Computermediated Communication

Computermediated communication (CMC) refers to the exchange of messages via computer technologies, as opposed to face-to-face communication. It includes familiar technologies, such as e-mail or telephony; less common, but also popular technologies, such as video conferencing, instant messaging (IM; exchanging short text messages), and blogging (writing in an online diary); and a wide variety of less familiar tools. CMC allows people to communicate at a distance, across both space and time. These technologies can alter the ways that people converse with one another in both positive and negative ways. It is important to group processes and intergroup relations in two ways: First, the use of CMC instead of face-to-face conversation can alter the ways that people interact with each other, affecting such things as group ...