Abstract visualization of social information

This is an excellent paper exploring how socially relevant information is transmitted and depicted by computer mediation. In particular it advocates the use of “social proxies” which are minimalist graphical representations of the online presence and activities of people. Lots of social cues are typically lost in computer-mediated communication environments. The symbolic displays shown convey this socially meaningful information in a reasonably compact manner which might be useful for mobile groups.

Social Translucence: Using Minimalist Visualizations of Social Activity to Support Collective Interaction, 2002
Thomas Erickson and Wendy A. Kellogg
[Full-text pdf]