Chapter 7. Interactions with readers through online specialised genres

specificity or adaptability?

Francisco Yus | Universidad de Alicante

Success in written academic communication depends on the presence of elements related to author-reader interactions which supplement propositional information in the text, help readers reach the intended interpretation and shape the author’s identity. But is this claim equally valid for online genres? This new environment demands an adaptation of the role of authors, texts, and readers concerning (a) a re-structuring of texts to fit the margins of the screen; (b) a new type of non-linear structure, with no specific reading sequence, which often blurs authorial intention; (c) a new type of reader that does not read in a linear way, but often engages in multi-tasking, is used to processing small chunks of text and often browses without a predictable reading sequence; and (d) a new context of text processing. This chapter addresses these qualities of electronic genres and their implications. For that purpose, 4 different academic texts will be analysed: (1) an academic printed journal uploaded online without variations, Computers in Human Behavior; (2) an online journal, First Monday; (3) several entries of a specialised native discourse on the Internet: Second Life New World Notes; and (4) a popular native online discourse, the technology blog by The Guardian.

Published online: 10 July 2014
https://doi.org/10.1075/ds.23.09yus

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Cited by

Cited by 3 other publications

Sancho Guinda, Carmen

2019. In Emotion in Discourse [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 302], ► pp. 357 ff.

Sancho Guinda, Carmen

2019. In Engagement in Professional Genres [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 301], ► pp. 1 ff.

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