Bridging cultures in electronic communication: New multiliteracy models for interaction design

In my research I am developing new multiliteracy models for computer interface design. These design models are derived from dynamic, time-based communication structures used in oral communication in Indigenous cultures. The research uses visual patterns to represent the changing semantic structures in an interactive information space where there are numerous networks of associations. These multiliteracy models integrate the semiotics of early oral cultures with the semiotics of modern electronic communication. They reflect pluralistic, aural-visual, community-based communication styles that differ from Western perspectives of temporal sequencing, logical analysis, and fixed hierarchies. For these reasons these designs have important implications for improving global networking and closing the digital divide.