Computer-Mediated Communication: Approaches and Perspectives

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is one of the most exciting areas of study in the communication discipline today. Computer technology is rapidly changing the way we communicate, allowing us to simultaneously be both connected and mobile. This connected mobility changes not only our communication ability but our relational expectations as well.

Participating in CMC through texting, tweeting, Snapchat, email, FaceTime, social media, or video-conferencing is unavoidable in the 21st century. Computer-Mediated Communication: Approaches and Perspectives describes five approaches and multiple perspectives on the influences of this technologically-mediated communication on interpersonal and social relationships.

The five approaches examine the constraints, experience, language, opportunities, and implications of CMC. The book develops these approaches through the perspectives of media richness, naturalness, affordances, domestication, presence, social presence, propinquity, social information processing, hyperpersonal relationships, social identity model of deindividuation effects, virtual identities, virtual networks and teams, virtual communities, the Proteus effect, actor networks, and media niches.

The book develops each perspective through a description, illustration, critique, and analysis of usefulness. Each chapter contains a computer-mediated communication ethics challenge, discussion questions, glossary of terms, and references for further reading. As such, Computer-Mediated Communication is an excellent textbook for courses in computer or technologically mediated communication.

John C. Sherblom is a professor emeritus of communication and journalism at the University of Maine. He is past editor of The Journal of Business Communication and of Communication Research Reports. He has published numerous refereed journal articles on computer-mediated communication and interpersonal communication.

“[Sherblom] makes a compelling case for a fresh take on a dynamic field. I particularly appreciate the theoretical lens. To me, that is what differentiates this book from others. ... I am impressed with the breadth of subject matter. The text covers a tremendous range of CMC dimensions, from the technological, to the societal, to the group/network, to the individual. There is something in here for everyone, which is important for facilitating discussion in an undergraduate class.”

Scott W. Campbell, Constance F. and Arnold C. Pohs Professor of Telecommunications, University of Michigan 
“The book is a valuable resource in terms of the theories covered and the critiques/analysis offered. ... The most impressive part is the reflection on ethics in each chapter. ... [This book] is much needed in our field.”

Lesley A. Withers, Director of the Presentation Skills Center and Professor of Communication, Central Michigan University 
“The theoretical approach will make the findings relevant for longer than some other CMC textbooks. It is clearly and firmly grounded in human communication concepts and research, which can also be very difficult to find in CMC textbooks.”

Erin K. Ruppel, Associate Professor of Communications and Graduate Program Director, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee