Structuring a communication space on the Internet. Newsgroups, web sites and email - article ; n°2 ; vol.7, pg 183-222

Julia Velkovska, Valérie Baudouin

Description

Réseaux. The French journal of communication - Année 2000 - Volume 7 - Numéro 2 - Pages 183-222
Summary: In Internet communication, electronic writing is the only way to conduct relationships, in contrast to other communication situations such as telephone and face-to-face conversations. This means that participants are obliged to explain and manifest the structural elements of their interactions in writing. Written conversations have to formulate explicit substitutes for communication cues, such as tone of voice, body language and dress, that are implicit in everyday social interaction. From this point of view, the study of such conversations may throw some light on the mechanisms used for structuring social relations in general.
40 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Informations

• Publié par: RESEAUX-_THE_FRENCH_JOURNAL_OF_COMMUNICATION
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2000
• Nombre de lectures: 172
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Valérie Baudouin
Julia Velkovska
Pauline Ridel
Structuring a communication space on the Internet.
Newsgroups, web sites and email
In: Réseaux, 2000, volume 7 n°2. pp. 183-222.
Abstract
Summary: In Internet communication, electronic writing is the only way to conduct relationships, in contrast to other
communication situations such as telephone and face-to-face conversations. This means that participants are obliged to explain
and manifest the structural elements of their interactions in writing. Written conversations have to formulate explicit substitutes
for communication cues, such as tone of voice, body language and dress, that are implicit in everyday social interaction. From
this point of view, the study of such conversations may throw some light on the mechanisms used for structuring social relations
in general.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Baudouin Valérie, Velkovska Julia, Ridel Pauline. Structuring a communication space on the Internet. Newsgroups, web sites
and email. In: Réseaux, 2000, volume 7 n°2. pp. 183-222.
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/reso_0969-9864_2000_num_7_2_3354A STRUCTURING
COMMUNICATION SPACE ON
THE INTERNET
Newsgroups, web sites and email
Valérie BEAUDOUIN and Julia VELKOVSKA
Translated by Pauline Ridel
Summary: In Internet communication, electronic writing is the only
way to conduct relationships, in contrast to other communication situa
tions such as telephone and face-to-face conversations. This means that
participants are obliged to explain and manifest the structural elements
of their interactions in writing. Written conversations have to formulate
183 explicit substitutes for communication cues, such as tone of voice, body language
and dress, that are implicit in everyday social interaction. From this point of view,
the study of such conversations may throw some light on the mechanisms used for
structuring social relations in general. STRUCTURING A COMMUNICATION SPACE ON THE INTERNET
tured: written asynchronous exchanges,
3 STRUCTURING mediated by electronic networks, in the
framework of a newsgroup.
A COMMUNIC The successive use, in asynchronous news
group interactions, of other 'spaces' on the
Internet for self-presentation (personal web
ATION SPACE sites) and for exchanges (other newsgroups,
IRC, ICQ and email) seems to us to be one of
the defining characteristics of this communic
ON THE ation context. While we shall concentrate on
how interactions are organised in a news
group, we shall also try to bear in mind that INTERNET
this sub-system forms part of a broader area
of communication that we interpret as a 'par
Newsgroups, email web sites and ticipation framework' in the sense used by
Erving Goffman (1973 et seq.).
We shall therefore take the following ques
tions as our starting point: how do actors
organise their interactions in the newsgroups
and how do they use other network
resources in the process of constructing these
interactions?4
Valérie BEAUDOUIN and Julia The aim of our study is to shed some light on
VELKOVSKA the practical procedures employed by the
participants in a newsgroup to create a
shared space of mutual comprehension. In
other words, the objective is to examine the
construction of an intersubjective space, variety of information, commun
understood as 'the sharing of interpretations, ication and transaction systems
which is negotiated and established locally, are available on the Internet. To
within the exchange itself (Mondada, A gain a greater understanding of
1999:22). The structuring of such a space the mechanics of social exhanges on elec
imposes constraints on two levels on the contronic networks, we have chosen to examine
tributions the participants can make: the the media we consider most suitable for
interpretation of messages and the chaninteraction: personal web sites, as an aid to
nelling of behaviour. projecting a self-description, and the various
