Machine-Mediated Communication: The Technology

Advances in communication technology are pushing the boundaries of machine support from the pure signalling domain to the cognitive domain. This is giving rise to the new multidisciplinary approach of machine-mediated communication. In this context, machines need to be guided by a human-communication paradigm. Moreover, with a diverse interest in this emerging area of research, a unified framework is required to which we could map the various contributions made by researchers. It is argued that a classification of the different types of user-machine interactions could be a starting point. In this classification, it is proposed that any type of interface activity could be identified as one or more of four types: observation, operation, conversation or articulation