In a message dated 2/5/2002 5:09:27 PM Eastern Standard Time, jvc@MIT.EDU writes:
I don't want to quabble around words, although I do like computer-aided communication more than computer-mediated communication, what I am interested in is in being rigorous around the role of IT in communication and find out if it's more than that of a mediator.
Hmmm. The tacit evaluation conveyed in the adjective "computer-aided" troubles me from time to time--when I'm feeling especially fussy ;>). It seems to me that computers often hamper various enterprises as frequently as they aid them, whether those enterprises fall within the fields of evaluation, design, diagnosis, communication, or whatever. So given the choice, I'd stick with the notion of mediation, especially as I try to evaluate alternative interface designs from a variety of perspectives. But I'm not always happy with the notion of 'mediation,' nor with the limited concept of 'computer.' As someone has already hinted, the field of cyborgology encourages us to think more in terms of human-machine integration; that goes far beyond both CMC and CAC, and sometimes provides me with a better frame of reference. Cheers, Bob Briggs Westport, MA