Author(s) : Traci J. Hess, Mark A. Fuller & Damon E. Campbell

Introduction

Today, interfaces regularly employ several media. More recent enhancements include socializing or personalizing the interface through the incorporation of recommendation agents (RAs) or decision aids that provide assistance and advice to online consumers. But, many questions remain about how social, multimedia interface characteristics influence user perceptions and behaviors with technology.    

Social presence, the feeling of warmth and sociability conveyed through a medium, has recently been identified as a key variable in establishing a connection between a website and its visitors. Social presence has been similarly suggested as a key factor to consider in the design of online RAs, as the social cues and content conveyed can lead to increased trust, involvement, and satisfaction in the RA. But again, few studies have been conducted to identify ways to increase social presence.

The goal of this paper is to investigate the key antecedents to social presence in environments where communication occurs between a user and technology, such as an RA or a website. The authors propose a research model that identifies vividness (media capability), RA personality (social technology cue), and computer playfulness (individual difference) as determinants. 

Hypothesis

1. Recommendation agent extraversion will be positively related to user perceptions of social presence.
2. Interface vividness will  moderate the relationship between RA extraversion and user perceptions of social presence, such that greater levels of vividness will strengthen this relationship.
3. Computer playfulness will be positively related to user perceptions of social presence.
4. Perceptions of social presence will be positively related to user trusting beliefs in a recommendation agent.

Conclusion

This study examined the effect that RA personality and increased levels of vividness have on user perceptions of social presence. Further, the effect of a user’s computer playfulness on social presence was also investigated. Both user computer playfulness and RA personality were shown to influence social presence and downstream trusting beliefs in a decision-making context.  As hypothesized, media vividness was shown to have a moderating effect on the relationship between RA personality and social presence rather than just a direct effect on social presence. This research provides a theoretically grounded model for explaining how more socially present and trustworthy RAs can be designed to augment human decision making.