Do women and extroverts perceive interactivity differently than men and introverts? Role of individual differences in responses to HCI vs. CMC interactivity

Abstract

Websites, social media, mobile apps and indeed most internet platforms offer two distinct kinds of interactivity: one that involves interacting with the system, or what is commonly known as human-computer interaction (HCI), and another that involves interacting with other users, or computer-mediated communication (CMC). Are some people drawn toward one more than the other? And, is this indicative of one's social orientation? We decided to find out by examining whether extroverts and females are more likely to favor the latter type of interactivity, given their greater emphasis on relational aspects of communication. Through a between-subjects experiment with four conditions (Interactivity with HCI tools vs. CMC tools vs. HCI + CMC tools vs. Control), this research examined how extraversion and gender moderate the psychological effects of message interactivity on a movie news site. Results suggest that interactivity with CMC tools leads to a greater psychological perception of interactivity than interactivity with HCI tools. Moreover, extraversion positively predicts website attitudes for both interactivity types individually, yet it negatively predicts website attitudes when the website affords both together. The study also found a three-way interaction between interactivity, extraversion, and gender on perceived interactivity, revealing that extraversion helps males perceive more interactivity in HCI tools while it helps females perceive more interactivity in CMC tools. Theoretical implications for interactivity literature and practical implications for interface design are discussed.