Tianya Virtual Community: A Study on Text-Based Social Interaction on the Internet

Author: Liu Huaqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: The cyberspace is very complex, and many people do not fully understand it or only grasp the surface of it. For example, many people always have romantic or ambiguous ideas about meeting online friends, but the reality is not always as imagined. Before conducting research on virtual communities or even having the idea, the author did not spend much time online. For the author, the internet was just a tool for searching for information, sending and receiving emails, and reading news. However, seeing more and more people spending time online, a cultural intuition told the author that a new way of life had emerged. A strong curiosity drove the author to step online, to the Tianya Virtual Community, and to have a desire to share the discoveries with everyone.