Feature of Gender in Computer Mediated Communication

摘要

Nowadays computer mediated communication (CMC) is rapidly turning our world into a global village.We are able to talk to each other in online chatrooms,mediated by nothing but computers.And we are increasingly seeing the benefit of the Internet which empowers women,who are considered less powerful in the traditional patterns of male dominated communication,not only participate in the CMC "equally" but also find community to pursue their own interests.Thus the Internet is said to eradicate gender prejudice in communication,leading to greater gender equality and gender becomes a lesser issue than it has been in previous times.And according to previous researches on gender and language,women and men do talk differently,adopting different styles in face-to-face communication due to the different cultural myths they have absorbed.My study aims to see what the communication between women and men in online chat-room will be like;whether it will remain the same as that of the face-to-face interaction;whether the new way of communication under the anonymity provided by CMC will neutralize distinctions of gender and whether the Internet really provides escape from gender differences.By examining the messages posted by women and men when chatting online,the language features of women and men under investigation will be analyzed.