Part Three, 2000-2004: Hitting our stride

By Thomas H.P. Gould, Aobo Dong and Jacob A. Mauslein

WJMCR 33 (June 2011)

2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |2004

While the total number of research articles published between 2000 and 2004 remained relatively constant among the journals examined, the number of articles that addressed online mass communication rose steadily. This increase was expected. However, what was not anticipated was the use of far more diverse theoretical approaches to analysis in these articles, specifically those in 2004. While we expected to encounter some rarely used theories earlier (but did not), the appearance of such models as Gender, Identification, Limited Capacity, and Social Capital was not expected, not least in these numbers—more than 25% of the total number of articles dealing with online mass communications.

Journal Selection

As would be expected, some new journals appeared—Journal of Interactive Advertising, for one— while others disappeared—Media Studies. Another, Journal of Interactive Advertising, started publishing in 2000. And one, International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, appears to have taken a hiatus for one year: 2001. Despite this, the average number of articles published annually in our 30+ list remained steady at around 750.

Table 1: Journal Articles by Journal, by Year

	2000	2000-All	2001	2001-All	2002	2002-All	2003	2003-All	2004	2004-All	Total All	%
Communication Law and Policy	4	19	5	16	4	16	8	12	0	19	82	25.6%
Communication Quarterly	2	28	1	23	1	27	0	29	0	19	126	3.2%
Communication Research	0	26	2	28	0	27	1	28	4	26	135	5.2%
Communication Theory	1	21	0	20	0	22	2	18	1	18	99	4.0%
Communications and the Law*	0	13	2	13	4	12	1	9	0	0	47	14.9%
Critical Studies in Media Communication	2	21	1	28	1	23	2	18	1	16	106	6.6%
Human Communication Research	1	26	1	20	0	29	0	28	2	22	125	3.2%
International Journal of Advertising	0	20	0	24	0	23	0	23	3	20	110	2.7%
International Journal of Communications Law and Policy	12	14	0	N/A	0	9	0	6	6	9	38	47.4%
Internet Research	1	37	3	40	6	31	4	35	18	31	174	18.4%
Journal of Advertising	0	23	1	26	10	26	3	28	2	26	129	12.4%
Journal of Advertising Research	6	39	9	38	10	39	9	35	6	35	186	21.5%
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media	4	44	0	34	10	39	5	30	10	33	180	16.1%
Journal of Communication	2	30	4	31	1	48	4	39	5	41	189	8.5%
Journal of Communication Inquiry	3	21	2	22	0	20	2	22	2	16	101	8.9%
Journal of Consumer Affairs	0	14	2	18	2	11	0	17	1	21	81	6.2%
Journal of Consumer Marketing	6	35	3	35	0	39	0	42	2	40	191	5.8%
Journal of Consumer Psychology	0	21	0	19	0	32	12	43	1	41	156	8.3%
Journal of Consumer Research	1	21	0	37	1	35	0	37	2	66	196	2.0%
Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising	1	10	2	10	0	10	4	13	0	14	57	12.3%
Journal of Interactive Advertising	6	6	10	10	12	12	12	12	13	13	53	100.0%
Journal of Public Relations Research	0	16	0	13	0	12	1	11	0	15	67	1.5%
Journalism & Mass Communication Monographs	0	4	1	4	0	4	1	4	0	5	21	9.5%
Journalism and Mass Comm Quarterly	10	37	8	40	5	39	9	43	5	44	203	18.2%
Mass Communication & Society	0	20	1	25	0	22	2	21	0	25	113	2.7%
Media Psychology	1	15	11	15	3	15	2	14	2	14	73	26.0%
Media Studies Journal**	6	61	0	29	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	90	6.7%
Media, Culture and Society	1	37	1	36	0	32	0	37	3	45	187	2.7%
Newspaper Research Journal	1	36	0	36	3	32	12	37	3	26	167	11.4%
Public Opinion Quarterly	0	23	0	25	0	27	1	31	2	26	132	2.3%
Public Relations Review	2	29	0	30	0	27	3	31	6	40	157	7.0%
Visual Communication Quarterly	0	7	0	6	0	4	0	5	0	12	34	0.0%
Web Journal of Mass Comm Research	0	4	1	3	0	4	0	4	2	4	19	15.8%
Totals	73	778	71	754	73	748	##	762	##	782	3824	11.0%
Some publications did not exist in some years of the study. These are noted by “NA.”
*Communications and the Law ceased publication 2003. (see http://www.wshein.com)
** Media Studies Journal ceased publication in 2002. (see http://www.freedomforum.org)

The choice of methods continued its move toward more quantitative styles, accounting for almost 70% of articles published in 2004. This was consistent with predictions published in 2004 (Gould, 2004). It will be interesting to see if the trend continues in 2005-2009. And, as mentioned, a variety of new models appeared in 2004, suggesting a rapid moment with the research community to develop new and apply rarely used theories to explain the not-so-new phenomena of the Web.

Table 2: Research Methods by Year 2000-2004

Research
Method Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	Total
Interpretive-Policy Analysis	23	16	11	17	7	74
Interpretive-Essay (including History)	15	6	5	6	11	43
Survey-Content Analysis	9	13	16	16	42	96
Survey-Interview/Case Study	20	21	13	39	14	107
Meta-Analysis	0	0	0	1	3	4
Model Building	3	1	9	6	0	19
Experiment	3	14	19	15	25	76
Total	73	71	73	100	102	419

Table 3: Theories by Year, 2000-2004

Theory Year	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	Total
Access	0	0	0	1	1	2
Adoption/Diffusion	21	17	18	35	8	99
Agenda Building/Setting	0	1	2	3	1	7
Policy Analysis	28	18	16	16	13	91
Information Processing/Uses and Gratification	19	29	35	41	46	170
Social Interaction	5	6	2	4	7	24
Other	0	0	0	0	26	26
Total	73	71	73	100	102	419

As always, we welcome feedback and suggestions. We acknowledge that some new journals have appeared. Those coming later in the decade, such as the e-Journal of Media Studies in 2008, will appear in the next five-year bibliography. We regret not including Feminist Media Studies, which appeared in 2000, and no doubt others that we were apprised of late in this process. Perhaps in a future update of this bibliography, journals such as that and others that we, and others, have found can be included.

2000

Martin E. Halstuk, “Speed Bumps on the Information Superhighway: A Study of Federal Agency Compliance with the Electronic Freedom of Information Act of 1996,” Communication Law and Policy, 5.4 (Autumn 2000): 423-468.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The Electronic Freedom of Information Act of 1996 amended the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 to clarify that computerized agency records are subject to disclosure under the FOIA. Congress passed the 1996 amendments because federal agencies for many years had been withholding computerized records and databases from the public. Another feature of the EFOIA requires agencies to publish their policies and rules on the Internet. The rationale behind this provision was to guard against the development of “secret law” known only to agency officials, but not to members of the public who deal with the agencies. The purpose of this article is to examine how federal agencies have complied with the EFOIA in its first few years of implementation. A look at the documented early history of EFOIA compliance reveals agency performance has been marked by slow starts, missed deadlines and general confusion over exactly what kinds of records qualify as disclosable records under the statute.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Ashley Packard, “Does Proposed Federal Cyberstalking Legislation Met Constitutional Requirements?” Communication Law and Policy, 5.4 (Autumn 2000): 505-537.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: As a microcosm of society, the Internet attracts some of the same undesirable elements that inhabit the offline world. Unfortunately “cyberstalkers” are among them. A proliferation of stories posted on the Internet and reported in the news, as well as an increase in cases handled by police computer crime units, indicate the problem is on the rise. This article explores current state and federal stalking laws in the United States, their application to cyberspace and First Amendment concerns related to cyberstalking legislation. The article suggests that the current federal stalking law is inadequate to deal with the growing problem of interstate cyberstalking, reviews two bills in Congress that would make interstate cyberstalking a crime and concludes that both bills would benefit from slight changes in wording to help them deflect constitutional challenges for vagueness and overbreadth and make them more effective.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Matt Jackson, “The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998: A Proposed Amendment to Accommodate Free Speech,” Communication Law and Policy, 5.1 (Winter 2000): 61-92.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Title II of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 limits liability for copyright infringement for online service providers if they remove from their services material posted by users that copyright holders allege infringes on their rights. This article argues that the Title provides too much incentive to OSPs to remove the material, creating an imbalance in the “fair-use” tradition of copyright law and threatening freedom of speech. The article suggests that the law be amended to require that copyright holders prove infringement before OSPs are made liable for infringement.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Jan H. Samoriski, “Private Spaces and Public Interests: Internet Navigation, Commercialism and the Fleecing of Democracy,” Communication Law and Policy, 5.1 (Winter 2000): 93-113.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article explores the implications of commercial control of Internet navigation for democratic society. The article argues that remedies, such as labeling, aimed at separating commercial content from conduit would better serve American society’s compelling interest in devising a less consumerist system of Internet navigation. At a time when powerful marketing interests are exploiting the commercial aspects of the Internet to influence human behavior, the article suggests that steps be taken to facilitate user filtering of advertising content as a way to correct market failure in the Internet medium. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Elizabeth M. Perse and Douglas A. Ferguson, “The Benefit and Costs of Web Surfing,” Communication Quarterly, 48.4 (Fall 2000): 343-359.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Explores the benefits and opportunity costs of the use of World Wide Web. Percentage of students using Internet for coursework in universities; Impact of reduced opportunity costs on Web use; Type of websites most likely linked to beneficial Web use.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Kevin Wright, “Perception of On-line Support Providers: an Examination of Perceived Homophily, Source Credibility, Communication and Social Support Within On-line Support Groups,” Communication Quarterly, 48.1 (Winter 2000): 44-59.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the perceptions of support providers, social support network size and network satisfaction, and the advantages and disadvantages of computer-mediated support groups among on-line support group users. Amount of time a person spent communicating within these groups; Number of messages received within on-line groups; Perceptions of source credibility and homophily.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

David Gunkel, “We Are Borg: Cyborgs and the Subject of Communication,” Communication Theory, 10.3 (August 2000): 332-357.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The cyborg designates nothing less than a radical alteration in the subject of communication. Although originally proposed as a project for “man in space,” the cyborg has become a potent conceptualization for alternative arrangements and understandings of subjectivity and the process of communication. In particular, the cyborg comprises a highly situated hybrid that does not adhere to the categorical distinctions by which the human subject would be distinguished and quarantined from its opposites. It is, therefore, a devious monstrosity that not only challenges the boundaries that had differentiated the human from the animal and the animal from the machine but also intentionally deforms the structure of all binary oppositions that construct and sustain Western epistemologies. 
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Dennis D Cali, “The Logic of the Link: The Associative Paradigm in Communication Criticism,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 17.4 (December 2000): 397-408.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The “link” metaphor typically applied to hypertext not only refers to electronic documents’ points of connection but also suggests something about how people think about and process contemporary informational forms. This essay examines features of electronic texts that contain such “clickable” links and contrasts those features with others characterizing print documents.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Andrew J. Flanagin and Wendy Jo Maynard Farinola, “The Technical Code of the Internet/World Wide Web,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 17.4 (December 2000): 409-428.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the evolution and the existing status of the Internet. Implication of technical code for the design, usage and policy governing the Internet; Impact of the Internet on the society, culture and communication; Identification of the design characteristics of the technology as indicator of technical code.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Andrew J. Flanagin, “Social Pressures on Organizational Website Adoption,” Human Communication Research, 26.4 (October 2000): 618-646.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Innovation adoption research has demonstrated that organizational features and perceived benefits of innovations play significant roles in explaining organizational-level decisions to adopt new technologies. Beyond such motivations, however, social pressures operating at the interorganizational level have been proposed to influence the decision to adopt innovations, even without regard to any proven or anticipated benefit from the innovation itself. To empirically determine the influence of organizational features, perceived benefits, and social pressures on organizations’ innovation adoption decisions, this study examined the decisions of 288 organizations to adopt Internet websites. Organizational social pressures were found to be the most significant discriminators of adopters and non adopters, although they were not particularly important in predicting the likelihood of future adoption for those organizations currently without websites. This finding suggests that social pressures are significant in innovation adoption, but that they may have their strongest effect during the early phases of innovation diffusion. Organizational features and perceived benefits were also reasonable discriminators of adopters and nonadopters as well as effective predictors of the likelihood of adoption for nonadopters. To a lesser degree, these factors were also predictive of the stage of adoption for those organizations that have already adopted websites.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study

Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Giampiero Giacomello, “Who Is Big Brother?” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 5 (Summer 2000).
Abstract: Since its inception, the Internet has been riddled with contradictions: a communication network designed to disseminate knowledge among universities, mistaken for a Cold War device, it now carries news, data, money, and impressive sex-related material. The requirements of national security, that is, “the more a state is determined to protect its national security, the more it will seek to control access by its citizens to the Internet”; many governments tend to keep their level of control over the Net from public discussion because of “national security reasons”.  It is hence correct to conclude that the status of cryptography in the sampled countries can provide the researcher with a specific and more accurate indicator to measure the level of Internet control than the conditions of privacy or the number of host computers. Therefore, on the one hand, various national business communities lobby for freer use (and also export liberalization in the United States) of encryption software; on the other hand, national security and law enforcement agencies and personnel pressure central governments to restrict individuals’ access to that software. All in all, the model correlating the rival effects of telecoms competition and national security with variations in the free use of cryptography for individual communications appears to be the most viable in understanding the causes of Internet control.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Milton Mueller, “Technology and Institutional Innovation: Internet Domain Names,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 5 (Summer 2000).
Abstract: This paper examines the property rights conflicts over Internet domain names that emerged as the Internet was commercialized and privatized. The events are interesting because they are exemplars of institutional innovation on an international scale catalyzed by technological change. The study draws on concepts of institutional change developed by North [1990, 1993] and empirical literature on the economics of property rights (e.g., OSTROM [1990]; LIBECAP [1989]). The general framework of the new institutionalist economics (NIE) is used to organize and illuminate a narrative about how the commercialization of Internet domain names led to the formation of a new international regime for regulation and dispute resolution. The empirical evidence derived from the narrative is in turn used to gain a critical perspective on the theory.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Bernd Holznagel, Stefaan Verhulst, Andreas Grunwald, and Kathrin Hahne, “Removing E-Barriers Ways to Facilitate the Growth of the Internet,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 5 (Summer 2000).
Abstract: It has long since become a global phenomenon, which even here in Germany is gaining increasing influence over the core areas of the life and work of every citizen. The “eEurope” project launched in December 1999 by the EU commission, is another example of a European initiative aimed at supporting the “Information Society for Everyone”. eEurope is to accelerate and assure the distribution of digital technology all over Europe so that all Europeans have the necessary know-how to use the new media successfully. The potential for the overall economy inherent in the mass consumption of the Internet can only be utilized if individuals can avail of unlimited access at a suitable fixed price (flat rate). Quality and quantity of Internet use can be improved through the universal expansion and upgrading of the traditional telephone network by establishing “always-on” Internet access on the existing telephone lines using DSL technology (Digital Subscriber Line). This alternative form of access for online users demands minimal investment, while offering very high data transmission rates due to digital technology. Its tasks would include bundling all activities required to improve Internet usage, focusing on certain political issues in the short and medium terms and formulating visions and strategies for the further development of Germany into an information society in the long run. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Herbert Ungerer, “Access Issues Under EU Regulation and Anti-Trust Law: The Case of Telecommunications and Internet Markets,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 5 (Summer 2000).
Abstract: Access has become a central issue for regulation and antitrust in the Internet age. Firstly, the new communications infrastructure is, by definition, a layered system n1, on top of which e-based transactions–commonly called e-commerce–take place. Essential layers of this new infrastructure are either still under bottleneck control or threaten to fall under such control, local telecommunications access being an example of the first, access to “top-level Internet connectivity” of the second. Both are discussed in this paper.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Harold Hallikainen, “Spectrum for Sale or Rent: Comments on U.S. Spectrum Auctions,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 5 (Summer 2000).
Abstract: The use of market forces to determine the allocation of the electromagnetic spectrum results in the efficient allocation of that spectrum. Incumbent licensees who received licenses without any sort of spectrum fee may also benefit from unjust enrichment should they later sell the license at the newly established market value. However, 47 USurvey-Content Analysis 309(j)(1) only authorizes a competitive bidding system for the awarding of an “initial license or construction permit” (apparently prohibiting an auction on license renewal). The strong possibility of perpetual renewal of a license won at auction without further payment makes the auction more of a sale of the spectrum instead of the auction of a “fixed term lease.  Ideally, several nearly equivalent “chunks of spectrum” would be auctioned simultaneously so the value determined at auction would be close to that of the spectrum as opposed to the value of the service established by an existing user.  An auction to determine the market value of a fixed term lease on the spectrum would remove these disagreements.  It is, of course, difficult to determine the actual market value of the spectrum used by broadcasters and the market value of the public service offered in exchange.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Heinz Hauser and Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, “A Call for a WTO E-Commerce Initiative,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 6 (Winter 2000/2001).
Abstract: This paper proposes that the additional trade potential of electronic commerce is presently only partly realized and that the full benefit of electronic commerce can only materialize through an E-Commerce initiative of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Untapped potential of Electronic Commerce. Despite these findings the untapped trade potential of electronic commerce is hardly exhausted. In fact, hardware components, E-Commerce infrastructure services and content providers must be available. Table 2: Tasks of international organisations in Electronic Commerce. Consequently, the WTO-treaties do not contain specific clauses for electronic commerce. The WTO Work Program for Electronic Commerce. 1) How do existing trade agreements influence electronic commerce? There is still great potential for further liberalization steps in the domain of content services. The WTO work program for electronic commerce for example (compare section 2.1) has taken a very re-active rather than a pro-active stance towards electronic trade.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Michael Rosenthal, ” Open Access of Internet Service Providers to Cable Operators’ Facilities in the United States,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 6 (Winter 2000/2001).
Abstract: While the appeal was pending, in December 1999, under growing pressure AT&T and MindSpring, an unaffiliated Internet service provider, entered into an agreement regarding access to AT&T’s cable modem platform. In addition, AT&T’s affiliated Internet service provider, Excite@Home, announced on November 22, 1999, that it would draw a distinction between its Internet access business and its media-content business by creating a separate tracking stock for the media assets. “Broadband service does not include content, but consists only of making available a communications path on which content may be transmitted and received.” This definition suggests that “broadband services” is a content unrelated transmission service and, therefore, has to be regarded as a “telecommunications service” under the 1996 Act. However, to the extent a cable operator provides subscribers with access to the Internet through broadband facilities used by an affiliated Internet service provider (such as AT&T’s affiliate @Home over its broadband facility) the Court of Appeals classified it as providing a “telecommunications service.”
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Ignace Snellen, “Electronic Democracy: ICTS and the Future of Democracy,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 6 (Winter 2000/2001).
Abstract: Democracy theory is in need of a new foundation, a new paradigm. The existing paradigm is that people’s representation by parliamentarians, members of Congress and local councilors is an inevitable, but second best democratic arrangement. The weaknesses of existing democratic arrangements that are perceived, are, that members of the representative assemblies represent partisan interests under the guise of the general interest, that they tend to follow only their own partial understanding of what is good for their constituencies, and that they are more responsive to the requirements of the political party they belong to, than to the citizens whose mandate they have received. From their first being in existence ICTs are eroding the basis of legitimacy of the representational arrangements of the traditional democracy even further. The growing popularity of referenda, recall, co-production of policies and interactive policy-making underlines that people prefer direct democratic arrangements for the existing representative arrangements. ICTs make the distortion or misrepresentation of preferences of the electorate visible. Robert Dahl, the leading American thinker on democracy theory, once characterized representative democracy as “a sorry substitute for the real thing”. Representative democracy was deemed to be necessitated by the impossibility to realize direct democracy, by giving all citizens an equal opportunity to participate in the collective decision making process. ICTs’ promise of direct democracy in the form of continuous opinion polling, instant referenda, teleconferencing, digital cities and discussion groups, makes the erosion of the legitimacy of representative democracy even more poignant. As a matter of fact, the promise of direct democracy through ICTs cannot be fulfilled.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Olaf Winkel, “Electronic Democracy: The Democratic Potentials of Interactive Information Technologies under Discussion—Problems, Viewpoints, and Perspectives,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 6 (Winter 2000/2001).
Abstract: In more and more areas of society, communication and corporate procedures are being carried out by IT-networks. In the humanist approach, the transitions of the modern society into the stage of information society is especially marked by the fact that with the change of information technology, the “information explosion” in scientific areas is followed by an “information explosion” in daily life and that principally every member of society can benefit from this. According to wide-spread comprehension, three analytical dimensions can be distinguished when characterizing democratic policy, namely institutional, regarding the content, and procedural.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Christopher T. Marsden, “Property Rights in the Broadband Space.” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 6 (Winter 2000/2001).
Abstract: In this conference review, I examine in turn the current state of broadband market and policy development in [a] infrastructure investment; [b] TV intellectual property rights in the online environment; [c] the streaming media market which is currently dominated by audio servers (essentially recorded music); and [d] the Internet Service Provider market. Another concern is the failure to develop alternative local loop broadband services, by divesting the Telco of its cable TV division sufficiently in advance of the 1998 liberalization to permit upgrading of services from analogue to digital. Whereas previously, mobile was held to be the most potentially profitable market followed by local loop, the effect of auctioning the former and heavily regulating broadband in the latter has partially contributed to the decision by DT, AT&T, Telefonica, France Telecom, BT and other telcos to divest both their local loop and mobile divisions.  Intellectual property has, if anything, an even less certain set of property rights than the ‘real’ property of spectrum in local loop and mobile telephony. The private network ensures integrity of rights, video delivery, and allocation of property. The lack of legal certainty in assigning property rights, whether to one’s personal information or spectrum in LLU and 3G mobiles, is restricting the growth of a broadband Internet, and leading to a localized, Balkanized ‘walled garden’ private network approach: back to the future.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Shaun Sparks, “Busting the Code: The Anti-Trafficking Provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and Free Expression in Digital Media,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 6 (Winter 2000/2001).
Abstract: In August 2000, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled on a case that will influence the future of online expression. There, motion picture distributor University City Studios, Inc., sought a permanent injunction against the website 2600.com for making available, via online download, content proscribed by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DUMeta-Analysis). That content consisted of the computer program DeCSS, which is capable of decoding movies recorded in the digital versatile disc format.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Kenneth Brown, “The Internet Privacy Debate,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 6 (Winter 2000/2001).
Abstract: A study conducted by the Angus Reid Group, “The Face of the Web,” found that more than 300 million people are already on the Internet, and as many as 150 million more are planning to go online during the year 2000. As DoubleClick’s customer base grew, the company decided that it would improve the value of its service to customers by combining its ad delivery technology with a customer database list from a company called Abacus Direct. In May, Dade County, FL Circuit Court Judge Eleanor Schockett ordered AOL and Yahoo! to divulge the identity of an anonymous message writer sued for defamation by Fort Lauderdale businessman J. Erik Hvide — ruling.” J. Erik Hvide has every right to face his accuser . . . the Internet cannot be a shield for libel or slander. While the privacy debate rages across the country, the concerns have impacted consumer use of the Internet. Dov Smith, spokesman for Zero-Knowledge who are the developers of Freedom software, commented, “Our software increases user confidence, we hope to see increased use as consumers become aware of measures to protect their privacy.”
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Brian L. Massey, “Market-based Predictors of Interactivity at Southeast Asian Online Newspapers,” Internet Research, 10.3 (2000): 227-237
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Interactivity often is said to be a key feature of journalistic products published online. Venues for interpersonal communication, multimedia, and content that is hyperlinked, archived, updated frequently and available for personalized delivery are cited variously as hallmarks of the ideal interactive World Wide Web news site. But in practice, online journalism typically is less than ideally interactive. Why this may be so is a question that has yet to be convincingly answered. Research to date has tended to focus on describing Web journalism from generally disparate conceptions of interactivity. This article reports an attempt to bring theory to bear on the question. It was a two-part effort. First, online journalism’s practice at English-language, Southeast Asian Web newspapers was analyzed through Heeter’s (1989) conception of multi-layered interactivity. Next, McManus’s (1995) market-based model of news production was tested for the potential to explain the extent to which the newspapers were interactive.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Julie Stevenson, Gordon C Bruner II, and Anand Kumar, “Webpage Background and Viewer Attitudes,” Journal of Advertising Research, 40.1/2 (Jan/Apr 2000): 29-34.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In expectation of the expanded use of full-motion commercials on the Web to promote goods and services, a study examined the influence of Webpage background on commercial effectiveness. More specifically, the research examined what type of background is most appropriate for positively affecting advertising effectiveness as measured by several common attitude measures: attitude-toward-the-ad, attitude-toward-the-brand, attention-to-the-commercial, and purchase intention. The findings of an experiment suggest that simpler Webpage backgrounds are more effective than more complex ones. In addition, this research introduces the concept of attitude toward a Web site and shows it can play an important role in the advertising hierarchy-of-effects.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing

Gordon C. Bruner II and Anand Kumar, “Web Commercials and Advertising Hierarchy-of-Effects,” Journal of Advertising Research, 40.1/2 (Jan-Apr 2000): 35-42. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Websites are becoming increasingly complex due to the competing sights and sounds found on each page. Prior research by the authors (Stevenson, Bruner, and Kumar, 2000) has demonstrated the negative consequences that this sort of complexity can have on the effectiveness of a commercial run on such a page. Generalizations of those findings were limited due to the study’s student sample so the experiment was replicated using a nonstudent adult sample. In addition, the present experiment included constructs not part of the previous study and allowed for the development and testing of a more elaborate model. Web experience was found to play an important role along with webpage complexity and interestingness on attitude-toward-the-website, which in turn had significant effects on the web advertising hierarchy-of-effects.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing

