Computer-mediated communication
human communication that occurs through the use of two or more electronic devices; communicative transaction that occurs through the use of two or more networked computers
Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is human communication that occurs through the use of two or more electronic devices. Computer-mediated communication is relevant to linguistics as it shows how digital environments influence grammar and pragmatic meaning. While the term has traditionally referred to those communications that occur via computer-mediated formats (e.g., instant messaging, email, chat rooms, online forums, social network services), it has also been applied to other forms of text-based interaction such as text messaging. Research on CMC focuses largely on the social effects of different computer-supported communication technologies. Many recent studies involve Internet-based social networking supported by social software.
Forms
Computer-mediated communication can be broken down into two forms: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous computer-mediated communication refers to communication that occurs in real-time. All parties are engaged in the communication simultaneously; however, they are not necessarily all in the same location. Examples of synchronous communication are video chats and audio calls. On the other hand, asynchronous computer-mediated communication refers to communication that takes place when the parties engaged are not communicating in unison.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Computer-mediated communication” is human communication that occurs through the use of two or more electronic devices; communicative transaction that occurs through the use of two or more networked computers. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Computer-mediated, communication and human, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “human communication that occurs through the use of two or more electronic devices; communicative transaction that occurs through the use of two or more networked computers” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q796573. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Computer-mediated communication” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.