ABSTRACT
Much is expected of video-mediated communication. Many people who need to instruct, negotiate, or otherwise coordinate human action are finding this technology powerfully seductive. Yet, in practice, this apparently most vivid medium of communication has not lived up to users’ expectations. This chapter by Kato and colleagues reminds us of why the task of mediating communication with video is so daunting: It reminds us of the complexity inherent in routine conversation. Indeed it is sobering to reflect on our limited intuitions about the conduct of such interpersonal exchange—so limited that we come to expect unproblematic reproduction of the experience with face-on-face recording technologies.
