Computer-mediated communication (CMC). Any communicative transaction that takes place by way of a computer, whether online or offline, but especially the former. Characteristics include: interactivity in situations where the participants are not physically together; and possibility for anonymity and concealment while communicating. CMC can transgress the social and physical boundaries that normally limit our potential for communicating with others. Not all CMC features are beneficial. We are more exposed to unwanted communication from others. Computer mediation reduces the personal character of the experience, and the commonality or community achieved in cyberspace may be illusory. Communication mediated by computers connected to networks is also more open to various forms of surveillance.