A growing body of research in computer-mediated communication has shown the emergence of social
and political interest groups on the Internet and the use of language within these groups to construct
communal affiliations, social and cultural beliefs, identities, and relations of power. For example, in her
study of a Usenet newsgroup (rec.arts.tv.soaps) devoted to the recreational discussion of daytime soap
operas, Baym (1995) reveals various forms of conventional expressions shared by members of the group.
Such conventions include the codification of acronyms for the soap operas and nicknames for the soap
opera characters, the expectation that newsgroup members would disclose personal details of their lives
akin to the narrative devices of the soap operas, and the development of unique forms of jokes that draw
attention to the hilarity and absurdity of the soap opera world.