Creating the Water Cooler: Virtual Workers' Discursive Practices of Gossip

Abstract

This study examined the communicative practice of gossip among virtual employees. Based on interviews with virtual workers, the study found that these workers explained their gossip as gathering necessary work information, building relationships, and venting. Further, the study finds that virtual workers signal gossip explicitly through invitation, and they make use of privacy clauses and purpose statements for the talk. The article concludes with implications for studying communicative practices in virtual organizations.