The messaging threshold in computer-mediated communication

Abstract

This study examines the effects of text-based computer-mediated communication on group interaction. Fourteen four-person teams were trained to use a networked computer system to produce a sequence of written reports either face-to-face (FTF), or from separate locations using a computer-mediated communication (CMC) system. Results showed that CMC teams took longer to complete their work, but produced reports of equivalent quality to FTF teams. Comparisons of interaction processes revealed a shortfall of social-emotional reactions and task-oriented requests in CMC interactions, but an increase in ingroup-oriented exchanges. Results are interpreted as evidence of a messaging threshold in CMC, in which the decision to send a message depends on the urgency and relevance of the message in relation to the costs associated with its communication. Implications of this threshold for understanding social interaction in CMC groups are discussed.