Interactive frames constructed in Second Life meetings: a study in educational and professional settings

Based on the analysis of “real” Second Life meetings data, in educational and professional settings, our objective is to understand the actual uses of this kind of Virtual World and more particularly, the interactive frames constructed in SL meetings and their interrelation with uses of communication media. The originality of our analytical framework stems from the combination of two perspectives: a third view perspective based on analyses of observational data and a first view perspective based on users’ reports on their experience in SL. Our results highlight: boundaries between serious and recreational registers; avatar’s expression and attribution of feelings to the person “behind”; spatial positioning as indicators and constructors of roles and engagement; management of communication fluidity and joint focus; narrowing of communication media used for task focus content; emerging mediation role for management of fractured exchanges.