Presented February 26, 2013 at CSCW in San Antonio, TX. Reynolds, L., Smith, M.E., Birnholtz, J., Hancock, J. Butler Lies From Both Sides: Actions and Perceptions of Unavailability Management in Texting, To be presented at the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2013), February 23-27, 2013.

1. Butler Lies From Both Sides
Actions and Perceptions of Unavailability
Management in Texting
Lindsay Madeline Jeremy Jeff
Reynolds Smith Birnholtz Hancock
Cornell CSCW 2013 Northwestern
University San Antonio, TX University

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Availability Management
Activities and social processes
related to initiating, concluding,
or coordinating social interaction.

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Background
Availability Management
• Butlers served to manage our availability
• Now often managed through technology

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Butler Messages
Text messages sent to manage
one’s availability or unavailability.

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Unavailability Management
• Constant connectivity is often assumed
• Can be useful for coordination
• People also seek to avoid communication
• Deception is a strategy for availability management
[Perry et al., 2001; Turkle, 2011; Vanden Abeele & Roe, 2008; Weilenmann, 2003]

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Butler Lies
Deceptive butler messages;
deceptive text messages sent to
manage one’s (un)availability.

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Butler Lies
• Used to avoid social
interaction or explain a
communication failure
• Exploit ambiguities in
online communication
• Depend on norms and
technological features
• Serve to maintain
relationships

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Research Questions
1. What are the actual and perceived rates of lying
in text messaging?
2. How accurate are receivers when predicting
which messages are deceptive?
3. What is the emotional impact of telling and
being told butler lies?

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I really didn’t have to I bet she didn’t really
work that day... have to work...
Sender Receiver
Oh, I would love to,
but I have to work this
afternoon, sorry!

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I really didn’t have to I bet she didn’t really
work that day... have to work...
Receiver
Sender Receiver
Oh, I would love to,
but I have to work this
afternoon, sorry!

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RQ1: Actual Rate of Lying

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RQ1: Perceived Lying Rate

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RQ2: Prediction Accuracy

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RQ2: Prediction Accuracy
Truthful messages falsely perceived as deceptive
I bet she had her phone just
mentally texted back
Hii sorry I didn't
have ym hpone
Sender Receiver

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RQ2: Prediction Accuracy
Deceptive messages accurately detected
I was not yet near the door. i I don't think he was actually
could see it... but I was still about 50 walking in the door. I think he was a
yards from being there. little further away.
I'm walking in the
upstairs door now
Sender Receiver

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RQ2: Prediction Accuracy
Deceptive messages accurately detected
I couldn’t respond she had time to eat two
to several texts from this person different leisurely lunches with
while doing my worksheet, but I friends as she later told me but not
responded to texts from some 10 seconds to text me back?
other people
ok sry 4 my horrible
txting abilities i am
done that awful wrk
sheet!
Sender Receiver

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RQ3: Emotional Impact
For detected lies

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RQ3: Emotional Impact
For detected lies

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RQ3: Emotional Impact
Senders often felt worse than receivers
there was a problem i
had to help my family with but an emergency can be interpreted
saying emergency might be a bit in many different ways
extreme
3 fam emergency. 1
text u in a lil
Sender Receiver

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RQ3: Emotional Impact
Sometimes neither sender nor receiver felt bad
I was not yet near the door. i I don't think he was actually
could see it... but I was still about 50 walking in the door. I think he was a
yards from being there. little further away.
1 I'm walking in the 1
upstairs door now
Sender Receiver

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Summary of Findings
• Butler lies occur more frequently than other lies
• Receivers expect that they are being lied to
• Receivers are worse at detecting butler lies
• Senders feel worse about deceptions

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Design Implications
• Social value of butler lies
• Plausibility threatened by
additional information
• Not taken at face value
• Allow for more discretion
[Aoki & Woodruff, 2005; Reynolds et al., 2011]

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Limitations & Future Work

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Lindsay Madeline Jeremy Jeff
Reynolds Smith Birnholtz Hancock
socialmedia.northwestern.edu sml.comm.cornell.edu
This work was partially funded by NSF (Award #0915081) and made possible by
valuable research assistance from Jon Culver, Mark Thomas, and Jin Zhao.