Disconnecting to Connect: Developing Postconnectivist Tactics for Mobile and Networked Technical Communication

ABSTRACT

In a networked society, humans are connected through mobile devices to always-on networks, and these technologies merge with us in new ways. In this environment, studying human-networked interactions involves an expanded type of usability. In this article, we argue that a key component of usability is how humans connect and disconnect from these networks. For this reason, the authors advocate studying how users connect and disconnect between online and offline contexts in their everyday life. Such an effort involves questioning our assumptions about the role of connection in usability and introduces methodological issues in studying these processes. These shifts require our research to be more multidisciplinary and more methodologically demanding, with major implications for the portability and durability of technical communication research.

KEYWORDS:

• Connection
• mobility
• networks
• usability
• user experience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. This is a big issue to study; a deeper exploration of these other disciplines goes beyond the scope of this essay in favor of particular tactics to consider some of these elements.

2. Here we note there are more tactics to employ in research methodologies, design processes, and usability studies that we are not addressing in this article due to limits of space.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gustav Verhulsdonck

Gustav Verhulsdonck is an assistant professor in the Business Information Systems Department at Central Michigan University. His research focuses on how social networks, mobility, and global contexts impact user experience design and communication.

James Melton

James Melton is a professor in the Business Information Systems Department at Central Michigan University. He teaches courses in business communication, intercultural communication, and social media. His current research focuses on human engagement with information technologies.

Vishal Shah

Vishal Shah is an assistant professor of Information Systems at Central Michigan University. His research interests include technology and learning, IT in healthcare, IS pedagogy, social media, and information warfare.