Introduction to Computer-Mediated Communication

   Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has evolved from text-based interaction to using streaming video as a method of interpersonal communication. As technology develops, the concept of CMC continually expands. Although the technology changes, interactivity remains a key reason why Internet communication supports interpersonal communication. Behind all Internet communication is people communicating with others, either directly or through software design. Internet interactivity occurs as interpersonal interactivity, informational interactivity, and human-computer interaction (HCI).

   Today, information interactivity transpires through the Web, which adds a graphical interface to the Internet. The Web combines elements of informational interactivity with interpersonal interactivity because increasingly older CMC genres such as chat and discussion groups are being integrated into Web sites. HCI is the way people interact with their computers, and it is based on human communication and behavior patterns. Programmers design interfaces to be conversational. Moreover, computers are such a new technology that people often react to computers in the same way they react to other people. With the introduction of intelligent-agent software and voice recognition programs, computer interaction is becoming even closer to human conversation. In the future, it will become increasingly difficult to distinguish between interpersonal interactivity and HCI on the Internet.

   It is difficult to imagine living in a world without the Internet. Over the past thirty years, the Internet has changed the way people work, learn, play, and communicate. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has evolved from text-based interaction to graphical virtual environments. Although the technology keeps advancing, conversation styles used on the Internet today are based on earlier text-based interactions. For instance, language conventions used in multi-user dungeon (MUD) games and Internet relay chat (IRC) are now used by teenagers who share instant messages. To fully understand the nature of CMC, students need to explore past and present online genres, while keeping an eye out for future developments.

   Since the introduction of the Internet, computer-mediated communication has developed a variety of genres. These include electronic mail, discussion groups, chat, MUDs, instant messenger (IM), and the World Wide Web (Web). Today, these genres keep expanding with the integration of computers and wireless technologies.

   From older CMC genres, newer ones emerge. For instance, IRC has been incorporated into Web-based chat. Instead of logging on and typing information to join an Internet channel, people now click on a button with the mouse. Although the tools are different, the process of chatting with others remains the same. Similarly, discussion lists have been incorporated into Web design. Web sites, such as that of the New York Times, include areas for reader discussions. Many of you are already familiar with the ways in which the Web has incorporated a variety of CMC capabilities.