Licoppe2012a
Licoppe2012a | |
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BibType | ARTICLE |
Key | Licoppe2012a |
Author(s) | Christian Licoppe, Julien Morel |
Title | Video-in-interaction: “talking heads” and the multimodal organization of mobile and Skype video calls |
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Tag(s) | EMCA |
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Year | 2012 |
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Journal | Research on Language and Social Interaction |
Volume | 45 |
Number | 4 |
Pages | 399–429 |
URL | Link |
DOI | 10.1080/08351813.2012.724996 |
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Abstract
In this article, we report a study of the uses of mobile video telephony based on the collection and analysis of naturally occurring mobile and Skype video exchanges, with a focus on camera motions. We provide evidence for a set of phenomena characteristic of the organization of “video-in-interaction”: (a) mobile and Skype video calls are patterned, often alternating between a “talking heads” arrangement, in which both participants are on-screen and facing the camera, and moments in which they are producing various shots of their environment in line with their current interactional purposes; (b) openings occur almost always in the talking heads arrangement; (c) the video images on either side are produced and expected to be scrutinized with respect to their relevance to the ongoing interaction; (d) the talking heads arrangement is oriented to a default mode of interaction, with the implication that when there is nothing else relevant to show, the participants should show themselves on-screen; (e) in multiparty interactions, the party who is handling the video communication apparatus has an obligation to put other speakers on-screen when they talk, and the video callers orient to their appearance on-screen as making a distinctive participation status relevant. We show how these phenomena all derive from an orientation toward a single maxim, “put the face of the current speaker on-screen,” which plays a foundational role in the organization of video-in-interaction and its articulation with that of talk-in-interaction.
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