The three theories outlined above presume that characteristics of CMC determine the nature of social interaction, creating a homogeneous pattern of actions for all people, given a particular technological setting. This technological determinism does not consider the social, cultural, historical and political context of use. Further, it assumes that users of CMC are passive receivers. It is notable that each of these three theories is derived primarily from observations obtained in behavioristic experiments conducted over short time periods, which clearly truncates the amount of social embedding of technological use that can have taken place. To fully understand the nature of social interactions in CMC, we need a more naturalistic mode of observation and longer-term research.
Structures are both the medium and the outcome of social action.
For example, e-mail in an organization might be implemented to increase the speed of exchange of official reports. While game MUDs are implemented for the purpose of entertainment, social MUDs introduce people who are interested in developing friendships or romantic relationships. In this view, the technological dimension cannot be separated from contextual dimension. The variety of forms and many combinations of technological components make various and desirable social interactions in a local context possible. For example, users in text-based cyberspace create new grammar, cues, emoticon and action words to break technological constraints.