Constructing identity and community online: Strategies of eBay netizens.

摘要

This study examines the online community of eBay. It explores the rhetorical strategies employed by eBay Netizens to craft identity and community in an online web-based environment. Rhetorical analysis was done on personalized identity sites called "about me" pages.;The analysis revealed that several common strategies were used to construct identity. In addition, the study also uncovered specialized identities on this community. It was explained that these specialized identities help fill many of the voids present with the advent of e-commerce. Moreover, these specialized identities help build and shape this online community.