Fred Zufryden, “New Film Website Promotion and Box-Office Performance,” Journal of Advertising Research, 40.1/2 (Jan-Apr 2000): 55-64.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: There has been a growing increase in the emphasis of web-related promotion for new films. This study focuses on the development and empirical testing of a variable mathematical model approach for predicting a film’s box-office performance as a function of film website activity, as well as other relevant explanatory variables. The study results support the relative importance and statistical significance of website activity as a predictor of a new film’s box-office performance. In conjunction with website activity, variables including screens, film “grade,” time from film release, production budget, and seasonality were also found to be significant covariates in the prediction of ticket sales during a film’s life cycle. It is concluded that a film website may provide an effective means to promote and maintain film awareness as well as influence site visitors’ intention to see a new film. Consequently, a well-designed film website may be an important component of a new film’s promotional strategy.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Don E. Schultz and Scott Bailey, “Customer/Brand Loyalty in an Interactive Marketplace,” Journal of Advertising Research, 40.3 (May/Jun2000): 41-52.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The interactive marketplace changes traditional marketing theory. An argument is made for the development of shared values and reciprocity as a theory base on which to build customer relationships, A planning matrix is presented and illustrated with a case example.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Carrie La Ferle, Steven M. Edwards, and Wei-Na Lee, “Teens’ Use of Traditional Media and the Internet,” Journal of Advertising Research, 40.3 (May/Jun2000): 55-65.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: As the teen market segment expands and spending power increases, advertisers are cognizant of the importance in understanding traditional and emerging media trends in reaching this new generation of consumers. Increasing penetration of the internet at home and at school encouraged the authors to examine teens’ relationships with media. Time allocation across media and the needs fulfilled by each medium were investigated. The study further explored how the internet, given its ability for two-way communication, stacks-up against interpersonal communication sources. Influences of gender and home access to the internet were analyzed, as were the methods teens use to learn about websites. Results provide implications for effectively targeting the teen market.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Alan J. Bush and Victoria D. Bush, “Potential Challenges the Internet Brings to the Agency-Advertiser Relationship,” Journal of Advertising Research, 40.4 (Jul/Aug 2000): 7-16.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Does the internet pose a threat to agency-advertiser relationships? A national sample suggests the challenge is at the structural, rather than strategic, level. The explosive growth of the internet has the potential to alter agency-advertiser relationships and blur the functions performed by each. Moreover, newer challenges are also surfacing in regard to web-related activities and functions performed by agencies and outside internet specialists from public relations firms, computer design boutiques, and studios. This study attempts to assess and compare perceptions, use, and implementation issues associated with marketing on the internet among a national sample of advertising agencies and advertisers. The findings are discussed regarding the potential impact of these perceptions on the agency-advertiser relationship.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Douglas A.Ferguson and Elizabeth M. Perse, “The World Wide Web as a Functional Alternative to Television,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 44.2 (Spring 2000): 155-174. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Assesses the function of World Wide Web (WWW) surfing as an alternative to television viewing among college students in the United States. Similarities between television viewing and WWW surfing; Perception of students on the functionality of WWW; Impact of Web surfing on media activities; Effect of Web motivation on the amount of Web use.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Xiaomei Cai and Walter Gantz, “Online Privacy Issues Associated with Web Sites for Children,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 44.2 (Spring 2000): 197- 214. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Examines online collection of personal information from Web sites for children in the United States. Implication for children’s vulnerability to Web diversifying contents; Factors affecting information privacy; Details on the 1995 Information Infrastructure Task Force; Relevance of Online Privacy Alliance in protecting privacy of children.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Joseph M. Kayany and Paul Yelsma, “Displacement Effects of Online Media in the Socio-technical Contexts of Households,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 44 .2 (Spring 2000): 215- 239. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Assesses the impact of online media on the social and technological context of households in the United States. Discussion on the displacement effects of online media; Application of the theory of niche in online media; Comparison between gender and generational lines regarding the use of online media.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Dave D’Alessio, “Adoption of the World Wide Web by American Political Candidates, 1996-1998,” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 44.4 (Fall 2000): 556-568. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the diffusion of the establishment of Web sites as a campaign tactic into the 1998 congressional and gubernatorial elections in the United States. Presumption that the more relative advantages a campaign perceives in establishing a site, the more likely they will be to adopt; Non-campaign presences of incumbents on the World Wide Web.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

K. Wright, “Computer-mediated Social Support, Older Adults, and Coping,” Journal of Communication, 50.3 (September 2000): 100-118.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: One important new context of communication for older adults is computer-mediated communication (CMC). Although the Internet has become an important resource for information, little is known about the ways in which individuals use this technology for social support. Older adults (mean age = 62) using SeniorNet and other related websites completed an on-line questionnaire (N = 136) investigating social support in the computer-mediated environment. Satisfaction with Internet providers of social support was significantly higher for high Internet users than for low Internet users whereas low Internet users were more satisfied with their non-Internet support networks than high Internet users. Internet companionship network size was significantly larger than Internet social support network size. Greater involvement with the on-line community was predictive of lower perceived life stress. Social support and companionship satisfaction were not related to the types of coping strategies used; however, the results indicate that direct action was the most common coping strategy for the sample.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

J. Stromer-Galley, “On-line Interaction and Why Candidates Avoid It,” Journal of Communication, 50.4 (December 2000): 111-132. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The Internet has properties that make possible increased interaction between citizens and political leaders. Interviews of campaign staff and analysis of U.S. candidate websites in 1996 and 1998, however, indicate that most political campaigns are resistant to using human-interactive features. I conceptualize interaction, offering that there are two kinds: human interaction and media interaction. More democratizing components of the medium, human interaction, are avoided in favor of media interaction because of the potential for a loss of control and ambiguity of campaign communication.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Shiv Ganesh, “Mediating the Imagination: Corporate Involvement in the Production of Centralized Subjectivity,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 24.1 (January 2000): 67-86.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The role of the imagination as a collective property in today’s global economy has received much attention. The thesis that modern subjectivity, produced by processes of consumption and constructed in a global cultural economy, is coupled with the expansion of our collective imagination demands qualification. In this article, the author engages in an analysis of themes of gender, religion and nationalism in discourse produced by participants in an electronic discussion group, to show that the expansion of the imagination under capitalism is inextricably coupled with the centralization of subjectivity. Moreover, this centralization cannot be discussed without reference to corporate interests that mediate it.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Mark McLelland, “No Climax, No point, No Meaning? Japanese Women’s Boy-love Sites on the Internet,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 24.3 (July 2000): 274-291
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Boy love (shoonen’ ai) in Japanese does not refer to the love many young Japanese women feel for male teen idols, but instead refers to the homoerotic attraction the male heroes in a genre of Japanese women’s manga (comics) feel for each other. Commencing in the early 1970s, women’s manga began to describe love stories between “beautiful boys,” culminating in the mid-1980s in a genre termed YAOI (an acronym meaning “no climax, no point, no meaning”) which, dispensing with the elaborate plots of the earlier comics, focused instead on sexual interactions between boys and young men. The advent of the Internet has provided a new forum for women interested in boy-love fiction to publish their own and read each others’ work. This article briefly outlines the history of boy love in Japanese women’s comics and attempts to describe and account for the recent expansion of this genre onto the Internet, where young Japanese women have produced a huge number of Web sites extolling the virtues of homosexual love between beautiful boys.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

John W. Jordan, “Where Politicians Fear to Tread: Advertising for Internet Security,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 24.3 (July 2000): 292-311.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: As Congress continues to struggle to create effective means for governing the Internet, some software companies have sidestepped civic processes and taken the debate into the commercial sphere. To sell their software security products, computer companies recast Internet security strictly as private, not public, concerns, in a way that generates as much fear as the ads claim to eliminate. This article examines the rhetoric advertisements employ to persuade customers that the Internet is a hostile anticommunity through which only well-protected individuals can navigate safely.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy 

Jennifer Rowley, “Product Search in e-Shopping: a Review and Research Propositions, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17.1 (2000): 20-35.
Key words: Consumer behavior, Internet, Shopping , Decision making
Abstract: An article first visits models of the consumer buying process. It then explores the two approaches to information seeking, browsing and directed searching, and then proceeds to identify the tools that support these approaches. The complexity of variety in these tools is explored, in order to set the scene for understanding the complexity of the options with which the shopper is confronted.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Paul R. Prabhaker, “Who Owns the Online Consumer?” The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17.2 (2000): 158-171.
Key words: Consumer marketing, Consumer behavior, Internet, Disclosure, Privacy 
Abstract: Powerful emerging technologies, fierce competition in the marketplace, more sophisticated consumers and the relentless drive for higher corporate earnings are at the root of online consumers’ information privacy concerns. Consumer privacy could be a defining element in the battle for the ownership of online consumers. Businesses have a choice in how they respond to this matter. They can see it as a threat and simply react defensively. Or they can treat this as an opportunity and be proactive in maximizing the gains. Clearly, businesses that add value to their offerings by leveraging Internet technology in coordination with a proactive policy to preserve consumer privacy will be the success stories of the future. The goal of this research is to identify the strategic and tactical opportunities created by online consumers’ privacy concerns. Approaches to treating the privacy concerns as a source of competitive advantage are clearly discussed.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Shaun McQuitty and Robin T. Peterson, “Selling Home Entertainment on the Internet: an Overview of a Dynamic Marketplace,” The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17.3 (2000): 233-248.
Key words: Consumer Marketing, consumer behavior, Internet, Marketing strategy, Consumer electronics.
Abstract: A study provides a perspective on the utilization of the Internet in the consumer electronics market. A preliminary examination of this market-based on observation of existing Web sites and secondary research  was conducted to provide a Springboard for insights regarding consumer use of the Internet and Web page design. Generalizations regarding the consumer electronics market may be useful in applications to other industries.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Fareena Sultan and Roy B. Henrichs, “Consumer Preferences for Internet Services Over Time: Initial Explorations,” The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17.5 (2000): 386-402.
Key Words: Consumer behavior, New technology, Internet, Time
Abstract: A study investigates time as a factor that influences consumer preferences for innovative technological services such as the Internet. Specifically, the case of consumer adoption of the Internet for home use is explored. It examines the effect of time of adoption of Internet-based services on preferences at the individual consumer level. The key research question is “What is the effect of time of adoption on consumer preferences for a technological service such as the Internet?” The primary contribution of this research is to demonstrate that existing time preference frameworks, previously applied to consumer durable products, can also be applied to technological service innovations, such as the Internet. An empirical examination is conducted using data from a survey of consumers in the initial stages of Internet adoption.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

James E. Littlefield, Yeqing Bao, and Don L. Cook, “Internet Real Estate Information: Are Home Purchasers Paying Attention to It?” The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17.7 (2000): 575-590.
Key Words: Consumer behavior, Internet, Customer satisfaction
Abstract: Many writers assume that consumers’ use of the Internet will follow the development of Web sites by Realtor.com and other Realtor-sponsored sites on the Internet. This study examined this proposition by surveying consumers’ Internet use in their home purchases. A model of consumers’ Internet use in home purchases is developed and tested. Results showed that fewer than 40% of the home purchasers ever used the Internet for real estate related information during their home purchases. Awareness of Internet real estate information, access to Internet, age, perceived effectiveness of Internet in home purchase, and satisfaction with Realtor are found to be important factors in determining consumers’ use of Internet during home purchases.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Philip J. Trocchia and Swinder Janda, “A Phenomenological Investigation of Internet Usage Among Older Individuals,” The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17.7 (2000): 605-616.
Key Words: Consumer marketing, Older consumers behavior, Internet 
Abstract: Older consumers comprise a growing but under-represented segment of Internet users. However, compared to many younger groups, members of this segment often possess more discretionary time and income. This presents a significant opportunity for marketers of Internet related products and services. In order to better understand older individuals’ attitudes and motivations concerning Internet usage, phenomenological interviews were conducted among six Internet users and six non-users. From the emic perspective of the informants, and the etic interpretation of the transcripts, the following six themes characterizing differences between Internet using and Internet non-using older individuals emerged: Reference group affiliation, Technology schema, Resistance to change, Nature of social relations, Perception of reality, and Physical dexterity.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Peter R. Dickson, “Understanding the Trade Winds: The Global Evolution of Production, Consumption, and the Internet,” Journal of Consumer Research, 27.1 (Jun 2000): 115-122.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to encourage research on the evolution of consumer behavior within and across nations by illustrating how super-diffusion technologies spawn and drive great surges in economic innovation that profoundly change consumer behavior that leads to further economic innovation and progress that plays out over centuries. Economic history can be used as a frame for understanding past, present, and future consumer behavior, particularly in thinking about the likely impact of cyberspace technology on global consumer behavior. A systems-dynamic perspective is recommended to fully appreciate the intended and unintended winds of economic change that are now blowing around the globe. In the right hands, systems-dynamic feedback maps may become as valuable today as were the treasured maps that described the trade winds 500 years ago.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Steven Edwards and Carrie La Ferle, “Cross Media Promotion of the Internet in Television Commercials,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 22.1 (Spring 2000): 1-11. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the cross media promotion of web site addresses in television commercials. Presentation of Universal Resource Locators (URL), 800 numbers and disclosure statements; Structural elements that influences the amount of attention a consumer pays to a URL; Effective methods for cross media promotion of URL.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Carrie Heeter, “Interactivity in the Context of Designed Experiences,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.1 (Fall 2000)：4-15
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Interactivity is something researchers study, new technology commercials promote, and designers create. It’s not something people do. People use the internet, watch TV, shop, explore, learn, send and receive email, look things up… The word interactivity and its derivatives are used to represent so many different meanings that the word muddles rather than clarifies the speaker’s intent. The construct is worth salvaging carefully so future research more clearly defines the interaction parameters of interest and specifies what aspect(s) of interactivity are being examined. This article offers a conceptualization of interactivity and suggests domains for operationalizations intended to be useful for researchers and designers.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing (Uses and Gratification)

Jeff I. Richards, “Interactive Advertising Concentration:  A First Attempt,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.1 (Fall 2000): 16-23
Key words: N/A 
Abstract : The University of Texas Advertising Department introduced its first Internet advertising class in 1995. That class quickly became quite popular with students, and it helped them to find jobs in the quickly expanding market for Internet-related occupations. Since that time the Advertising Department has expanded its course offerings in this area, but with little coordination or unified goal. Beginning in Fall 2000, however, the Department is instituting an Interactive Advertising “concentration.” It appears to be the first such concentration in the U.S. This article describes the process that led to this innovation, the major considerations that went into its design, and the initial make-up of that concentration. Internet advertising is “for real.” What amounted to barely a dream in 1990 had blossomed into an estimated $5.25 billion in 2000, with projections reaching as much as $45.5 billion per year by 2005. To put this into perspective, network and cable television together are expected to account for $43 billion in that same year. [1] Indeed, in its first decade as an advertising medium, the Internet became a major dish on the adperson’s menu, and a driving force that has invigorated the entire marketing communications industry. Though the real numbers are subject to speculation, the Internet has greatly expanded the volume and variety of jobs available to students trained in advertising and related fields. And there is no reason to believe that it will become a lesser force in the future. As part of the field’s permanent landscape, and one of escalating importance, the need to integrate Internet advertising into a university advertising curriculum becomes inescapable. The pedagogical question, though, is how best to present this new and evolving technology to students. In particular, we must decide whether to integrate instruction about the Internet into pre-existing courses, or present it as an isolated subject in a new course.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

William D. Wells and Qimei Chen, “The Dimensions Of Commercial Cyberspace,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.1 (Fall 2000): 24-41
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In this study, the authors identify 12 dimensions of cyberspace on the Web through factor analyses of data generated by coders of web sites. A lengthy list of Web site attributes is summarized in 12 dimensions. As in previous analyses of differences among entities, overall evaluation accounts for the largest share of variance. The cognitive and affective elements of this dimension distinguish Web sites that attract from Web sites that alienate potential users. The remaining dimensions — Outreach, Expertise Requirements, Completion, Local vs. International, Power Consumption, Accessibility, Contact Options, Text vs. Pictures, Complexity, Foreign vs. Domestic Origin, and Pop-up Windows – summarize objective properties of Web sites themselves. These properties may be desirable or undesirable depending on the background, needs and purposes of the individual Web user, and upon the nature of the usage situation. All twelve factors have managerial and theoretical implications that are discussed by the authors.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing (Uses and Gratification)

Shelly Rodgers and Esther Thorson, “The Interactive Advertising Model: How Users Perceive and Process Online Ads,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.1 (Fall 2000): 42-61
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: The authors provide an integrative processing model of Internet advertising, which incorporates the functional and structural schools of thought. The model begins with the functional perspective, which attempts to identify reasons for Internet use. Since most individuals enter cyberspace with some goal, or agenda, in mind, the authors argue that a model of online processing should begin with consideration of Internet functions. These functions, according to the authors, operate conjointly with the user’s mode–ranging from highly goal-directed to playful–to influence the types of ads web users will attend to and process. A number of mediating variables, such as skill level, are offered as reasons to switch motives. These variables are conceptualized as having either a deleterious effect, as in the case of low skill and high anxiety, or beneficial effect, as in the case of high skill and low anxiety, on ad processing. Last, the authors incorporate a structural perspective, which seeks to identify and classify Internet ads. The authors offer a broad scheme in which to classify most Internet ads, as well as a number of common features unique to these ads. The authors conclude by offering a number of hypotheses suggested by the model.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing (Uses and Gratification)

Paul A. Pavlou and David W. Stewart, “Measuring the Effects and Effectiveness of Interactive Advertising: a Research Agenda,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.1 (Fall 2000): 62-78
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: Although interactive advertising is not new, its scale, scope and immediacy has increased substantially with the diffusion of new technologies such as the Internet. The growth of interactive advertising highlights the role of the consumer in the determining the effects and effectiveness of advertising, while challenging traditional assumptions about how advertising works. The active role of the consumer in determining the effects of advertising has important implications for how the effects and effectiveness of advertising are measured and how various measures are interpreted. The present paper offers a discussion of these issues and compares and contrasts traditional notions regarding the measurement of advertising effects with notions that recognize the active role of the consumer in interacting with advertising and the advertiser. Implications for future research are discussed.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing (Uses and Gratification)

Helen Katz, “Interactivity in 2000: an Industry Viewpoint,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.1 (Fall 2000): 79-86
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This article describes the current and possible future impact of technology on the practice of advertising. Advertisers have traditionally divided media into two groups according to the way that the advertising message is disseminated. Broadcast media, such as TV and radio, are considered “passive” because the consumer passively receives the message and does not choose whether or not to view or to listen (other than by changing the channel). Print media, including magazines, newspapers, and outdoor billboards, are thought of as “active”, requiring a conscious decision on the part of consumers to look at the message. In the interactive arena, all advertising is potentially “active”. It will be up to the viewer/user to decide which messages he or she consumes, and at what level of detail. With Web-based applications, such as Geocast or Worldgate, the user could select the first screen of the ad, but then decide he isn’t really interested and not go any further. Technologies such as PVRs permit users to skip commercials altogether, whether or not they are relevant, personalized, or entertaining. The author provides a comprehensive list of such technologies and gives their implications for the future of advertising practice.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Guido H Stempel III, Thomas Hargrove and Joseph P Bernt, “Relation of Growth of Use of the Internet to Changes in Media Use from 1995 to 1999,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.1 (Spring 2000): 71-79. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: this national survey of media use shows a huge gain for Internet use in the last four years and decline for both local and network television news and for newspapers. Comparison of those who use the Internet and those who do not shows that Internet users are more likely than non-users to be newspaper readers and radio news listeners.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sally J McMillan, “The Microscope and the Moving Target: the Challenge of Applying Content Analysis to the World Wide Web,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.1 (Spring 2000): 80-98.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Analysis of nineteen studies that apply Content Analysis techniques to the World Wide Web found that this stable research technique can be applied to a dynamic environment. However, the rapid growth and change of Web-based content present some unique challenges
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sylvia M Chan-Olmsted and Jung Suk Park, “From On-air to Online World: Examining the Content and Structures of Broadcast TV Stations’ Web Sites,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.2 (Summer 2000): 321-339. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article examined the TV stations’ application of the Web features that presumably would contribute to the effectiveness of their Web sites from both the organizational and consumer’s perspectives. It also explored whether certain market factors are associated with the availability of these features.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

David Tewksbury and Scott L. Althaus, “Differences in Knowledge Acquisition Among Readers of the Paper and Online Versions of a National Newspaper,” Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.3 (Autumn 2000): 457-479. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Presents a study which compared the differential effects of exposure to print and online versions of the `New York Times’ Periodical. Design and Procedures; Results and discussion.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

S. Shyam Sundar, “Multimedia Effects on Processing and Perception of Online News: A Study of Picture, Audio, and Video Downloads,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.3 (Autumn 2000): 480-499
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Do multimedia enhancements affect how much individuals learn from online news websites? Do audio and video downloads generate positive impressions of the website in the minds of users? Five – conditions, between-participants controlled experiment was designed to address these questions. Each study participant read three news stories from a news website created for the experiment; he or she was given either a text – only version of the news site; a version with text and pictures; one with text and audio; one with text , pictures and audio; or one with text, pictures and video. Following exposure, participants filled out a paper-and-pencil questionnaire assessing their memory and perceptions. Results suggest that pictures and audio are particularly powerful psychological cues. In general, multimedia tends to hinder memory for story content and leads to negative evaluations of the site and its content, but improves memory for advertisements. Theoretical and practical implications of these finding are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Bruce Garrison, “Journalists’ Perceptions of Online Information-Gathering Problems,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.3 (Autumn 2000): 500-514.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Presents a study that reported the leading problems identified by journalists in using the World Wide Web for newsgathering. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Andrew J. Flanagin and Miriam J. Metzger, “Perceptions of Internet Information Credibility,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.3 (Autumn 2000): 515-540.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Presents a study which assessed people’s perceptions of the credibility of various categories of Internet information compared to similar information provided by other media. Method; Results and discussion; Conclusion.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Douglas Blanks Hindman, “The Rural-Urban Digital Divide,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.3 (Autumn 2000): 549-560. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study used national survey data to determine whether the “digital divide” between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan populations was widening. The findings showed that one’s income, age and education were more closely associated with the use of information technologies than was geographical location.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sung Tae Kim, David Weaver, and Lars Willnat, “Media Reporting and the Perceived Credibility of Online Polls,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.4 (Winter 2000): 846-864. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: By employing three different methods – Content Analysis, survey and experiment – this study attempts to answer a series of questions about online polls: how news media report them, how people perceive the, and how people perceive the influence of reports of traditional versus online polls on the credibility of news stories. Our findings suggest that U.S. news media have increasingly reported online poll results since 1995 and that the public generally considered opinion polls found in traditional news media more credible than online polls.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Thomas J. Johnson and Barbara K Kaye, “Using is Believing: The Influence of Reliance on the Credibility of Online Political Information Among Politically Interested Internet Users,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 77.4 (Winter 2000): 865-879. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study surveyed politically interests We users online in investigate the degree to which reliance on traditional and online sources predicts credibility of online newspapers, television news, news-magazines, candidate literature, and political issue-oriented sites after controlling for demographic and political factors.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

William P. Eveland, Jr. and Sharon Dunwoody, “Examining Information Processing on the World Wide Web Using Think Aloud Protocols,” Media Psychology, 2.3 (2000): 219-244.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Some theorists argue that the node-link design of the Web mimics human information storage and that Web use encourages individuals to process information efficiently and effectively, potentially increasing meaningful learning. However, critics claim that Web navigation increases cognitive load and often produces disorientation. This reduces the processing devoted to meaningful learning, and, thus the Web may potentially inhibit learning. In an examination of information processing on the Web using a quantitative analysis of think aloud protocols, we found that users spend a substantial proportion of their cognitive effort orienting to the content and structure of the Web, and this effort comes at the expense of elaborative and evaluative processing. Additional findings suggest that, at least during a single relatively short session, time spent in a given site does not reduce the processing devoted to orientation. Finally, this paper offers a theoretically informed strategy for analyzing information processing activities that may be of use to other scholars.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing

Mike Godwin, “Fear of Infringement: A Colloquy for Copyright Solutions Might Allay the Latest Internet Panic,” Media Studies Journal, 13 (Fall 2000): 30-35. 
Abstract: We could see the roots of social panic growing back in the early ’90s. It was apparent in the way so many mainstream editorialists and opinion leaders talked about the Net. “What about porn?” they wailed. “What about libel?” “What about bomb-making instructions?” The mini-panics came in waves, some more threatening than others. In one news cycle the Internet fear would be “identity theft,” and in the next it would be “Internet depression.” Most could be countered by considered, thoughtful debate, seasoned with the occasional First Amendment-based lawsuit aimed at a bad, panic-driven law like the Communications Decency Act. But today we find ourselves confronted with the biggest panic of all: the fear that this new, Internet-enhanced freedom of speech, if not properly brought under control by new laws and strategic litigation, will mean (capital letters seem appropriate here) the Death of Copyright. And this panic has the potential to exceed all the others put together when it comes to reshaping our laws and affecting our First Amendment prerogatives.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Adam Clayton Powell III, “Children, the Internet, and Free Speech,” Media Studies Journal, 13 (Fall 2000): 36-41.
Abstract: Instead of installing Internet filters on computers, perhaps parents should install ethical filters in their children. The Internet has brought the riches of the world’s libraries to our fingertips and free global communication to users on every continent. But the Web sites that attract more attention than any others, at least from the news media, are the sites that feature pornography. Newsmagazines feature scary covers with suggestive images on computer screens while small children recoil in rehearsed horror. Television newscasts show fuzzy images of something that must be revolting (why else would it be blurred?) while earnest reporters tell us these images are from the Internet. Politicians then use these reports and images to demand new laws to halt what they have seen on TV and in print. They may never have been online, but they do watch TV news.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy  

Nancy Kranich, “Assessing Internet Access,” Media Studies Journal, 13 (Fall 2000): 42-45.
Abstract: The public library meets the First Amendment in the information age. On the cusp of the 21st century, the First Amendment finds itself in unexpectedly contested terrain. In the conservative community of Holland, Mich., for example, residents recently voted to defeat a measure to cut off public-library funding unless filters are installed on all the library’s Internet terminals. The February 2000 referendum—instigated by the Mississippi-based American Family Association—sought to control library operations under the guise of protecting children from pornography. Opponents contended that filters don’t work and keep library users from accessing legitimate information. They pointed out that filtering software is expensive, flawed and unnecessary. More important, the library has policies for handling patrons who browse inappropriate sites. The filtering issue received less attention than the Republican presidential primary on the same ballot, but it was one flash point in the national discourse about restricting Net access to protect children. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Nadine Strossen, “Freedom of Speech: Issues for a New Election and a New Century,” Media Studies Journal, 14 (Fall 2000): 26-34.
Abstract: Two major free speech issues have been especially controversial in recent years and will no doubt continue to dominate debates during the coming campaign period and beyond. How should we apply the values reflected in this 18th-century guarantee to the brave new world of the Internet? And, how can we reform the financing of election campaigns to eliminate the appearance and reality of corruption, and to increase citizens’ and candidates’ access to the process, without limiting freedom for supremely important expression?
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Elizabeth Weise, “Not Yet for the Net: But New Sites Show Great Promise,” Media Studies Journal, 14 (Winter 2000): 36-41.
Abstract: When Bill Clinton became the first president to participate in a live Internet chat on November 8, 1999, history was not made. Although an estimated 30,000 users logged in over the course of the two-hour feed to watch a transcript of the event scroll down their computers, only 27 actually were able to get their questions answered and those only after their questions were triple-screened.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (Including history)
Theory: Policy

Wilson Carey McWilliams, “Television and Political Speech,” Media Studies Journal, 14 (Winter 2000): 110-114Abstract: For television, and the American media generally, the election of 2000 will be the real first taste of things to come, the beginning of the end of an era if not the end itself. Whispers of the “information resolution” could be heard in 1994, mostly in the accents of the Right, but in 2000, the Internet’s campaign presence will be sounded in shouts and with cymbals.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (Including history)
Theory: Policy

Tanjev Schultz, “Mass Media and the Concept of Interactivity: An Exploratory Study of Online Forums and Reader Email,” Media, Culture and Society, 22.2 (March 2000): 205-221
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Lack of interaction between the mass media and their audiences has always been a target for media criticism. While the Internet provides a potential for more interactive communication, one wonders how much this opportunity is taken up. The traditional mass media do not seem to become obsolete. Their function as providers of a shared lifeworld might become even more important. Besides their traditional formats, mass media are well represented on the World Wide Web, but it is not clear yet how interactive they will be in the online environment. The article first goes over theoretical implications, taking the perspective of the current Frankfurt School and the American movement of public journalism. Then it identifies concrete settings and levels of interactivity in online journalism. Finally, an exploratory study of New York Times journalists and forum participants helps illustrate chances and problems of mass media online.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Scott R Maier, “Digital Diffusion in Newsrooms: The Uneven Advance of Computer-assisted Reporting,” Newspaper Research Journal, 21.2 (Spring 2000): 95-110.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A survey of CAR trainers found that half of reporters at respondent newspapers do not routinely use the Internet for research. Trainers estimate that 10 percent of reporters used computers for data analysis.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Laura Newland Hill and Candace White, “Public Relations Practitioners’ Perception of the World Wide Web as a Communications Tool,” Public Relations Review 26.1 (Spring 2000): 31-51.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Interviews with public relations practitioners in organizations with Web sites explored perceptions about the value of the World Wide Web as a communications tool, and how it fits into the communications mix. Practitioners believe a Web site symbolizes an organization’s competitiveness, enhances an organization’s image, and increases the practitioner’s personal sense of professionalism. However, they often have responsibility for a Web site without additional resources to maintain it and do not see it as a high priority on their to-do lists. Practitioners must juggle issues such as skepticism about the value of their site, inefficient evaluation methods, and control of the site.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Stuart L. Esrock and Greg B. Leichty, “Organization of Corporate Web Pages: Publics and Functions,” Public Relations Review 26.3 (Fall 2000): 327-344.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article reports on two sets of data that were collected to lay the groundwork for developing an empirically based typology of corporate World Wide Web sites. A systematic, random sample of Fortune 500 corporation Web sites was employed. The first wave of data showed that more than 85% of the sample had substantial content that addressed two or more publics. The most frequent combination of publics addressed by Web site content was that of investor/customer/press. The second part of the study examined the prominence organizations gave to audiences and features on the front or “home” page. The findings indicated that many corporate Web pages were designed to be accessible and easily navigated. This part of the study clearly distinguished between primary and secondary publics. In particular, the press emerged as a secondary public in the second wave of data.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

