ABSTRACT
SUMMARY This chapter focuses on how various attributes of communication media can help explain some applications of electronic mail and voice mail that go beyond the simple substitution of applications that would otherwise occur via traditional media. The chapter uses data from surveys, observations, interviews, openended questions, and focus group transcripts to consider some of these uses, some contingent conditions that affect these uses, and some of the consequencesboth positive and negative-that are associated with these uses. We suggest that some of the attributes of these new media provide opportunities for new forms of organizational communication.
