New Communication Practices

Among the many changes computer technology has brought us in the past decades, the drastic changes in our ways of communicating are the most noticeable. E-mail has taken the place of traditional mail and telegrams. Web sites take the place of corporate brochures and product catalogues, electronic forms are starting to make traditional paper forms obsolete. Traditional printed reports lose their primary in corporate communication;PowerPoint presentations, wikis, and blogs take their place. Formal one-way communication structures are replaced by more informal network structures.

Self-Service

These changes have increased the possibilities for the general public to get engaged in activities that traditionally belonged to the responsibility of specialists. The Internet enables us to become our own travel agents, bankers, or even our own physicians. wikipedia is a striking example of the way members of the public co-create a source of information that matches or surpasses the well-respected Encyclopedia Britannica and its counterparts in other countries. Our society is changing from service to self-service.

Consequences

The move to self-service has important consequences for technical and professional communication. To mention only a few: Web 2.0 features enable the public to contribute to or amend (technical) documentation. User forums, weblogs (blogs), and wikis have become important sources of information about almost every conceivable topic. The roles of information creator and information user are becoming interchangeable. Administrative organizations such as banks, insurance companies, and government agencies increasingly use the Internet as the channel for transactions with their public. Health organizations are using the Internet for communication purposes, from health advice and consultation to remote monitoring of patients.

New Questions

This raises important questions for technical and professional communicators. what are the social and economic implications of the self-service world? Who will profit, and who runs the risk of being excluded? What are the consequences of the "digital divide" if everyone is expected to "help themselves?" How can technical communication and usability specialists support the development of self-service environments that make sense and empower the public to put them to good use? How can we teach our students to effectively create and use information in self-service environments?