Media Watch
Year : 2014, Volume : 5, Issue : 2
First page : ( 159) Last page : ( 172)
Print ISSN : 0976-0911. Online ISSN : 2249-8818.

Offline Goes Online: Does the Internet Implement or Supplement our Communication and Relationships?

Tampere Kaja*, Tampere Ave

Tallinn University, Estonia

*Correspondence to: Kaja Tampere, Institute of Communication, Tallinn University, Narva Road 25, Room S 204, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia. E-mail: kaja.tampere@tlu.ee.

Online published on 12 September, 2016.

Abstract

This paper will be looking at the computer code-mediated communication and relationships between people. Questions, for which answers will be sought in the paper are—Does the Internet supplement or implement our communication and relationships? Supplement by filling in pieces of relationships that we would otherwise be missing out on; implement by creating or sustaining relationships that otherwise would not exist? How are relationships that were formed offline sustained online? How does the Internet change the concept of ‘long-distance’ in terms of communicating relationships? To study the topic of this paper, a literary analysis will be performed. The argument will be based on the example of Facebook. The study will focus on examples and theories covering the Western world where the research has been conducted and claims made.

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Keywords

Internet, communication, relationships, social media.

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