Re: computer mediated communications

Luana Lisandro (luana@tartarus.uwa.edu.au)
24 May 1995 05:02:48 GMT

michael.volland@student.uni-tuebingen.de wrote:
: Hi

: Does anybody know cultural anthropologists who does research about
: computer mediated communications?
: I would be especially interessted in researches about the fido-net or
: other hobby-nets or the private aspects of CMC, the every-day-liver
: of people who live in an online-world....

There are lots of people online... try doing an engine search on 'computer
mediated communication'... if you like I can send you the http addresses
that I have collected on the subject... there is _CMC_ (computer
mediated communication), which is an online magazine that is solely
devoted to the subject...

There is also a new online magazine called _Topothesia_, this magazine
is also devoted to the culture of technology and is edited by many people
(with contact http's) on CMC...

Also, try this book:

Jones, Steven G. (ed) 1995 _CyberSociety: Computer-Mediated
Communitcation and Community_ Sage Publications, 241 pages.

This book examines 'online communities,' and is a completation of many
people working in the area of CMC, especially, Elizabeth Reid who
contributes a chapter entitled 'Virtual Worlds: Culture and Imagination'
on MUDs.

Here are a number of theses (all can be downloaded from the WWW):

Byrne, Elizabeth 1994 _The Formation of Relationships on Internet
Relay Chat_
Honours thesis, Univ of Western Sydney, Dept
of Humanities and Social Sciences.

(btw, her empirical research was done on a
specific irc channel - #aussies - they are one
of the oldest channels in irc and have formed
very strong relationships with people who
are regulars on the channels. They are also
a very exclusive channel, not being listed on a
the irc list command. So it would be interesting
to see if her research holds up for other channels.)

North, Tim 1994 _The Internet and Usenet Global Computer Networks:
An investigation of their culture and its effects on
new users_
Masters thesis, Curtin University of Technology (Western
Australia)

Reid, Elizabeth M. 1991 _Electropolis: Communication and Community
on Internet Relay Chat_
Honours thesis, Univ of Melbourne, Dept of
History.

(This has become a classic study. She has also
written a masters thesis on MUDs.)

Vincent, Cheryl 1992 _Collegiality in Cyberspace, case studies in
computer mediated communication_
Masters thesis, Univ of Tasmania.

There is also an online database on CMC, which contains irc/chats (logged
sessions on historical events, such as the Gulf War etc), published
thesis etc...

If you want more just email me...

Regards,
Luana

--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Luana Lisandro  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

University of Western Australia |    "There is no system that has not

email: luana@tartarus.uwa.edu.au| another system concealed within it."

                                | "Art & Lies" by Jeanette Winterson