ABSTRACT
The mediation process has been rapidly evolving to adapt to the virtual environment, resulting in the creation of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) systems that have increasingly diverged from in-person dispute resolution processes. Despite these developments, intercultural mediation research has implicitly assumed the use of face-to-face communication. This chapter discusses the implications of the interface of the virtual environment—known as the fourth-party culture—with the cultural preferences of the mediator and the disputants. It highlights the uncertainty concerning how individuals adjust their negotiation behavior in response to the fourth party. To add further complexity, culture is a major variable affecting individuals’ adaptation of their behavior to the online environment. Nevertheless, the jury is still out as to whether the conventional intercultural differences will continue to be reflected in the online setting. In light of this uncertainty, the online mediator cannot generalize on how all disputants will behave in the online setting or assume that conventional cultural preferences will continue to be manifested in the virtual environment. Designers of ODR systems will also benefit from greater awareness of cultural variations in online behavior.
