Explicating Affordances: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Affordances in Communication Research

2016/12/26 by Sandra K. Evans, Katy E. Pearce, Jessica Vitak +1 · 1 voice · 12 citations
Computer Science · Engineering · Social Sciences · #Design Education and Practice #Information Systems Theories and Implementation #Open Source Software Innovations

paper · doi:10.1111/jcc4.12180

openalex publication_date 2016/12/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

This study aims to clarify inconsistencies regarding the term affordances by examining how affordances terminology is used in empirical research on communication and technology. Through an analysis of 82 communication-oriented scholarly works on affordances, we identify 3 inconsistencies regarding the use of this term. First, much research describes a particular affordance without engaging other scholarship addressing that affordance. Second, several studies identify “lists” of affordances without conceptually developing individual affordances within those lists. Third, the affordances perspective is evoked in situations where the purported affordance does not meet commonly accepted definitions. We conclude with a set of criteria to aid scholars in evaluating their assumptions about affordances and to facilitate a more consistent approach to its conceptualization and application.

Citations

• Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Collaboration
• Technologies, Texts and Affordances
• Information Technology and the Changing Fabric of Organization
• To Reveal or Not to Reveal: A Theoretical Model of Anonymous Communication
• When Flexible Routines Meet Flexible Technologies: Affordance, Constraint, and the Imbrication of Human and Material Agencies1

Cited by

• Just the tip of the iceberg? State of the art of coordinated social media manipulation research
• Latent communicative figurations: mapping quasi-visible strategic relational structures on Facebook
• Radicalization and the internet: 25 years of (online) radicalization research
• Unprinted
• Opportunities for extremism: a comparative study of German far-right social movement networks on Twitter/X, Telegram, and Gettr
• The Unforeseen Catalyst?
• Social media platforms and the spreading of hate speech targeting sexual and gender minorities: a scoping review
• Hysteria in empathy: Understanding virtual companionship and emotional connection between humans and Al
• Theorizing Self Visibility on Social Media: A Visibility Objects Lens
• The Sisyphean Cycle of Technology Panics
• Vitality structures in ‘addictive’ game design
• Beyond the Screen: A Meta-Analysis of How Tracking Levels, Age, and Issue Relevance Shape the Effectiveness of Immersive Media in Health Communication

Discussions

• You're probably aware of this paper but I think it has some reasonable answers doi.org/10.1111/jcc4... [bsky, 1 points, 1 comments]

Related

• What is affordance theory and how can it be used in communication research?
• Theorizing Affordances: From Request to Refuse
• The affordance hypothesis
• ‘Do your own research': affordance activation and disinformation spread
• The risk of trivializing affordances: mental and cognitive affordances examined