Why Communication Researchers Should Study the Internet: A Dialogue

Abstract

NewhagenWhy should communication researchers study the Internet? RafaeliTo answer your question, we need a shorthand map of communication-related phenomena the Net represents. One could begin by saying that the Net is new, loaded with content, crowded, and seemingly a great business prospect. All four conditions are true. The Net and modes of communicating on and through it are a novelty, and the newness seems to be reborn all the time. New gadgets, new gimmicks every day. Content of all sorts abounds, from pornography to timely news, from scientific journals to mass entertainment to high-brow culture, and from the very public to the very intimate. All forms of content are congregating on line. So are people. The rates of growth, conservatively estimated at over 5% a month several years going, are astounding. Big business, as well as garden variety entrepreneurs, are not blind to this. None of these-novelty, volume, head counts, or prospects of future profits-are distinct communication phenomena, nor do they serve to set the Net apart from communication as we have known it. Instead, we should search for the communication dimensions in our inquiry, with an eye to finding less ephemeral, more robust concepts. Those, I believe, are the things we would want to study.the Net: multimedia, hypertextuality, packet switching, synchronicity, and interactivity. These qualities capture what is, or can be, different about Netbased communication. None of these qualities are necessarily realized by any one instance of behavior or application on the Net, and none of these qualities is necessarily good or bad, nor by the Net. However, Net-based communication highlights these dimensions.Therefore, I propose focusing on five defining qualities of communication on

Website Usability and Cultural Dimensions in Malaysian and Australian Universities

“…The complex mix of old and new features of websites makes the medium a challenge for web content analysts (Newhagen & Rafaeli, 1996). Studying the content of websites is academically crucial but also challenging and interesting as it is an effective method for discerning patterns and themes in textual and graphic data.…”

User generated content: the use of blogs for tourism organisations and tourism consumers

“…This pre-supposes that User generated content 53 enterprises would endeavour to learn and use these applications, enter partnerships and make effective use of the internet. Albert and Sanders (2003) talk about the four Ps marketing mix (of product, place, price and promotion) being enhanced by the four Cs of customer solution, cost, convenience and communication, while Newhagen and Rafaeli (1996) show that compared with other distribution and transaction channels the internet contains a truly huge amount of information which can be customised and personalised.…”

Impact of Internet on Social Connections in Family System: A Survey Study of Residents in Lahore

“…In this study the relationship between internet usage and its impact on the social capital was evaluated by regression test. The regression test is The present research is also categorical in nature so the researcher has analyzed data by applying regression test [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35].…”