Analysis og online product reviews in the field of computing: a user's perspective.

Abstract

Genre has been traditionally defined as a conventionalised form of communication, which can be characterised in terms of form and content. However, researchers on digital genres consider that when analysing these genres it is also necessary to take into account the characteristics of the medium. Therefore, in addition to form and content the analysis of digital documents has also incorporated an important criterion for the definition of genre: functionality, i.e. the capabilities afforded by the new medium (Shepherd and Watters, 1999). The purpose of this paper is to analyse online product reviews in the field of computing, and to determine how the characteristics of the medium shape the genre and influence the way the genre is used. From the analysis of online product reviews we also intend to draw conclusions on how digital genres can be analysed.