Discourse, Technology and Change [Paperback]

Discourse, Technology and Change presents a detailed analysis of discourses that initiate, enable, and stabilise social change in organizational contexts. The book examines the function of written discourse within this setting to examine the dynamic relationships between writing, technology, and socio-cultural change. Focusing on everyday texts used to create technical and social change, the book offers a detailed study of the intersections of discourse, technology and persuasion illustrated through an empirical case study of technological change in an academic institution. The book seriously engages the claim that texts dually construct and reflect social networks and social action. Working at both the micro and macro textual level, the book examines the functions of change discourse, providing a framework for understanding how change is constituted within social networks. This cutting-edge monograph will be of interest to academics researching discourse analysis and applied linguistics.

Using a range of case studies, this book examines the impact technology has had on written communication.

1. Writing Research and Social Change \ 2. Theoretical Intersections: Discourse Technologies and Autonomous Change \ 3. Discourse/technology: Heterogeneous Narratives \ 4. Discourse, Stability, and Change \ 5. Migrations and Conversions \ 6. Linguistic Politeness in Technologized Means \ 7. Conclusion: Change Studies \ Bibliography \ Index