Text-Centered versus Multimodal Analysis of Instant Messaging Conversation

The primary objective of this study is to show the methodological benefits of a multimodal analysis of computer-mediated discussions. In order to go beyond the limits of a text-centered analysis, this study takes the kinesic behaviors of participants into account. An analysis of nonverbal communication, facial expression, and the relationship between text and kinesic behaviors in video recordings of four instant messaging discussions reveals that some kinesic behaviors can be seen as markers of engagement in interaction, even though an instant messaging discussion is not really interactive. Moreover, analyzing the kinesic behaviors of the participants shows that linear transcripts of the discussion generated by computer software hide many overlap phenomena. Finally, observation of the participants' facial expressions permits a more precise analysis of the emotional dimension of the discussion and highlights the discrepancy between text and nonverbal behaviors. Adapted from the source document