Informationsorientierte Kommunikationsmodi zwischen Massen- und interpersonaler Kommunikation

The borders between mass and interpersonal communication in the internet are blurring. Consequentially, communication acts cannot be meaningfully demarcated from a media-centred perspective anymore. A way to face this challenge is to apply the concept of communication modes. It is based on a user-centred perspective and proposes that, in any situation, users are aware of their actions and are therefore in exactly one communication mode. Building on this concept, the study looks at the criteria which are relevant to differentiate communicative acts from a users’ point of view, at existing patterns within the combinations of the criteria and correlations according to the information needs. The study shows that the variety of communicative acts can be ascribed to very few typical communication modes. The book addresses readers who are interested in theoretical and empirical aspects of Internet communication, of convergence phenomena and ways of classification despite blurring borders.