2001

Dean Colby, “Conceptualizing the ‘Digital Divide: Closing the ‘Gap’ by Creating a Postmodern Network that Distributes the Productive Power of Speech,” Communication Law and Policy, 6.1 (Winter 2001): 123-173.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article challenges the prosaic way of debating the solution of the  “Digital Divide.” Most solutions offer physical access for the consumer to the “network-of-networks.” But the way in which the network undergoes its construction after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 leaves such consumer-oriented solutions wanting. The “end-user” is increasingly less capable of creating content to “push” onto the network. The power to produce speech is more and more the privilege of large scale producers of content who are also owners of the physical network. Because of this, even physical connectivity is no solution to bridge the gap between the “info-haves and have-nots.” Without the power to produce speech, every end-user remains a mere consumer of speech. Both law and policy can address these problems. The aim of this article is to show how both are complicit in the creation of a network that disparages individual expression and yet still retain the power of precedent to demand the creation of a postmodern “network-of-networks” that seeks to distribute the means of producing speech.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Johanna M. Roodenburg, “‘Son of CDA’: The Constitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act of 1998,” Communication Law and Policy, 6.1 (Winter 2001): 227-257.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In 1998, Congress passed a second law to regulate online content in the name of protecting children. Although the Child Online Protection Act is arguably a more narrowly tailored approach to protecting children from online indecency than the Communications Decency Act of 1996, the COPA still suppresses a large amount of speech that adults have a constitutional right to receive. This article explains the two laws, analyzes how courts have treated them and finds that while there are slight differences between the two laws, the courts have thus far held that these differences are insignificant compared to their shared constitutional defects. The article recommends that Congress stop attempting to enact laws that technology and parental control make unnecessary and that would harm freedom of expression.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Laura1 Leets, “Responses to Internet Hate Sites: Is Speech Too Free in Cyberspace?” Communication Law and Policy, 6.2 (Spring 2001): 287-317.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This descriptive study investigates people’s responses to incendiary hate sites found on the World Wide Web. Drawing on legal guidelines for other classes of unprotected speech, this study explores the parallels between First Amendment formulas and people’s perceptions of hate sites. Additionally, it examines perceptions of harmfulness and persuasiveness. Two hundred sixty-six volunteers in an on-line study each read and evaluated one of 11 white supremacist Web pages. One test indicated that the communicative value of the expression was low, while a second test suggested people perceived an indirect, insidious threat rather than “imminent” lawless action. Viewing short-term effects as the legal harm, white supremacist hate rhetoric is protected speech. If one considers indirect or long-term effects, however, hate speech may reside at the border of First Amendment protection. The results inform the debate regarding protection for Internet hate speech.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Gregory C. Lisby, “Web Site Framing: Copyright Infringement through the Creation of an Unauthorized Derivative Work,” Communication Law and Policy, 6.4 (Autumn 2001): 541-556.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article argues that the framing of others’ sites on the World Wide Web-the trapping of another’s Web site within one’s own site, sometimes known as “in-line” linking-creates a derivative work and is, thus, copyright infringement, when the derivative work was created without permission of the copyright holder. Such linking alters the framed Web site, modifies it, re-packages it in a way its author did not intend and transforms it, misrepresenting the author’s work in the process, either by attributing the work to someone else or attributing a creation to the author that the author did not produce.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Gary Gumpert and Susan J. Drucker, “Public Boundaries: Privacy and Surveillance in a Technological World,” Communication Law and Policy, 49.2 (Spring 2001): 115-129.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Discusses about public boundaries in relation to technological application. Pros and cons of the surveillance cameras placed in public places by security forces, Difficulties in fixing boundaries between publicness and privateness; Connection of privacy rights with the psychological and functional expectations in using public places.
Method: Interpretive – Essay
Theory: Social Interaction

Carolyn A. Lin, “Audience Attributes, Media Supplementation, and Likely Online Service Adoption,” Communication Quarterly, 4.1 (Winter 2001): 19-38. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Explores potential predictors for online service adoption in the advertising industry. Analysis of literature of diffusion, motivation and media substitution theories, Psychological and social origins behind Internet adoption, Technology diffusion, Gratification opportunities, Potential of online services to displace traditional media usage.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

William P. Eveland, Jr., and Sharon Dunwoody, “User Control and Structural Isomorphism or Disorientation and Cognitive Load? Learning from the Web Versus Print,” Communication Research, 28.1 (February 2001): 48-78.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: User control theory predicts that providing freedom in learning increases learning compared to traditional instruction, implying that the Web is more effective for learning than print. Theorists have also argued that navigation through Web sites mimics the associative nature of human memory and information processing-structural isomorphism-suggesting Web superiority. However, studies indicate that hypermedia increases cognitive load and produces disorientation, implying that hypermedia increases cognitive load and produces disorientation, implying that the Web would be less effective for learning than would print. An experiment comparing learning in print versus several Web site designs demonstrated that learning from print as measured by recognition is better than learning from linear and nonlinear Web designs but no different from a design including advisement. No significant differences across media conditions were found using cued recall as the measure of learning. Additional findings suggest that cognitive load inhibits learning, whereas Web expertise facilitates it. Curiously, a learning motivation tended to reduce learning.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Joseph B. Walther, Celeste L. Slovacek, and Lisa C. Tidwell, “Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Photographic Images in Long-term and Short-term Computer-mediated Communication,” Communication Research, 28.1 (February 2001): 105-134.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This article asks whether, and when, participants benefit from seeing each other’s faces in computer-mediated communication. Although new technologies make it relatively easy to exchange images over the Internet, our formal understanding of their impacts is not clear. Some theories suggest that the more one can see of one’s partners, the better one will like them. Others suggest that long-term virtual team members may like each other better than would those who use face-to-face interaction. The dynamic underlying this latter effect may also pertain to the presentation of realistic images compared with idealized virtual perceptions. A field experiment evaluated the timing of physical image presentations for members of short-term and long-term virtual, international groups. Results indicate that in new, unacquainted teams, seeing one’s partner promotes affection and social attraction, but in long-term online groups, the same type of photograph dampens affinity.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Ya-Ching Lee “A Step Toward Balance? Third-party Liability in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act,” Communications and the Law, 23.1 (March 2001): 1-9
Key words: N/A first describes the background of copyright law and copyright infringement. Then, difficulties in regulating the use of digital information and the attempts of the white paper proposal are discussed. The next part reviews the new copyright law with regard to third-party liability and assesses the advantages and disadvantages of new third-party liability. In the last part, this article offers some practical suggestions for a more balanced online copyright regime-inving a balance between copyright protection and information dissemination. As more and more individuals, commercial organizations, and nonprofit organizations (such as libraries, schools, and communities) have become Internet users-browsing Web sites, doing business, providing digital information products, or providing services on the Internet – it is important to understand the implications, the impacts and the limitations of the DMCA on third-party liability so that the Internet service providers can be aware of their rights and their obligations in complying with the law. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Emile Loza, “Internet Fraud: Federal Trade Commission Prosecutions of Online Conduct,” Communications and the Law, 23.2 (June 2001): 55-98.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Focuses on the lawsuit filed by the United States Federal Trade Commission against Internet fraud operators. Scope and impact of Internet fraud, Types of online conduct violations, 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Michael L. Kent, “Managerial Rhetoric as the Metaphor for the World Wide Web,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 18.3 (September 2001): 359-375. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article explains how metaphors influence how we experience events, and how the Web, viewed through a different metaphor or lens, currently appears a little less valuable as a tool of education or democracy. Although the Web constitutes a new communication milieu, possessing the potential to revolutionize communication in the next millennium, its rhetoric is currently one of consumerism and capitalism-economic not political ideologies pertain. This article conducts a metaphorical analysis of the World Wide Web positing that the Web might be understood best through a managerial metaphor rather than the current spatial/relational metaphor. Using Sproule’s 1988 categories of managerial rhetoric, this article critiques contemporary Web practices in an effort to better understand the Web and its communicative potential.
Method: Interpretive – Essay
Theory: Social Interaction

A.J. Flanagin and M.J. Metzger, “Internet Use in the Contemporary Media Environment,” Human Communication Research, 27.1 (2001): 153-171. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Although a significant amount of research has focused on traditional media choice and use, and even on some ‘new’ media, these studies have either neglected the Internet and World Wide Web or were conducted prior to their recent popularity. This study offers a novel exploration of individuals’ use of three Internet functions (information retrieval, information giving, and conversation capabilities) in the context of the use of other communication media. Data from 684 individuals demonstrate that the Internet is a multidimensional technology used in a manner similar to other, more traditional media. Specifically, conversation features of the Internet align with mediated interpersonal technologies (the telephone and electronic mail), whereas the Internet’s information-retrieval and information-giving features are used in ways similar to mass media channels (newspapers, television, and books and magazines). In addition, needs fulfilled by these channels cluster in ways consistent with past research, regardless of the technologies employed to meet them.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

John M. Carroll, Mary Beth Rosson, Philip L. Isenhour, Christina Van Metre, Wendy A. Schafer, and Craig H. Ganoe, “MOOsburg: Multi-user Domain Support for a Community Network,” Internet Research, 11.1 (2001): 65-73.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: MOOsburg is a community-oriented multi-user domain. It was created to enrich the Blacksburg Electronic Village by providing real-time, situated, interaction, and a place-based information model for community information. An implementation fundamentally different from classic multi-user domains object-oriented (MOO), supporting distributed system development and management, and a direct manipulation approach to navigation, is presented. To guide the development of MOOsburg, a set of community-oriented applications, including a virtual science fair, is focused upon.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Panagiota Papadopoulou, Andreas Andreou, Panagiotis Kanellis, and Drakoulis Martakos, “Trust and Relationship Building in Electronic Commerce,” Internet Research, 11.4 (2001): 322-332. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In e-commerce, trust becomes an essential prerequisite for customer relationship building. Drawn from established theoretical work on trust and relationship marketing, a model is proposed aiming to help in highlighting the differences between traditional and e-commerce and to facilitate thinking as to how trust can be built in virtual environments. Conceptualized in the context of an electronic servicescape, the model helps to demonstrate how agent and virtual reality technologies can facilitate the expressiveness required for the formation of trust through iterative interaction with promises being made, enabled and fulfilled.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Christopher K Bart, “Exploring the Application of Mission Statements on the World Wide Web,” Internet Research, 11.4 (2001): 360-368.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Mission statements are considered to be one of the most popular management tools in the world – and also one of the most frustrating. To secure their success, it has been recommended that mission statements be communicated and disseminated to as many internal and external stakeholders as possible. One means for doing this is through the Internet and the posting of an organization’s mission statement on its company Web site. But who is doing this? What types of organizations are using the World Wide Web to advertise their missions? Where is a mission statement typically located in a corporate Web site? And what are some of the motivations that an organization has for posting or not posting its mission? These are questions which have not yet been addressed by previous research and which this preliminary study sought to answer.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

James R Coyle and Esther Thorson, “The Effects of Progressive Levels of Interactivity and Vividness in Web Marketing Sites,” Journal of Advertising, 30.3 (Fall 2001): 65-77.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This experiment examines interactivity and vividness in commercial web sites. It was expected that increased levels of interactivity and vividness would lead to more positive attitudes toward web sites, stronger feelings of telepresence, and greater attitude-behavior consistency. In addition, it was expected that increased levels of vividness to lead to the development of more enduring attitudes toward the site. Participants explored four web sites. Increases in interactivity and vividness were associated with increased feelings of telepresence. In addition, increases in vividness were associated with more positive and more enduring attitudes toward the web site. Implications for new media researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing

Patrick D. Lynch, Robert J. Kent, and Srini S. Srinivasan, “The Global Internet Shopper: Evidence from Shopping Tasks in Twelve Countries,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.3 (May/June 2001): 15-23.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Globally, the characteristics of a website that are critical to increasing the likelihood that customers will shop at that site and will come back for future purchases are largely unknown. Actual shopping tasks by 299 respondents from 12 countries indicate that site quality, trust and positive affect toward it are critical in explaining both the purchase intentions and loyalty of visitors to the site. This research indicates that he impact of these factors varies across different regions of the world and across different product categories. Results of this research highlight the need to tailor websites according to each world region and product being offered for sale.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Prem N. Shamdasani, Andrea J. S. Stanaland, and Juliana Tan, “Location, Location, Location: Insights for Advertising Placement on the Web,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.4 (Jul/August 2001): 7-21.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This research addresses web advertising placement issues by examining two main variables: website reputation and the relevance between website content and banner ad product category. Online data collection using adapted websites yielded different results for high- versus low-involvement products. Advertising effectiveness for a high-involvement product appears to be relevance-driven, with reputation enhancing outcomes only when the website’s content is relevant to the advertised product category. In contrast, advertising effectiveness for a low-involvement product is reputation-driven: when a site’s reputation is well established, relevance exhibits no effect on outcomes. Results are consistent with Elaboration Likelihood Model predictions and the contention that variables can serve dual roles in the persuasion process, depending on the experimental context.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Micael Dahlen, “Banner Advertisements through a New Lens,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.4 (Jul/August 2001): 23-30.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article examines the impact of brand familiarity and internet user experience on banner-ad effectiveness. The results from a large empirical study show that there are major differences between the performances of banner ads for familiar and unfamiliar brands. Advertisements for familiar brands tend to wear out quickly, whereas banner ads for unfamiliar brands need multiple exposures to wear in. Major differences are also found between novice and expert internet users regarding their susceptibility to web advertising. Novice users are more affected by banner ads than are expert users. Implications based on the findings are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Linn Wenyu Dou and Sixian Yang Randy, “How Smart Are ‘Smart Banners’?” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.4 (Jul/August 2001): 31-43.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Smart banners, or keyword-activated banners that are tied to internet user search keywords, are becoming increasingly popular with major search engines and their advertisers. Understanding how smart banners work best is a challenge facing the online advertising industry. This paper examines how specificity in the meaning of search keywords may affect the accuracy of banner matches. Through analysis of banner matches obtained from 12 major search engines, the authors found that as search keywords became more specific, search engines returned fewer exact banner matches and more general banner matches. Implications of these findings for search engines and their advertisers are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing

Chang-Hoan Cho, Jung-Gyo Lee, and Marye Tharp, “Different Forced-Exposure Levels to Banner Advertisements,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.4 (Jul/August 2001): 45-56.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study explores the effects of different levels of forced exposure to banner ads on advertising responses such as advertising perception, clicking of banner ads, banner attitude, brand attitude, and purchase intention. The study employed a within-group experimental design using online data collection technology called Cold Fusion. It was found that the degree of forced exposure to banner ads had a significantly positive relationship with advertising perception and clicking of banner ads. Unexpectedly, it was also found that the banner ad presented in the format of the highest forced-exposure level also yielded the most desirable advertising effects (i.e., favorable attitude toward the banner ad, favorable attitude toward the brand, and high purchase intention)
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Katherine Gallagher, K. Dale Foster, and Jeffrey Parsons, “The Medium Is Not the Message: Advertising Effectiveness and Content Evaluation in Print and on the Web,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.4 (Jul/August 2001): 57-70.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Some have argued that traditional principles of mass media advertising do not apply on the web. We present an empirical study that contradicts this assertion. Our findings suggest that advertisers need not take full advantage of the enhanced capabilities of the medium to produce effective web advertising. Given equal opportunity for exposure to the target audience, the same advertisements were equality effective in print and on the web. However, for promotional material that consumers would not classify as advertising, evaluations were lower when the material was presented on the web. We propose a plausible explanation for this apparent paradox.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Katherine Gallagher, Jeffrey Parsons, and K. Dale Foster, “A Tale of Two Studies: Replicating ‘Advertising Effectiveness and Content Evaluation in Print and on the Web’,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.4 (Jul/August 2001): 71-81.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: We replicate, using adult web users, a study comparing advertising effectiveness and content evaluation in print and on the web (Gallagher, Foster, and Parsons, 2000). As in the original study inviting students, the replication found that advertising was equally effective in the two media. However, while the original study found that evaluation of an article containing advertising was lower when it appeared on the web than when it appeared in print, this result was not replicated. Examination of two subgroups showed that results for the subgroup resembling the student sample were consistent with the original study. We propose conditions under which student samples are appropriate.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Lana K. Brackett and Benjamin N. Carr Jr., “Cyberspace Advertising vs. Other Media: Consumer vs.  Mature Student Attitudes,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.5 (Sep/October 2001): 23-32.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This paper reports on the findings of a survey about attitudes now, and predictions for the future, regarding web advertising versus other media, with college students as the target. College students’ present attitude toward web advertising is compared to the attitudes of people familiar with the web in Ducoffe’s 1996 study. Among the more notable results: while Ducoffe’s sample did not find web advertising to be irritating, annoying, or insulting to peoples’ intelligence, our student sample did. Additionally, students predict that web advertising will overtake television advertising as the most valuable source of information for the future. The paper also offers a new pragmatic model of Attitude toward Advertising that enhances the explanatory power of the Ducoffe (1996) model by adding to the antecedent variables.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing

Sung-Joon Yoon and Joo-Ho Kim “Is the Internet More Effective than Traditional Media? Factors affecting the choice of media,” Journal of Advertising Research, 41.6 (Nov/December 2001): 53-60.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study seeks to compare the differences in media characteristics between the internet and traditional media, then determine product characteristics that are the most influential in the choice of internet advertising, and, finally, identify product-related factors responsible for media use. Using conceptual frames based on Katz’s (1960) functional attitude theory and the FCB Grid, this study attempts to link salient product characteristics to media choice and use for four product categories: automobiles, luxury watches, shampoos, and fast food. The results suggest that internet advertising is better suited for highly involved as well as rationally oriented consumers and that the internet should be recognized as an important media alternative in view of its preference and effectiveness of advertising execution.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

S. S. Sundar and C. Nass, “Conceptualizing Sources in Online News,” Journal of Communication, 51.1 (March 2001): 52-72.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study attempts a new conceptualization of communication sources by proposing a typology of sources that would apply not only to traditional media but also to new online media. Ontological rationale for the distinctions in the typology is supplemented by psychological evidence via an experiment that investigated the effects of different types of source attributions upon receivers’ perception of online news content. Participants (N=48) in a four-condition, between-participants experiment read 6 identical news stories each through an online service. Participants were told that the stories were selected by one of four sources: news editors, the computer terminal on which they were accessing the stories, other audience members (or users) of the online news service, or (using a pseudo-selection task) the individual user (self). After reading each online news story, all participants filled out a paper-and-pencil questionnaire indicating their perceptions of the story they had just read. In confirmation of the distinctions made in the typology, attribution of identical content to four different types of online sources was associated with significant variation in news story perception. Theoretical implications of the results as well as the typology are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing

M. E. McCoy, “Dark alliance: News Repair and Institutional Authority in the Age of the Internet,” Journal of Communication, 51.1 (March 2001): 164-193.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In August 1996, a regional newspaper, the San Jose (CA) Mercury News unveiled the results of its year-long investigation into links between the spread of crack cocaine in the U.S. and fundraising for the CIA-backed contra rebels in Central America. ‘Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the Crack Explosion’ was the first investigative report to achieve national prominence primarily via Internet dissemination. Investigations by three of the country’s largest dailies, rather than advancing the Mercury’s claims, turned into a sustained and damaging critique. Commentators have characterized this sharp scrutiny of a respected regional paper as everything from a defense of journalistic standards to damage control for the CIA. Nearly all, however, have ignored the larger critique of the Internet as a medium of news distribution that emerged in the follow-up coverage. This study examines the controversy as a case of news repair, ad defined by Bennett, Gressett and Haltom (1985)ting what the case reveals about the operation of news repair itself in an era of Internet-based news delivery. The repair of  “Dark Alliance” affirmed a paradigmatic understanding of what is and is not news. More broadly, it defended the authority of established broadsheets over the news media and affirmed the traditional hierarchy of national over regional newspapers. This paper argues that the Internet’s role in the publication of this controversial exposé created both need and opportunity for repair of institutional boundaries – those violated by the Mercury’s use of the new medium and a more general erosion in the ongoing migration of news to the Internet.
Method: Interpretive – Essay
Theory: Social Interaction 

J. W. Turner, J. A. Grube, and J. Meyers, “Developing an Optimal Match Within Online Communities: An Exploration of CMC Support Communities and Traditional Support,” Journal of Communication, 51.2 (June 2001): 231-251.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study investigates the complementary nature of face-to-face and computer-mediated social support and the development of a context through which hyperpersonal communication can develop within online communities. Optimal matching theory is used as a framework for explaining how hyperpersonal communication develops within online cancer support communities. We compared online participants’ perceptions of illness support from the list with the support they received from a nonmediated relationship. Respondents participated more within the online community only when they perceived that the depth and support that they received from the online community was high, and when the depth and support they received from the specific person in their life was low.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

E. Tanner, “Chilean Conversations: Internet Forum Participants Debate Augusto Pinochet’s Detention,” Journal of Communication, 51.2 (June 2001): 383-403.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Chileans from around the world discussed the October 1998 arrest of ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet in London and debated the legacy of the military government over an Internet forum associated with the publication La Tercera. This study of 1,670 letters argues the online forum is a public space and identifies four characteristics of the space as it relates to public sphere theories: access, freedom of communication, structure of deliberation, and the public use of reason. Participants in forum debates generated both public opinion and collective memories of the recent past, thus becoming part of the broader Chilean reconciliation.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing

D. Robert DeChaine, “From Discourse to Golf Course: the Serious Play of Imagining Community Space,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 25.2 (April 2001): 132-146.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the Web-based promotional discourse of the American golf community in an effort to highlight the intimate relationship between material and social space. It is argued that golf communities represent uniquely imagined spaces in which identity is worked and power is wielded. In examining specificities of the physical space that the residents share, the requirements for accessing and/or belonging to the golf community, and in particular the marketing strategies employed by community developers, an attempt is made to bring into relief the broader themes that underlie formative American ideologies of nature, individualism, democracy, and class privilege. A rhetorical analysis of Web-based appeals to prospective golf community members reveals a complex negotiation of American core values, underpinned by significant tensions concerning purity, exclusivity, freedom, and control.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Vincent Mosco and Derek Foster, “Cyberspace and the End of Politics,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 25.3 (July 2001): 218-236.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Communication scholars have used the concept of myth to understand important concerns of both the political economy and cultural analysis of communication. This article builds on this work by examining myths about cyberspace and is part of a wider project that aims to address issues on the borders of political economy and cultural studies. Specifically, our understanding of cyberspace can benefit by theorizing it as a mythic space marked by powerful beliefs about a radical and transcendent disjunction celebrating the end of history, the end of geography, and the end of politics. The article concentrates on cyberspace myths about the end of politics and how these are manifested in two substantive developments: the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a lobbying organization led by George Gilder, Alvin Toffler, Newt Gingrich, and others, and the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), whose protective shield promises to safeguard the United States from nuclear annihilation.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (Including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Anthony D. Miyazaki and Ana Fernandez, “Consumer Perceptions of Privacy and Security Risks for Online Shopping,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35.1 (Summer 2001): 27-44. 
Key Word: N/A
Abstract:  The present research examines Internet privacy and security issues that affect both online retailers and their patrons. The study results provide evidence that higher levels of Internet experience may lead to lower risk perceptions regarding online shopping and fewer specific concerns regarding system security and online retailer fraud yet more concerns regarding online privacy. Participation in other remote purchasing methods was shown to be related to lower risk perceptions regarding online shopping. Finally, there was evidence that perceived risk at least partially mediates the impact of Internet experience on online purchase behavior. In light of the rapid evolution of consumer-related online commerce, further and more frequent research is needed to understand how risk perceptions influence online purchasing, how such perceptions can be managed by retailers, and how the management of risk perceptions may impact consumer welfare.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction
                        
James A. Talaga and Louis A. Tucci,” Consumer Tradeoffs in On-line Textbook Purchasing,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18.1 (2001): 10-20.
Key Words: Electronic commerce, Internet, Consumer behavior, Book trade, Pricing, Retailing 
Abstract: New forms of retailing present different pricing challenges. The selling of college textbooks over the Internet represents an ideal case study of the different elements that enter into consumer’s price equation. College students were asked to rate the likelihood of purchase of a text given different profiles of sellers and their offerings. Using conjoint analysis, estimates of consumer tradeoffs were calculated. In-stock status at the college bookstore was the most important variable, followed by buy-back policies/guarantees. Price of the text was the third most important variable. Implications for both bookstores and on-line retailers are presented.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Pradeep Korgaonkar, Ronnie Silverblatt, and Bay O’Leary, “Web Advertising and Hispanics,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18.2 (2001): 134-152.
Key Words: Advertising, Internet, Ethnic groups, Consumer behavior, Market segmentation
Abstract: The liaison between America Online and Hispanic Publishing Corp. to launch an interactive area called HISPANIC Online attests to the growing importance of the Hispanic consumers to US corporations. Still, little published research exists documenting the evaluation and usage of Web advertising by this growing segment of the US population. Applying Pollay and Mittal’s seven-factor advertising beliefs model, the authors explore the Hispanic Web users’ beliefs, attitudes, and use of Web advertising. The seven belief factors regarding Web advertising, as well as attitudes and demographic factors, of the Hispanic respondents were studied in three usage contexts of Web advertising: the attention subjects paid to Web advertisements, the frequency of subjects clicking on Web advertisements, and the frequency of subjects leaving Web sites. Multivariate discriminant analysis suggests that the seven belief factors and the attitude factor, along with age and income levels, are significantly correlated with the three usage contexts of Web advertising. The study results and implications for Web advertisers are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Carol Kaufman-Scarborough, “Accessible Advertising for Visually Disabled Persons: the Case of Color-deficient Consumers,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18.4/5 (2001): 303-318.
Key Words: Disabled people, Advertising, Design, Internet
Abstract: Successful advertising must attract attention, communicate clearly, and ideally be memorable for optimum impact. The basic processes of encoding and decoding underlie successful communication, but advertisers often neglect to test for accessibility by visually-disabled persons. The present paper presents a framework for detecting information-processing problems and illustrates the use of this framework by analyzing the responses of color-deficient consumers.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis 
Theory: Social Interaction

