"Kaufer and Carley (1994) have begun to develop a theory of proximate and distant communication that focuses on a comparative assessment of oral, written, and electronic communication. Their theory implies that each mode of communication may be more or less effective for different tasks and that writing (and by extension, electronic communication that is text based) is particularly well suited for communicating over geographic and temporal distance. In fact, they point out that it was the development of writing that has made organizations, which must coordinate members' actions over time and space, possible at all. They suggest that writing classrooms, which are currently organized around interaction with individuals who are proximate in time and space, should be organized to reflect the distance characteristics of written and print communication that students are likely to find relevant in their professional lives."

Harrison, Theresa M. and Susan M. Katz. "On Taking Organizations Seriously." Foundations for Teaching Technical Communication. ed. Katherine Staples and Cezar Ornatowski. Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing Corp., 1998. 23 -24.