Open AccessTo thine communication partner be true: The effect of presentation consistency on perceived authenticity and liking after making a first impression online
Author(s) -
Nicholas Tang,
Janell Shi Ting Chu,
Kahmun Leong,
Sonny Rosenthal
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
cyberpsychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1802-7962
DOI - 10.5817/cp2020-3-1
Subject(s) - schema (genetic algorithms) , presentation (obstetrics) , conversation , psychology , consistency (knowledge bases) , social psychology , impression , impression formation , impression management , perception , computer science , communication , social perception , world wide web , information retrieval , artificial intelligence , medicine , neuroscience , radiology
This experiment examines the effects of presentation consistency on perceived authenticity and liking in computer-mediated communication, differentiating between profile views and short online text-based conversations. The experimental design is a 2 (presentation-consistent vs. -inconsistent) × 2 (profile view vs. short conversation) between-subjects experiment using university students (N = 173) in Singapore. Results show higher perceived authenticity (η2p = .29) and liking (η2p = .16) after short conversations than after profile views without conversations. When there is only a profile view, perceived authenticity is lower when the profile photo is inconsistent with the profile text than when it is consistent (η2p = .05). We discuss these findings in terms of schema tuning, where presentation inconsistencies can be accommodated over time as individuals develop unique mental schemas about their communication partners.