Less Than Human: How Different Users of Telepresence Robots Expect Different Social Norms

Does the norm of first-come-first-serve (FCFS) equally apply to those piloting a Mobile Remote Presence (MRP) system as to those who are physically present with it? While telepresence robots could make social interactions more accessible and enjoyable for geographically-constrained individuals, such an outcome requires both pilots and local users of MRPs to share the same social norm expectations that govern their use. To address this question, we conducted an online study (N = 903) involving simulated human-MRP interaction scenarios. Our results suggest that those remotely piloting the MRP-rather than local users-assign the robot to a lower social priority; they find it more appropriate when local users ignore queue order than when pilots ignore queue order. Furthermore, we provide significant empirical evidence that local users expect different social norms to be upheld depending on how they perceive the robot. Those who perceive MRPs simply as robots-rather than an extension of a person-do not expect the FCFS norm to be respected for MRPs.