Face-interface or the prospect of a virtual ethics

Johnson, Laurie (2007) Face-interface or the prospect of a virtual ethics. Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics, 4 (1/2). pp. 49-56. ISSN 1742-0105

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Abstract

Much of the research on computer-mediated communication (CMC) identifies various forms of disinhibition associated with engagement with another through the medium of computerized communications technology. Yet disinhibition should not be taken to exclude the possibility of an ethical engagement with the Other in CMC. Using the idea of the 'face' as used by Levinas, it is possible to augment the idea of seemingly boundless freedom with the notion of a responsible or ethical user. I suggest that a phenomenology of the user interface is a first stage in enabling CMC Studies to work through the conceptual distinction between CMC and face-to-face (FTF) communication. At the core of this phenomenology, a conceptual apparatus constructed around the idea of the face-interface enables understanding of the engagement with an Other as an extension of the user's own body and as the voice of both user and interlocutor.

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Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	Published version deposited with blanket permission of publisher.
Depositing User:	Assoc Prof Laurence Johnson
Faculty / Department / School:	Historic - Faculty of Arts - No Department
Date Deposited:	13 Feb 2008 02:39
Last Modified:	02 Jul 2013 22:49
Uncontrolled Keywords:	phenomenology, Levinas, computer mediated communication, CMC, ethics, disinhibition, alterity, other, face, interface
Fields of Research :	20 Language, Communication and Culture > 2002 Cultural Studies > 200204 Cultural Theory 22 Philosophy and Religious Studies > 2203 Philosophy > 220305 Ethical Theory 22 Philosophy and Religious Studies > 2203 Philosophy > 220310 Phenomenology
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/3110

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