Self-esteem, interpersonal risk, and preference for e-mail to face-to-face communication.
The media choices made by high and low self-esteem Internet users were studied using web-based methodology (n = 265). Participants were asked to rank four media (face-to-face, e-mail, letter, and telephone) in order of preference across four different communication scenarios designed to pose an interpersonal risk. The level of interpersonal risk posed by two of the scenarios (asking for a pay rise and asking for a date) were also experimentally manipulated by randomly allocating participants to a 25%, 50%, or 75% chance of rejection. Low self-esteem users (LSE) showed a significant preference toward e-mail communication compared to high self-esteem users (HSE). This pattern was reversed for face-to-face preferences. Similarly, a greater chance of rejection in a scenario led to e-mail being preferred to face-to-face communication. The results are discussed in light of both the strategic use of different media and the motivated Internet user.
Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. A.N.Joinson@open.ac.uk
Adam N
AN
Joinson
D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D008192:Deception; D034742:Electronic Mail; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D014705:Verbal Behavior