Mediation in virtual environments

Abstract

This paper deals with the influence of mediation in different kinds of virtual environments, for example virtual conferences (e-conferences, CISSE), e-learning platforms, distance learning environments and surroundings, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and user interfaces. Mediation is a means in which messages, discussion and behavior are becoming more and more conceptual and abstract and have an effect on our social being. Mediation effects on our capability to make independent ethical decisions. The same process is discerned in all the social and commercial practice where it is rationalized by processing techniques or when it's made virtual. Mediation is studied from different perspectives or viewpoints in a phenomenological manner. A mean person could call mediation vitiation or nullification, but that is value judgment. The term quantification as well as modeling and regulation also describe some aspects of mediation. Classical philosophy will be applied in this study, which is an opening in "mediational ethics". An empirical case study (Tritonia Academic Library) dealing with distance learning is also presented in this paper. © 2007 Springer.