Personality, Gender, and Age as Predictors of Media Richness Preference

Abstract

Media richness, the degree to which a specific media transmits information in multiple channels, is an important concept as the number of available multimedia communication methods increases regularly. Individuals differ in their preferences for media richness which may influence their choice of communication multimedia in a given situation. These preferences can influence how successful their communication efforts will be. This exploratory study of 299 adults (ages 16–84) with at least a basic ability to compute examines the relationship between multimedia preference and age, gender, and personality traits. Males and people with higher levels of extraversion and agreeableness were found to have a higher preference for media richness. Age was not a significant predictor of media richness preference.

Effects of Media Compensation on Team Performance: The Role of Demographic Faultlines

“…Even though we allowed the values for media richness and communication intensity to differ between two team members in a communication pair, we did not assess which team member in a communication pair was the one who initiated the communication and chose a certain communication channel (e.g., was it team member A or team member B who initiated contact via e-mail?). The preference for a certain medium has been linked to attributes such as gender and personality in the past (Dunaetz et al, 2015; Hertel, Schroer, Batinic, & Naumann, 2008). Thus, future research on the communication–team performance link could also explore possible effects of media choice as a function of individual attributes.…”

“…Participants were asked to indicate on a weekly basis which media—video, telephone, chat, and e-mail—they had used to communicate to each of the other members on their team during the past week. In line with past theorizing and research on media richness (e.g., Dunaetz, Lisk, & Shin, 2015; Ganesh & Gupta, 2010; Yan & Dooley, 2013), the media were ranked in order of their richness and assigned respective richness scores, with higher scores representing higher richness ( e-mail = 1, chat = 2, telephone = 3, video = 4). For example, when a team member in a team of five only used e-mail to communicate to the four other members on his or her team, his or her media score would add up to 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4 for that respective week.…”

Power or concerns: Contrasting perspectives on missionary conflict

“…Third-party interventions are difficult with email due to slow response time, difficulty in communicating when emotions are strong, and frequent miscommunication. However, interventions led by mission leaders in the home office might be slightly more effective if carried out through video conferencing which allows for visual cues to aid in communication and instantaneous feedback that can promote mutual understanding (Dunaetz, 2010b; Dunaetz, Lisk, and Shin, 2015). However, it is also possible that a third party who lives near the missionaries in conflict and who is trusted by both could effectively serve as a mediator, especially if he or she has received the necessary training.…”

Power or Concerns: Contrasting Perspectives on Missionary Conflict

“…Third party interventions are difficult with email due to slow response time, difficulty in communicating when emotions are strong, and frequent miscommunication. However, interventions led by mission leaders in the home office might be slightly more effective if carried out through video conferencing which allows for visual cues to aid in communication and instantaneous feedback that can promote mutual understanding (Dunaetz, 2010b;Dunaetz, Lisk, & Shin, 2015). However, it is also possible that a third party who lives near the missionaries in conflict and who is trusted by both could effectively serve as a mediator, especially if he or she has received the necessary training.…”