communication tools. The latter are either This way of defining the intersubjective
synchronous (real-time — IRC and ICQ2) or space leads us to make a close analysis of
asychronous (time-lagged — newsgroups, how it is structured in terms of 'activity
email and mailing lists). Access is either fully types' (Levinson, 1992). These activity types
open (newsgroups and IRC) semi-private function as schémas of pertinence identify
(mailing lists) or private (email and ICQ). ing what is happening, but they also impose
This article3 offers an analysis of how one contraints on the contributions that can be
particular type of communication is made.
185 BEAUDOUIN and Julia VELKOVSKA Valérie
Analysis of network interactions in terms of formatting of relationships between partici
activity types focuses on the practical proce pants.
dures used by actors to make their actions
intelligible. Thus the intersubjective space is The multiform communication
configured in the course of the interaction, space as an asynchronous
and at the same time this configuration pre-
participation framework formats the rest of the activity. Wilson has
this to say on the subject: 'The need for The multiform communication
sequential demonstration of understanding
space leads us to presuppose a continuity of pert
Our point of entry into this subject was an inences from the outset: the pertinent inter
NNTP format self-help newsgroup for subpretive schema does not need to be
scribers to Cyberia, an Internet service renegotiated each time; once it is established,
provider (ISP). The group is a public space for and so long as it has not been modified, it is
written discussion, which has a memory, as used as a resource; at the same time, it is
previous messages (posts) can be read by all reconfirmed at every stage, (Wilson, 1991: 25-
comers for at least a month. All visitors can 26).
read the posts organised in discussion
So we are led to consider the dual nature of threads, make a response in an existing
mediated social relations: they are on the one thread, and create a new thread by asking a
hand conditioned by a pre-existing state pro question or by making a contribution. Just as
duced by the previous exchanges of the in a public round table, or an eighteenth-cen
actors on the various platforms in the inter tury intellectual salon, there are different
active space (newsgroups, personal web types of participants: active contributors
sites, ICQ, IRC and email) and on the other who reply to questions and lead the discus
they are constantly reworked and reconfig sions; people who ask questions; and specta
ured during ongoing interactions within the tors who read the posts without responding.
group. We shall look at the linkage between Everyone can take on one role or another
these two facets of communication in one depending on the context. As there is an
particular context, an Internet newsgroup extremely large number of newsgroups, each
and its associated platforms, but the question devoted to a specific subject, there are broad
embraces the broader issue of all social rela areas of thematic overlap between the
tions: 'How to account for the fact that a groups. The same message or discussion
social relationship is both a pre-existing state thread may be posted in several groups deal
before interactions occur, which "formats" ing with subjects that are perceived as simil
them and is therefore a resource, and is also ar. This practice is called crossposting.
the result of interactive configuration by an
Most of those taking part in a newsgroup association, and thus an accomplishment?'
have created a personal web site, which usu
(Quéré, 1987: 254) ally comprises a home page with links to var
ious subject pages. The web site may cover We shall start by describing the multiform
communication space as an asynchronous one or more subjects (main interest, hobby,
participation framework, and the types of region or town) and only rarely includes a
activity carried on in the group. We shall very personal self-description, at least in this
ISP newsgroup. Each one offers a list of links then analyse the procedures used to con
struct identities within this framework (per to other sites, gives access to the author's
sonal web sites and newsgroups) and the mailbox, and has a hit (visit) logger. The per-
186 STRUCTURING A COMMUNICATION SPACE ON THE INTERNET
sonal web site is a public space, open to all self: "He's a nice guy:" I'd like to get to
comers, a priori. know him", but just using the news
group is not enough. With email, the disAs well as these two public means of com
cussions are more personal; it's like munication, there are a number of private
when you meet a friend, you talk about communication tools. When we made our
any and everything. You manage to observations,5 the most frequently used tools
piece together a picture [of the other perwere email (asynchronous written messages)
son] but through email messages; I don't and written conversation tools (real-time
think you can do it through the newsgwritten messages) such as IRC and above all
roups.' (H, aged 59, retired) ICQ.
While email is used for one-to-