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Negotiating the Accessibility of Help : Signposting and Boundary Work in Social Services’ Online Interactions

Thell, Nataliya LU (2025) In Social Inclusion 13.
Abstract
Easy, low‐threshold access is widely regarded as a major advantage of online services. In Sweden, several municipalities are striving to increase the accessibility of their social services by responding to anonymous users online. This article considers the nature of the accessibility of these online services. Two online platforms were studied: (quasi‐)synchronous online chats and asynchronous online enquiry forms. Online chat logs and question form exchanges were closely analysed using conversation analysis. Accessibility of online services was approached through the concept of boundary work, focusing on how social workers navigate the constraints of what they can and cannot do when responding to anonymous users online. The analysis... (More)
Easy, low‐threshold access is widely regarded as a major advantage of online services. In Sweden, several municipalities are striving to increase the accessibility of their social services by responding to anonymous users online. This article considers the nature of the accessibility of these online services. Two online platforms were studied: (quasi‐)synchronous online chats and asynchronous online enquiry forms. Online chat logs and question form exchanges were closely analysed using conversation analysis. Accessibility of online services was approached through the concept of boundary work, focusing on how social workers navigate the constraints of what they can and cannot do when responding to anonymous users online. The analysis revealed that users seeking personalised advice or requesting immediate interventions were redirected to instead contact the local social services in person. When directing users to seek help elsewhere, social workers invoked constraints in their online role to account for not providing the requested help. The study’s findings are discussed in terms of the unmet expectations of online users due to limitations in the remit of online social workers. Although online facilities made social workers technically accessible, the range of services available online was limited to providing information and general guidance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
accessibility, conversation analysis, institutional boundaries, online interaction, organisational remit, signposting, social services
in
Social Inclusion
volume
13
publisher
Cogitatio Press
ISSN
2183-2803
DOI
10.17645/si.10465
project
Social guidance on the Internet: professional challenges, strategies and practices
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e0fa2d45-c4d9-4d46-84e6-8e2635fadf94
date added to LUP
2025-08-28 09:23:52
date last changed
2025-08-28 14:35:37
@article{e0fa2d45-c4d9-4d46-84e6-8e2635fadf94,
  abstract     = {{Easy, low‐threshold access is widely regarded as a major advantage of online services. In Sweden, several municipalities are striving to increase the accessibility of their social services by responding to anonymous users online. This article considers the nature of the accessibility of these online services. Two online platforms were studied: (quasi‐)synchronous online chats and asynchronous online enquiry forms. Online chat logs and question form exchanges were closely analysed using conversation analysis. Accessibility of online services was approached through the concept of boundary work, focusing on how social workers navigate the constraints of what they can and cannot do when responding to anonymous users online. The analysis revealed that users seeking personalised advice or requesting immediate interventions were redirected to instead contact the local social services in person. When directing users to seek help elsewhere, social workers invoked constraints in their online role to account for not providing the requested help. The study’s findings are discussed in terms of the unmet expectations of online users due to limitations in the remit of online social workers. Although online facilities made social workers technically accessible, the range of services available online was limited to providing information and general guidance.}},
  author       = {{Thell, Nataliya}},
  issn         = {{2183-2803}},
  keywords     = {{accessibility; conversation analysis; institutional boundaries; online interaction; organisational remit; signposting; social services}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  publisher    = {{Cogitatio Press}},
  series       = {{Social Inclusion}},
  title        = {{Negotiating the Accessibility of Help : Signposting and Boundary Work in Social Services’ Online Interactions}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/si.10465}},
  doi          = {{10.17645/si.10465}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}