Interacting on a video‐mediated stage: The collaborative construction of an interactional video setting

To explore the relevance of Goffman's theatrical metaphor to describe video‐mediated interactions.

Grounded in four waves of observational data of MBA students interacting by videoconference in the context of a distributed course between Europe and Asia, with the students working in virtual teams on a consulting project.

People in video‐mediated contexts adjust and evolve the well‐established routines we have developed for interacting in everyday communication in order to build a “stage” for interaction. The stage does not only refer to a spatial frame of reference, but that it also refers to a shared social context, a ”place” that participants collaboratively construct.

The paper is based on observations of MBA students, and not teams of professionals in an organization.

The observations suggest that although people often blame the technology for frustrating or negative experiences and hoping for the development of better technology, practitioners aiming to support communication in video‐mediated settings should focus on building a stage and developing practices to support the interactional order. They should focus on the construction of a shared social context, a “sense of place”.

The use of Goffman's theatrical metaphor to study video‐mediated interactions. A suggestion for being innovative about the use of technology and avoid simply replicating face‐to‐face interactions.