Karen Stendal

Virtual worlds: A new opportunity for people with lifelong disability?

The use of technology and the Internet in our society is increasing. In Norway, for example, about 85% of the population use the Internet monthly (Gallup, 2008). There is every indication that this number will increase, based on the current development of a new IP-address system to handle the IP shortage we will encounter (Tseng, Lee, Kung, Chou, & Chen, 2005). People use the Internet for a range of activities including private and business purposes, and in particular for maintaining and developing social contact (di Gennaro & Dutton, 2007). Indeed, communication through social networking sites where the main focus is on creating and maintaining friendships is increasingly important to individuals, including young people (di Gennaro & Dutton, 2007). Online social network sites such Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are used for sharing information about day-to-day life with friends and family, and for connecting with strangers who share the same interests (Subrahmanyam, Reich, Waechter, & Espinoza, 2008). With the help of an avatar—a three-dimensional online character that is created in the virtual world to represent the user and can be personalised in the greatest detail— social interaction with strangers and friends can occur in virtual worlds, like Second Life. Being equipped with both a first and a last name, the avatar can be seen as an embodiment of the user’s real self within a virtual world. Virtual worlds

Virtual worlds for people with autism spectrum disorder: a case study in Second Life

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the use of virtual worlds by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a particular focus on the virtual world Second Life™. Method: Case study methodology was selected to explore the experiences of Wolf, a participant with ASD, in Second Life. Wolf participated in three in-depth interviews. The interviews were analyzed using a content analysis to identify themes and sub-themes. Results: Analysis identified four main themes: social factors and communication, empowerment, virtual world versus physical world, and social cues and body language. Conclusion: Anecdotally Wolf’s experiences suggest that people with ASD enjoy using a virtual world and may feel more comfortable communicating in the virtual world context than the physical world. Virtual worlds offer a venue for people with ASD to be a part of a virtual society, lowers communication barriers experienced in the physical world, and gives the participant a unique opportunity to create and maintain friendships. Virtual worlds offer an arena for people with ASD to meet their peers on equal terms, not being dependent on social cues, which in the physical world can be a barrier for communication for this group. Further research in this area is required. Implications for Rehabiliation People with autism spectrum disorder enjoy using a virtual world and may feel more comfortable communicating in the virtual world context than the physical world. Virtual worlds offer a venue for people with autism spectrum disorder to be a part of a virtual society. Virtual worlds offer an arena for people with autism spectrum disorder to meet their peers on equal terms, not being dependent on social cues, which in the physical world can be a barrier for this group.

Social Affordances for People with Lifelong Disability through Using Virtual Worlds

In the information age, information and communication technology (ICT) is an asset for supporting people with disability to participate and be included in society. Research indicates that virtual worlds may help this group to gain independence and improve social participation. The aim of the present research was to explore the role that virtual worlds play in facilitating people with disability to experience a self-perceived improvement of social participation, independence and well-being. Using qualitative methods our results indicate that people with lifelong disability perceive that they reach a larger and more diverse network through the use of virtual worlds. Based on identified Quality of Life factors, we found that people with lifelong disability perceived that they obtained increased independence, social participation and well-being. The social affordances offered by virtual worlds are promising for improving these identified factors. This area of research warrants further empirical investigation to understand the implications in a broader social context.

Analyzing the Concept of Affordances in Information Systems

The affordance concept has penetrated the Information Systems (IS) scholarship as a lens for theorizing the relationship between technology and its users. However, what exactly is it that the researchers are trying to capture when they use this concept? For this essay, we carefully read IS literature to reveal underlying assumptions behind this lens and how it has been adopted. This article reveals three assumptions: 1) whether affordances are identified as intended prior use or emerging in action, 2) whether affordances are functional or non-functional, and 3) whether affordances are potential or actual. We dig into these assumptions and suggest alternatives for further enquiry.

Mutual informing between IS Academia and Practice: Insights from KIWISR-5

Publishers version of an article published in the journal: Communications of the Association for Information Systems. Also available from the publisher at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol29/iss1/7

When Is an Affordance? Outlining Four Stances

Affordance has emerged as a core concept in information systems (IS) research during the last decade. This relational concept is applied to understand and theorize the relationship between the social and the technical. In the works of the concept originator James Gibson, the relation was mainly portrayed as an ever-existing fact between the natural environment and an animal. In contrast, IS research focuses on relationships in-the-making between artificial things and human beings. In the IS context, we have identified vagueness in temporal and relational ontology: when do affordances exist and between whom or what? In this paper, we delve into the temporal and relational questions that have been omitted in much of the IS literature. What kind of a relationship is an affordance and when does it occur? Based on our hermeneutic understanding, we identify four stances from the existing literature. We classify those stances as canonical affordance, designed affordance, potential affordance, and affordance as completed action. We further argue that each stance has its own assumptions, consequences, and thus strengths and weaknesses.

Capabilities and Affordances of Virtual Worlds for People with Lifelong Disability

Using technology is of great value for people with lifelong disability (PWLD). The Internet can help PWLD to be more independent, to be socially active, and to participate in a range of activities. Virtual worlds (VWs) offer an environment with technology capabilities for interaction, rendering, and communication. The ability to take advantage of these capabilities may depend on the technology and the ability of the person utilizing it. Using a qualitative study we aimed to explore the differences of ability required to use these capabilities and make capabilities into affordances for PWLD. We found there were differences in PWLD’s ability to utilize the capabilities offered and conclude there is a need for standards for universal design to create sustainable VWs suitable for all.

The Effect of Virtual Team Membership Change on Social Identity Development: A Case from Higher Education in Norway

This research attempts to address the question, what factors may influence the perceptions and development of a group social identity on a new virtual team? Of particular interest are prior experiences with virtual team environments, experience with virtual team technology, and other organizational and contextual factors that may be relevant. This research makes use of a natural field experiment and qualitative study on two university colleges that make use of virtual teams and communication. One university college had previously undergone a merger while the other had not. The findings indicate that the previous merger for the one university college still plays a part in how much the employees feel like one unit and perceive their performance and conflict. There is a need to focus on training of virtual team members to ensure appropriate utilization of the technology to enable social identity development.