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Online dispute resolution: Theory and practice of the fourth party
Author(s) -
Rifkin Janet
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
conflict resolution quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.323
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1541-1508
pISSN - 1536-5581
DOI - 10.1002/crq.3890190109
Subject(s) - mediation , negotiation , online dispute resolution , dispute mechanism , conflict resolution , dispute resolution , interpersonal communication , alternative dispute resolution , public relations , grounded theory , conflict management , face (sociological concept) , resolution (logic) , facilitation , party directed mediation , social psychology , sociology , political science , psychology , law , computer science , qualitative research , social science , artificial intelligence
10.1002/crq.3890190109.abs As more and more social and commercial activity takes place online, it is inevitable that conflicts will arise in online spaces and that new electronic tools for dispute resolution will be necessary. Yet we actually know very little about the nature of disputing and dispute resolution in these settings. The theory and practice of mediation are grounded in an understanding and analysis of conflict and communication that assumes that people will come together in a physical space to negotiate their differences. The strategic interventions that mediators utilize in such cases emerge from their assessment of what tactics would be most effective for conflict management, facilitation, and resolution in light of the unfolding interpersonal dynamics among the parties who are literally “at the table.” This article considers what happens when mediation takes place in settings in which there is no face‐to‐face meeting, when mediation takes place not through the medium of talk but through the written word.