The Coevolution of Computer-Mediated Communication and Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis

Susan Herring, the originator of the computer-mediated discourse analysis (CMDA) paradigm, describes efforts to extend CMDA over time in order to address changes in computer-mediated communication (CMC), such as nontextual communication and the trend toward convergence of multiple modes of CMC in a single platform. Following a review of three broad stages of technological evolution that shaped CMC from 1985 to 2017 and the themes favored by CMDA researchers at each stage, Herring proposes a reconceptualization of CMC itself as inherently multimodal. This reconceptualization includes communication mediated by graphical phenomena such as emoji and avatars in virtual worlds, as well as by certain kinds of robots. She argues that the principles at the core of the CMDA paradigm apply equally to interaction in these nontextual modes.