Volume index - Journal index - Article index - Map ---- Back

Comunicar Journal 27: Coomunication trends (Vol. 14 - 2006)

Communication in Internet: social constructivism and development of a virtual identity

https://doi.org/10.3916/C27-2006-27

Ana Ortigosa-Pastor

Ana Ibáñez-Moreno

Abstract

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a virtual meeting point where people from al1 over the world can meet and talk. On context new strategies for creating shared systems of significance, and strategies for constructing an identity, have evolved. These strategies consist mostly of linguistic resources, since the access to visual or auditory features such as appearance or accent, which are significant identiwcreating factors in face-to-face interaction, is quite limited. In this paper, and following the theoretical framework of social constructivism, it is analyzed how chat participants may develop and sustain an identity in IRC chatrooms by using several linguistic and/or graphic resources on the web.

Keywords

Chat, identity, social constructivism, the Internet, virtual, nick

PDF file in Spanish

References

BECHAR-ISRAELI, H. (1995): «From Bonehead to cLoNehEAD: Nicknames, Play and identity on Internet relay chat 1», en Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 1, 2.

BURR, V. (1995): An introduction to social constructionism. London, Routledge.

DANET, B.; RUEDENBERG-WRIGHT, L. y ROSENBAUM-TAMARI, Y. (1996): «Hmmm... where’s that smoke coming from? Writing, Play and performance on Internet Relay Chat», en Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2.

HENTSCHEL, E. (1998): «Communication on IRC», en Linguistik online1, 1 (http://viadrina.euv-frankfurt-o.de/~wjournal/irc.htm).

REID, E.M. (1991): Electropolis: communication and community on Internet Relay Chat. (www.crosswinds.net/~aluluei/electropolis. htm).

SURRATT, C.G. (1998): Netlife: Internet citizens and their communities. Commack, New Cork, Nova Science.

VYGOTSKY, L.S. (1978): «Mind in society», en COLE, M. y OTROS (Eds.): Cambridge, Mass, Harvard University Press.

WERRY, C. (1996): «Linguistic and interactional features of Internet Relay Chat», en Computer-mediated Communication: linguistic, social and cross-cultural perspectives. Ámsterdam, Benjamins.