Me versus we: How group detachment and social presence shape integration strategies in short-term technology-mediated groups

Abstract

The adoption of ICTs for facilitating interactions can create barriers for those who identify as outsiders in technology-mediated groups. We use an experiment to investigate how outsiders pursue social integration strategies, including group assimilation and resistance, to empower themselves in short-term technology-mediated groups. We find the effectiveness of detached group members depends on the social integration strategies they employ and the social presence offered by the communication technologies they use. Our findings demonstrate that group members who are already feeling detached from others can become even more detached — indeed marginalized — when their group shifts to technology-mediated communications. They can improve their personal effectiveness by altering their social integration strategies and the technology being used to facilitate communication. This study has important theoretical and practical implications for outsiders’ social inclusion and effectiveness in short-term technology-mediated groups.