ABSTRACT
Interpersonal communication researchers developed computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a way to describe the digital nature of mediated online communication as it developed in the 1980s and 1990s. CMC examines how identities and interaction sometimes produce online communities. CMC may offer voice to groups seeking social change, cultural shifts and even political power. The social process of human–Internet interaction is found within social media communication. By performing future systematic content analyses of language used in online interaction, it may be possible to discover emerging patterns of interaction and engagement. Such research should strengthen understanding about the nature of popularity, social isolation, opinion diffusion and social network leadership. Social networks have introduced new communication questions about leadership, behavior and online social influence. Heider's balance theory and Festinger's cognitive dissonance theories have been related to social judgment. Researchers need to extend existing communication theories to the social networking landscape.
