A nexus analysis of domestic video chat: Actions, practices, affordances, and mediational means

Cserzo, Dorottya ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2676-9427 2019. A nexus analysis of domestic video chat: Actions, practices, affordances, and mediational means. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the use of domestic video chat (VC) applications such as Skype or FaceTime. The present research contributes to a growing body of work on the medium of VC by building on the concept of affordances (Hutchby, 2001b) in order to explore how the capabilities of the technology are used in practice outside of the professional sphere. This study is unique in the field of VC because it combines findings from micro analyses of recorded VC sessions and interview data under the framework of nexus analysis (Norris & Jones, 2005b). The video recordings were analysed using an approach informed by conversation analysis (Hutchby & Wooffitt, 1998) and the interviews were analysed using inductive qualitative coding (Gibbs, 2007; Mason, 2002). The findings indicate that in VC interactions the roles of caller and called have little significance in the openings and closings. Noticings, which were especially common in the openings, play a vital role in relationship maintenance through VC. In some cases these noticings led to virtual tours, which were resources for expressing alignment and constructing a joint attentional frame. Practices of paying attention appeared to be a central concern for participants; therefore a second maxim of VC was formulated: focus your attention on the VC interaction (for the first maxim see Licoppe & Morel, 2012). The maxim of attention is suspended in lapsed VC encounters, which were framed as exceptional use and were only practised by a minority of participants. Finally, it is argued that the affordances of a technology cannot simply be classed as a ‘limitation’ or ‘possibility’, because they are context dependent. Therefore, a thorough analysis must take into account the mediational means (bodies, objects, and the environment), the mediated actions, and the relational histories of the participants.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Submission
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	29 May 2019
Last Modified:	15 Nov 2024 09:35
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/122954

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