Group items tagged

Discourse & Communication, Vol. 3, No. 2, 195-216 (2009) DOI: 10.1177/1750481309102452 Coherence in political computer-mediated communication: analyzing topic relevance and drift in chat Jennifer Stromer-Galley UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY,SUNY,USA, jstromer@albany.edu Anna M. Martinson INDIANA UNIVERSITY, USA, anna.m.martinson@gmail.com There is a general perception that synchronous, online chat about politics is fragmented, incoherent, and rife with ad hominem attacks because of its channel characteristics. This study aims to better understand the relative impact of channel of communication versus topic of communication by comparing chat about four different topics. Discourse analysis and coding for topic drift were applied to two hours of chat devoted to the topics of politics, auto racing, entertainment, and cancer support. Findings demonstrate that topic may have an effect on the coherence of chat, with discussion in the politics chat room surprisingly being more coherent than in the other rooms. This research suggests that users can sustain relatively coherent interaction on political talk, suggesting chat technology may not be an inherently problematic medium for political discourse. Key Words: CMC * coherence * dynamic topic analysis * online discussion * political chat * topic

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 19, No.1 (2009) > The Fast-Paced Change of Children's Technological Environments > Nathan G. Freier and Peter H. Kahn, Jr. > > Environments Expanded: Interactive Humanoid Robots and Androids in Children's Lives > Takayuki Kanda, Shuichi Nishio, Hiroshi Ishiguro and Norihiro Hagita > > Cultural Environments: From New Zealand to Mongolia: Co-Designing and Deploying a Digital Library for the World's Children > Allison Druin, Benjamin B. Bederson, Anne Rose and Ann Weeks > ________________________________________ >Teaching with Hidden Capital: Agency in Children's Computational Explorations of Cornrow Hairstyles > Ron Eglash and Audrey Bennett > > Natural Environments: An Ethnographic Comparison of Real and Virtual Reality Field Trips to Trillium Trail: The Salamander Find as a Salient Event > Maria C.R. Harrington > > Youth Day in Los Angeles: Evaluating the Role of Technology in Children's Nature Activities > Deborah J. Chavez > > Underwater Explorers: Using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to Engage Youth with Underwater Environments > Laurlyn K. Harmon and Mark Gleason > > The Developing Child: Accounting for the Child in the Design of Technological Environments: A Review of Constructivist Theory > Nathan G. Freier > > Do Stereotypic Images in Video Games Affect Attitudes and Behavior? Adolescent Perspectives > Alexandra Henning, Alaina Brenick, Melanie Killen, Alexander O'Connor and Michael J. Collins > > Cookie Monsters: Seeing Young People's Hacking as Creative Practice > Gregory T. Donovan and Cindi Katz > > The Sirens' Song of Multiplayer Online Games > Nicholas A. Holt and Douglas A. Kleiber > > Learning in Technological Environments: Neomillennial Learning Styles and River City > Edward Dieterle > > Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a Tool for Informing and Evaluating Technology in Education > Kim Rybacki > > Video Games as Learning Environments for Students with Learning Disabilities > Elizabeth S. Simpson > > Lea