provide evidence for the feasibility of informal interaction and substantial communication of socio-emotional content via computer networks. The data suggest that the computer may not be as poor a medium for this sort of interaction as once supposed.