Abstract

This study explores social processes associated with e-mail overload, drawing on Sproull and Kiesler's first and second-order effects of communication technologies and Boden's theory of lamination. In a three-part study, the authors examined e-mail interactions from a government organization by logging e-mails, submitting an e-mail string to close textual analysis, and analyzing focus group data about e-mail overload. The results reveal three characteristics that contribute to e-mail overload— unstable requests, pressures to respond, and the delegation of tasks and shifting interactants—suggesting that e-mail talk, as social interaction, may both create and affect overload.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2006-07-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651906287253
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Cites in this index (3)

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Written Communication
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