The role of text in televideo cybersex

Jones, R. H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9426-727X (2008) The role of text in televideo cybersex. Text & Talk - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Discourse Communication Studies, 28 (4). pp. 453-473. ISSN 1860-7330 doi: 10.1515/TEXT.2008.022

Abstract/Summary

Televideo cybersex provides a unique example of the ways meanings are instantiated, identities constructed, and relationships negotiated across different semiotic modes. This article explores the role of verbal messages in these multimodal exchanges, examining the specific interactional functions they perform. Text, it is argued, plays a rather unique role in this particular kind of interaction. Unlike ordinary face-to-face conversation, in which the body (posture, gestures, gaze) usually plays more of an ancillary role, in televideo cybersex, the bodily performance is primary, with verbal messages functioning to contextualize physical actions. Text is used to help increase the sense of ‘presence’ participants feel, to regulate the rhythm of the unfolding interaction, to help manage the orderly exchange of information, and to create narrative frames within which bodily displays can be interpreted and made coherent.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/58278
Identification Number/DOI	10.1515/TEXT.2008.022
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism (CeLM) Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Literature and Languages > English Language and Applied Linguistics
Publisher	De Gruyter
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