What version of the Internet do we use as an interactive social system in which users are able to interact with senders?

Abstract

This study investigates the interactivity construct in terms of its antecedents (i.e., motivations for using the Internet) and consequences (i.e., attitude toward the site, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intention). A structural equation model was developed for an empirical test, based on uses and gratification theory applied to the interactivity context. A sample of 385 college students in the United States and Korea participated in the experiment. The findings suggest that consumers who have high information motivations are more likely to engage in human--message interaction on a Web site, whereas social interaction motivations are more strongly related to human--human interaction. Both human--message and human--human interactions had a positive effect on attitude toward the site, which leads to positive attitude toward the brand and purchase intention.

Journal Information

As the premier journal devoted to the development of advertising theory and its relationship to practice, The Journal of Advertising serves as a public forum where ideas about advertising can be expressed and debated. The journal covers all research related to the various types of advertising, giving special attention to research dealing with the economic, political, social, and environmental aspects of advertising, and methodological advances in advertising research. Other topics of interest recently covered include the assessment of advertising effectiveness, advertising ethics, and global issues surrounding advertising.

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What Is Interactive Media?

Interactive media is a method of communication in which the program's outputs depend on the user's inputs, and the user's inputs, in turn, affect the program's outputs. Simply put, it refers to the different ways in which people process and share information or how they communicate with one another. Interactive media allows people to connect with others, whether that's people or organizations, by making them active participants in the media they consume through text, graphics, video, and sound.

Key Takeaways

• Interactive media refers to the different ways in which people process and share information.
• It is meant to engage the user and interact with them in a way non-interactive media does not.
• Social media, virtual reality, and apps are all forms of interactive media while television and radio are the most common examples of non-interactive media.
  
• Interactive media arose through the internet revolution of the 1990s and improved technology, such as smartphones.
• The uses of interactive media are far and wide, ranging from education and networking to video games.

Understanding Interactive Media

The purpose of interactive media is to engage the user and interact with them in a way non-interactive media does not. Traditional forms of media, such as television and radio, originally required no active participation. These forms of media made consumers more passive, giving them no real way to navigate through their experiences except for the ability to change the channel.

But with the advent of the internet in the 1990s, that began to change. As technology developed, consumers were given different tools through which interactive media was presented. Access to the internet went from an expensive utility once available only through dial-up to a wireless tool accessible by the touch of a finger.

Computers and laptops became a household item and a necessity in the workplace, and smartphones began making interacting with media easy and convenient.

As technology becomes more advanced, interactive media will become even more immersive, broadening what people are able to do. After all, smartphones and the internet are fairly recent inventions.

Elements of Interactive Media

Unlike traditional media, interactive media is meant to enhance a user's experience. In order to do so, an interactive medium will require one more of the following elements:

• Moving images and graphics
• Animation
• Digital Text
• Video
• Audio

A user can participate by manipulating one or more of these elements during their experience, something traditional media does not offer.

Founded in 1996, Six Degrees is often considered the world's first social media platform.

The Influences of Interactive Media

Interactive media has a very important role in today's world. Not only does it make people more active, but also it gives them the power to communicate with others (people, companies, organizations) with whom they would normally have no contact. It also allows the free flow and exchange of ideas and information.

Interactive media also has an educational component, making it a very powerful learning tool. It allows (and encourages) people—especially students—to become more active in their learning experience, more collaborative, and to be more in control of what they're learning.

Interactive media has changed the way people traditionally approached various personal and professional aspects of life, such as searching for a job, interviews, going to school, and advertising.

Examples of Interactive Media

In today's digital era, people are surrounded by interactive media. Everywhere you look, you will find an example of this form of communication.

• Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are examples of interactive media. These sites use graphics and text to allow users to share photos and information about themselves, chat, and play games.
• Video games are another type of interactive media. Players use controllers to respond to visual and sound cues on the screen that are generated by a computer program.
• If you have a mobile device like a smartphone, you use apps. These forms of interactive media can help you figure out the weather, direct you to the desired location, choose and respond to news stories in which you are interested, and allow you to shop. The possibilities are endless.
• Another form of interactive media is virtual reality (VR). VR gives users a completely immersive experience, allowing them to delve into a world that is an almost carbon copy of reality. The only difference is that this world is digital.
  

What Web version is social media?

Which of the following are computer programs that enable users to interact create and share data online?

Which of the following constitutes the zones of social media channels?

Which of the following refers to an artificial intelligence computer software program that simulates intelligent conversation via written or spoken text using a chat interface?