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.
Joinson
Adam N
AN
Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. A.N.Joinson@open.ac.uk
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