Abstract
Abstract
Pragmatics analyzes the use of language in context and the gap existing between speakers' intended interpretations and the literal meaning coded in the utterances that they produce to accomplish their communicative goals. When applied to Internet communication, researchers have to consider a number of factors. These include the role of interfaces in the eventual (un)successful outcome of online interactions, the differences between online and offline contexts, varied ways in which interactions are accomplished in online environments compared to offline scenarios, the different modes in which discourses are transferred to other users (mainly textual, visual, and multimodal), and the role of nonpropositional information (feelings and emotions) stemming from these online interactions. This entry discusses these factors.