Visual Discussion as Part of Internal Organization Communication—Functions and Significance

Abstract

Among an increasingly remote workforce due to COVID-19 pandemic, sharing photographs as part of internal communication has become something of a paradigm. In this article, exchanging primarily photographs and other quick visual artifacts, such as animated images and short videos, is considered a form of visual discussion among the work community. With a vast and diverse range of official and unofficial internal communication channels, this article focuses on three organizations, their internal communication channels and the visual discussions occurring therein. The semi-structured group interviews and qualitative thematic analysis we conducted shed light on the functions of photographs in different workplaces. The results demonstrate how visual discussions are heavily dependent on the context and nature of the work in question. In official channels, the most important functions of shared photographs are task-related and relevant to such issues as instructing, teaching, safety at work and emphasizing the message to be communicated. Photographs can also have a feeling-driven aspect that includes goals such as raising team spirit and employee commitment. Moreover, photographs are also shared in somewhat obscure unofficial channels with functions related to humour and concerning a common interest or hobby.

Keywords

• visual discussion
• internal communication
• photography
• workplace practices
• photographic functions