Networked, Diffuse and Multimodal: Towards a New Paradigm for the Analysis of Argumentation on the Web

This article provides an overview of the factors that affect argumentation in web-mediated environments. Starting from a discussion of the features of web-based communication that most have been argued to have affected pre-web conceptualisations of argumentation as an activity type, the article outlines how the networked, diffuse and multimodal nature of web-based communication calls for new approaches to the study of argumentation on the web capable of navigating the complexities of this environment. The notions of argumentative polylogue, hypertextual argument structuring and visual argumentation are discussed in theoretical terms, and with reference to a case study involving the analysis of the web-mediated self-legitimating strategies enacted by a small sample of companies operating in the contested field of agri-biotechnology. In the conclusions, suggestions are put forth on how to promote a better understanding of debates in web-based environments.