Theories and development of computer-mediated communication research: A review

Social psychological research on computer-mediated communication show that experimental and field studies show inconsistent results. This paper reviews these studies and suggest areas that future CMC research should focus on. The paper begins with a discussion of the three theories of CMC: 1) cues filtered perspective, 2) social identity and deindividuation model, 2) and the social information processing theory. It points out that studies on CMC were designed within the context of the systems view from the field of engineering. Finally, this paper suggests the need for CMC research to shift from systems perspective to personal view of communication