Supporting Group Relationships in Mediated Domestic Environments

Abstract

As everyday Internet use has become pervasive and natural,people use it effortlessly to find new acquaintances and nurtureexisting relationships. In this sense, Internet use can mimic andexpand everyday social behavior from real life. However, in reallife we often participate in gatherings with others not only asindividuals but also as part of a group, for instance a family.Social gatherings involving several groups reinforces not only theindividual network, but also the group-to-group relationships,adding another layer to social life. Our social identities, our “us”-feelings, are thus developed and enhanced. While there arenumerous Internet-based tools and services for nurturing theindividual’s network, in analogy to real life, group-levelinteractions are barely touched upon. We explore some basicconsiderations for how computer-mediated communicationsystems could help nurturing group-to-group relationships, andhow group, rather than individual, interaction with devices can beaddressed in interaction design. Finally, we explore why gamesand gameplay might particularly well suited to motivate use ofsuch systems. These issues will be the main focus of the TA2(Together Anywhere, Together Anytime) research project