Abstract
The arrival of computer-mediated communication has called into question existing classifications such as the distinction between mass- and individual media, dialogic and monologic communication or the concepts of orality and literacy. This paper will focus on the question if and to what extent the orality/literacy-model proposed by Koch/Oesterreicher (1985, 1990, 1995) can be applied to new forms of computer-mediated communication. After some terminological clarifications it will deal with the medial (spoken vs. written) as well as with the conceptual (oral vs. literal) aspects of the model of Koch/Oesterreicher and will propose some adaptations to the latter allowing a more precise and appropriate classification and description of different forms of computer-mediated communication. It will finally introduce an alternative concept, the one of Media Synchronicity recently proposed by Dennis/Valacich (1999, 2002) and try to reveal parallels with the orality/literacy-model which may prove useful in view of an extensive analysis of new forms of communication.
