ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide a review of research into electronically mediated communication and its relation to intercultural English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) usage. It introduces the term 'electronically mediated intercultural communication' (EMIC) and examines a particular channel of EMIC; social network sites (SNSs). The chapter then focuses on a discussion of how EMIC on SNSs relates to intercultural communication and ELF. An example of ELF use in a specific SNS, Facebook, is provided to illustrate linguistic and cultural variations in online electronic media. EMIC provides a new medium of communication in the age of digital globalisation. Rather than communication based on geographical locations, EMIC offers ways for Internet users to access computer-based network communication through electronic devices, such as mobile/smart phones and tablets with few geographical limitations. There are four distinctive characteristics of EMIC: multilingualism and multiculturalism, multi-way communication, multimodality and mobility.
