Metaphorical Models, Cybergenres and User Strategic Modes in Virtual Space

In recent decades, new technologies have evolved so rapidly that the use of computers and the Internet has resulted in the appearance of a new type of genre, i.e. Cybergenre (Shepherd & Watters, 1998; Shepherd, Watters & Kennedy, 2004). The medium used by these new genres, their social role, their purpose, their audiences and kinds of skills requi red to their users differ from those of old genres, and therefore, cybergenres cannot be measured or characterized by means of the same parameters as traditional written (paper format) genres. On the other hand, some authors have described three types of “ Reading Modes ” , such as ‘Navigating’, ‘Browsing’, and ‘Reading’ (Girón - García, 2013), regarding different Internet users’ strategies. Our hypothesis is that the type of reading mode – or user strategic mode - not only has to do with types of users and their tendencies but also with the cybergenre itself, its configuration and the types of cognitive frames that it activates in users. Each particular genre activates certain metaphorical models – made apparent through metaphorical expressions – that configure the necessary paths for users to succeed in its adequate processing. In this context, our purpose here is to identify idiosyncratic metaphorical expressions that may guide the movement of the user thought texts precisely because they activate cognitive models . In turn, we provide descriptions of metaphorical models and try to explain and illustrate their coherence within particular genres. Therefore, our procedure consists firstly in selecting genres, such as on - line dictionaries and market sites, secondly ide ntifying metaphorical expressions, and finally describing the models they activate, so that we can elucidate different user strategic modes (reading modes) for each genre type. We claim that different guiding metaphors of topological character (spatial) p rompt different users’ techniques or strategies. In addition, we suggest that these metaphors provide internal coherence to the genres, as such.This study has been possible thanks to fundings from “Pla 2014 de Foment de la Investigació de la UJI” (Ref. P1.1A2014-02

Tâches et cybergenres : une perspective actionnelle

Une perspective socioconstructiviste et actionnelle de l’approche par les tâches à l’ère des cybergenres comporte de nouveaux enjeux en ce qui concerne les représentations socioculturelles des genres textuels et les nouvelles compétences de lecture et d’écriture. Les problèmes qui se posent exigent une nouvelle approche de la formation à l’autonomie et aux nouvelles littératies, intégrant la formation à la pensée critique et à la culture du débat

Theory of mental scheme in the study of the evolution of book as a publication genre

In recent years, electronic publishing has been rapidly expanding. Most genres of publications, including books, become digital genres (cybergenres). This raises questions about the future of publishing, in particular, the question of whether new cybergenres will replace traditional genres, or rather hybridization of publishing will take place; they are questions about relations between old and new genres. In the paper the theory of publication genres has been used to find answers to these questions. Genres are treated as mental schemata which conceptual content can be represented by a frame. By applying the frames model it is possible to present a concept representation in the mind, including the concept of a book. The mechanisms that allow for the evolution of schemata are important because they are used to make changes in the genres of texts. In this article it is dealt with the changes that occur in text genres, mostly books, as a result of the use of new publishing technologies. They are described from the side of individual mental processes taking place in the minds of communicating persons

Metaphor in social communication

Texto completo del vol. 22 (2019) de la revista Cultura, Lenguaje y Representación / Culture, Language and Representation