In his 1986 ARIST review of computer‐mediated communication (CMC) systems, Steinfield (1986) identified a number of gaps in the literature on CMC that he hoped would be filled by future research. Noting that most early CMC work focused on experimental or case studies in organizational contexts (e.g., Rice, 1980), Steinfield called for (1) studies that paid closer attention to the effects of system design features on CMC, (2) empirical research in real‐world, rather than laboratory settings, (3) research on CMC use in nontraditional settings, such as on electronic bulletin boards, (4) longitudinal research to capture long‐term impacts of CMC, and (5) studies addressing the privacy implications of using CMC as research data.