The effect of computer-mediated communication on conformity vs. nonconformity: An impression management perspective

Abstract

There is disagreement in the literature regarding whether those communicating in computer-mediated (CM) groups are attentive or oblivious to the social situation. There is evidence on both sides, with those in CM groups sometimes modifying their public responses and other times not. This apparent contradiction may be due in part to the impression that those in CM groups wish to convey and whether modifying their responses would help convey this impression. Specifically, whereas those in face-to-face (FTF) groups may strategically alter their public responses to present themselves as part of the group, those in CM groups may strategically alter their public responses to present themselves as separate from the group and unique on a positive dimension. The results of three experiments support this impression-management account: those in CM groups strategically altered their responses when doing so produced a desirable impression. The results further suggest that visual information about the group and social distance play important roles in affecting whether those in CM groups conform or not.