Kim Bartel Sheehan and Timothy W. Gleason, “Online Privacy: Internet Advertising Practitioners’ Knowledge and Practices,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 23.1 (Spring 2001): 31-41. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Investigates how Internet advertising practitioners perceive consumer attitudes towards practices inviting information collection and usage and whether these practitioners respond to known concerns in their work. Practitioners’ awareness of consumer privacy concerns, Indications that practitioners are failing to take appropriate actions to address these concerns.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Eric J. Karson and Pradeep K. Korgaonkar, “An Experimental Investigation of Internet Advertising and the Elaboration Likelihood Model,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 23.2 (Fall 2001): 53-72.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the applicability of Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) in Internet advertising. Differences between Internet and traditional advertising, Effects of involvement for peripheral cues on attitudes and intentions, Reasons for the difficulty in adapting the ELM in the Internet.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Peng Hwa Ang, “The Role of Self-Regulation of Privacy and the Internet,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.2 (Spring 2001): 1-9
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: For several years now, Internet users have ranked privacy as the issue that concerns them the most. This paper traces the development of privacy rights on the web with emphasis on the USA and EU. The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches to regulation, especially industry self-regulation. Both conceptually and in practice, there are problems with all the modes of regulation. In the U.S.A. there is pressure towards government regulation away from self-regulation. This is due in part to the high-profile breaches of privacy that went unpunished in the self-regulatory regime. It concludes with a basic set of guidelines on privacy for websites.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Steve Coffey, “Internet Audience Measurement: A Practitioner’s View,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.2 (Spring 2001): 10-17
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: The objective of this paper is to provide some background to those interested in the Internet audience measurement industry, layout the alternative methods employed, and provide greater detail behind the methodology used by the leading Internet audience measurement service. Alternative measurement methods are discussed. Each of the commercial audience measurement firms that are active are constantly striving to refine and improve their methodologies to match the needs of a very rapidly changing industry, and some of these improvements are discussed. This paper concludes that considerable innovation will occur in the five years ahead, just as radical changes have occurred in the five years past.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Marilyn S. Roberts and Hanjun Ko, “Global Interactive Advertising: Defining What We Mean and Using What We Have Learned,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.2 (Spring 2001): 18-27
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: Global interactive advertising is becoming an important key term for the current marketplace as Internet usage continues to climb at astounding rates on a worldwide basis. The authors propose a definition of global interactive advertising. This study defines global interactive advertising as cross-cultural marketing communications that are deliberately planned and executed to actively engage persons in advertising processing through interactivity as a part of overall localized, regionalized, or worldwide strategic communication efforts. It is important to carefully consider how the term is conceptualized and operationalized. Likewise, it is important to understand what is not considered to be global interactive advertising. By reviewing the components of the term, the authors hope to show how distinctly and strategically different this form of advertising is from interactive advertising that is merely viewed by a consumer living outside of the homemarket’s URL domain. The paper examines the complexities of terms used in differentiating the various forms of global marketing, as well as the complexities in defining the term interactivity. Also discussed is the application of uses and gratifications research and its implications for global interactive advertising. Finally, strategies adapted by interactive advertising agencies are discussed and compared.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (Including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hugh M. Cannon, “Addressing New Media with Conventional Media Planning,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.2 (Spring 2001).
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: Accepted industry wisdom is that many new, and particularly Internet, media cannot be addressed through conventional media planning procedures. This paper takes a contrary position. It not only argues that new media can be addressed through conventional planning procedures, but it contends that they should be. Increasingly, all media compete for the same budget. Furthermore, they play critical roles in the same integrated marketing communications programs. To suggest that they should be treated differently argues against truly integrated media planning. While this paper does not suggest a comprehensive integrated planning solution, it does outline the directions such a solution should take. Most important, it shows how all media selections can be addressed through a common evaluative process.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

David W. Schumann, Andy Artis and Rachel Rivera, “The Future of Interactive Advertising Viewed Through an IMC Lens,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.2 (Spring 2001): 43-55
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: This paper considers the future of interactive advertising (IA). While some suggest that IA is the wave of the future, others suggest that in five years IA will be mainstream marketing and will no longer be a novel concept. In order to examine this issue, the authors consider IA as it serves another important marketing concept, Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC). Thus IA is examined through an IMC lens. After a brief discussion of the definition of IA and the focus on a five-year time frame, three trends are presented with a focus on expected technologies. This presentation is followed with a discussion of IA as it contributes to IMC, and an examination of questions for future research. The paper concludes that IA will likely evolve and expand in form and that this evolution will remain a key in successful advertising and product/service interaction.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Matthew Lombard and Jennifer Snyder-Duch, “Interactive Advertising and Presence: A Framework,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 1.2 (Spring 2001): 56-65
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: New communication technologies are creating new challenges for the advertising industry. While digital and high definition television, e-mail, the World Wide Web, and other new technologies represent new possibilities for advertisers, there is little information available regarding how to take advantage of them. There are indications that applying traditional models, designed for media that provide users with a passive, impersonal experience, will be unsuccessful for the new interactive digital media. A growing body of research and theory on the concept of presence may provide a valuable framework for advertisers as they try to adapt to the changing media environment. This paper considers some of the ways advertising is evolving to incorporate interactive media and how work on presence can guide that evolution.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Anne-Cécile Jeandrain, “Consumer Reactions in a Realistic Virtual Shop: Influence on Buying Style,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.1 (Fall 2001): 2-9
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: The author examines the impacts of immersion in a virtual shop and its impact on consumer behavior. Intuitively, consumers should prefer a immersive virtual shop because of its aestheticism and more realistic and natural look. However, results from an exploratory study demonstrate that consumer reactions depend primarily on their buying style (experiential or utilitarian). The experientials, i.e. persons who consider shopping as a recreation, prefer shopping in a realistic virtual shop. In contrast, the utilitarians
, i.e. persons who consider shopping as a task, dislike this kind of shop because of its lack of convenience. Therefore, for retailers, providing realistic immersive experience to experiential consumers is a very interesting way to differentiate from competitors.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Steven M. Edwards and Harshavardhan Gangadharbatla, “The Novelty of 3D Product Presentations Online,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.1 (Fall 2001): 10-18
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: The current research sought to understand the contribution of novelty to the positive outcomes that have been reported in the research on 3D interactions online and in e-commerce. The novelty of 3D product presentations was manipulated and examined along with the presentation of additional forms of information to determine if novelty is related to positive feelings associated with 3D products. Additional information was most compelling in product attitude formation, where novelty played a key role in shaping purchase intention. Novelty and information both impacted attitudes toward Web sites using 3D products. Directions for future research are suggested.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Yung Kyun Choi, Gordon E. Miracle and Frank Biocca, “The Effects of Anthropomorphic Agents on Advertising Effectiveness and the Mediating Role of Presence,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.1 (Fall 2001).
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: The purposes of this research were to contribute to advertising theory and practice. The theoretical contributions are to understanding and predicting the relationships between presence and advertising effectiveness employing an anthropomorphic agent in the Web advertisement. Knowledge of these relationships can also guide advertising practice, especially to prepare messages that communicate effectively. Results of an experiment indicate that an anthropomorphic agent on the Web site can increase a sense of social presence and telepresence to influence some of the advertising effectiveness measures to be more favorable. The study concludes with specific managerial implications and limitations.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Robert Pennington, “Signs of Marketing in Virtual Reality,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.1 (Fall 2001): 33-43
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: Interactivity provides marketers with the means to deliver virtual realities custom designed for and by each consumer. With the help of computer-assisted marketing, consumers can form virtual societies and cultures. Consumers can be the architects of their virtual realities by selecting attributes. However, computers can assist the design of custom virtual realities, filling in details according to consumers’ outlines and generating details according to the probabilities of consumer experience. In actual reality, objects do not occur isolated from other objects. Knowing the simultaneous occurrences of attributes, one can construct a virtual reality that evokes a sense of actual reality when it is imaginary. Marketers can calculate conditional uncertainty to discover which attribute signs have common preference among consumers and which have limited or idiosyncratic preference. This measure reveals predictability of one sign given a previously selected sign or assortment, and predictability of consumer characteristics from sign choice within assortment contexts. With this information, marketers can construct targeted virtual realties of signs that include consumption object icons or brands.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

JoAnne Holman and Michael A. McGregor, “Thank You for Taking the Time to Read This: Public Participation Via New Communication Technologies at the FCC,” Journalism & Mass Communication Monographs, 2.4 (Winter 2001): 159-202. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Presents a study that determined the extent to which electronic mail comments were considered by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in decision making. Examination of the FCC rule-making proceedings which generate public response through electronic mail, Factors which determine effective public participation, Methodology, Results and Discussion.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Lance Vardaman Porter, Lynne M. Sallot, Glen T. Cameron and Scott Shamp, “New Technologies and Public Relations: Exploring Practitioners’ Use of Online Resources to Earn a Seat at the Management Table,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.1 (Spring 2001): 172-190.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A survey of corporate public relations practitioners classified as managers or technicians revealed that although online databases are having positive effects on the practice of public relations, most practitioners are not yet taking advantage of these empowering opportunities. Practitioners need to be aware that online databases provide a new avenue for participation in management decision making. As greater numbers of practitioners begin cruising the information superhighway and put the new technologies available to full use, public relations can experience even greater opportunities to pull up a chair at the management table.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Jane B. Singer, “The Metro Wide Web: Changes in Newspapers’ Gatekeeping Role Online,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.1 (Spring 2001): 65-80.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the print and online versions of selected Colorado newspapers by comparing the content of local and nonlocal news, sports and business in each version. Changes in the role of newspaper editors, Significance of local orientation in newspapers and its readers, Comparison of story total, location and staffing for each version.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Wei Wu and Soh Hoon Koo, “Perceived Effects of Sexually Explicit Internet Content: The Third-Person Effect in Singapore,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.2 (Summer 2001): 260-274.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Wu and Koo investigated the third-person effect of pornography on the Internet. The study was conduced in Singapore, a conservative nation that looks askance at sexuality in the media. Findings revealed evidence for a perceived social distance corollary with children to be more influenced by pornography.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

David Tewksbury, Andrew J Weaver and Brett D Maddex, “Accidentally Informed: Incidental News Exposure on the World Wide Web,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, (Autumn 2001): 533-554. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Tewksbury et al use survey data from 1996 and 1998 to test whether accidental exposure to news on the Web is positively associated with awareness of current affairs information. The results indicate that incidental online news exposure was unrelated to knowledge in 1996, but acted as a positive predictor in 1998.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Carolyn A Lin and Leo W Jeffres, “Comparing Distinctions and Similarities Across Websites of Newspapers, Radio Stations, and Television Stations,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.3 (Autumn 2001): 555-573.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Lin and Jeffres report the results of a content analysis of 422 Web sites associated with local newspapers, radio stations and television stations in 25 of the largest metro markets in the U.S. Results show that each medium has a relatively distinctive content emphasis, while each attempts to utilize its Web site to maximize institutional goals.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Tami K Tomasello, “The Status of Internet-based Research in Five Leading Communication Journals, 1994-1999,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.4 (Winter 2001): 659-674.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In light of recent calls to action regarding Internet research, a study examines the content, frequency, and pattern of published Internet-based research articles in five leading communication journals for the primary purpose of assessing how these journals have kept pace with the Internet’s influence on the communication process. A content analysis of 961 articles reveals that less than 4% focused on the Internet during the examined six-year timeframe. However, the total number of Internet-related articles published per year appeared to increase over time.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Matthew D. Bunker, “Intellectuals’ Property: Universities, Professors, and the Problem of Copyright in the Internet Age,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.4 (Winter 2001): 675-687.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Although universities long neglected copyright claims in faculty teaching and research materials, the thought of potential revenues from Internet distance education has recently made salient. This article analyzes the extent to which universities may claim ownership in faculty works through the work for hire doctrine of copyright law. It also explores whether there is continued vitality in a “teacher exception” to the work for hire doctrine.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Mary Jae Paul, “Interactive Disaster Communication on the Internet: a Content Analysis of Sixty-four Disaster Relief Home Pages,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.4 (Winter 2001): 739-753.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Disaster relief home pages were content analyzed using a seven-dimensional conceptualization of interactivity. A study provides a theoretical exploration of the concept of interactivity and its potential contributions to the Internet as an increasingly interactive mass medium.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

David Weaver and Dan Drew, “Voter Learning and Interest in the 2000 Presidential Election: Did the Media Matter?” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78.4 (Winter 2001): 787-798. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Weaver and Drew examined the relationships of exposure and attention to various news media, including the Internet, with information learned about the positions of candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore, interest in the 2000 election campaign, and intention to vote among a random sample of adult residents of Indiana who were interviewed by telephone in October and November 2000. The findings are compared with those of previous studies of the 1988, 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. They confirm the importance of TV news and TV debates as sources of information.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Frances Cresser, Lesley Gunn, and Helen Balme “Women’s Experiences of On-line e-Zine Publication,” Media Culture Society, 23.4 (July 2001): 457-473.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The use of e-zines by women writers is a developing medium. Thirty-nine e-zine authors were interviewed by email (structured questions and free discussion) to explore their motivations, opinions and experiences of publishing on-line. The interviews yielded information on a number of themes: communication, construction of identity, the e-zine as a political space. The e-zine authors considered that, despite the prejudices that exist on the web, they were making a difference by forming networks of likeminded individuals to discuss and evaluate personal and political issues. It also became clear from the interviews that the Internet neither marginalizes nor liberates traditionally under-represented groups, such as women, but is an accurate reflection of society and the outside world.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing

Peter Vorderer, Silvia Knobloch and Holger Schramm, “Does Entertainment Suffer From Interactivity? The Impact of Watching an Interactive TV Movie on Viewers’ Experience of Entertainment,” Media Psychology, 3.4 (2001): 343-363.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: To investigate whether interactivity enhances entertainment in interdependence with individual factors, an experiment with a 3 X 2 between-subject design was conducted. 427 participants aged between 14 and 49 were randomly assigned to a 30-minute TV movie with three different interactivity levels and two different introductions that should diversify feelings of sympathy toward the protagonist. Dependent variables like empathy with the protagonist, suspense, and movie evaluation were measured after exposure, and some were measured during exposure. A number of personality scales were also presented at the beginning of each session. The results indicate that individuals with lesser cognitive capacity feel more entertained, that is, they feel more empathic toward the protagonist, feel more suspense, and evaluate the movie more positively when they watch it without any interactivity, in the traditional passive manner. For individuals with greater cognitive capacity, it is just the opposite: They can use interactivity to their advantage. An increase in their entertainment experience was observed as a direct consequence of their being able to influence the plot of the movie.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing

Stan Ketterer, “Links Engage Readers Of Online Crime Stories,” Media Psychology, 22.2 (Spring 2001): 2-13.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Readers spent more time reading and gained more knowledge when they read online crime stories that included links than when they read online crime stories without links.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ann M Brill. “Online Journalists Embrace New Marketing Function,” Media Psychology, 22.2 (Spring 2001): 28-40.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study of online journalists at 12 daily newspapers found that understanding the audience, competing with other media and providing content for the widest possible audience were important.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Wendy Dibean and Bruce Garrison, “How Six Online Newspapers Use Web Technologies,” Media Psychology, 22.2 (Spring 2001): 79-93.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This content analysis compared the use of World Wide Web technologies on the sites of six online newspapers. The study showed heavy presence of consumer services but little use of plug-in based technologies.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Lucinda Davenport, Fred Fico and Mary Detwiler, “How Michigan Dailies Use Computers to Gather News,” Media Psychology, 22.3 (Summer 2001): 44-57.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This survey of 48 Michigan daily newspapers finds that 96 percent now use one or more computerized sources to obtain information for news stories. The Internet is the most frequently used source.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sung Tae Kim and David Weaver, “Traditional, Online Polls Reported Differently,” Media Psychology, 22.3 (Summer 2001): 71-85.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This content analysis of both traditional and online polls in selected U.S. newspapers from 1996 to 1998 finds substantial differences in the way they are reported in news stories.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Quint Randle, “Evolution of U.S. Daily Newspaper Brand Names into Internet URLs,” Media Psychology, 22.3 (Summer 2001): 89-91.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Newspapers are using several different adaptive behaviors in their URL branding strategies, and there is a relationship between strategy and the availability of resources as measured by circulation. Newspapers with URLs displaying more adaptive characteristics have greater available resources.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

David R Thompson and Birgit L Wassmuth, “Few Newspapers Use Online Classified Interactive Features,” Media Psychology, 22.4 (Fall 2001): 16-27.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Thompson and Wassmuth identify various content features and interactive functions that have been designed into online classified advertising sites. Their analysis revealed that 91% of newspapers have online classified ads, but few use interactive features.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

M. David Arant and Janna Quitney Anderson, “Newspaper Online Editors Support Traditional Standards,” Media Psychology, 22.4 (Fall2001): 57-69.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Presents a study that measured online journalists’ views about what the ethical dilemmas in online journalism practice are and how news standards change when publishing online. Survey of online editor at U.S. daily newspapers; Literature review on publishing news on the World Wide Web; Issues raised by online publication; Suggested ways to improve online news practices.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory : AD

Bruce Garrison, “Newspaper Roles Shape World Wide Web Searches,” Media Psychology, 22.4 (Fall 2001): 70-83. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Garrison surveyed Sunday newspapers and revealed a hierarchy of sophistication of how newsroom employees seek information on the Web. He found that news researchers were the most skilled and reporters and editors were the least skilled.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kirk Hallahan, “Improving Public Relations Web Sites Through Usability Research,” Media Psychology, 27.2 (Summer 2001): 223-239.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Public relations communicators can use a variety of techniques to pretest the effectiveness of messages, including readability testing, focus groups, peer and jury reviews, experiments and field testing/test marketing. Another yet-untapped technique is usability research, a set of procedures used for more than 50 years in product and software development. Although usability is a technique that can be applied to any type of public relations message, usability research has particular relevance for enhancing the effectiveness of web sites and other new interactive techniques. This article examines the nature and value of usability research, and the elements of an effective web site based on usability principles. Applications to other types of public relations communications are also discussed. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Maureen Taylor, Michael L. Kent and William J. White, “How Activist Organizations are Using the Internet to Build Relationships,” Media Psychology, 27:3 (Fall 2001): 263-284.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the mediated communication of activist organizations to understand how these groups use their Web sites to build relationships with publics. A study of one hundred environmental organization Web sites identified common features and examined the incorporation of dialogic communication into this new medium. The data suggest that while most activist organizations meet the technical and design aspects required for dialogic relationship building on the Web, they are not yet fully engaging their publics in two-way communication. Moreover, it appears that the activist organizations are better prepared to address the needs of member publics rather than media needs. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

David R. Thompson and Birgit Wassmuth, “Online Advertising: Hit Rates for Jumps from Banner Ads,” Web Journal of Mass Communications Research, 4:2 (March 2001): 97-103
Abstract: This article reports a content analysis of newspaper practice regarding targeting jump links to banner ads. By “targeting,” the authors refer to the practice of matching the content of the banner ad to the content on the page to which the banner is linked. Perhaps because of click-through measurement techniques, previous research conveys an assumption that a banner must always jump to the advertiser’s home page. This study extends prior research to examine the “hit” rate for jumps from banners to relevant content. Also, this is one of the first studies to record banners with no jump links and failures to connect to a jump page. Banner ads were coded for targeting banner ads to their jump links (hit; near miss; miss; no jump link; failed to connect). A strong majority (88.6%) of all jumps from the banner ads coded were hits. In most cases, clicking on a banner ad resulted in landing on a new file, the jump page, with content related to the banner ad. However, the researchers believe modifications to online advertising strategies are needed to improve the “information” connection between banner ad and jump page. And the researchers believe that the findings presented here may be applied to other studies of Web site content and design, navigability, and interactivity. By investigating online newspapers, this pilot study breaks the short tradition of previous research that examines “Top 50” sites. The research reported here is one of the first studies of online newspaper advertising based on a systematic sample. And it is one of the first studies of online newspaper advertising that looks beyond the home page to examine all levels of the site.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

2002

Scott L. Althaus and David Tewksbury, “Agenda Setting and the ‘New’ News: Patterns of Importance Among Readers of the Paper and Online Versions of the New York Times,” Communication Research, 29.2 (April 2002): 180-207.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study examines whether readers of the paper and online versions of a national newspaper acquire different perceptions of the importance of political issues. Using data from a weeklong experiment in which subjects either read the print version of the New York Times, the online version of that paper, or received no special exposure, this study finds evidence that people exposed to the Times for 5 days adjusted their agendas in response to that exposure and that print readers modified their agendas differently than did online readers
Method: Experiment
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Annie Lang, Jennifer Borse, Kevin Wise and Prabu David, “Captured by the World Wide Web: Orienting to Structural and Content Features of Computer-presented Information,” Communication Research, 29.3 (June 2002): 215-245.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This article uses a limited-capacity information-processing perspective to investigate which structural features of computers elicit orienting responses in attentive computer users. The results of three experiments test the ability of plain text, boxed text, warnings, non-animated banner advertisements, and animated banner advertisements to elicit cardiac-orienting responses in attentive computer users. A second question asks if user or computer control of stimulus presentation alters orienting behavior. A final hypothesis predicts stimuli that elicit orienting will be better recognized than those that do not. Results show that plain text, boxed text and non-animated banner advertisements do not elicit cardiac orienting. However, warnings and animated banner advertisements do elicit orienting. In general, stimuli that elicit orienting are recognized better than those that do not. Control over stimulus onset has little or no effect on orienting behavior.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Marilyn Roberts, Wayne Wanta and Tzong-Horng (Dustin) Dzwo, “Agenda Setting and Salience Online,” Communication Research, 29.4 (August 2002): 452-465
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the agenda-setting process and the role it may play on the Internet, specifically in electronic bulletin boards (EBB). Online media coverage of four issues from five news media were downloaded during the 1996 fall political campaign. The frequency of EBB discussions of each.served as the surrogate for the public agenda. An ARIMA model cross-correlational test showed EBB discussions of three issues-immigration, health care, and taxes-correlated with news media coverage, with time lags varying from 1 day to 7 days. Only for abortion did the media have no apparent agenda-setting effect. Media coverage apparently can provide individuals with information they can use in their EBB specific-issue discussions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Jonathan J. H. Zhu and Zhou He, “Perceived Characteristics, Perceived Needs, and Perceived Popularity: Adoption and Use of the Internet in China,” Communication Research, 29.4 (August 2002): 466-495.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The Internet has arrived in China, the most populous nation in the world, at a rapid rate. To account for the adoption and use of the Internet by Chinese audiences, the current study develops a theoretical framework that centers on three key independent variables in the diffusion process: perceptions (i.e., perceived characteristics of the Internet or PCI), motivations (perceived need for the Internet or PNI), and social context (perceived popularity of the Internet or PPI). In addition, adoption is conceptualized as involving four categories that are mutually exclusive at a given time but interchangeable over time. This classification enables investigation of discontinuance. The current study also examines reinvention by integrating use into diffusion process. Data from a probability survey of 2,500 residents in Beijing and Guangzhou in 2000 largely support the hypotheses of the model. The study illustrates the importance and benefits of a theory-driven approach to new media research.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion
 
