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Show and (sometimes) Tell: Identity Construction and the Affordances of Video-Conferencing

  • Jarret Geenen EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: April 29, 2017

Abstract

This article provides a preliminary answer to exactly why video-conferencing is evaluated as better than traditional telephony for long-distance familial interaction by allocating analytical attention to the showing of objects during interaction. While it is acknowledged that ‘showing’ constitutes an interactive move less contingent on linguistic maturation, more importantly, the showing of objects, artefacts or entities during video-conferencing interactions exemplifies an agentive and volitional production of identity elements on behalf of young children. Thus, while some have pointed to shortcomings of conversation-like activities mediated by video-conferencing in favour for more activity-driven tasks, I make a case for drawing upon pre-existing components of the material surround as a means to more comprehensively and longitudinally engage younger children in video-conferencing interaction.

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Published Online: 2017-4-29
Published in Print: 2017-5-24

© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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