Self-esteem, interpersonal risk, and preference for e-mail to face-to-face communication

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Self-esteem significantly influences interpersonal communication strategies.
• The internet offers diverse communication channels, each with unique social implications.
• Understanding media preferences is crucial for effective online interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how self-esteem levels affect media choices in communication.
• To examine the role of interpersonal risk, specifically rejection probability, in media selection.
• To compare preferences for face-to-face, email, letter, and telephone communication across different user groups and scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Web-based survey methodology with 265 internet users.
• Participants ranked four communication media (face-to-face, email, letter, telephone) by preference.
• Experimental manipulation of interpersonal risk (25%, 50%, 75% chance of rejection) in communication scenarios.

Main Results:

• Low self-esteem users (LSE) significantly preferred email over face-to-face communication compared to high self-esteem users (HSE).
• High self-esteem users (HSE) showed a reversed preference, favoring face-to-face interactions.
• Increased probability of rejection led to a greater preference for email over face-to-face communication across all participants.

Conclusions:

• Self-esteem is a key determinant in selecting communication media, particularly in high-risk interpersonal situations.
• Email serves as a preferred medium for individuals with lower self-esteem or when facing potential rejection.
• Findings highlight the strategic and motivated use of different communication channels based on psychological factors.