Task 1- email parts a+b

Here goes, the first task is now officially underway...

Lister... apparently a very knowledgeable man. Apparently not that knowledgeable because he has spoilt my day by me having to read his work. Not a very knowledgeable thing to do. But anyway, we'll put that aside for another day and crack on with this.

Part A:
According to Lister, email is a 'computer- mediated communication'. It is a form of communication that is competely dependant on the computer, and the internet that allows it to flow accross wires as thin as a human hair for thousands of miles in a fraction of a second. Its uses allow for one person to connect with another in an almost instant conversation. It has allowed businesses to function more smoothly and family members to stay in contact, no matter where they are on earth. There are obviously some limitations to this form. For example, you have to have a computer to start off with. You also have to have an internet connection. These are things now found in most homes, but there is still areas of the globe without connection to this.

The old media of letter writing has been replaced by this new technologic phenomenon. The actual writing of it is still there but instead of the hand written facet of it, it has now been replaced by typing, the putting it in an envelope has been reduced to the pages of time, the writing the address has been replaced by typing not the address of where the person lives but an alternate address, a new shiny address in cyberspace. A personal haven in the vast information highway that is the internet. A little piece that they call home. The going to the post box, getting a stamp, and posting it has been replaced with the simple push of a button.

Part B:
On a personal note, I use emails to send larger documents, such as photos or hyperlinks to other websites to family members and friends. I very rarely use it for people other than them.