CONTEXTS AND CUES IN CYBERSPACE - THE PRAGMATICS OF NAMING IN TEXT-BASED VIRTUAL REALITIES

Although the relative paucity of social cues in computer-mediated comm unication poses problem; for the organization of social relations in c yberspace, recent studies have begun to fonts on the ways in which thi s deficit is managed. This article contributes to this research by add ressing the question of how participants distinguish between contexts in online discourse. Data on cues, and on naming practices in particul ar in text-based virtual realities called MOOs illustrate the structur e gf contexts and the dynamics of contextualizing communication and in teraction in cyberspace.