Different contexts in electronic communication: Some remarks on the communicability of scientific knowledge

This paper explores how and to what extent the appearance and wide use of I nformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may enhance scientific com munication and knowledge. The first part analyses the general boundaries of scientific communication, focusing on the use of email. It summarises and develops the results of relevant international studies and surveys on compu ter-mediated communication; it identifies, on the one hand, the principal s ocial settings and contexts in which email is used and, on the other, the c haracteristic features which determine specific communication models. The a nalysis provides evidence of the various factors which determine the dynami cs of electronic communication and which, more specifically, define the dif ference between business and scientific communication. The second part of t he paper explores the close relationship between communication and knowledg e in the scientific sector and the role played by ICTs. The assumption that ICTs ought to enhance the acquisition, sharing and transmission of scienti fic knowledge is questioned by the distinction between explicit and tacit k nowledge: ICTs ultimately appear to provide a strong drive only to processe s of explicit/coded knowledge handling. Nevertheless, exploring the main co mponents of tacit knowledge in depth, and considering recent ICT-based appl ications, it is possible to foresee new opportunities for the creation and dissemination of knowledge through networks.