GARCIA, A.C.B.; VIVACQUA, A. Should I stay or should I go? Managing Brazilian WhatsApp groups. FIRST MONDAY (ONLINE), V. 26, p.1 – 32, 2021. doi: 10.5210/fm.v26i2.10641
Should I stay or should I go? Managing Brazilian WhatsApp groups
Authors
- Ana Cristina Bicharra Garcia (UNIRIO)
- Adriana Vivacqua (UFRJ)
Abstract
Instant messaging (IM) technology enables individuals to connect and maintain relationships with friends, family and colleagues, keeping participants updated on subjects of interest. It has rapidly become widespread in many countries and even been used for political activism. IM enables rapid, informal interaction between participants, but can generate message overload and notification fatigue, which leads to the adoption of different strategies to handle this problem. In this paper we report on an empirical study focused on the management of IM groups: reasons for joining or leaving, and the strategies adopted to manage the information flow. We distributed a survey that was answered by 442 WhatsApp users in Brazil. Answers help us understand the ways in which participants cope with message overload.
Keywords: whatsapp, individual behavior, social media, communication, group behavior
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v26i2.10641