14 Online Data Collection
Jannis Androutsopoutos
In the post 20 years of st, reearch on compstermsiated consmanication
'MC) in linguistics has examined langage online fem a variety of aspect
Spsclicalysocilaginic lacs incide varston and sy fa gal wren
Jangung. processes of innovaion and change, language and soc Identities,
ulin and eode itching andthe relation of ngage, dtl meta,
{nd glaalation, Tle and other research on CMC even constant nea
ton withthe soc-echnologiealevaltion of the internet, which | vie nto
{hose Brod age Inthe prsec era that intl the eu 190 CMC i
large roid to sterpesonl (Uji or group level exchanges cased out
‘on appitins (or mode) such ax ma malig sts newegroups and Tneret
Rely Cha (IRC). nthe ety web ea, om he ri 1990 #0 mi 200 the
tmergence fhe World Wie Web etedace personal homepages, web docu
‘on forums td corporate webster, flowed by bos Ia the paripatory web
fra fom the id-2005 onward, people dra on the inate povided by
Bogs, social networking sites, medi-sharng sites and wikia order to both
pradace and consume web conte. In the courte of thi development itl
Teta eed fom social exlsive to lst bigutous inthe Western worl,
hd from aaa set of opine for iterative witten commmunieain to ch
repertoire of mltinodal apd malimecia choices The varios mode of digital
‘ommoncton ftedced in thes te “era” accumu in implications
‘wey ith each era dig om to the oplionsofered by the previo ne, These
developments shape what being viewed atypia “internet langue whats
pereved as "eseich ory and what cout ae east ole dae
Based onan inclusive view of scagustic that encompass variation,
Interaction, ane dscours-oriened appreches to langue im sac hi
sdapler stmnparzesa ange o sues elite online dats clection, Whi His
Increasingly posible to draw on compiled and annotated CMC corpora (Bef.
wenger & Steer, 208), tha ehaper focuses on ster eae to the individual
collection of original dt, As pratcaly impossible to neal separate data
‘alletion from broader sue of rthodalogy, pats ofthe discon address
oneeptua, methodological, and analytic sonditione that may alec dt
‘The chape fist cscusses howe CMC challenges methodological asmptions
Im socliagunics snd alien data sampling rteria Inthe Fsmework of
Online Date Colton 237
‘Computer-Meated Discourse Anh. The next two sections introduce two
lstinctions that impact how we approach language online, ewig CMC a8
texto "place and electing dts "on scree or through contact il were
Sabsequent sections dsc es elated othe modes an environments beng
sampled, mull, socal sdenties ane patton voles, ae and
sequences of online dts spd reset eee.
“Traditions and Challenges in Online Data Collection
Language-focsed CNC research aes the challenge of adapting trains of
scholarship to the technological, social and pragzatic conditions of dial