Media Richness

Richness determined by:
- Bandwidth or ability to transmit multiple cues
- Ability to give immediate feedback
- Ability to support the use of natural or conversational language
- Its personal focus (Thurlow 49)
More complex the task the richer the medium necessary (rich medium = telephone or FtF communication)

Media Rating (across) Criteria(down)	High	Medium	Low
Feedback	Face to Face Video Conferencing Synchronous Audio Text Based Chat		E-mail Threaded Discussion Asynchronous Audio
Multiple cues	Face to Face	Video Conferencing	Synchronous Audio Asynchronous Audio Text Based Chat E-mail Threaded Discussion
Message Tailoring	Face to Face	Video Conferencing Synchronous Audio E-mail	Text Based Chat Asynchronous Audio Threaded Discussion
Emotions	Face to Face	Video Conferencing Synchronous Audio Asynchronous Audio	Text Based Chat E-mail Threaded Discussion

Table from: Newberry. (2001). Raising Student Social Presence In Online Classes. WebNet 2001 Proceedings (In Press)

Readings

Media Richness Theory, Wikipedia
Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1984). Information richness: A new approach to managerial behavior and organizational design. In L. L. Cummings & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 6, pp. 191-233). Homewood, IL: JAI Press.
Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554-571. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.32.5.554
Daft, R. L., Lengel, R. H., & Trevino, L. K. (1987). Message equivocality, media selection, and manager performance: Implications for information systems. MIS Quarterly, 11(3), 355-366. PDF file