The functionality attribute of cybergenres

摘要

Under the influence of a new medium, a genre may evolve intovariants of the original genre or even into new genre. Genres, eventhrough such evolution, are normally characterized by the tuple〈content, form〉, and little attention is paid to thefunctionality afforded by the new medium. The combination of thecomputer and the Internet, however, has resulted in the emergence of thecybergenre, a new class of genre characterized by the triple〈content, form, functionality〉. Users approach instances ofcybergenre with certain expectations with respect to functionality, aswell as to form and content. This paper examines the“functionality” attribute of various cybergenres in anattempt to identify the essential functionality that this new mediumaffords. This should help us not only to understand the influence ofthis medium on genre, but also to use genre effectively in the design ofcomputer and network-based applications