"Every Home Is Wired":
1 -- The Net in Relation to Music Subcultures
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As a result, then, the language of CMC "is typed, and hence like writing, but exchanges are often rapid and informal, and hence more like spoken conversation. Moreover, the computer-mediated register has unique features of its own, such as the use of 'emoticons' (smiley faces composed of ASCII characters) and other graphics, as well as special lexis ('lurking', 'flaming', 'spamming') and acronyms (FAQ, IMHO, RTFM)", as Herring writes (3). December has coined the term 'tertiary orality' for this new form of language: Bit 41
this tertiary orality occurs in real-time computer conferencing systems and in asynchronous computer bulletin board systems. Although based on text, the discourse in these computer-mediated forums [sic] exhibits many qualities of an oral culture. ... Oral characteristics grow out of computer-mediated communication which gives participants greater independence over time and space than paper-based text communication. These CMC forums [sic] give rise to communities of people who participate with emotion, involvement, and expressiveness. ("Characteristics", n. pag., section 1)
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It must be concluded, then, that meaningful communication is just as possible on the Internet and in other forms of CMC as it has been in more traditional cases; "growing numbers of reports are appearing that reflect more personal CMC interaction, sometimes just as personal as face-to-face ... interaction, or even describing interaction that surpasses FtF in some interpersonal aspects. It is these dynamics that undergird phenomena such as 'on-line friendships' and 'virtual communities'" (Walther 4), as section three will show. Bit 43

Section 1 -- Go on to Bite:

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© 1998 Axel Bruns