Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Text-based interaction among humans connected via computer networks, such as takes place via e-mail on the Internet and in synchronous modes such as "chat", MUDs and MOOs, has attracted considerable popular and scholarly attention. This collection of 14 articles on text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) brings empirical evidence from a variety of disciplinary perspectives to bear on questions raised by the new medium. The first section, linguistic perspectives, addresses the question of how CMC compares with speaking and writing, and describes its structural characteristics. Section Two, on social and ethical perspectives, explores conflicts between the interests of groups and those of individual users, including issues of on-line sex and sexism. In the third section, cross-cultural perspectives, the advantages and risks of using CMC to communicate across cultures are examined in three studies involving users in East Asia and Mexico, and students of ethnically diverse backgrounds in remedial writing classes in the United States. The final section deals with the effects of CMC on group interaction: in a women's studies mailing list, a hierarchically-organized workplace, and a public protest on the Internet against corporate interests. The book also includes a bibliography with nearly 200 references to published research on CMC.