Getting the Feel: Email Usage in a Nonprofit Community Organization in a Low-Income Community

Abstract

Through in-depth interviews of 26 employees, this study examined how social norms and values influence email usage in a nonprofit organization in a low-income urban community. Although adequate technical infrastructure was in place, a shared norm on getting a feel in social interactions reinforced face-to-face communication as the primary mode of communication among members. This norm, coupled with a lack of computer literacy and of technical support, led to low email usage and slow adaptation to external technological change. These findings revealed the importance of improving members' technical competence to experience a feel in computer-mediated communication before initiating changes in technology use.

Keywords:

• Communication Technology
• Digital Divide
• Media Richness
• Social Influence

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sharon M. Shafrir

Sharon M. Shafrir (M.S., Cornell University, 2008) is a business manager at Temple Sinai.

Y. Connie Yuan

Y. Connie Yuan (Ph.D., University of Southern California, 2004) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Cornell University.