Preference for online social interaction: a research on the potential influencing factors

摘要

This paper aimed to identify the potential factors leading to a preference for online social interaction to offline interaction. Based on an online survey (N = 233) and a SEM analysis, findings show that (1) compared to those who were good at face-to-face communication, individuals who were not might prefer online social interaction much more; (2) the higher the popularity level of preference for online social interaction among the crowd around an individual, the more he/she was likely to show similar preference; (3) compared to those with a limited level of involvement in online social interaction, individuals with a higher level would develop a stronger preference for online social interaction; (4) compared to those with a higher level of satisfaction with their current offline contacts, individuals with a lower level of satisfaction were more likely to prefer online social interaction. The findings will give some help for users and designers of social networking sites.