Computer-Based+Communication

Computer-Based Communication: The New Trend in YA Literature

What Is Computer-Based Communication?

Computer-Based Communication (CBC) refers to a new subgenre of YA fiction where the narrative format incorporates communicative technology like email, instant messaging, blogging, or texting into the story as a means of presenting all or some of the story's text. In the short form, these are books that look like IM converations or Blog entries.

Have I read any examples of this genre?

If you are over twenty-one, probably not. This is a pretty new thing, considering how relatively new IM and texting are. However, it is a rapidly growing genre including the infamous //TTYL// series, parts of the //Princess Diaries// Series, //The Gospel According to Larry//, and //The Year my Life Went Down the Loo//, just to name a few.

What do these books look like?

Often the page layouts and even the words on the page have been modified by publishers and editors to make "internet" text look different from "real" text. In earlier CBC books, this meant simply using Courier Font to indicate text on a computer screen, but some books go beyond that. For instance, consider this random page from //l8r, g8r//, the third book in the //ttyl// series.



Notice how the pages are bordered in such a way that it looks like an online chat window. Also helping that idea is the inclusion of the "Send" and "Cancel" buttons, and the cursors. Another aspect of this CBC text that makes it different from other books are the different font colors, and the use of emoticons.

Why are these books so popular? Those pages made my eyes bleed...

If these books were all form and no content, they wouldn't be as popular as they are. CBC books are also unique in the very close way they tend to interact with their teen readers. These books rely heavily on use of slang and pop culture references that are current/funny at the time of writing and publication. This risky style of writing has the positive effect of helping the reader identify even more closely with the characters. For example, most books for teens include sentences like this:

I went home, grabbed a bowl of potato chips, and watched TV. But CBC texts are more inclined to have sentences like this:

I went home, grabbed a bowl of Cheddar and Sour Cream Lay's, and watched a re-run of Project Runway. I would argue that this last sentence reflects a more approachable and relatable writing style.The use of the brand name is familiar, and we gain a little more insight about the speaker; we know that she is interested in fashion or reality TV. A teen reader would readily pick up on this.

Another likable aspect (at least to teen readers) of CBC books is their attention to "realistic" issues and how the characters tend to have very real responses to those issues. Given, some of the general situations of the characters are highly imaginative, but they still manage to get to the heart of teenage drama in some way. For example, in the Princess Diaries books, Mia, a gawky teen girl has been told that she's the sole heir to the throne of Genovia, and has to attend princess lessons after school with her royal grandmother. Not likely to happen. However, in one of the books, Mia's preppy rival Lana tells her in the lunch line that all college boys expect their girlfriends to "Do It." Mia, who has a college boyfriend, awkwardly walks away, and then spends the rest of the week agonizing over What That Means and How She Feels About It. REALISTIC.

This sub-genre seems very new and scary. Is there anything to be concerned about? Because this genre is growing in popularity among today's youth, it is important to address a few issues that come up with these sorts of text. The first, most obvious one is the use of non-standard, often misspelled and ungrammatical English, and the subsequent low reading level. I argue that these books are simply for light, fun reading, and should only be supplemental to more complicated texts when it comes to developing readers.

Another concern of teachers and school librarians might be the frequency of scenes depicting unsafe sex and drug and alcohol use, which all go along with those "realistic themes" common to the sub-genre. The important thing to remember when addressing this issue in CBC texts or any other book is to keep the specific reader in mind, and use your best judgement. These books might only be appropriate for the more mature readers.