Using traditional literature in nonverbal communication to examine online cues

With the rise of the internet, researchers have begun to examine how this new medium is used and how it changes our lives. There has been particular interest (as well as concern), both in academic circles and in popular culture and media, in the linguistic forms found online, such as emoticons and specialized abbreviations (e.g. 'LOL' for 'laughing out loud'). However, while there are many studies to be found on emoticons, these well-known forms are only a very small subset of the wide variety of specialized forms found online, and studies examining other types of online forms are few and far between. Many of these forms, like emoticons, can convey facial expressions, but they can also communicate sounds and other actions, forms of expression that, in face-to-face interactions, are usually the domain of studies in nonverbal communication. Because of the correlation between these two areas, I suggest that the vast store of literature on traditional nonverbal communication can help us to understand online correlates of nonverbal behavior by providing a starting point for future studies into the intricacies of online forms.