MULTIPLE LITERACIES AND MULTIMEDIA: A COMPARISON OF JAPANESE AND AMERICAN USES OF THE INTERNET

This chapter explores the multiple literacies realized by new multimedia, based on case comparisons of Japanese and American uses of the Internet. The analyses of the cases will range from relatively superficial issues like different emoticons (that is, simple character sequences that express emotions) used by Japanese and American users of e-mail to issues raised by Web-based electronic publishing. We will examine some of the ways that uses of the Internet for communications, self-expression, and learning are culturally grounded.