Introduction: explorations in philosophy of language

This volume brings together work in the philosophy of language on internet communication. For philosophers interested in language, the spread of social media and the possibilities it creates have generated new phenomena to examine, given fresh perspectives on familiar aspects of communication, and provided us with a variety of novel ways to evaluate existing theories and conceptualize language. The scope of topics covered within this volume shows the potential for work in the philosophy of language that can be used to help us with a broader understanding of conversations online. The book itself is structured around four main themes: how online contexts differ from face-to-face contexts; how online conversational environments provide new ways of understanding the role of community, commitments, and cooperation; how the fact that we are communicating online affects the nature and scope of the speech acts that can be performed; and ways to improve online communication.