Abstract
Message deletion in mobile messaging apps allows people to “unsay” things they have said. This paper explores how and why people use (or do not use) this feature within remediation strategies after a communication error is identified. We present findings from a multi-stage survey designed to explore people’s general experiences of the message deletion feature (N = 401), peoples’ experiences of using this feature during the remediation of an error (N = 70), and receivers’ perceptions around recent message deletions (N = 68). While people are typically aware of the deletion feature, it is infrequently used. When used, it is primarily done so to improve conversations by reducing confusion between conversation partners. We found people being aware of message deletions creating information-gaps which can provoke curiosity in recipients, causing them to develop narratives to help address the uncertainty. We found concerns amongst senders that these narratives would be of a negative nature, having an undesirable impact on how others perceive them. We use our findings to suggest ways in which mobile messaging apps could improve conversational experiences around erroneous and regrettable messages.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’21) |
Place of Publication | New York |
Publisher | ACM |
Pages | 1-13 |
Number of pages | 13 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781450380966 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 6 May 2021 |
Event | ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2021) - Online, Yokohama, Japan Duration: 8 May 2021 → 13 May 2021 https://chi2021.acm.org/ https://chi2021.acm.org |
Publication series
Name | Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |
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Publisher | ACM |
Conference
Conference | ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2021) |
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Abbreviated title | CHI 2021 |
Country/Territory | Japan |
City | Yokohama |
Period | 8/05/21 → 13/05/21 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- mobile messaging
- messaging apps
- message deletion
- regrettable messages
- global delete
- unsent messages
- errors in communication
- messaging errors
- delete notification
- delete indicator