Creating Digital Genres

In an exploration of the emergence of new digital media genres, Erickson (1999) discusses a particular
pattern of communication in an on-line discussion environment.
 In the example, a group of people using
the system engage in a “limerick game,” in which they construct a limerick collectively and
asynchronously, individuals contributing lines one at a time until the whole has been assembled (until, in
the particular incident Erickson discusses, one person makes a joke by contributing an unrhymable line.)
Although one can imagine textual games of this sort arising in a variety of online chat systems, Erickson’s
analysis shows how the details of this game are, in fact, organised around very specific details of this
particular system.
 For instance, he shows how the presentation of the message transcript as a single, largely
seamless body of text (rather than as separate messages with extensive headers) contributes to the
development of the “contributary narrative” genre, and in particular encourages users to play off each
others remarks and collaboratively construct the text. In other words, this appropriated use of the discussion
system is based in a number of particular interface details. Similarly, Cherny (1999) discusses a variety of
textual practices that emerge around the specific features offered by the virtual environment she studied.