research-article

Indebtedness and reciprocity in local online exchange

Authors:

Vilma Lehtinen,

Emmi SuhonenAuthors Info & Claims

CSCW '13: Proceedings of the 2013 conference on Computer supported cooperative work

Pages 661 - 672

https://doi.org/10.1145/2441776.2441850

Published: 23 February 2013 Publication History

Abstract

Many existing and emerging online systems allow people to share content and coordinate the exchange of goods and favors in local geographic settings. We present a qualitative case study of user experiences concerning exchange and reciprocity in local online exchange. Findings from eleven in-depth interviews (containing forty-nine separate exchange experiences) reveal an aversion to indebtedness and several user behaviors that lessen these negative feelings: (1) offering small tokens of appreciation to exchange partners, (2) understanding and accepting the indirect nature of generalized exchange, (3) managing expectations by framing offers and requests carefully, (4) minimizing efforts needed in exchange processes, and (5) bartering and exchanging for a third party. The paper contributes to our understanding of emergent behaviors and norms in local online exchange systems. We discuss design implications from these empirical insights that can help alleviate the discomfort of indebtedness and better encourage and sustain participation in systems of indirect reciprocity.

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Index Terms

Indebtedness and reciprocity in local online exchange
1. Human-centered computing
2. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing and business

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cover image ACM Conferences

CSCW '13: Proceedings of the 2013 conference on Computer supported cooperative work

February 2013

1594 pages

ISBN:9781450313315

DOI:10.1145/2441776

General Chairs:
Amy Bruckman
Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
,
Scott Counts
Microsoft Research, USA
,
Program Chairs:
Cliff Lampe
University of Michigan, USA
,
Loren Terveen
University of Minnesota, USA

Copyright © 2013 ACM.

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Published: 23 February 2013

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686936
Jo JXie JAiyer PKnearem TCarroll J(2024)Infrastructuring Community Fridges for Food CommoningProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373528:CSCW1(1-27)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637352
Jo JXie JCarroll J(2024)Understanding and Balancing Trade-offs of Visibility in Support RequestsExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650978(1-8)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650978
Chong AYoo JCheshire C(2024)Perceptions of Fairness in Technology-Mediated MarketplacesProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642678(1-13)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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