Pekka Isotalus and Hanni Muukkonen, “Animated Agent Immediacy and News Services with Handheld Computers,” Communication Quarterly, 50.1 (Winter 2002): 78-92.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The present study considers the design and implementation of immediacy behaviors for an animated agent and tire influence of such an agent on viewers. Immediacy, a widely studied construct in human communication research, is defined as the verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors that enhance physical and psychological closeness between people. In this study, the use of animated agent immediacy with new technology, a handheld computer, was studied as a form of affective computing. The purpose of tire study was first to find out whether risers perceive the communication behaviors of the agent that were intended to enhance immediacy, second, what effects animated agent immediacy has on evaluations of a news service, and third whether affective learning or recall of news content is related to agent immediacy. The results revealed that communication behaviors that enhance immediacy were perceived by the users. Those behaviors were also related to their perception of immediacy. However, tire animated agent immediacy did not have a significant effect on evaluation of the news service. Additionally, agent immediacy had no effect on affective or cognitive learning from the news. Tire results show that it is possible to construct immediacy behaviors for tire animated agents, but in this context the influences differed from those reported in human-to-human communication. The possibilities for and consequences of agent immediacy are also discussed, as are the reasons why the effects of immediacy on evaluations and learning were not found in the present study.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Stephen J. Chiger, “Cybersmear: Telecommunication’s 200-year-old Riddle,” Communications and the Law, 24.2 (June 2002): 49-67.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Discusses the of cybersmear, an online publication of defamatory remarks by anonymous speakers. History of anonymity; Increase in enforcement staff and budget of U.S. Federal Trade Commission; Example of a publicized trial which involves the discovery of Internet posters.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Sharlene A. McEvoy, “E-mail and Internet Monitoring and the Workplace: do Employees have a Tight to Privacy?” Communications and the Law, 24.2 (June 2002): 69-83. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Discusses the right of an employer to monitor personal use of the Internet and e-mail in the workplace by employees. Example of an employer’s retaliatory action against employees for misuse of e-mail; E-mails that are related to the lobbying efforts to persuade U.S. President Bill Clinton to pardon fugitive financier Marc Rich.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Jae-Young Kim, “Deregulation Reconsidered: Protecting Internet Speech in the United States, Germany, and Japan,” Communications and the Law, 24.1 (September 2002): 53-75
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the definitive or probable consequences of the movement toward deregulation of telecommunications on freedom of expression on the Internet in the U.S., Germany and Japan. Discussion on the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment provisions of Germany’s Article 5 of the Basic Law on freedom of expression policy programs of the Japanese government aimed at realizing its free-speech goal; Views of Japanese Internet users on privacy
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Deckle McLean, “Internet Defamation,” Communications and the Law, 24.4 (December 2002): 21-48.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract:  Internet growth has been so explosive that law has been far from able to keep up. The arrival of law in cyberspace may clip the wings of cyberspace’s original explorers and marginalize them. One challenge will be to preserve most of the freedom now characteristic of the Internet as the law rolls in. A taste of what is to come and a suggestion of what legal steps will have to be considered can be found in some of the small number of Internet defamation cases to date. Defamation and privacy invasion are the interests most likely to be injured in the Internet environment. The underlying message from the defamation cases to date is that applying law to the Internet is do-able. The Internet defamation cases that have reached American appellate courts so far have addressed three questions: 1. liability, 2. jurisdiction, and 3. definitions.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Elfriede Frsich and Melinda Robins, “Africa.com: The Self-representation of Sub-Saharan Nations on the World Wide Web,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 19.2 (June 2002): 190-211.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: In a textual analysis of government Web sites of 29 sub-Saharan countries, we evaluate how African nations use the Internet to construct a self-image for the world. Our analysis finds that the sites echo the ongoing struggle over the definition and purpose of the nation-state in relation to a global economy. Rather than representing a variety of domestic concerns, African countries present a “reflected” identity mirroring Western interests. Their governmental Web sites position the nation as a “brand” and construct citizens as exotic others who can be marketed to foreign investors and tourists. The tensions between primordial loyalties and modernizing ambitions dissipate in favor of branded identities celebrating ethnicities and natural beauty to attract global investments. Moreover, the technological logic and aesthetics of the Internet reinforce the dependence of these texts on Western knowledge production. Our analysis challenges common assumptions of both post-colonial and Internet research.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Pradeep Korgaonkar and Lori D Wolin, “Web Usage, Advertising, and Shopping: Relationship Patterns,” Internet Research. 12.2 (2002): 191-204.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Web sales reached over 30 billion dollars in the year 2001. This study explores the differences between heavy, medium, and light Web users in terms of their beliefs about Web advertising, attitudes toward Web advertising, purchasing patterns, and demographics. They lead to a more positive attitude toward Web advertising, which likely leads to more frequent Web purchasing and higher dollars spent on these purchases, suggesting marketers should consider consumer Web usage in their targeting efforts.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sajjad Zahir, Brian Dobing and M Gordon Hunter, “Cross-cultural Dimensions of Internet Portals,” Internet Research, 12.3 (2002): 210-220. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: When new technologies become available and cultures adopt them, the result can be either convergence, cultures becoming more similar as a result, or divergence, when cultures adopt technology in different ways that maintain or even further accentuate their differences. An analysis of full-service national Web portals from different countries, typically offering a search engine, directories of links on a set of selected topics, news items (including weather, sports, entertainment, and stock market results), advertisements and shopping, and free e-mail, shows evidence of both trends. While most national portals closely resemble the basic structure of Yahoo!, the original free full-service portal, there are also differences in appearance and features offered that can be attributed to cultural variations based on Hofstede’s framework.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Louisa Ha, “Enhanced Television Strategy Models: a Study of TV Web Sites,” Internet Research, 12.3 (2002): 235-247. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study compares the use of enhanced TV features and TV commerce features on the Web sites of cable and broadcast TV networks. Both the quantitative analysis of the specific programs featured on the Web sites and the qualitative analysis of the overall Web sites show some differences in their strategies and site usability. Some program genres could develop TV commerce opportunities more easily than others. Different program genres emphases on the Web site were found between broadcast TV networks and cable TV networks. Three enhanced TV strategy models are proposed as a result of the analysis: 1. welcome all model, 2. fans-friendly model, and 3. hello model. The managerial implications of these models on TV revenue and viewership are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ronald E Goldsmith and Barbara A Lafferty, “Consumer Response to Web Sites and Their Influence on Advertising Effectiveness,” Internet Research, 12.4 (2002): 31-328. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to test four hypotheses regarding the effects of viewing Web sites on Internet advertising. A convenience sample of 329 undergraduate students were surveyed, asking them to recall brand names seen on the Internet, to describe perceived advantages and disadvantages of online advertising, and to recall ads encountered in all media and whether they liked these or not. Visiting Web sites appeared to increase aided recall of brands seen on the Internet and to improve consumers’ views of the brand. Consumers who felt that Web sites improved their perceptions of brands saw more advantages in Web advertising, but they perceived more disadvantages as well. Finally, the consumers appeared to like TV and magazine ads more than the ads they recalled seeing on the Internet. The findings present a complex picture of Internet advertising that should be useful to online advertisers.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Chukwuma U Ngini, Steven M Furnell and Bogdan V Ghita, “Assessing the Global Accessibility of the Internet,” Internet Research, 12.4 (2002): 329-338.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Previous studies have identified significant disparity in the levels of Internet access availability in different countries, particularly in developing nations. This paper presents the findings of an investigation into Internet connectivity and usage in different countries, in an attempt to determine the extent of Internet access, and whether the availability of such technology is considered to be beneficial. This research considers indicators such as available technology infrastructure and access costs, in order to identify the varying limitations that may be faced in different countries across continents. In addition, the opinions of individuals were sought regarding their typical access methods and level of Internet access, typical services utilized, and the general impact Internet has had upon their activities. A Web-based questionnaire was used to elicit comments from 152 respondents from 19 countries, yielding preliminary statistical data to enable the assessment of Internet usage in different countries.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Shintaro Okazaki and Javier Alonso Rivas, “A Content Analysis of Multinationals’ Web Communication Strategies: Cross-cultural Research Framework and Pre-testing,” Internet Research, 12.5 (2002): 380-390.
Key Word: N/A
Abstract: Despite the growing trend toward the interactive medium, there would appear to be a lack of comprehensive research methodology for evaluating the degree of standardization in multinational corporations’ (MNCs’) online communication strategies across differing cultures. The objective of this exploratory study is to construct a research framework for cross-cultural comparison of corporate Web pages, applying traditional advertising content study techniques. A series of pre-tests were conducted to examine three explanatory variables, i.e. information content, cultural values and creative strategies on Japanese MNCs’ product-based home pages in Japan, Spain and the USA. The results revealed that Japanese firms tended to localize their online communication strategies in their target markets. In closing, future research directions are discussed and content analysis research designs are summarized.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Lynda Lee Kaid, “Political Advertising and Information Seeking: Comparing Exposure Via Traditional and Internet Channels,” Journal of Advertising, 31.1 (Spring 2002): 27-35.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This experimental research compares exposure to presidential ads via the Internet versus traditional channels in the 2000 presidential campaign. The results indicate that undecided voters exposed to Internet political advertising changed their vote choice to Al Gore, whereas undecideds who viewed the same spots on television changed their preferences in favor of George W. Bush. The political cynicism levels of neither group were affected by exposure, but there were significant differences in the types of information seeking and political activity intentions between the two groups.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Aron O’Cass, “Political Advertising Believability and Information Source Value During Elections,” Journal of Advertising, 31.1 (Spring 2002): 63-74. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study focuses on issues related to political advertising and electoral behavior through an examination of political advertising believability, the perceived value of information sources utilized and available in election campaigns, voter involvement, confidence and emotion. The study was undertaken in a recent state election in Australia. Data were gathered from a sample of registered voters and analyzed using partial least squares. The results indicate that the negative campaign run by the opposition was believed as much as the positive campaign run by the incumbent government. Also, voter involvement, satisfaction, and emotion affected the believability of the positive campaign, but only involvement and satisfaction affected the negative campaign. The findings also indicate that non-paid media (television, newspapers) were valued more as sources of information by voters than were political advertising and the Internet.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Satya Menon and Dilip Soman, “Managing the Power of Curiosity for Effective Web Advertising Strategies,” Journal of Advertising, 31.3 (Fall 2002): 1-14.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This research investigates the effect of curiosity on the effectiveness of Internet advertising. In particular, it identifies processes that underlie curiosity resolution and studies its impact on consumer motivation and learning. The dataset from a simulated Internet experiment includes process tracking variables (i.e., clickstream data from ad-embedded links), traditional attitude and behavioral intention measures, and open-ended protocols. It is found that a curiosity-generating advertising strategy increases interest and learning relative to a strategy that provides detailed product information. Furthermore, though curiosity does not dramatically increase the observed quantity of search in this study, it seems to improve the quality of search substantially (i.e., time spent and attention devoted to specific information), resulting in better and more focused memory and comprehension of new product information. To enhance the effectiveness of Internet advertising of new products, a curiosity advertising strategy based on four elements is recommended: 1. curiosity generation by highlighting a gap in extant knowledge, 2. the presence of a hint to guide elaboration for curiosity resolution, 3. sufficient time to try and resolve curiosity as well as the assurance of curiosity-resolving information, and 4. the use of measures of consumer elaboration and learning to gauge advertising effectiveness.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Barbara B Stern, George M Zinkhan and Morris B Holbrook, “The Netvertising Image: Netvertising Image Communication Model (NICM) and Construct Definition,” Journal of Advertising. 31.3 (Fall 2002): 15-27.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This paper presents a communication model and nominal definition of advertising images on the Internet, here called the netvertising image (Stern 2001). The model and attribute-based definition facilitate the construction of a formal language system for theory development and hypothesis testing specific to images in the multimedia context. The necessity for so doing is that netvertising has inherited a legacy of fuzzy meanings from marketing, advertising and consumer behavior research, in which “image” is used variously across the domains of media, message, mental responses and marketplace behavior. Transformation from this ordinary but ambiguous language system to a formal scientific one proceeds through building a model, sourcing the roots of ordinary meanings, recasting them as attributes, and setting forth a nominal definition.
Method: Model Building 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sally J McMillan and Jang-Sun Hwang, “Measures of Perceived Interactivity: an Exploration of the Role of Direction of Communication, User Control, and Time in Shaping Perceptions of Interactivity,” Journal of Advertising, 31.3 (Fall 2002): 29-42. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Interactivity is an often mentioned but seldom operationalized concept associated with the World Wide Web. Interactivity has been positioned conceptually as a process, a function and a perception, but most operational definitions have focused on the process or function. This study develops scales to operationalize the perception-based approach to interactivity, because consumer perceptions are central to advertising research. Three overlapping constructs that are central to interactivity are explored: direction of communication, user control, and time. A multistage method is used to identify and refine measures of perceived interactivity (MPI). The 18 items included in the MPI offer researchers a tool for measuring a consumer perception central to advertising on the Web.
Method: Model Building 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hairong Li, Terry Daugherty and Frank Biocca, “Impact of 3-D Advertising on Product Knowledge, Brand Attitude, and Purchase Intention: the Mediating Role of Presence,” Journal of Advertising, 31.3 (Fall 2002): 43-57.  
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The conceptualization of a virtual experience has emerged because advancements in computer technology have led to a movement toward more multisensory online experiences. Two studies designed to explore the concepts of virtual experience and presence are presented, with the results largely supporting the proposition that 3-D advertising is capable of enhancing presence and, to varying degrees, ultimately influencing the product knowledge, brand attitude, and purchase intention of consumers. The marketing implications are immediate because the ability to create a compelling virtual product experience is not beyond the current capability of interactive advertising. By creating compelling on-line virtual experiences, advertisers can potentially enhance the value of product information presented and engage consumers in an active user-controlled product experience.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Fuyuan Shen, “Banner Advertisement Pricing, Measurement, and Pretesting Practices: Perspectives from Interactive Agencies,” Journal of Advertising, 31.3 (Fall 2002): 59-67. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study reports findings from a survey of media directors of interactive advertising agencies regarding how they price, evaluate and pretest banner ads. Results suggest that more than 90% of the responding agencies used cost per thousand frequently to price banner ads, whereas about 33% used click-throughs. In addition, a majority of the agencies used click-throughs and outcomes (e.g., inquires, purchases) rather than exposures to gauge banner advertising effectiveness. Although few agencies pretested their banner ads on a regular basis, most perceived the lack of measurement standards and independent auditing of Web sites as major problems facing Internet banner advertising. Findings from this study should provide benchmarks for future research on the topic and help facilitate the process of developing viable pricing and measurement standards on the Internet.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Steven M Edwards, Hairong Li and Joo-Hyun Lee, “Forced Exposure and psychological Reactance: Antecedents and Consequences of the Perceived Intrusiveness of Pop-up Ads,” Journal of Advertising, 31.3 (Fall 2002): 83-95.  
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This paper explores forced viewing of “pop-up ads” on the Internet to understand better how viewers come to define ads as irritating and decide to avoid them. Perceived intrusiveness was suggested as the underlying mechanism by which the process occurs. Antecedents of intrusiveness were identified that affect perceptions of ads as interruptions, including congruence of the advertisement content with the current task and intensity of cognition at the moment the ad pops up. The consequences of intrusiveness were shown to be caused by feelings irritation and ad avoidance. The results provide an understanding of how consumers experience forced exposure situations in interactive environments and highlight implications for advertisers seeking to increase the effectiveness of online advertising.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Subodh Bhat, Michael Bevans and Sanjit Sengupta, “Measuring Users’ Web activity to Evaluate and Enhance Advertising Effectiveness,” Journal of Advertising, 31.3 (Fall 2002): 97-106.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The focus in this research note is on the various tools used to measure the effectiveness of Web advertising. On the basis of a review of the literature and industry practice, we discuss the objectives, advantages, disadvantages, and measurement details of the different measures that track Web users’ activity. We also discuss how these metrics can be used to evaluate Web advertising and make informed decisions about advertising strategy.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Yuping Liu and L J Shrum, “What Is Interactivity and Is It Always Such a Good Thing? Implications of definition, Person and Situation for Influences of interactivity on Advertising Effectiveness,” Journal of Advertising, 31.4 (Winter 2002): 53-64.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Most perceptions of interactivity are that it is an inherently good thing, that it will change marketing and advertising. However, though there are obvious and intuitive advantages to interactivity, it may pose a disadvantage for marketing and advertising in some conditions. In this article, the nature of interactivity and its underlying processes are explored to determine the conditions in which interactivity may be both useful and detrimental in an advertising context. We first discuss the multidimensional nature of the interactivity construct as it has appeared in the literature. A concrete conceptualization and definition of interactivity that encompasses these various dimensions is then provided. It is argued that inconsistencies between the definitions and operationalizations found in previous studies make it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the role of interactivity but that these inconsistencies can be at least partly explained by a focus on the different dimensions of interactivity. Finally, drawing on theory and research in cognitive, social, and personality psychology, it is suggested that the influence of interactivity on advertising effectiveness may be a function of both the person and the situation.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hyokjin Kwak, Richard J Fox And George M. Zinkhan, “What Products can be Successfully Promoted and Sold Via the Internet?” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.1 (January/February 2002), 23-38.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The Internet has the potential to reshape consumer buying patterns. Using a survey of 307 Internet users, we explore four domains: consumer attitudes, Internet experiences, demographics and personality traits that may potentially influence consumers’ online purchasing. Via a series of logistic regression analyses and a correspondence analysis, we identify some important influencers. For instance, we find that those who have frequently requested product information and who are opinion leaders are relatively likely to engage in online purchasing. Managerial implications along with limitations of the study are provided.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Qimei Chen, Sandra J. Clifford and William D. Wells, “Attitude Toward the Site II: New Information,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.2 (March/April 2002): 33-45. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Two follow-up studies of scales that measure attitudes toward websites show that the scales remain reliable and robust across substantial changes in websites, respondents and methods of administration. These studies suggest that student respondents may be adequate when research addresses methodological issues such as scale development. They also suggest that adequate sampling of stimuli may be at least as important as, if not more important than, adequate sampling of respondents.
Method: Model Building 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Carrie La Ferle, Steven M. Edwards and Yutaka Mizuno, “Internet Diffusion in Japan: Cultural Considerations,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.2 (March/April 2002): 65-79.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The adoption of the internet in Japan and the United States was examined in order to understand potential underlying factors influencing the diffusion process and to provide insight into the growth of the medium internationally. The United States and Japan are industrialized and economically stable countries that are both leading the world with the greatest number of internet users. Therefore, it would seem somewhat logical to assume that the diffusion of the Internet might be similar between the two countries. However, data on the penetration rates of the internet in these two countries reveal a different story. Cultural variables are used to explore the differences found, and it is suggested that these factors may affect the degree to which the internet is adopted across a variety of countries. Implications for advertisers include: (1) gaining insight into the Internet adoption behavior of other countries worldwide, (2) understanding how similar future innovations may be adopted across countries, and (3) making marketing-mix strategies more effective by accommodating for cultural influences during the adoption process.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Johanna S. Ilfeld and Russell S. Winer, “Generating Website Traffic,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.5 (September/October 2002): 49-61.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: In this paper, we attempt to empirically determine the factors that drive traffic and brand equity in the internet space. Even in 2002 with the Internet bubble burst, many companies are still turning to the web to interact with current customers and reach new markets. These companies need to know if the traditional theories linking advertising, store visits, and sales are still supported as they move online, using the technology-based internet as a primary marketplace.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History) 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kim Bartel Sheehan, “Of Surfing, Searching, and Newshounds: A Typology of Internet Users’ Online Sessions,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.5 (September/October 2002): 62-71.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study seeks to explore relationships between online-user motivations and the types of activities and applications in which users participate during individual online sessions. Thirty-one Internet users completed journals of their online usage for a one-week period. The journals allowed users to identify the gratifications sought online and to report on the activities undertaken during each online session. Cluster analysis of the 244 sessions indicated 7 types undertaken by the panelists. Three types of sessions had a single focus (email, entertainment, and news) and four types were multi-purpose sessions where users accessed a variety of Internet offerings. These sessions were characterized by different gratifications sought for the sessions. Data suggest the types of sessions that are most likely to result in exposure to online advertising.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Clyde A. Warden, Mengkuan Lai  and Wann-Yih Wu, “How Worldwide is Marketing Communication on the World Wide Web?” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.5 (September/October 2002): 72-84.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study investigates the impact of different language interfaces on web-based product searches by Chinese consumers in Taiwan and how language familiarity impacts attitudes about the products found. Findings show that understanding the web-page interface language improves product evaluation when the product has high differentiation in the marketplace and is related to decreased evaluations when the level of differentiation is low. English, rather than an international language, is found to be nearly indistinguishable from a totally unknown language for both high- and low-differentiated products.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shelly Rogers and Kennon M. Sheldon, “An Improved Way to Characterize Internet Users,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.5 (September/October 2002): 85-94.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This article describes the development of a measure to assess four primary motives for using the Internet-researching, communicating, surfing, and shopping. The 12-item Web Motivation Inventory (WMI) was initially developed using a sample of 408 college students. The WMI factor structure was then replicated using 112 non-student adults. The predictive validity of the scale was also verified, in that subscale scores predicted banner ad effectiveness across both student and non-student samples. Potential uses for the scale are discussed.
Method: Model Building 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shelly Rodgers and Qimei Chen, “Post-adoption Attitudes to Advertising on the Internet,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.5 (September/October 2002): 95-104.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: In the last few years, the use and relative effectiveness of Internet advertising has been the focus of research attention in the advertising and marketing literatures. However, few studies to date have examined these issues from the practitioners’ viewpoint. This study reports the results of an online survey of top executives in advertising, marketing, new media and public relations agencies concerning the issue of internet advertising. Contrary to past studies, which have examined whether agencies have adopted the internet, the focus here is on the “post-adoption attitudes” of agency executives after the adoption process has taken place. The primary purpose of this study is to present and test two factors–relative advantage and complexity–that we believe are useful for predicting and, by extension, helping to explain why post-adoption attitudes toward the internet are generally low, particularly for executives of traditional advertising agencies. Our findings shed light on this issue by demonstrating that traditional advertising agencies lag behind other agency types when it comes to internet advertising expertise, profitability, staffing, ability to attract interactive clients, and overall understanding of the internet’s value. The findings presented here should be considered preliminary until a larger, more representative sample can be surveyed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Wenyu Dou, Ulrik Ollie Nielsen and Chee Ming Tan, “Using Corporate Websites for Export Marketing,” Journal of Advertising Research, 42.5 (September/October 2002): 105-115. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The internet is becoming increasingly important for exporters to reach or sell to potential customers in international markets. This study investigated how exporters could utilize different elements of their corporate websites to achieve either their communication or transaction objectives. First, relevant website attributes were identified and analyzed. Second, website content analysis was conducted on a random sample of exporters’ websites selected from three countries: Canada, Denmark and Malaysia. The study results highlighted important website attributes that are appropriate for exporters’ online marketing objectives. Implications for export promotions on the internet and government policies are also discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

James G. Webster and Shu-Fang Lin, “The Internet Audience: Web Use as Mass Behavior,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.1 (March 2002): 1-12.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Studies the effectiveness of Internet as a medium of communication in the U.S. Concentration of Internet users on popular Web sites; Description on the literature of audience size and duplication as features of mass behavior associated with the sites; Benefits offered by the Internet through e-mail system; electronic commerce and surfing activities.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kirsten A. Foot and Steven M. Schneider, “Online Action in Campaign 2000: An eEploratory Analysis of the U.S. Political Web Sphere,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.2 (Summer 2002): 222-244. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the nature of political action on and between election-oriented Web sites during the 2002 election season in the U.S. Evolution of political communication; Contribution to the emergence of literature in Web studies; Role of the Internet in electoral politics.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

William P. Eveland, Jr., and Sharon Dunwoody, “An Investigation of Elaboration and Selective Scanning as Mediators of Learning from the Web Versus Print,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.1 (March 2002): 34-53. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Compares the role of Internet with print and broadcast media in terms of learning in the U.S. Advantages of the Web in the area of information dissemination; Analysis on the uses and effects of hypermedia technology used in the World Wide Web; Results suggested by the user control theory and structural isomorphism in investigating the differences.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Barbara K. Kaye and Thomas J. Johnson, “Online and in the Know: Uses and Gratifications of the Web for Political Information,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.1 (March 2002): 54 -71.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Analyzes the uses of Internet as sources of political information in the U.S. Examination on the Web sites offering topics related to politics; Motivations shown by the factor analysis method in investigating the reasons for accessing online political information; Influence of the Internet on politicians and the political process.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Zizi Papacharissi, “The Self Online: the Utility of Personal Home Pages,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.3 (September 2002): 346-368.
Key Words: N /A
Abstract: Focuses on the understanding for the utility of personal home page computer software. Investigation of demographic and medium use variables reflected through Web page design; Influence of Web author motivation on the look of personal home pages; Details on the channels of mass communication.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Robert F. Potter, “Give the People What they Want: a Content Analysis of FM Radio Station Home Pages,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.3 (September 2002): 369-384. Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the analysis of home pages from selected frequency modulation station Web sites. Use of Web sites by the media industry to deliver content: relevance of three types of information; Differences in the presence of station promotional content.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Elisia L. Cohen, “Online Journalism as Market-driven Journalism,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.4 (December 2002): 532-548.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The development of new communication technology vis-à-vis the Internet affords scholars the opportunity to consider how new technology will influence the practices of journalism. This study reconsiders John McManus’ (1994) conceptions of market-driven journalism by examining how traditional news producers on television, in print and online tell the news. Three aspects of online journalism (centralization, news structure and flow, and temporality) are examined to demonstrate how journalists and media firms struggle to reconcile commercial and news interest
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Robert LaRose and Matthew S. Eastin, “Is Online Buying Out of Control? Electronic Commerce and Consumer Self-regulation,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.4 (December 2002): 549-564.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Preliminary evidence suggests that forms of unregulated consumer behavior, including impulsive, compulsive and addictive buying, are present on the Internet. This study reconceptualized unregulated buying behaviors as the result of deficient self-regulation using mechanisms proposed in social cognitive theory. As a result, deficient self-regulation of online buying was positively related to online shopping activity. It was a more important predictor than the rational merits of e-commerce, such as convenience and low price, and than personal and economic consumer characteristics. Together with Internet self-efficacy and Internet use, these variables explained 43% of the variance in online shopping behavior.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Duncan H. Brown and Jeffrey Layne Blevins, “The Safe-harbor Agreement Between the United States and Europe: a Missed Opportunity to Balance the Interests of e-Commerce and Privacy Online?” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.4 (December 2002): 565-585.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This analysis of the “safe harbor” agreement between the United States and the European Union finds that U.S. corporations that abided by its provisions afforded more privacy protection to Europeans than Americans under U.S. law. it seemed that the agreement might prompt the U.S. to shift its privacy policy in accordance with the European tradition, which views personal privacy as a “human” right. However, the authors conclude that the failure to enact more comprehensive online privacy legislation in the U.S. can be attributed to the continuing characterization of personal data privacy as a matter of “consumer” rights rather than civil rights.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

John Edward Campbell and Matt Carlson, “Panopticon.com: Online Surveillance and the Commodification of Privacy,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 46.4 (December 2002): 586-607.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: We explore how marketing imperatives shape the employment of information technologies for the surveillance of individuals online. Informed by political economy theory, we analyze the discourse surrounding marketing models of the World Wide Web, specifically Internet ad servers and infomediaries, in an effort to understand the social implications of online corporate surveillance. Drawing upon the work of Foucault, we consider the usefulness of the metaphorical Panopticon in conceptually apprehending online surveillance and power relations in cyberspace. We argue that the participation of individuals in the online gathering of data about themselves as economic subjects results from the commodification of privacy.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Brian L. Massey_and Li-jing Arthur Chang, “Locating Asian values in Asian journalism: A content analysis of Web newspapers,” Journal of Communication, 52.4 (December 2002): 987-1003.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study tested arguments in the largely anecdotal debate over the existence of Asian values in Asian journalism. News stories uploaded to 10 Asian on-line newspapers were content analyzed for the prevalence of “harmony” and “supportiveness,” which the literature suggests as key Asian values. The findings show that the journalistic emphasis on Asian values is concentrated in the Southeast Asia subregion and tracks restrictions on press freedom.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Anthony D. Miyazaki and Sandeep Krishnamurthy, “Internet Seals of Approval: Effects on Online Privacy Policies and Consumer Perceptions,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 36.1 (Summer 2002): 28-49.  
Key Words: N/A 
Abstract: Although Internet seals of approval have been proposed as a non-legislative method of ensuring online privacy standards, concerns raised by the Federal Trade Commission and consumer advocacy groups have suggested that the efficacy of such seals is limited. A series of studies was conducted to examine the state of Internet seals of approval and their impact on e-commerce. Study 1 suggested that participation in seal programs has no bearing on the online privacy practices of firms as reflected in their web site privacy policies. However, Studies 2 and 3 showed that the mere display of an Internet seal of approval logo enhances consumer perceptions regarding privacy policy favorableness. Furthermore, as expected, the presence of seal logos was found to increase anticipated disclosure and patronage rates for consumers with relatively high online shopping risks, but had no effects on consumers with low online shopping risks. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Policy

Robert N. Mayer, “Shopping from a List: International Studies of Consumer Online Experiences,”  Journal of Consumer Affairs, 36.1 (Summer 2002): 115-126. 
Key Words: N/A 
Abstract: Participating in multi-country, advocacy-oriented studies can be a rewarding experience for university-based researchers. In addition to the networking and learning that result from working with people in other countries, there is the heady sense that one is having an impact on consumer policy. It seems likely, for instance, that presentation of the preliminary results of the 1998 shopping exercise helped passage of the OECD Guidelines for Consumer Protection in the Context of Electronic Commerce, as well as their enforcement.  In March 2001, members of the CI study team were invited to Berlin to address an OECD-convened conference on the progress of the Guidelines to date. In addition to presenting the preliminary findings of the second shopping exercise, the researchers were asked to comment on presentations made by various firms and trade associations. One firm, a French-based Internet florist, was particularly proud of its growth and consumer-friendly practices. To test the firm, the CI researchers ordered two bouquets of their flowers via the Internet the day before the scheduled presentation. Despite confirmation that the flowers would arrive in time for the firm’s presentation, they didn’t. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Policy

Naomi Mandel and Eric J. Johnson, “When Web Pages Influence Choice: Effects of Visual Primes on Experts and Novices,” Journal of Consumer Research, 29.2 (September 2002): 235-245.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This article extends the idea that priming can influence preferences by making selected attributes focal. Our on-line experiments manipulate the background pictures and colors of a Web page, affecting consumer product choice. We demonstrate that these effects occur for both experts and novices, albeit by different mechanisms. For novices, priming drives differences in external search that, in turn, drive differences in choice. For experts, we observe differences in choice that are not mediated by changes in external search. These findings confirmed that online atmospherics in electronic environments could have a significant influence on consumer choice.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Charles Steinfield, “Understanding Click and Mortar E-Commerce Approaches: A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.2 (Spring 2002).
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: In this post dot-com era, much e-commerce activity now arises from established firms with traditional physical outlets. Despite the growth in such click and mortar approaches to e-commerce, little research has specifically addressed this common business model. This article focuses on the underlying dynamics of click and mortar e-commerce businesses using a framework that outlines the potential synergies arising from the integration of e-commerce with traditional channels. Research and theory from such areas as transaction cost economics, interorganizational systems, competitive strategy and economic sociology are used to develop the click and mortar framework. It details the sources of synergy, the management interventions that can help firms avoid damaging channel conflicts, and the types of benefits yielded by integrated click and mortar approaches. The framework is applied to a specific click and mortar case, an electronics retailer, in order to demonstrate its explanatory value. The heuristic value is demonstrated by deriving several example propositions to guide future empirical work.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sally J. McMillan, “Longevity of Websites and Interactive Advertising Communication,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.2 (Spring 2002): 11-21
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study traces survival of advertising-related Web sites from 1997-2002. Client organizations had the best survival rate, about 70%, while less than 50% of advertising agency sites survived. Frequency of mentions in the advertising trade press was not related to site survival, but Web sites with shorter addresses were more likely to survive. This study also reports on a longitudinal analysis of health-related Web sites. Managers of surviving sites reported that resources were a critical factor for survival. Managers of failed sites often blamed the site’s demise on external factors. A major implication for advertisers is one manager’s observation that technology itself is less important than the ability to adapt to the changes it brings.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shelly Rodgers, “The Interactive Advertising Model Tested: The Role of Internet Motives in Ad Processing,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.2 (Spring 2002): 22-33
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Two, one-factor, within-subjects experiments were conducted to examine the role of Internet motives on responses to four types of banners (communicate, research, shop and surf). Participants were each exposed to a total of 12 ads, or 3 different ads for each banner type. There were three dependent variables – attitude toward the ad, ability to persuade, and intent to click. The moderating variable was Internet motives, which had four levels (communicate, research, shop, and surf). Study 1 sampled a group of college students (N=106) and Study 2 sampled non-student adults (N=38). Results indicate that Internet motives influenced the strength of banner type on ad responses, but not for every banner ad examined. The hypothesized feature-to-motive association effect was found to some degree with the student sample, but was not found with the non-student sample. Evidence suggests that Internet motives serve different functions for students and non-students. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Xueming Luo, “Uses and Gratifications Theory and E-Consumer Behaviors: A Structural Equation Modeling Study,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.2 (Spring 2002): 34-41
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Drawing from uses and gratifications theory, this study explores influences of informativeness, entertainment and irritation on various online consumer behaviors such as attitude toward the Web, Web usage and satisfaction. Particularly, web usage and satisfaction are explored as the consequences of attitude toward the Web, while informativeness, entertainment, and irritation are the antecedents of attitude toward the Web. This nomological model was tested with a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. SEM results indicated that the uses and gratifications theory explains well consumers’ attitude toward the Web. Internet users who perceive the Web as entertaining and informative generally show a positive attitude toward the Web. In contrast, those who perceive the Web as irritating indicate a negative attitude toward the Web. Finally, this study found that web users with a positive attitude toward the Web browse the Net more oftentimes and feel more satisfied.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

