Creativity and the Evolution of Semiotics units using Internet Communication by Margaret E. Albertson

THE CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY, PHD Dissertation 1997 

Abstract: E-mail messages collected from three Internet populations

demonstrate that graphical display, exaggeration, and play are used

as part of the communicants' basic creative knowledge systems. Of the

1735 e-mail messages used for this analysis, 799 (46%) were posted as

a part of a conversational thread, 185 (11%) were posted in response

to researcher inserted questions, and 751 (43%) were independently

posted. A Thurstone-type scale (Anastasi, 1988) was used to measure

three judges perceptions: satisfaction, play, and creativity. Four

'Question Messages' were developed and inserted into Internet

discourse as plausibility measures. A matrix was developed to

structure the observation and classification of verbal and non-verbal

components of e-mail messages. Nonverbal components were: Graphics

(diagrams and print presentation) and Exaggeration (size and number).

Verbal components were: Exaggeration (referents and comparison) and

Joking (paralanguage, word play, fit, and joking over time). The most

important predictors of positive judges perception were Size

Attribute and Use of Signals Variables.

 

Excepts from the dissertation.

For the first time in human history, individuals are able to create in an electronic cave. As their ancestors conveyed meaning by painting upon a stone surface, humans can now type signs and symbols on computer screens via the Internet. These electronic images transmit human traits in new forms and for new purposes. Shared interactions among individuals in this global cave could increase our understanding of these forms and purposes both individually and collectively.

As humans have entered the electronic cave, they have brought the need to create. The story of humankind has been written, is being written, and will be written upon its virtual walls. Placed within this evolving story will be the drive for diversity, the need for form and play. Creativity's signature will be etched upon the surface of tomorrow.