Orlikowski found in her study that when people are confronted with novel technology, they will “try to understand it in terms of their existing technological frames, often augmenting these frames to accommodate special aspects of the technology” (pg 365). If we are to assume that the older generation has email competency, then the technological frame that they have to work with is that of email. Thus I would start my explanation of Facebook with comparing it to email.
For most adults, the existing mental model for email is a communication tool is used for business and sometimes personal reasons. The different use of email is important to consider because this will determine how easy it will be to create a new mental mode via training. In Orlikowski study, she found that one reason people had trouble using Locus Notes was due to “the lack of resources that technologists had for communication and training, users of Notes in the office developed technological frames that either had weakly developed notions of Notes” (pg 365). I could extend use of email as a means to keep in touch with family and friends frame to Facebook, which allows you to easily stay in touch with multiple people by writing on the wall/profile. The social networking capabilities of Facebook must be highlighted in the explanation of the website.
In terms of why the older generation would adopt Facebook, while “performance is the group raison d’etre”(Grudin pg 324), it is not the only reason to adopt a piece of technology. This reason probably wouldn’t work for Facebook because it would not directly increase performance. However, it would increase interaction between someone and their family or maybe coworkers because you can send quick notes to each other. The more they talk and respond to each other on Facebook, the more common ground could be created. The reward of using Facebook is a closer connection to other people, some of which you don’t get in touch with by any other means. It is also serves as a way to keep up with other people’s lives (and maybe even check-up on people you may need to watch, like your children). Ultimately, Facebook may increase general wellbeing, but it should be noted that Facebook could also cause social strife(like damage due to gossip) is used improperly.
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It is smart to start with the technological frame of email because most adults with web competence can be assumed to have used email. In the sense of augmentation of existing frames, Facebook takes this even further since it sends email notifications. If the wall posts were explained as a sort of email, getting notifications in your email about a wall post would be similar to getting an email back. In this way, it makes it easier for the users to adapt.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described facebook as an extension of e-mail. When you put it that way it places it in terms that are easy to understand for the uninitiated but also allows space for the expansion that would encompass all of the other features facebook has to offer. It is also good that you specified that even though using facebook does not increase a ‘performance’it does increase interaction which provides a valid return on time invested incentive.
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