James R. Coyle and Stephen J. Gould, “How Consumers Generate Clickstreams through Web Sites: An Empirical Investigation of Hypertext, Schema, and Mapping Theoretical Explanations,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.2 (Spring 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: When consumers navigate Web sites, they are said to generate a clickstream, i.e., engage in clicking from Web page to Web page. With respect to these clickstreams, hypertext, schema and mapping theories provide a conceptual framework for their construction. To examine these perspectives, an interpretive study of 60 Internet consumers was conducted which revealed that they map very specific ideas of what they expect to encounter in interacting with various Web sites. In this regard, the results of this study suggest that the effective use of mapping, text and hypertext in generating a good navigational experience is an important way to help advertisers build a consumer Internet brand.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mark Brown, “The Use of Banner Advertisements with Pull-Down Menus: A Copy Testing Approach,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2.2 (Spring 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This paper examines the effectiveness of Web banner advertisements in terms of several widely employed copy-testing measures. Two groups of subjects were exposed to the same banner advertisement with the exception that the promotional message in one of the ads appeared as part of a pull-down menu. The research indicates that consumers who are exposed to banner advertisements using pull-down menus score higher on measures of attention, novelty, liking, persuasion and click-through, suggesting that these types of banner ads are more effective than traditional, static banners. It is proposed that key factors contributing to this result are the unique format and greater informational appeal of pull-down ads. Managerial implications are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Doyle Yoon, Fritz Cropp and Glenn Cameron, “Building Relationships with Portal Users: The Interplay of Motivation and Relational Factors,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.1 (Fall 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Motivation for Web portal use is an important factor in the continued growth of e-commerce. Particularly for Web portals, motivation may be intertwined with various dimensions of a relationship that is cultivated between the portal and users. Specifically, the four motivation factors (feature, personalization, familiarity, and searching) are highly correlated to trust and satisfaction. Greater loyalty was found for AOL than for other portals, with no significant differences in relationship with Web users among the free Web portals such as Yahoo. Heavy web users and early adopters were more likely to use personalized Web portals and enjoy communicating with others through the Internet. Because a long relationship with Web portals is one motivation to use them, the highly correlated motivation factors found in this study are important to building strong relationships with Web users. These findings have implications for marketers and public relations practitioners.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sejung Marina Choi and Nora J. Rifon, “Antecedents and Consequences of Web Advertising Credibility: A Study of Consumer Response to Banner Ads,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.1 (Fall 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Rapid growth in online advertising revenues indicates the viability of World Wide Web advertising as an alternative to that of traditional media. Practitioners and academicians recognize that building credibility is important in this relatively new environment. To date, no academic research has explored the interplay of vehicle and advertiser source credibility in determining advertising effects on the web. The present study explores antecedents and consequences of online advertising credibility and examines the effects of (1) website credibility, (2) ad relevance (the advertised product’s relevance to website content) and (3) advertiser credibility on ad credibility, ad and brand attitudes, and product purchase intentions. Structural equation modeling systematically tested and refined a model representing interrelated relationships among the relevant variables. The results suggest that source credibility is vital to understanding web advertising effectiveness. Managerial implications and directions for future research are provided.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Micael Dahlen, “Learning the Web: Internet User Experience and Response to Web Marketing in Sweden,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.1 (Fall 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This article focuses on how Internet users change their behaviors and responses to marketing with increasing experience. Data from three empirical studies show several effects of increasing Internet user experience. Experienced users have shorter and more focused Web sessions, and they tend to reduce their visits to a smaller number of well-known Web sites. Furthermore, as experience increases, Internet users screen out advertising and they are less inclined to click on banner ads and less likely to be affected by ad exposures. The article tries to explain these effects, thus advancing theory on Internet marketing. Important implications for Web marketing practice are provided.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Joonhyung Jee and Wei-Na Lee, “Antecedents and Consequences of Perceived Interactivity: An Exploratory Study,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.1 (Fall 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The study reported in this paper investigated how, as antecedents, personal factors influence consumers’ perception of a web site’s interactivity in the context of making a purchase decision. A review of literature suggests three general factors – Need for Cognition (NFC), product involvement and product expertise – and three Internet-specific factors – skills, challenges and web shopping experience – for testing. In addition, attitude toward the web site and purchase intention are examined as consequences of perceived interactivity. NFC was found to be a significant predictor of perceived interactivity of the web site visited. Although marginally significant, skills were also found to be a predictor. The model was supported for one of the three manufacturers’ portal sites employed in the study. Additional analysis found that consumers’ purchase intention was influenced by their attitude toward the web site, but not by the perceived interactivity of the site. This relationship was found for two of the three web sites tested. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Terry Daugherty and Bonnie B. Reece, “The Adoption of Persuasive Internet Communication in Advertising and Public Relations Curricula,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.1 (Fall 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the diffusion of Internet communication into the curricula of advertising and public relations programs. While the establishment of any new medium is a process that develops over time, the Internet has taken hold faster than other mass media. This explosion has caused many scholars to ask whether advertising and public relations curricula have kept pace. An online survey administered to a sample of advertising and public relations educators (n=253) explored the perceived attitude, adoption and innovation attributes associated with persuasive Internet communication. The results indicate that educators have integrated persuasive Internet communication into their curricula, and many have adopted specialized courses in this topic. Compatibility, observability, and trialability predict the rates of adoption.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kim Bartel Sheehan, “Online Research Methodology: Reflections and Speculations,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.1 (Fall 2002) 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The Internet’s potential for quantitative data collection has been debated by researchers for many years. For advertising academics and practitioners, the Internet allows for the assessment of consumer opinions and attitudes toward a range of topics. However, the accessibility of online populations and the generalizability of data collected online are uncertain. The author discusses a range of online techniques and what we still need to learn about such techniques in order to harness the potential of the Internet for quantitative research. The author wishes to acknowledge the insights provided by Mariea Hoy, Angela Mak and Tad O’Dell during the preparation of this manuscript.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Victoria Smith Ekstrand, “Online News: User Agreements and Implications for Readers,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 79.3 (Autumn 2002): 602-618.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study is a legal analysis of the online news user agreements of the Top 50 U.S. daily circulation newspapers in the United States. News user agreements are contracts that specify the conditions under which readers may access news. The contracting of news online represents a fundamental shift in the way consumers, who once bought their news, must now agree to terms of access. This study concludes that such terms often expand ownership of content that might otherwise flow freely in the public domain. It also concludes that limitations on liability as expressed in these agreements raise questions about the commitment to free speech and journalistic values online.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Thomas J. Johnson and Barbara K Kaye, “Webelievability: a Path Model Examining How Convenience and Reliance Predict Online Credibility,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 79.3 (Autumn 2002): 619-642
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study surveyed politically interested Internet users online during the 2000 campaign to examine whether they view Internet sources as credible and whether reliance on the Web, reliance on traditional sources, convenience of using the Web, or political and demographic variables predict credibility of online media. A greater percentage of respondents judged online media credible in 2000 than in the 1996 presidential campaign. Reliance on traditional media proved the best predictor of online credibility followed by political trust and convenience. On the other hand, reliance on the Web did not influence credibility of information found there.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Zizi Papacharissi, “The Presentation of Self in Virtual Life: Characteristics of Personal Home Pages,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 79.3 (Autumn 2002): 643-660. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study focused on how individuals used personal home pages to present themselves online. Content analysis was used to examine, record and analyze the characteristics of personal home pages. Data interpretation revealed popular tools for self-presentation, a desire for virtual homesteaders to affiliate with online homestead communities, and significant relationships among home page characteristics. Web page design was influenced, to a certain extent, by the tools Web page space providers supplied. Further studies should consider personality characteristics, design templates, and Web author input to determine factors that influence self-presentation through personal home pages.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Maria E Len-Rios, “The Bush and Gore Presidential Campaign Web Sites, Identifying with Hispanic Voters During the 2000 Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 79.4 (Winter 2002): 887-904. 
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: This study examines presidential campaign discourse addressed to Hispanic voters during the 2000 Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Burke’s concept of identification is used to determine how candidates identified with Hispanics through (1) common association, (2) antithesis, and (3) subtlety or cunning. Results reveal that George W. Bush invested more in his Spanish Web site and differentiated more among distinct Hispanic populations to create identification with specific subgroups, while Al Gore presented a pan-Latino message. Overall, only four of the 31 analyzed messages focused specifically on mobilizing voters during the primary/caucus season.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Dhavan Shah, Michael Schmierbach, Joshua Hawkins, Rodolfo Espino and Janet Donavan, “Non-recursive Models of Internet Use and Community Engagement: Questioning Whether Time Spent Online Erodes Social Capital,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 79.4 (Winter 2002): 964-987.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Although some argue that Internet use may erode involvement in public life, the most common Internet behaviors, social communication and information searching, may actually foster social and civic participation. To examine this possibility, we test a series of non-recursive models using a national survey of nearly 3,400 respondents. Two-stage least squares regressions were performed to simultaneously test the reciprocal relationship between frequency of Internet use (i.e., hours per day) and three sets of community engagement behaviors: informal social interaction, attendance at public events, and participation in civic volunteerism (i.e., annual frequency). Time spent online has a positive relationship with public attendance and civic volunteerism. No evidence of time displacement from frequency of Internet use is observed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Dana E. Mastro, Matthew S. Eastin and Ron Tamborini, “Internet Search Behaviors and Mood Alterations: A Selective Exposure Approach,” Media Psychology, 4.2 (2002): 157-172.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The present study has been designed in an attempt to replicate and expand the parameters of  Zillmann and  Bryant’s selective exposure approach to use of the Internet. In applying this theoretical framework to the Internet, it was expected that persons experiencing unpleasant levels of excitation would arrange their Internet environment in order to terminate their aversive states. Through experimentally manipulating levels of boredom and stress and subsequently recording Internet surfing patterns, it was found that although mood significantly predicted Internet hits, it was not associated with the hedonic valence of the site.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

S. Shyam Sundar and Carson B. Wagner, “The World Wide Wait: Exploring Physiological and Behavioral Effects of Download Speed,” Media Psychology, 4.2 (2002): 173-206.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: When a Web site image takes a long time to load onto our computer screens, the anticipation during the wait may be physiologically arousing and, in turn, have consequences for our subsequent browsing activity. This study explores such a possibility by investigating the excitatory and behavioral effects of download speed in Web-based online communication. Results from a between participants experiment indicate that individuals exposed to a slow-loading image experience a significantly higher rise in their skin conductance levels compared to those exposed to a fast-loading version of the same image. Moreover, excitation transfer of residual arousal from a slow-loading image serves to intensify physiological as well as behavioral responses to subsequent online stimuli. Two follow-up experiments further clarify the mediating role of arousal in influencing browsing behavior and highlight the importance of considering image/content arousability while inferring the effects of download speed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

William P Eveland, Jr., Mihye Seo and Krisztina Marton, “Learning From the News in Campaign 2000: An Experimental Comparison of TV News, Newspapers, and Online News,” Media Psychology, 4.4 (2002): 353-378.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: The present study seeks to contribute to the literature on learning differences across media by extending the traditional television news versus newspaper comparison to include reading of online news. It employs an experimental design, but with exposure over time and a reasonable delay between exposure and the measurement of learning. It also moves beyond simple comparisons of effects to examine potential information-processing explanations for any differences that may appear across conditions as the result of both experimental demand and real differences across media. The results suggest that the medium of communication may have different effects depending on the type of learning measured. Recall of news stories tended to favor television and print newspapers compared to online newspapers, but structuring of election knowledge favored online newspapers compared to print and television news. In addition, findings suggest that information-processing behaviors-specifically attention-are encouraged by a combination of the nature of the medium and the experimental context.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Bonnie Bressers and Lori Bergen, “Few University Students Reading Newspapers Online,” Newspaper Research Journal, 23.2/3 (Spring 2002): 32-45.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Bressers and Bergen present the results of a telephone survey of college students about their use of traditional and online newspapers, other media and the Internet. Students at a Midwestern university reported that they were much more likely to read the campus paper and other newspapers in print rather than online newspapers.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Jane B. Singer, “Information Trumps Interaction in Local Papers’ Online Caucus Coverage,” Newspaper Research Journal, 23.4 (Fall 2002): 91-96.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: An exploratory study looked at how editors’ views of the political role of online newspapers shaped local coverage of the first major event of the 2000 presidential campaign.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Xigen Li, “Web Page Design Effects News Retrieval Efficiency,” Newspaper Research Journal, 23.1 (Winter 2002): 38-49.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: A content analysis of the online versions of five major dailies shows how different aspects of Web design contribute to the efficiency of information retrieval. The Washington Post was the most efficient.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Craig W. Trumbo and Jean Trumbo, “Newspapers’ Use of URLs in Daily Content has Grown Steadily Since Mid-1990s,” Newspaper Research Journal, 23.1 (Winter 2002): 78-81.
Key Words: N/A
Abstract: Newspapers have recently adopted Web URLs into their content. Trumbo and Trumbo briefly report an exploratory investigation of this phenomenon.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

2003

David J. Phillips, “Beyond Privacy: Confronting Locational Surveillance in Wireless Communication,” Communication Law and Policy, 8.1 (Winter 2003): 1-23.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Three imperatives – emergency response, law enforcement and marketing- inform the legal, economic and technical design of location surveillance in wireless systems. Each imperative is pursued by a set of actors in a particular historical context. Participants in these arenas call upon each other’s rhetoric, legal standards and technical practice, resulting in a system in which real-time tracking of users by system operators is the status quo. These data also become available to law enforcement agents. Social repercussions include a shift in the power of individual and institutional actors to create types of places and types of persons. The relation of the citizen and the state is also being restructured. Privacy is an inadequate legal or philosophical response to these trends.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Cassandra Imfeld, “Playing Fair with Fair Use? The Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s Impact on Encryption Researchers and Academicians,” Communication Law and Policy, 8.1 (Winter 2003): 111-144.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Enacted in 1998 to “facilitate the robust development and world-wide expansion of electronic commerce, communications, research, development and education in the digital age,” 1 the Digital Millennium Copyright Act has turned the Copyright Act of 1976’s fair use defense on its head and created an uncertain environment for many encryption researchers and academicians. Under the DMCA’s “trafficking” provision, an individual who disseminates a “technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof” 2 that discusses how to circumvent 3 encrypted devices can face civil or criminal consequences. Researchers and educators, for example, who publish articles or present papers discussing how to bypass the encryption device on a DVD to access a copyrighted work for educational or commentary purposes could face criminal and civil penalties.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Justin Brown, “Fostering the Public’s End-to-End: A Policy Initiative for Separating Broadband Transport from Content,” Communication Law and Policy, 8.2 (Spring 2003): 145-199. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The continued expansion of the Internet has caused considerable debate over the issue of open access. This article offers a policy initiative to ensure the preservation of the end-to-end network. The key to the proposed regulatory solution – separating content from transport – instills interconnection obligations on those providers who supply the first and last mile of high-speed Internet access. While obligated to supply access, facility-based DSL and cable modem providers would be free from rate regulation as non-dominant common carriers. DSL and cable modem providers would also be deemed neutral conduits when carrying ISP traffic, thereby allowing individuals to create their own communication environments and fostering further content and application creativity in the broadband arena.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Amanda Reid, “Operationalizing the Law of Jurisdiction: Where in the World Can I Be Sued for operating a World Wide Web Page?” Communication Law and Policy, 8.2 (Spring 2003): 227-265. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The concept of personal jurisdiction – the power of a court to decide the rights of a person and a binding judgment – is becoming increasingly complex in cases involving the World Wide Web. The two approaches courts currently use to assert personal jurisdiction are inadequate and inconsistently employed, leaving individuals who perform services or conduct business over the Web without clear answers about where they may be haled into court. The “Zippo test” fails to consistently take an accurate account of the complete picture of the contacts generated from Internet use, and the “Calder effects test” is not applicable in all cases. This article outlines a “Web-contacts” approach as a consistent way to operationalize “purposeful availment” for personal jurisdiction based on contacts via the Web.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Juanita Darling, “Forum Shopping and the Cyber Pamphleteer: Banamex V. Rodriguez,” Communication Law and Policy, 8.3 (Summer 2003): 361-383.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The Internet promised to make everyone a publisher, subject and reader, simultaneously, connecting the lonely pamphleteer to the whole world through cyber- space. That new freedom also brought the liberty to cause harm all over the world, however. When that happens, where can a victim seek redress? The threat that one-person publishing endeavors could be hauled into far-flung forums to mount costly defenses against libel threatens to chill the free speech that the Internet was to deliver. Banamex v. Rodriguez pitted two muckraking journalists against a powerful Mexican banker to help begin setting the rules about where cyber pamphleteers can be called to account for what they publish. This article examines the Banamex case and its ramifications for free expression.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Victoria Smith Ekstrand, “Unmasking Jane and John Doe: Online Anonymity and the First Amendment,” Communication Law and Policy, 8.4 (Fall 2003): 405-427.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: As plaintiffs in tort actions against anonymous online defendants attempt more and more to unmask those defendants, courts seem to be framing guidelines for determining whether the anonymity should be surrendered. The guidelines are beginning to look like those used to decide whether a journalist would be allowed to keep sources confidential. Courts are finding that anonymous speech on the Internet is worthy of protection and that unmasking a defendant’s identity requires (1) evidence of a valid case, (2) a showing of good faith by the plaintiff and (3) sufficient justification for revealing the identity of the anonymous poster. Such a development highlights the critical role Internet service providers have begun to play in defense of their online subscribers.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Vandana Pednekar-Magal and Peter Shields, “The State and Telecom Surveillance Policy: the Clipper Clip Initiative,” Communication Law and Policy, 8.4 (Fall 2003): 429-464.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: United States law enforcement and national security agencies have claimed that the proliferation of strong private-sector encryption is eroding their ability to monitor the electronic communications of terrorists, drug traffickers and the like. In response, the “Clipper Chip” initiative was launched. The aim of the initiative was to guarantee law enforcement access to a set of so-called “spare keys” that could be used to unlock encrypted electronic messages. Efforts were also made to internationalize the Clipper Chip initiative. In the face of intense opposition, the initiative was shelved in 1999. This article delineates and explains the formation and eventual demise of the Clipper Chip initiative. Building on the work of other scholars, the authors utilize theories of state policy making to identify the key determinants that shaped the different moments of the Clipper Chip initiative.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Fang Yang and James Shanahan, “Economic Openness and Media Penetration,” Communication Research, 30.5 (October 2003): 557-573.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Using country-level data, this study proposes and tests a multivariate model explaining levels of media penetration around the world, with special interest in the impact of an increasingly global economy on media industries. This study finds that countries with more open economies (i.e., those more exposed to the world market) tend to have higher penetration rates of newspapers, personal computers, Internet hosts and main telephone lines, even after controlling for GDP per capita, literacy, urbanization, population, levels of democracy and freedom, and regional variables. The data cover most of the countries in the world. The results indicate a link between a global economy and an “information age”-an enormous expansion of world communication. This study complements earlier research on the economic constraints of media penetration; most of the earlier work was done in a U.S. setting and focused on GDP per capita in explaining media penetration.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Carolyn A. Lin, “An Interactive Communication Technology Adoption Model,” Communication Theory, 13.4 (November 2003): 345-365.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In the evolving research arena of mediated communication technology adoption and uses, one of the most valuable developments involves the increased integration of distinct communication research traditions. This emerging fusion presents an unprecedented opportunity for communication researchers to share, confer and challenge the “native” tradition that each has followed. This article proposes an integrated research model and explains how it can serve as the basis for mediated communication technology adoption research. In particular, this proposed model is intended to provide a research framework for studying the factors that help shape adoption decisions of various communication technologies and the potential impact of technology adoption on the social system, audiences and use patterns.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Josh Boyd, “The Rhetorical Construction of Trust Online,” Communication Theory, 13.4 (November 2003): 392-410.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The antidote to perceived risk is trust, and transactions on the Internet are rife with perceived risk. This article establishes a need for trust messages online in a broader context of declining social trust, reviews trust literature, and then provides four tenets of trust that provide a basis for such rhetorically constructed messages. In addition to offering foundations for the rhetorical construction of trust online, the article presents 2 rhetorical paradoxes of trust that contain both opportunity and danger for scholars and netizens alike.
Method: Interpretive  – Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Shannon E. Martin, “State Laws Mandating Online Posting of Legal and Public Notices Traditionally Published in Newspapers,” Communications and the Law, 25.1 (April 2003): 41-54.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Examines the changes made by various U.S. states in their legally binding practices for distributing public notice information. Background on the posting of public notice through newspaper publications; Changes affecting public or legal notice when newspapers moved to a digital or online product; States that allow or require alternatives to full-text newspaper publication of public or legal notices.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Paul M. Leonardi, “Problematizing New Media: Culturally Based Perceptions of Cell Phones, Computers, and the Internet Among United States Latinos,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 20.2 (June 2003): 160-179.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Recent studies of new communication technologies have shown that broad terms such as “new media” are problematic. This study expands previous research by exploring how first-generation, working class United States Latino participants perceive and use new communication technologies in relation to their cultural values. Discussions generated across seven focus group sessions (N=78) about three common new communication technologies, 1) cell phones, 2) computers, and 3) the internet, showed that United States Latinos positioned the perceived usefulness of each communication technology differently, based upon their cultural values regarding good communication. In particular, participants discussed how cell phones provide an effective way to make interpersonal contact whereas computers and the internet were viewed as damaging to the communication necessary for good social relations. The findings show that this group of United States Latinos did not view new media as a homogeneous category, but instead had very distinct perceptions and ideas about the expected uses of cell phones, computers and the internet in relation to their cultural values regarding communication.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

John W. Jordan, “(Ad)Dressing the Body in Online Shopping Sites,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 20.3 (September 2003), 248-268.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The rapid and tumultuous growth of e-commerce has impacted nearly every aspect of the internet, including the construction, representation, and performance of online identity. Such developments invite us to rethink some of our key assumptions about this technological medium in light of contextual influences. Toward this end, this essay offers a critical analysis of virtual body models available in online shopping contexts. I critique the way in which virtual body models are used to address the online shopper and their body image, how web stores promote identification between the shopper and their virtual model, and the implications of virtual modeling technology for how bodies and identity are brought together in e-commerce situations. I argue that web stores articulate rhetorics of computational precision and user interactivity to declare a null margin between shopper and virtual model while simultaneously manufacturing and exploiting such a margin for their own commercial gain. The result is that even though online shoppers are instructed to create models that will precisely reflect their offline bodies, web stores’ commercial motives effectively guarantee that the resulting model will be a misleading, but more commercially viable, image of the shopper’s body. Authors conclude by discussing some of the implications of this strategically manufactured distortion with respect to user participation in e-commerce activities.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Joris Claessens; Claudia Diaz; Caroline Goemans; Bart Preneel, Joos Vandewalle, and Jos Dumortier, “Revocable Anonymous Access to the Internet?” Internet Research, 13.4 (2003): 242-258.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: With the worldwide growth of open telecommunication networks and in particular the Internet, the privacy and security concerns of people using these networks have increased. On the one hand, users are concerned about their privacy, and desire to anonymously access the network. On the other hand, some organizations are concerned about how this anonymous access might be abused. This paper intends to bridge these conflicting interests, and proposes a solution for revocable anonymous access to the Internet. Moreover, the paper presents some legal background and motivation for such a solution. However, the paper also indicates some difficulties and disadvantages of the proposed solution, and suggests the need for further debate on online anonymity.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Access

