Innovation and Hybrid Genres: Disturbing Social Rhythm in Legal Practice

This paper explores the non-adoption of an innovation via the concept of hybrid genres, that is digitalgenres that emerge from a non-digital material precedent. As instances of innovation these are often resisted because they disturb the order of activity and balance of power relations in a given situation, or require users to make conceptual and physical adaptation efforts that they consider too costly. The authors investigate such issues with a case study of the introduction of a hybrid digital genre, ODR or online dispute resolution, in legal practice.