The Role of Chronemic Agency in the Processing of a Multitude of Mediated Conversation Threads

Abstract

Hundreds of messages and conversations stream daily into our communication media and devices. How do we manage this influx without missing urgent messages? In this study we provide initial evidence that this is achieved by closely monitoring only a small number of media-”those media where users expect time sensitive messages to arrive. We describe this heightened attention to a medium as "assigning the medium high chronemic agency", and characterize chronemic agency through extensive interviews of eighteen American undergraduate students. Our findings reveal how chronemic agency is involved in communication norms associated with urgency. Furthermore, they demonstrate the dynamic nature of chronemic agency, and its role in managing responsiveness and in dealing with communication overload. We conclude with a discussion of the shifting nature of the synchronicity of mediated conversation.