200 LANGUAGE AND THE INTERNET
The size of the screen has also exercised a major influence on the
kind of language used, regardless of the subject-matter. The point
is made explicit in manuals which deal with the style of computer-
mediated communication. As we have already seen in chapter 3
(p. 74), theWiredhandbook, for example, has this to say about
Web style:^8
Look to the Web not for embroidered prose, butfor the sudden
narrative, the dramatic story told in 150 words. Text must be
complemented by clever interface design and clear graphics.
Think brilliant ad copy, not long-form literature. Think pert,
breezy pieces almost too ephemeral for print. Think turned-up
volume – cut lines that are looser, grabbier, more tabloidy. Think
distinctive voice or attitude.This, as an empirical statement about Web pages, represents only
a limited amount of what is actually ‘out there’; but as a prescrip-
tion for good practice it is widely followed. With many screens
immediately displaying up to 30 functional areas, any initial on-
screen textual description of each area is inevitably going to be
short – generally a 3–4 word heading or a brief description of
10–20 words. Main pages reflect this trend. For example, a sam-
ple of 100 news reports taken from Web-designed BBC, CBN, and
ABC sites showed that paragraphs were extremely short, averaging
25 words, and usually consisting of a single sentence; only in one
case did a paragraph reach 50 words. Even when specially designed
sites had nothing to do with news (such as introductions to edu-
cational courses or chambers of commerce), the way their material
was displayed took on some of the characteristics of a news-type
presentation. On the other hand, sites which simply reproduce
material originally written for a paper outlet (such as government
reports,academicpapers,electronicversionsofnewspaperarticles)
move well away from any notion of succinctness. By all accounts,
they are more difficult to read, but daily experience suggests that
they nonetheless constitute a large proportion of pages on the Web.
(^8) Hale and Scanlon (1999: 5).