Computer Mediated Communication, Social Network and Service Industry

Service industry is extremely concerned about social network and interpersonal communication. Traditionally, these communication behaviors are through face-to-face talks, conferences or other direct ways. But as the improvement of information technology and Internet, a new form of communication has emerged, namely, the computer-mediated-communication (CMC). This paper first considers the essence of communication and the validity of CMC. After that, we would check the characters of social networks and virtual communities in order to make sure that people would form virtual communities through CMC. Although lacking of social-situational clues, CMC could help people build emotional-supporting networks through long-term interaction. Several business cases concerning CMC are also discussed. For example, IBM uses its instant messenger software to hold Internet discussion around the world, which helps IBM saving millions of cost every year. Ladder Digital Education also uses instant messaging software to connect employees of Taiwan and China