Jae-Kwan Lee, “A model for Monitoring Public Sector Web Site Strategy,” Internet Research, 13.4 (2003): 259-266.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A model for monitoring the Web site development process in the public sector is proposed and tested empirically with a sample of 76 local government Web sites. The framework consists of basic dimensions and a 2×2 matrix that is a simplified revision of the Mohammed et al.’s marketspace matrix. The four factors in the matrix, publicity, local service, differentiation and participation, together with two basic dimensions of attracting and delivering were proved to be important elements in a workable research framework. The effects of dimensions/factors and the role of online attracting are discussed in depth.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Fethi Calisir, “Web Advertising Vs Other Media: Young Consumers’ View,” Internet Research, 13.5 (2003): 356-363.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This paper examines how young consumers perceive the Web as an advertising medium in relation to eight traditional media on 15 constructs elicited from subjects. Results indicate that the Web is perceived to be very far from most of the other media, except point of purchase and direct mail. Conducting correspondence analysis and cluster analysis revealed the reasons for why the Web advertising is located close to point of purchase and direct mail. A noticeable finding was that farthest away from the Web is outdoor. Implications based on the findings are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Lori D. Wolin and Pradeep Korgaonkar, “Web Advertising: Gender Differences in Beliefs, Attitudes and Behavior,” Internet Research, 13.5 (2003): 375-385.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Previous research suggests males and females exhibit different beliefs about and attitudes toward traditional media advertising along with different advertising stimulated consumer behaviors. However, little is known about gender differences in consumer beliefs about Web advertising versus other media, attitude toward Web advertising, or Web advertising associated consumer behavior. Survey results indicate males and females differ significantly on several dimensions with males exhibiting more positive beliefs about Web advertising and more positive attitudes toward Web advertising than females. Additionally, males are more likely than females to purchase from the Web and surf the Web for functional and entertainment reasons, whereas females are more likely to surf the Web for shopping reasons.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Karen L Becker-Olsen, “And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor: a Look at the Effects of Sponsored Content and Banner Advertising,” Journal of Advertising, 32.2 (Summer 2003): 17-32. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: As the number of Internet users increases daily, Internet advertising grows in importance as one of the elements of the communications mix. Because of the controversy surrounding the effectiveness of banner advertising, many companies are seeking alternative formats for capturing on-line consumers. Through two studies, this research provides an empirical investigation of the effects of banner advertising and sponsored content on Web site communities and their advertisers. The studies demonstrate that Web communities and advertisers both benefit from sponsored content. Specifically, sponsored content can be an effective advertising tool to engender positive response toward an advertiser and increase feelings of customer responsiveness, product quality, category leadership, and even purchase intention. In addition, there is evidence that these types of messages are processed differently, indicating to communications managers that program objectives should drive the decision as to whether sponsored content, banner advertising, or some combination of the two will be most effective.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Wendy Macias and Liza Stavchansky Lewis, “A Content Analysis of Direct-to-consumer (DTC)  Prescription Drug Web Sites,” Journal of Advertising, 32.4 (Winter 2003/2004): 43-56.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The main goal of this content analysis study was to examine the content and form of direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug Web sites and explore their public policy implications. Although studies have examined print communications, very little academic attention has been paid to DTC Web sites. This study is a census of 90 complete DTC drug Web sites. Results showed that DTC sites used advertising appeals similar to those found in print ads, but they included more monetary incentives and a much higher degree of medical and drug information. The data show that these sites may be better suited to fulfilling Food and Drug Administration (PDA) guidelines because of their inclusion of more information. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Shelly Rodgers, “The Effects of Sponsor Relevance on Consumer Reactions to Internet Sponsorships,” Journal of Advertising, 32.4 (Winter 2003/2004): 67-76.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study reports the results of two experiments that were conducted to examine the effects of Internet sponsorships and the role of sponsor relevance in these effects. Experiment 1 used a group of college students and Experiment 2 replicated the first experiment using a group of nonstudent adults. Both experiments examined sponsorship linkage as a means of structuring Internet sponsorships that impacts sponsor recall, attitude toward the sponsor, and purchase intentions. Findings revealed that relevant Internet sponsors were more persuasive than irrelevant Internet sponsors for the three dependent variables. Two context variables, Web site credibility and intent to return to the site, moderated the linkage factor on sponsor evaluations in that higher levels of the context variables translated to more positive evaluations for relevant sponsors.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Micael Dalhén, Alexandra Rasch, and Sara Rosengren, “Love at First site? A Study of Website Advertising Effectiveness,” Journal of Advertising Research, 43.1 (2003): 25-33.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The body of web advertising research has grown continuously during the last few years. Our understanding of the new medium has trailed the increasing web experience among advertisers and consumers. However, there is still one important knowledge gap, namely the communication effects of website advertising. How should websites be designed to attain brand-related communication effects?
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Wen Gong and Lynda M. Maddox, “Measuring Web Advertising Effectiveness in China,” Journal of Advertising Research 43.1 (March 2003): 34-49.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study examines Chinese consumers’ perceptions and responses to web banner advertising. Results suggest that just one additional banner exposure improves Chinese users’ brand recall, changes their attitude toward the brand, and increases their purchase consideration. Although clickthrough was found to be a significant predictor for banner recall, there was no evidence that clickthrough affects brand recall, attitude toward the brand, or purchase consideration. Most of the findings in this study are congruent with those reported in the 1997 IAB Study.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Goutam Chakraborty, Vishal Lala and David Warren, “What Do Customers Consider Important in B2B Websites?” Journal of Advertising Research 43.1 (March 2003): 50-61. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Based on prior research, we identified seven factors that customers might consider important in a business-to-business website. Using a rigorous scale development procedure and a field study with 606 business customers, we developed valid and reliable scales for measuring these factors. Results revealed that organization is the most important factor in a website. This is followed by nontransaction-related interactivity, privacy/security and informativeness. The other factors (transaction-related interactivity, personalization and entertainment) were found to be relatively less important. Managerially useful differences were found in the importance ratings of these factors for those who use the web for purchase versus those who use the web for nonpurchase activities.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Yuping Liu, “Developing a Scale to Measure the Interactivity of Websites,” Journal of Advertising Research 43.2 (June 2003): 207-216.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article describes the development and validation of a scale measuring the interactivity of websites. Three studies were conducted to verify the factor structure, content validity, discriminant validity and reliability of the scale. Results from the studies showed that interactivity comprises three correlated but distinct dimensions: active control, two-way communication and synchronicity. The multidimensional scale showed a high level of validity and reliability and yielded consistent ratings among both experienced and inexperienced internet users.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jean Louis Chandon, Mohamed Saber Chtourou and David R. Fortin, “Effects of Configuration and Exposure Levels on Responses to Web Advertisements,” Journal of Advertising Research 43.2 (June 2003): 217-229.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The debate about which media metric efficiently measures the effectiveness of a web-based advertisement, such as banners, is still alive and well. Nonetheless, the most widely used measure of effectiveness for banner advertisements is still the click-through rate. The purpose of this article is to review the measures currently used to measure effectiveness in web advertising and to empirically determine the factors that might contribute to observed variations in click-through rates based on an actual sample of advertising campaigns. The study examined the complete set of all advertising insertions of 77 customers of a large advertising agency over a one-year period. A resulting sample of 1,258 placements was used to study the effect of banner formats and exposure levels on click-through rates using analysis of variance. Results suggest that the strongest effect on click-through rates comes from the use of trick banners ([eta].sup.2] = 0.25) and that other factors such as size of the advertisement, motion, use of “click here,” and “online only” type of announcers all have a significant impact of click-through rates. Implications of these findings as well as limitations of the current study are discussed and directions for future research agendas proposed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Peter J. Danaher and Guy W. Mullarkey, “Factors Affecting Online Advertising Recall: a Study of Students,” Journal of Advertising Research, 43.3 (September 2003): 252-267. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In this article we examine factors that might impact on web advertising recall and recognition. These factors include the viewing mode, duration of page viewing, and web page context factors, including text and page background complexity and the style of the banner advertisement. Via an experimental design conducted on a student sample, we manipulate these factors over several levels. The key finding is that the longer a person is exposed to a web page containing a banner advertisement, the more likely they are to remember that banner advertisement. We also find that recognition scores are much higher than both unaided and aided recall scores. Finally, web users in a goal-directed mode are much less likely to recall and recognize banner advertisements than users who are surfing a site.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Brett A.S. Martin, Joel Van Durme, Mika Raulas and Marko Merisavo, “Email Advertising: Exploratory Insights from Finland,” Journal of Advertising Research, 43.3 (September 2003): 293-300. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore consumer perceptions of email advertising. Within this exploratory context, we studied what aspects of email advertising may result in consumers visiting, first, a company website, and second, a physical (i.e., bricks-and-mortar) company sales outlet. We found that visits to the company website appeared to be less likely the more useful the email advertisement, and the more emails received by the consumer from the advertising company. Instead, consumers who viewed emails as useful were more likely to visit the physical store. Our results suggest that the reason for a store visit is usually for consumers to either buy the product or to study it firsthand. As noted by Kover (2001), the web is ideally suited to products that do not involve human interaction with people or objects. In the case of cosmetics with fragrances or makeup products, such as lipstick, it is understandable that consumers visit the store to see if the product advertised by email suits them. Consumers who find emails useful appear to want the company to stay in regular contact with them, suggesting that email offers advertisers the opportunity to become an important avenue for consumers to obtain information. Likewise, consumers who received many email advertisements appear to be more likely to visit the store.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Shelly Rodgers and Mary Ann Harris, “Gender and e-Commerce: an Exploratory Study,” Journal of Advertising Research 43.3 (September 2003): 322-329.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The authors consider the role of gender as it relates to e-commerce and offer a conceptual framework that attempts to explain why women are less satisfied than men with the online shopping experience. Perceived emotional benefits are discussed as a primary reason women lack support for e-commerce activity. Additional concepts in our model include trust (i.e., skepticism) and practicality (i.e., convenience). Our survey findings revealed that these three concepts–emotion, trust, and convenience–predicted women’s dissatisfaction (and men’s satisfaction) with online shopping, as well as men and women’s actual shopping behavior. The authors offer ideas to help e-marketers form stronger emotional bonds with female shoppers.
Method: Interpretive  – Essay (including History) 
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sally J. McMillan, Jang-Sun Hwang, and Guiohk Lee, “Effects of Structural and Perceptual Factors on Attitudes Toward the Website,” Journal of Advertising Research 43.4 (December 2003): 400-409.
Key words: N/A 
Abstract: This study examined effects of structural and perceptual variables on attitude toward websites. Data were collected from 311 consumers who reviewed four hotel websites. The sites were structurally different in terms of having high versus low number of features and also in terms of informational versus transformational creative strategies. Involvement and perceived interactivity were the two perceptual variables examined in the study. Involvement with the subject of a site and the subdimension of perceived interactivity that measured level of engagement were the best predictors of attitude. Positive attitudes were also associated with sites that took advantage of web-specific features such as virtual tours and online reservations systems. A key implication of this study is the need for advertisers and researchers to reconsider advertising in the context of the web. Radio and television required advertisers to adjust to the new concepts of buying and selling time instead of space and of incorporating aural and visual appeals in messages. The web demands that advertisers adjust to a new medium that is not bound by either space or time and that has the technical capability to involve and engage the consumer.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ritu Lohtia, Naveen Donthu and Edmund K. Hershberger, “The Impact of Content and Design Elements on Banner Advertising Click-through Rates,” Journal of Advertising Research 43.4 (December 2003): 410-418. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study investigates the impact of content and design elements on the click-through rates of banner advertisements using data from 8,725 real banner advertisements. It is one of the first empirical studies to examine banner advertising effectiveness (measured by click-through rates) and also one of the first to examine the differences between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) banner advertisements. Content elements examined include the use of incentives and emotional appeals. Design elements examined include the use of interactivity, color, and animation. Results suggest that content and design elements do not work the same way for B2B and B2C banner advertisements. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Rivka Ribak and Joseph Turow, “Internet Power and Social Context: A Globalization Approach to Web Privacy Concerns, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47.3 (September 2003): 328-349.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Contemporary perspectives on the Internet don’t recognize negotiations about its meaning that take place in many societies, causing the Web to be defined simultaneously in terms of local cultures and world markets. We propose a “globalization” perspective that can help researchers situate a society’s cultural and technological practices within broad political and economic parameters, identify global forces and local voices, and study dynamics of their co-existence. As an exploratory foray, we compare U.S. and Israeli parents’ attitudes toward Web privacy. The findings call attention to a need for historical and geographical considerations at every level of Web research.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Miriam J. Metzger and Sharon Docter,” Public Opinion and Policy Initiatives for Online Privacy Protection,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47.3 (September 2003): 350-374.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The ability to monitor and record Internet users’ personal information has raised fears about online privacy. Consequently, consumers have put pressure on the federal government and the online industry to respond appropriately to their privacy concerns. This study uses Edelman’s Theory of symbolic politics to assess the congruence between public concern about online privacy and recent legislative and industry efforts to address this concern.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Joel J. Davis, “The Accessibility Divide: The Visually-Impaired and Access to Online News,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47.3 (September 2003): 474-481.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study evaluated the extent to which online news is accessible to visually-impaired individuals. The home pages of 69 online news sites (representing print newspapers, news magazines, national television/radio/cable networks and Internet-only organizations) were evaluated for accessibility in June 2002 and March 2003. Findings indicate that accessibility was nearly nonexistent in 2002 (where only 3% of sites’ home pages were completely accessible) and little improved in 2003 (where only 7% were completely accessible). Analyses of reasons preventing access indicate that accessibility could be greatly improved if relatively simple design and coding changes were implemented. Recommendations for improvement are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Osei Appiah, “Americans Online: Differences in Surfing and Evaluating Race-Targeted Web Sites by Black and White Users,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47.4 (December 2003): 537-555.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study explored how Black and White viewers browse and evaluate Web sites based on the racial target of the site. The findings demonstrate that, while Blacks do not necessary evaluate Black and White-targeted sites differently, they do spend more time browsing on and recall more information from a Black-targeted site than they do a White-targeted site. In contrast, White viewers display no differences in their browsing, recall, or evaluation patterns based on the racial target of the Web site. Theoretical implications regarding the psychological mechanisms at work when viewers are exposed to race-targeted sites are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sung Tae Kim and David Weaver, “Internet Business Models for Broadcasters: How Television Stations Perceive and Integrate the Internet,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47.4 (December 2003): 597-616. 
Key words: N/ A
Abstract: This study presents a theoretical and methodological review of communication research about the internet. Through a thematic meta-analysis of recent research publications about the internet, we identified topical, methodological and theoretical trends of current internet studies. The patterns of the internet research agenda are discussed in relation to a development model of communication research. We hope the findings of this study provide not only an overview of current internet research trends but also new insights for future research directions regarding this new medium.
Method: Interpretive  – Policy Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Michael D. Slater, “Alienation, Aggression, and Sensation Seeking as Predictors of Adolescent Use of Violent Film, Computer, and Website Content?” Journal of Communication, 53.1 (March 2003): 105-121.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Use of violent media content by adolescents has long been a matter of public concern and debate, a concern that was heightened by the reported use of violent computer games and websites by the killers at Columbine High School in 1999. This study examined predictors of various types of self-reported use of violent media content by 8th graders (N = 3,127) from 20 schools around the U.S. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that gender, sensation seeking, aggression, and frequency of Internet use had relatively strong contributions to explaining the use of violent media content composite and the measure of violent website content use. Alienation variables contributed significantly, though modestly, to variance explained in the use of violence-oriented websites, but not to the composite measure. Alienation from school and family also appeared to partially mediate effects of sensation seeking and aggression on use of violent Internet content. A negative feedback loop model for linking uses and gratifications approaches to the study of effects of violent media content on adolescents is suggested.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kimberly Gross and Sean Aday, “The Scary World in Your Living Room and Neighborhood: using Local Broadcast News, Neighborhood Crime Rates, and Personal Experience to Test Agenda Setting and Cultivation,” Journal of Communication, 53.3 (September 2003): 411-426.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study tested two important theories in the history of mass communication research, agenda setting and cultivation, by comparing the effects of watching local television news with direct experience measures of crime on salience and fear of victimization. Direct experience was measured in 2 ways: (a) personal crime victimization or victimization of a close friend or family member, and (b) neighborhood crime rates. Using a random digit dial telephone survey of residents of the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, researchers found that local news exposure accounted for an agenda-setting effect but did not cultivate fear of being a victim of crime. By contrast, direct experience had no agenda-setting effect but did predict fear.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Sorin Matei and Sandra Ball-Rokeach, “The Internet in the Communication Infrastructure of Urban Residential Communities: Macro- or Mesolinkage”?,  Journal of Communication, 53.4 (December 2003): 642-657.  
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The article refines the view that the Internet is increasingly incorporated in everyday life, concluding that the new medium has been partially integrated in the “communication infrastructure” of English-speaking Los Angeles neighborhoods. Here, Internet connectedness is associated with civic participation and indirectly contributes to “belonging” to a residential community. However, in predominantly Asian and Latino areas, the Internet is disengaged from communication environments that lead to belonging, being associated with mainstream media. In these communities its contribution is contradictory; although it probably contributes to the process of ethnic assimilation, it might also lead to disengagement of most educated and technologically savvy residents from their neighborhoods. A possible “magnifying glass effect” is proposed as explanation for the differential integration of new media in community life.
Method: Interpretive  – Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

David Tewksbury, “What Do Americans Really Want to Know? Tracking the Behavior of News Readers on the Internet?” Journal of Communication, 53.4 (December 2003): 694-710.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Evaluations of the health of contemporary political systems typically include some discussion of the modes through which people acquire public affairs information. In response to survey questions, Americans often profess an interest in current events news, but assessments of citizens’ political knowledge often find them wanting. Unfortunately, the limitations of previously available research methods have left researchers with an incomplete understanding of news audiences and their exposure patterns. Widespread adoption of the Internet for news reading may change that situation. The World Wide Web provides audiences with substantially more control over the news selection process than they enjoyed with the traditional media. With that enhanced control, it appears online readers are particularly likely to pursue their own interests, and they are less likely to follow the cues of news editors and producers. The present study takes advantage of this attribute of online news presentation to examine the topics people select at Web-based news outlets. In general, online news audiences choose to read public affairs news less frequently than survey research suggests. This result has implications for the long-term health of democratic nations.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

XiaYang, Zafar U. Ahmed, Morry Ghingold, Goh Sock Boon, Tham Su Mei and Lim Lee Hwa, “Consumer Preference for Commercial Web Site design: an Asian-Pacific Perspective,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 20.1 (2003): 10-27.
Key words: Web Site, Consumer attitudes, Electronic Commerce, Marketing Strategy, Singapore
Abstract: Given that even modest increases in customer satisfaction and retention typically translate into significant gains in revenues and profits, many businesses are using the Internet to expand their reach, improve customer service and develop and maintain closer relationships with their customers. For example, customer relationship management (CRM) software enables markets to offer online interactions that are customizable to the to the individual customer, allowing online marketers to better match their offerings and the online experience to consumers’ needs, wants and preferences, even in markets with millions of prospects and customers. Thus, a successful web site can be instrumental in its impact on the marketing effectiveness of a firm and significantly add to the bottom line. Yet, in order to determine what constitutes a successful Website, one must be able to understand how users perceive and utilize it. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted to assess consumer perceptions and preferences for commercial websites. To address the paucity of e-commerce research undertaken in the Asia-Pacific region, as compared to Western counties, the data were collected in Singapore. The attracting, informing, positioning and delivering (AIPD) model provided the conceptual foundation for the research. Survey findings reveal that Singaporean consumers have distinct preferences when visiting commercial websites, ranking security and privacy as their most valued attributes, for example. In contract, cross-marketing, via banner advertising and affiliate programs, were least valued. Many other features of Web sites evaluate. Managerial research implications of the study are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jessica L. Joines, Clifford W. Scherer and Dietram A. Scheufele, “Exploring Motivations for Consumer Web Use and Their Implications for e-Commerce,”  Journal of Consumer Marketing, 20.2/3 (2003): 90-108.
Key words: Internet, Electronic commerce, User studies, Privacy
Abstract: This study examines the influence of demographic variables and dimensions of motivational factors of two types of consumer Web use: percentage of weekly Web surfing time spent searching for product and service-related information and online shopping and transactions. It combines data from two sources: a self-administered survey of 59 undergraduates in an introductory communication course at Cornell University; and a mail/Web survey of 59 New York State residents who had reported subscribing to an online service in a previous mail survey. Distinctively different patterns of relationships among demographics and motivational factors were found for the two types of dependent variables. Most importantly, transactional privacy concerns were found to be negatively related to percentage of time spent on product searches and online shopping, while economic motivations had a positive influence. In addition, online shopping was found to be predicted by information motivations, interactive control motivations, and socialization motivations. Implications for Web-based commerce and advertising are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Thomas P. Novak, Donna L. Hoffma and Adam Duhachek, “The Influence of Goal-Directed and Experiential Activities on Online Flow Experiences,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 3-16.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Recently, it has been proposed that creating compelling experiences in the distinctive consumption environment defined by the Internet depends on facilitating a state of flow. Although it has been established that consumers do, in fact, experience flow while using the Web, consumer re- searchers do not as yet have a comprehensive understanding of the specific activities during which consumers actually have these experiences. One fruitful focus of research on online consumer experience has been on two distinct categories of consumption behavior–goal directed and experiential consumption behavior. Drawing distinctions between these behaviors for the Web may be particularly important because the experiential process is, for many individuals, as or even more important than the final instrumental result. However, the general and broad nature of flow measurement to date has precluded a precise investigation of flow during goal-directed versus experiential activities. In this article, we explore this issue, investigating whether flow occurs during both experiential and goal-directed activities, if experiential and goal-directed flow states differ in terms of underlying constructs, and what the key characteristics are-based on prior Theory-that define “types” of flow experiences reported on the Web. Our approach is to perform a series of quantitative analyses of qualitative descriptions of flow experiences provided by Web users collected in conjunction with the 10th GVU WWW User Survey. In contrast with previous research that suggests flow would be more likely to occur during recreational activities than task-oriented activities, we found more evidence of flow for task-oriented rather than experiential activities, although there is evidence flow occurs under both scenarios. As a final note, we argue that the role that goal-directed and experiential activities may play in facilitating the creation of compelling online environments may also be important in a broader consumer policy context.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

George M. Zinkhan, Hyokjin Kwak, Michelle Morrison, and Cara Okleshen Peters. “Web-Based Chatting: Consumer Communication in Cyberspace,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 17-27.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The World Wide Web has the potential to change much about consumer behavior and consumer communication. Web-based chatting, the focus of this study, is one example. In this article, we provide an illustrative description of various consumer chatting situations, examine the motivations underlying Web-based chatting, and discuss the ways in which chatters act as “naive marketers” in their attempt to attract chatting partners. Using information gathered through the combined use of an Internet survey and a content analysis, we explore five research questions: who chats, why individuals chat, how chatters communicate, what links exist between Web chatting and other consumer behaviors, and which factors lead to a successful chatting experience? The findings provide some insight into how consumers market themselves in cyberspace and the effectiveness of their “personal advertisements” in attracting other chatters.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Wendy W. Moe, “Buying, Searching, or Browsing: Differentiating Between Online Shoppers Using In-Store Navigational Click stream,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 29-39.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In the bricks-and-mortar environment, stores employ sales people that have learned to distinguish between shoppers based on their in-store behavior. Some shoppers appear to be very focused in looking for a specific product. In those cases, sales people may step in and help the shopper find what they are looking for. In other cases, the shopper is merely “window shop- ping.” The experienced sales person can identify these shoppers and either ignore them and let them continue window shopping, or intercede and try and stimulate a purchase in the appropriate manner. However, in the virtual shopping environment, there is no sales person to perform that role. Therefore, this article theoretically develops and empirically tests a typology of store visits in which visits vary according to the shoppers’ underlying objectives. By using page-to-page click stream data from a given online store, visits are categorized as a buying, browsing, searching, or knowledge-building visit based on observed in-store navigational patterns, including the general content of the pages viewed. Each type of visit varies in terms of purchasing likelihood. The shoppers, in each case, are also driven by different motivations and therefore would respond differentially to various marketing messages. The ability to categorize visits in such a manner allows the e-commerce marketer to identify likely buyers and design more effective, customized promotional message.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

