Mobile ambient presence

What is it about?

We are exploring "mobile ambient presence" (MAP) as an approach to sustaining unobtrusive social connection. Prior research has shown that ambient technology can support connectedness by conveying social presence. Since mobile devices are typically always-on and often in peripheral vision, they are candidate ambient displays that might convey presence. We tested a MAP app for tablet computers, finding that it sustained connection in two settings where high-fidelity communication media were considered intrusive. In this paper we discuss the advantages and challenges of mobile ambient presence and the contexts in which it could be put to use.

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