Editorial

Citation

Bruce, H. (1999), "Editorial", Internet Research, Vol. 9 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/intr.1999.17209caf.001

Editorial

Over the years that the research and reviews section of Internet Research has been running, it has always intrigued me to see the range of issues, concerns and research questions that surround the phenomenon of the Internet and electronic information networks. In reality, however, many of the research reports that have been published in previous issues have focused on the Internet as an information technology where fundamentally, the main issues of the research have centred on how people use the Internet to obtain access to various networked information services.

The two studies reported in this issue of the journal have a different focus and draw our attentions once again to how complex and varied are the impacts that networking is having on our everyday lives. Both studies are in the beginning stages and both researchers would welcome input from the readers of our journal.

Benbow is a researcher who has a record of studies that have looked at how the Internet affects zoos. The focus of the work that she reports here is on the broad question of using the Internet as a cultural tool. Of course, the Internet is now one way that people can gain access to a large number of cultural services that they would have previously had to attend theatres, libraries, museums, zoos and cinemas to enjoy. Witness the expanding array of live-cam events and netcasts. The broader question of how this changes the way we feel about or interpret popular culture is a worthy research goal. Benbow focuses on zoos and aquariums to do this.

Pasqualini asks us to consider an equally intriguing set of issues. Global information and communication networks are confronting us with the problems of language interpretation and mis-meanings. The language of the Internet is English but many of the users of the network do not have English as their first language. Pasqualini's research is exploring the field of trans-cultural computer-mediated communication. The researcher will collect and classify examples of the problems that occur when messages are transferred from different background languages. Ultimately this research aims to develop a prototype resource that would be suitable for training and educational contexts. Many of our readers from educational institution should be interested in the outcomes of this research.

For those researchers who might be thinking about contributing a work in progress report to the Research and Reviews section of this journal, please don't hesitate to contact the editor. My contact details are: E-mail: harryb@u.washington.edu; Fax: 206 616 3152.

As always, the contributors to this section of the journal welcome correspondence from fellow researchers.