Issues and Concepts in Research on Computer-Mediated Communication Systems

Abstract

Computers and telecommunications networks have converged to provide a new category of communication media: computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS). The increasing development and application of these systems is matched by increasing research concerning their uses and implications. However, it is often difficult to integrate this body of research across disciplines, technologies, and research processes. Further, such research is often too narrowly focused. This chapter suggests four dimensions of research—stakeholders, goals, analytical domain, and tools—that scholars may use to guide and expand future studies of CMCS.