The Handbook of Internet Studies, Wiley-Blackwell: Maiden, MA and Oxford

摘要

Internet studies is a field aiming for recognition. The field is claimed most clearly by the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) with its annual conferences. However, in this 2011 collection of authors confessing to be part of it, neither the editors nor the other authors have succeeded in clearly defining it. Editors Consalvo and Ess claim that they 'seek to study the distinctive sorts of human communication and interaction facilitated by the Internet' (p. 1). A few lines on, they 'define Internet studies to include CMC as facilitated through the Internet' and declare it is barely two decades old. Is this not plain old communication science, readers will ask themselves?