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Conversation analysis, cyberpsychology and online interaction
Author(s) -
Meredith Joanne
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
social and personality psychology compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.699
H-Index - 53
ISSN - 1751-9004
DOI - 10.1111/spc3.12529
Subject(s) - affordance , conversation , conversation analysis , online and offline , social relation , psychology , order (exchange) , online participation , computer mediated communication , online discussion , computer science , human–computer interaction , social psychology , world wide web , the internet , communication , finance , economics , operating system
In this paper, I explore how conversation analysis (CA) can be used as a method for analysing online interaction. As the number and quantity of online communication platforms have proliferated, there has been a growing interest in social psychology about the impact and effectiveness of online, text‐based communication. A number of theories have been used and developed to explain how online communication might impact upon relationships and effective communication. However, this paper argues that in order to explore the differences between online and offline interaction an analysis of online behaviour is needed. CA allows for an in‐depth, sequential and discursive analysis of real‐life online interactions. It can explore the ways in which the affordances of the interactional platforms are oriented to or made relevant in the interaction. The utility of CA is demonstrated through a number of examples, highlighting how this method can be used to broaden our understanding of how online communication works in practise.