David Luna, Laura A. Peracchio and Maria Dolores de Juan, “The Impact of Language and Congruity on Persuasion in Multicultural E-Marketing,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 41-50.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In this article we examine the effect of language, graphics and culture on bilingual consumers’ Web site and product evaluations. We extend previous bilingual memory research to affective responses and to a new medium-the Internet. A series of studies suggests that attitudinal measures are influenced by the interaction of Web site language with two types of congruity: graphic congruity and cultural congruity. We conclude from our findings that both types of congruity influence bilinguals attitude-formation processes.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Alexander Cherev,” Reverse Pricing and Online Price Elicitation Strategies in Consumer Choice,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 51-62.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This research examines consumers’ willingness to pay in an online environment. Specifically, Author compares two price-elicitation strategies: price generation (i.e., “name your price”) and price se- lection (i.e., “select your price”). Contrary to the common assumption that naming a price will be preferred by consumers because it offers the most flexibility in articulating one’s willingness to pay, this research demonstrates that consumers often prefer to select rather than to generate a price. In a series of three experiments,  The potential unfavorable effects of the price- generation task are associated with the absence of a readily available reference price range. This study further demonstrates that the reference price range also has to be externally provided and that internally generated reference prices can as well eliminate the potential negative effect of the price generation task and strengthen consumer preferences. These findings support the proposition advanced in this research that a pre-choice articulation of reference prices can simplify consumer choice by imposing a structure consistent with the nature of the decision task.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jose Antonio Rosa and Alan J. Malter, “E-Embodied Knowledge and E-Commerce: How Physiological Factors Affect Online Sales of Experiential Products,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 63-73
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Advances in information technology are making it possible to deliver multisensory stimuli over the Internet, giving rise to what we call second-generation electronic commerce, and to Web-based exchanges that approach in-store episodes and greatly exceed existing mass-market media in experiential richness. Delivery of multisensory stimuli is not enough, however, to fully activate, generate, and manage the embodied knowledge that is critical to consumer thinking about many types of products and services. Embodied knowledge refers to information elements that are generated and maintained outside the brain cavity and that are incorporated into consumer assessments of products and services. The view that consumers integrate embodied and conceptual knowledge into mental simulations of products and services is used as a foundation for a more general exposition of embodied knowledge and cognition. Three elements of embodied knowledge-body mapping and monitoring systems, proprioceptive knowledge, and body boundaries-are discussed, including their implications for e-commerce Theory and practice and for marketing research in general. The methodological challenges of better under- standing and managing embodied knowledge are also discuses
Method: Interpretive  – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Dan Ariely and Itamar Simonson, “Buying, Bidding, Playing, or Competing? Value Assessment and Decision Dynamics in Online Auctions, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 113-123.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: We propose an analytical framework for studying bidding behavior in online auctions. The framework focuses on three key dimensions: the multi-stage process, the types of value-signals employed at each phase, and the dynamics of bidding behavior whereby early choices impact subsequent bidding decisions. We outline a series of propositions relating to the auction entry decision, bidding decisions during the auction, and bidding behavior at the end of an auction. In addition, we present the results of three preliminary field studies that investigate factors that influence consumers’ value assessments and bidding decisions. In particular, (a) due to a focus on the narrow auction context, consumers under-search and, consequently, overpay for widely available commodities (CDs, DVDs) and (b) higher auction starting prices tend to lead to higher winning bids, particularly when comparable items are not available in the immediate context. We discuss the implications of this research with respect to our understanding of the key determinants of consumer behavior in this increasingly important arena of purchase decisions.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Nada Nasr Bechwati and Lan Xia,” Do Computers Sweat? The Impact of Perceived Effort on Online Decision Aids on Consumers’ Satisfaction With Decision Process,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 139-148.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: In the context of online shopping, a major change in the consumer decision-making cognitive process is the partial shift of effort from consumers to electronic decision aids. The objective of this article is to investigate consumers’ perception of the “effort” expended by decision aids and how this perception influences their satisfaction with the decision process. The findings of two laboratory experiments show that, in comparison to human decision aids, consumers believe that electronic aids exert less effort but save them an equal level of effort. It is also shown that consumers’ satisfaction with the search process is positively associated with their perception of effort saved for them by electronic aids.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Valerie Trifts and Gerald Haubl, “Information Availability on Consumer Preference: Can Online Retailers Benefit from Providing Access to Competitor Price Information?” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 149-159.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article examines consumers’ reactions to the provision of direct access to uncensored com- petitor price information within an electronic store. Based on notions derived from signaling Theory, prior research on trust, and attribution Theory, we propose that the facilitation of such ac- cess may have a positive impact on consumer preference for an online retailer. Furthermore, we predict that this effect will be moderated by how attractive a vendor’s prices are. The results of a laboratory experiment demonstrate the possibility that a retailer’s act of providing access to un- censored competitor price information may result in enhanced long-term preference for that vendor, especially if the latter’s prices are neither clearly superior nor obviously inferior to those of its competitors. Finally, this positive effect of facilitating access to competitors’ prices on consumer preference is mediated by the perceived trustworthiness of the online retailer.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Andrew D. Gershoff, Ashesh Mukherjeer and Anirban Mukhopadhyay, “Consumer Acceptance of Online Agent Advice: Extremity and Positivity Effects,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 161-170.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Consumers often search the Internet for agent advice when making decisions about products and services. Existing research on this topic suggests that past opinion agreement between the consumer and an agent is an important cue in consumers’ acceptance of current agent advice. In this article, we report the results of two experiments which show that different types of past agreements can have different effects on the acceptance of current agent advice. In Study 1, we show that in addition to the overall agreement rate, consumers pay special attention to extreme opinion agreement when assessing agent diagnosticity (i.e., extremity effect). In Study 2 we show that positive extreme agreement is more influential than negative extreme agreement when advice valence is positive, but the converse does not hold when advice valence is negative (i.e., positivity effect). We conclude by identifying promising avenues for future research and discuss implications of the results for marketers in areas such as design of intelligent online recommendation systems and word-of-mouth management on the Internet
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ruby Roy Dholakia and Kuan-Pin Chiang “Shoppers in Cyberspace: Are they From Venus or Mars and Does It Matter?” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 171-176.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Internet shopping (or e-shopping) is emerging as a shopping mode and with its requirement of computer access and use, it is interesting to find out whether consumers associate e-shop- pers with any gender-specific stereotypes. Such stereotypes may be expected because shop- ping is considered a “female typed” activity whereas technology is considered to be in the male domain. In this article, we address this central question in an empirical study that varies the shopping context in terms of outlet type, product type and purchase purpose. The respondents are college students with Internet access and familiarity with online shopping. The experimental results suggest that the global stereotype, held by both male and female respondents, is that of a shopper as a woman. This stereotype reverses when the product purchased is technical and expensive (DVD player). In terms of personality attributions, the female shopper is seen to be less technical, less spontaneous, and more reliable, and attributions regarding personal characteristics are not influenced significantly by product type, outlet type, or purchase purpose.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kuan-Pin Chiang and Ruby Roy Dholakia, “Factors Driving Consumer Intention to Shop Online: An Empirical Investigation, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13.1/2 (2003): 177-183.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This article examines consumers’ intention to shop online during the information acquisition stage. Specifically, the study incorporates 3 essential variables, which are likely to influence consumer intentions: (a) convenience characteristic of shopping channels, (b) product type characteristics, and (c) perceived price of the product. Results indicate that convenience and product type influence consumer intention to engage in online shopping. When consumers perceive offline shopping as inconvenient, their intention to shop online is greater. Also, online shopping intention is higher when consumers perceive the product to be search goods than experience goods.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jon D. Morris, ChongMoo Woo, and Chang-Hoan Cho “Internet Measures of Advertising Effects: a Global Issue,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 25.1 (Spring 2003): 25-43.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A major concern about surveying on the Internet is the comparative reliability and mediated validity of the medium. To date, however, relatively little research has been conducted regarding this issue. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of an Ad effect measure to an Internet survey, when compared to a standard paper-and-pencil survey. The survey used SAM (the Self-Assessment Manikin) to measure emotional response to several well-known brands, and was placed on the AdSAM(r) Internet website. The various multivariate estimates show that the Internet is a valid place to measure advertising effects reliably.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sanjay Putrevu and Kenneth R. Lord, “Processing Internet Communications: A Motivation, Opportunity and Ability Framework, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 25.1 (Spring 2003): 45-59.
Key words: Internet, advertising, Information Processing/Uses and Gratification
Abstract: Despite the rapid growth of the Internet as a vehicle for communication and commerce, substantive Theory to guide Web-based marketing communications is still in its infancy. Combining the distinctive characteristics of the Internet with recent models and research findings regarding information processing, this paper proposes a framework for understanding consumer response to Web-based communications. Consideration of Internet communication options (advertisements, Web sites, viral messaging), message characteristics (attention devices, encoding variability, framing, mood tone) and individual-difference moderators (involvement, cognitive/affective motivations, gender, context) leads to propositions regarding consumer motivation, opportunity and ability to process.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Wendy Macias, “A Beginning Look at the Effects of Interactivity, Product Involvement and Web Experience on Comprehension: Brand Web Sites as Interactive Advertising,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 25.2 (Fall 2003): 31-44.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: his study explores how interactivity and individual difference variables, product involvement and Web experience, affect comprehension of interactive advertising Web sites. A two-cell (interactivity: low/high) between subjects. factorial design tested comprehension (N=153). The limited-capacity processing model provided theoretical framework. The results of this study indicate two very important things–interactivity helps to improve comprehension and individual differences (product involvement and Web experience) are important factors influencing this relationship.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Steven M. Edwards and Carrie La Ferle, “Role-Taking: Enhancing the Online Experience, Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 25.2 (Fall 2003): 45-56.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Technological advances are allowing more people to shop and interact online, so it is important for marketers to understand methods for enhancing computer-mediated experiences. The current study examines consumers’ ability to experience empathy-based processing in a computer-mediated environment. The study demonstrates that consumers can experience enhanced role-taking online compared with traditional media and that online experiences facilitating role-taking benefit both consumers and marketers. Role-taking as a mediator in the process increases consumer involvement and elicits more positive attitudes toward online experiences. Marketing tactics enhancing consumer role-taking should help to bridge the gap between the relatively different experiences of online and off-line shopping.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ananda Mitra, “Cybernetic Space: Bringing the Virtual and Real Together,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.2 (Spring 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: With the increasing prevalence of digital tools in our everyday lives, it is often the case that individuals and institutions are simultaneously living in the “real” and the “virtual.” This duality of existence can begin to transform both the real and the virtual as they influence each other. Furthermore, those individuals and institutions who are beginning to embrace the virtual existence often find themselves dwelling in a synthetic world made up at the intersection of the real and the virtual. This synthesis produces cybernetic space. The consequences of the growth of cybernetic space, and the way in which it implicates the individual and institutions are the focus of this paper.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jang-Sun Hwang, Sally J. McMillan and Guiohk Lee, “Corporate Web Sites as Advertising: An Analysis of Function, Audience, and Message Strategy,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.2 (Spring 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The primary purpose of this study is to explore and explain the concept of the Web site as corporate advertisement. Three coders analyzed 160 corporate Web sites. Corporate Web sites are able to combine multiple functions such as providing information and image-building strategies for companies and their brands as well as direct and indirect selling functions. Corporate Web sites are also able to address multiple audiences from a single umbrella site. Message strategies were more likely to be informational than transformational – possibly reflecting the information-delivery potential of the Web. In general, high-revenue companies had more functions and addressed more audiences through their Web sites than low-revenue companies. High-revenue companies were also more likely than low-revenue companies to use transformational message strategies. However, no predicted relationships were found between overall message strategy and either number of functions at the Web site or number of audiences served. The study provides details on application of a relatively new message strategy model to a unique new form of corporate advertising – the World Wide Web.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Louisa Ha, “Crossing Offline and Online Media: A Comparison of Online Advertising on TV Web Sites and Online Portals,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.2 (Spring 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This paper presents findings of a study comparing the advertising on the web sites supported by offline media and on the dot.com media that only have online presence. The study analyzes the advertising strategies of leading U.S. TV networks’ web sites and online portals, which respectively represent web sites with strong offline media support and web sites with no offline media counterparts respectively. TV networks’ advertising strategies were identified based on a spectrum of brand extension and brand integration strategies. The results show that even with the strong offline support of the TV networks, TV web sites are much more moderate in their display of advertising than online portals and use primarily brand integration as their convergence strategy in advertising recruitment. Forced exposure advertising is not common in TV web sites, which is contrary to the captive audience characteristic of the TV medium. Portal sites have a much stronger presence of advertising support. Their advertisers are also more diversified than those of TV web sites. Many TV web sites are still used as a marketing and promotional tool for TV networks rather than as a stand-alone advertising medium for advertisers. Portal sites have emerged as a full-fledged advertising medium completely capable of carrying different forms of online advertising to deliver advertising messages to target audiences for advertisers. Implications of the findings to advertisers, TV networks, and other online media are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Wendy Macias, “A Preliminary Structural Equation Model of Comprehension and Persuasion of Interactive Advertising Brand Web Sites,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.2 (Spring 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The main goal of this study was to build a preliminary structural equation model to better understand the relationships between interactivity, comprehension and persuasion. The limited capacity processing model provided theoretical framework. A two-cell (interactivity: low/high) experimental design was used to examine how the level of interactivity in interactive advertisements influences comprehension and attitudes. The sample consisted of 153 subjects. The structural equation model supported the idea that interactivity is an important and direct factor in both the consumer’s comprehension of interactive advertising and the persuasive outcomes (attitudes and purchase intention). In addition, comprehension had a direct, positive influence on persuasive outcomes..
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Seounmi Youn, Mira Lee and Kenneth O. Doyle, “Lifestyles of Online Gamers: A Psychographic Approach,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.2 (Spring 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study compares people who play games on the Internet, people who use the Internet but not for gaming, and people who do not use the Internet. In terms of demography, there is no gender difference among the three groups. On-line gamers are the youngest group and have above-average education and income, but non-gaming Internet users enjoy the highest socioeconomic status. In terms of motivation, on-line gamers are more impulsive and more open to the Internet than either other group. On-line gamers are also highest in novelty seeking, risk-taking, and word-of-mouth communication. In terms of attitude, both online gamers and non-gaming Internet users are more liberal toward socially sensitive issues than non-Internet users, and more tolerant of advertising that contains sex or violence. Practical implications and the need for additional research are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interviews/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Padmini Patwardhan and Jin Yang, “Internet Dependency Relations and Online Consumer Behavior: A Media System Dependency Theory Perspective on Why People Shop, Chat, and Read News Online,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 3.2 (Spring 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study introduces Internet Dependency Relations (IDR) as a predictor of online consumer activities. IDR is based on the theoretical perspective of Media System Dependency theory, which postulates dependency relations between individuals and media based on the perceived helpfulness of media in meeting understanding (social/self), orientation (action/interaction) and play (social/solitary) goals. Using a cross-sectional email survey of 166 respondents randomly drawn from the faculty, staff, and student population at a large mid-western university in the United States, the predictive influence of IDR on online shopping, chatting, and news reading was empirically tested. On average, consumers in the survey had bought eight products online in the last six months, spent twenty-one minutes daily reading news online, and chatted ten minutes daily on the Internet. They also displayed moderate, though positive dependency relations with the Internet. IDR significantly explained online shopping activities and online news reading, but did not predict online chatting. In terms of specific IDR goal dimensions, the predictive influence of action orientation on online shopping, solitary play on online chatting, and social understanding on online news reading was confirmed.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Choon-ryeol Ryu, Dea-ho Kim, and Eun-mee Kim, “Diffusion of Broadband and Online Advertising in Korea,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.1 (Fall 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The paper reviews various factors that helped and facilitated fast diffusion of broadband in Korea as it describes what made Korea a number one case for broadband Internet diffusion. It also discusses the impact of broadband diffusion on the development of the online advertising market. This research delves into documenting and describing the path Korea has been through in terms of achieving a high penetration rate of broadband diffusion. The factors contributing to the diffusion consist of policy and market factors where the government and private sector are the main actors, respectively. Each factor is described separately, followed by a general description of the current status, a brief history of the diffusion process, and the characteristics of Korean’s Internet usage pattern. The interaction of these various aspects has resulted in a boost in Internet penetration. The paper also discusses the online advertising practices and market in Korea. Broadband is a necessary condition for advanced online advertising and advertising is a major revenue source for many media companies. With the expansion of broadband service in Korea, it was expected that online advertising would be one of the major sources of revenue to support various content services. However, this expectation was premature, with web site operators depending on the revenue coming from e-commerce in place of advertising. In this, the development of online advertising was too slow to be a major source of revenue for Internet services, at least until now, although the situation seems to be moving in a more optimistic direction. Although the Korean progress is closely monitored by global industry leaders and policy makers, the authors emphasize that a specific country’s pre-existing status has to be considered when a complex process such as the adoption of communication technology is analyzed as a model case.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sylvia Chan-Olmsted and Jae-Won Kang, “The Emerging Broadband Television Market in the United States: Assessing the Strategic Differences between Cable Television and Telephone Firms,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.1 (Fall 2003) 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This paper compared the strategic differences between telcos and cable television firms in the United States based on a proposed strategic architecture that depicts the roles of various channel members and the interrelationships between them in the emerging broadband television industry. We found that mergers and acquisitions (M&As) were practiced more frequently than other types of alliances and cable was a more attractive target as well as an active acquirer in M&A alliances. Also, “relatedness” appeared to be a more important M&A strategy for the cable firms as the telcos focused on a resource alignment strategy, allying with firms in the information services and software sectors.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Yasu Taniwaki, “Emerging Broadband Market and the Relevant Policy Agenda in Japan,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.1 (Fall 2003).
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Japan is now ranked as one of the most advanced countries in the deployment of broadband services. Several factors supporting this deployment can be found in policy measures for the promotion of a broadband network infrastructure (e.g. grants by the government as incentives for investment) and promotion of competition in the broadband market (e.g. drastic deregulation to change the competitive regime). In addition, the deployment of the broadband platform and its corresponding newly emerging business models are forcing the regulatory authority to reconsider new competition policy rules; how to cope with vertically integrated business models is one of the key issues to be tackled. In addition, based on the deployment of broadband infrastructure, the stimulation of demand for broadband services becomes the next step to be explored.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Peng Hwa Ang, Qian Zhou, and Yayun Jiang, “Lessons in Broadband Adoption from Singapore,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.1 (Fall 2003).
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Singapore is often touted by herself and others as an Intelligent Island. It has among the world’s highest internet penetration rate and it created the world’s first broadband network, Singapore ONE (One Network for Everyone). It also promulgated a set of rules that censored internet content. This paper examines the development of broadband adoption in Singapore and to draw lessons that may be applicable to similar developments elsewhere. The pioneering experience of Singapore is also useful in providing lessons on mistakes to avoid. The paper begins by recounting the government’s goal of using information technology (IT) for economic development as far back as the early 1980s. This was done in the face of the first recession in 20 years as an independent country. Government departments were computerised; IT courses were offered at the tertiary level to provide trained personnel; laws, especially on copyright, were updated. These infrastructural elements are probably essential to any country intending to deploy IT widely. Seeing some early success in deploying IT, the government in 1990 conducted a broad-based study into deploying IT in the economy. Called IT2000, the study involved all economic sectors and placed IT on the strategic plans of all businesses. A few years after the study, the internet came to Singapore via the universities. The Singapore government was cautious in the use of the internet in part because it carried content that could not be controlled or censored. It only introduced the internet to the public after neighboring Malaysia had made it available. However, in typical Singapore style, once it got going, it got roaring support from the government. One such major thrust was Singapore ONE, which was the world’s first nationwide broadband network. It was an attempt to create a nationwide test bed for broadband applications. That is, applications that would run best on broadband could be tested on the Singapore ONE network. But the network did not develop into the test bed hoped for from its June 1998 launch and it has now morphed into a broadband network. Meanwhile, telecommunications services around the globe were liberalizing and it was increasingly clear that Singapore had to follow suit. Singapore introduced competition to its government-controlled PTT several years ahead of schedule. Today, more than 250,000 subscribers access public broadband through three major ISPs and a cable television network. Corporations have much more choices: under the Open Access Policy, international players may ride on the existent broadband infrastructure to provide broadband service. The downside of government support is government intervention. Market players grouse of administrative burdens and rules that sometimes inhibit business plans. Many players feel that the rules need to be liberalized further or they would stunt the country’s plans to be a regional IT hub. Another area that needs change is the almost-exclusively economic focus of IT use to the neglect of a focus on social and cultural impact.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Yu-li Liu, “Broadband Demand, Competition, and Relevant Policy in Taiwan,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.1 (Fall 2003).
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Taiwan has been making great efforts to promote the fulfillment of its National Information Infrastructure, with broadband network technology and its application having rapidly developed in recent years. In relation to the two major forms of broadband network technology, i.e. cable modem and ADSL, two MSOs, namely, Eastern Multimedia Company and Hoshin GigaMedia Center, Inc., provide broadband network via cable modem, and HiNet and Seednet are the major ADSL service providers. Three new fixed networks have offered ADSL services as well since they began their operations. There are 3.51 million households (HH), or 54.4% of the household population in Taiwan, using the Internet, and 2.5 million households, or 38.9% of the HH population, using broadband (TWNIC 2003). This paper analyzes the demand for broadband, the competition among providers of broadband, and relevant policies in Taiwan. The research methods adopted include a literature review, in-depth interviews, and a follow-up analysis of previous surveys conducted via the World Wide Web and by telephone.
Method: Survey – Interviews/Case Study
Theory: Policy Analysis

Yuntsai Chou, “G-commerce in East Asia: Evidence and Prospects,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.1 (Fall 2003).
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Online games are viewed as the killer application service of electronic commerce, and it arouses the question for businesses and government as how to develop the online game market. This exploratory paper examines the causes behind the exponential growth of online games in East Asia. The results show that South Korea and Taiwan are leading all others in PC-based online gaming, because of their easy and low-priced broadband access. Japan, on the other side of the spectrum, has leaned toward mobile games, as 44.9% of Japanese use the mobile Internet and play wireless games on their palm-sized gadgets.  This paper begins with observations on the online game market in these countries, respectively. It then asserts two developmental paths of online games: web-based PC games and mobile games. The author also identifies three structural factors that contribute to online game development, namely: (1) the substitution effects between fixed-line and mobile communications, (2) easy access to Internet cafés, and (3) the substitution effects between console and PC games. The analysis prepares researchers to answer the questions of whether or not could this growth be replicated elsewhere, and which developmental model will be absorbed. The findings show that North American countries have a greater likelihood to expand the market of PC-based online games due to their structural resemblance to South Korea and Taiwan. The European countries as exemplified by the United Kingdom on the other hand may opt for the wireless game model. Undoubtedly, the information infrastructure is a determinant in the growth of online games, and policy measures from the government may help the presence of a well-established infrastructure.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy Analysis

Samsup Jo and Yungwook Kim,” The Effect of Web Characteristics on Relationship Building,” Journal of Public Relations Research, 15.3 (July 2003): 199-223.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between Web characteristics and perceptions toward relational components. A 2 (low interactivity and high interactivity) _ 2 (text-oriented and multimedia-oriented) between-group experiment was designed with 197 participants to investigate this question. The outcomes showed that interactivity has significant effects on relationship building. However, the interaction effects between interactivity and medium arrangement suggest that nonessential arrangement of interactivity and multimedia did not enhance positive perceptions of relationships with the organizations. Interactivity, however, showed that the main effect, multimedia orientation, did not. The application of interactivity on the Web was discussed for better relationship building. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Erica Scharrer, Lisa M. Weidman and Kimberly L. Bissell, “Pointing the Finger of Blame: News Media Coverage of Popular-Culture Culpability,” Journalism & Communication Monographs, 5.2 (Summer 2003): 49-98.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Analyzes the discourse surrounding the culpability that was placed on popular culture in major newspaper coverage of the car crash that killed Princess Diana, the murder associated with the “Jenny Jones” television show and the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in the 1990s. Background on a theoretical framework for communication and media content; Levels of influences on media content; Importance of the distinction between accuser and culprit in the news coverage.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jane B. Singer, “Campaign Contributions: Online Newspaper Coverage of Electronic 2000,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.1 (Spring 2003): 39-56.
Abstract : Focuses on a study, which examined whether a similar normalization effect can be seen in online adaptations of the journalistic role in the political process. Significance of Web sites for journalists; Results of a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, which focused on the usage of the Internet during the 2000 election in the U.S.; Key attributes of the Web site that counter criticisms of traditional media coverage of campaigns and elections; Increase in the number of newspapers that offered sections of their Web sites to election coverage
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Silvia Knobloch, Francesca Dillman Carpentier and Dolf Zillmann, “Effects of Salience Dimension of Information Utility on Selective Exposure to Online News.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.1 (Spring 2003): 91-108. 
Key words: N/A Dimensions of Information Utility on Selective Exposure to Online News, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
Abstract: An Internet newsmagazine was created to ascertain effects of three dimensions of news salience-magnitude, likelihood, and immediacy of events-on selective news exposure. In an overview, leads of half the articles were manipulated along the salience dimensions (low vs. high). Remaining leads and all articles were held constant. While readers sampled articles, their selective exposure was automatically recorded. Independent manipulation of salience dimensions resulted in increased exposure to associated articles for all three dimensions. Their joint manipulation yielded the same results for magnitude and likelihood. The absence of interactions in the joint manipulation suggests additive dimension effects.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Robert H Wicks and Boubacar Souley, “Going Negative: Candidate Usage of Internet Web Sites During the 2000 Presidential Campaign,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.1 (Spring 2003): 128-144
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the news releases that were posted on the official campaign Web sites of George W. Bush and Al Gore during the 2000 presidential campaign. Analysis of each of the 487 news releases posted during the campaign season reveals that nearly three-quarters of these contained an attack on the opponent. This parallels data on the incidence of attacks appearing in televised political advertising during the 2000 campaign. The study provides support for the Political Competition Model, which posits that close races produce significant negativity. Furthermore, the study offers insights on how presidential political campaigns may use campaign Web sites in the future.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Erik P Bucy, “Media Credibility Reconsidered: Synergy Effects Between On-Air and Online News, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.2 (Summer 2003): 247-264.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This experimental investigation of media credibility examined the combined, or synergistic, effects of on-air and online network news exposure, placing student and adult news consumers in broadcast news, online news and telewebbing conditions. Results indicate that perceptions of network news credibility are affected by channel used. Perceptions of credibility were enhanced when the channel used was consistent with the news source being evaluated, suggesting a channel congruence effect. In addition, evidence is offered for the existence of a synergy effect between on-air and online news.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Gyotae Ku, Lynda Lee Kaid and Michael Pfau, “The Impact of Web Site Campaigning on Traditional News Media and Public Information Processing, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.3 (Autumn 2003): 528-547.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the impact of Web site campaigning on traditional news media agendas and on public opinion during the 2000 presidential election campaign. Based on an intermedia agenda-setting approach, this study demonstrated the direction of influence among three media in terms of the flow of information. An agenda-setting impact of Web site campaigning on the public was also identified.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Jae-Hwa Shin and Glen T Cameron, “The Potential of Online Media: A Co-orientational Analysis of Conflict Between PR Professionals and Journalists in South Korea,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.3 (Autumn 2003): 583-602.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A total of 225 public relations practitioners and journalists in South Korea were surveyed regarding 11 types of offline source-reporter interaction (i.e., telephone contact, fax/mail/wire/courier press releases, interviews, press conferences, private meetings, etc.), and nine types of online source-reporter interaction (i.e., e-mail news releases, multimedia press kits, streaming audio/video clips, organizational homepages, Web site pressrooms, online discussion group/forum, etc.). In all types of source-reporter relationships, both parties disagree and inaccurately predict the other’s view. However, respondents expect that online media relations offer promise, with both groups predicting less conflict in online source-reporter relationships.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Lance V. Porter and Lynne M. Sallot, “The Internet and Public Relations: Investigating Practitioners’ Roles and World Wide Web Use,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.3 (Autumn 2003): 603-622.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A national e-mail survey of public relations practitioners investigated how use of the World Wide Web and practitioners’ roles and status are linked. Cluster analysis partially replicated and refined Leichty and Springston’s 1996 roles typology, further challenging the traditional manager-technician dichotomy that has driven 25 years of roles research. Managers used the Web more than technicians for research and evaluation and more than internals for issues communication. Managers and internals use the Web more than technicians for productivity and efficiency. In general, practitioners are no longer laggards in new technology, and women have caught up with men in use of new technology, such as the Web.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Chang-Hoan Cho, “The Effectiveness of Banner Advertisements: Involvement and Click-Through,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly m, 80.3 (Autumn 2003): 623-645.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study indicates that people who are highly involved with a product are more likely to click a banner ad than those with low product involvement. In addition, this study found an interaction effect of peripheral cues (ad size and animation) and level of product involvement on clicking of banner ads; i.e., the positive relationship between peripheral cues and banner clicking is found to be more pronounced among those with low, rather than high, product involvement
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Eliza Tanner Hawkins, “Bridging Latin America’s Digital Divide: Government Policies and Internet Access,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80.3 (Autumn 2003): 646-665.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Latin American governments are attempting to close the digital divide by enacting policies to increase access to information technologies. This cross-sectional time-series analysis of nineteen countries between 1990 and 2001 examines government policies and Internet usage. Based on the social shaping of technology perspective, this study finds Internet use is strongly associated with wealth and the telecommunications infrastructure. The government policy with the strongest influence on increasing access is changing the tariff structure-such as creating flat-price dialing schemes. Market liberalization and the worldwide spread of the Internet are also associated with increased access.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Jennifer D. Greer, “Evaluating the Credibility of Online Information: A Test of Source and Advertising Influence,” Mass Communication and Society, 6.1 (Winter 2003): 11-28. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: When the U.S. public logs on to find information, they choose from billions of Web pages produced by everyone from fringe activists to respected media outlets. Research experts advise Internet users to carefully examine a variety of cues when evaluating the credibility of online information. This study isolates 2 cues (source and advertising) that individuals might rely on when judging online information and examines whether they are used by Web audiences, at least in an experimental setting. In a 2 x??2 factorial design, participants were shown an online news story from either a high- (nytimes.com) or low- (a personal home page) credibility Web source surrounded by either high- or low-credibility advertising. It was hypothesized that, in the absence of a brand-name news source, participants would look to surrounding advertising as a secondary cue. Although source credibility was significantly tied to participants’ ratings of the story, advertising credibility was not. Further, participants paid little attention to the ads, even though advertising covered one third of the Web page.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Magdala Peixoto Labre and Kim Walsh-Childers, “Friendly Advice? Beauty Messages in Web Sites of Teen Magazines,” Mass Communication and Society, 6.4 (Fall 2003): 379-396.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Studies suggest that adolescent girls are going online in droves and that the Web sites of teen magazines are among their top destinations. This qualitative analysis of the Web sites of CosmoGIRL!, Teen People, Seventeen and Teen magazines identified three major themes: Beauty is a requirement, beauty can be achieved only through the purchase of products, and we can help you find the right products. The use of youth-targeted language, combined with offers of expert advice in the management of beauty problems, suggests that these sites wish to present themselves as friends rather than marketers of beauty products. Like their print counterparts, the sites may play an important role–in a private, personalized, and interactive setting–in reinforcing the messages concerning the centrality of female beauty in Western societies.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Robert LaRose, Carolyn A. Lin, and Matthew S. Eastin, “Unregulated Internet Usage: Addiction, Habit, or Deficient Self-Regulation?” Media Psychology, 5.3 (2003): 225-253.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Recent reports of problematic forms of Internet usage bring new currency to the problem of “media addictions” that have long been the subject of both popular and scholarly writings. The research in this article reconsidered such behavior as deficient self-regulation within the framework of  Bandura’s (1991) theory of self-regulation. In this framework, behavior patterns that have been called media addictions lie at one extreme of a continuum of unregulated media behavior that extends from normally impulsive media consumption patterns to extremely problematic behavior that might properly be termed pathological. These unregulated media behaviors are the product of deficient self-regulatory processes through which media consumers monitor, judge, and adjust their own behavior, processes that may be found in all media consumers. The impact of deficient self-regulation on media behavior was examined in a sample of 465 college students. A measure of deficient self-regulation drawn from the diagnostic criteria used in past studies of pathological Internet usage was significantly and positively correlated to Internet use across the entire range of consumption, including among normal users who showed relatively few of the “symptoms.” A path analysis demonstrated that depression and media habits formed to alleviate depressed moods undermined self-regulation and led to increased Internet usage.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kristine L. Nowak, “Sex Categorization in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC): Exploring the Utopian Promise,” Media Psychology, 5.1 (2003): 83-103.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Cue-lean media lack the physical information people traditionally rely on for social status attributions. It is possible the absence of this visible physical information reduces the influence of categorizations such as biological sex. If this were true, then cue-lean media may facilitate more egalitarian participation in interactions where all voices are equal (Hert, 1997; Lea & Spears, 1992; Rice & Love, 1987; Siegel, Dubrovsky, Kiesler, & McGuier, 1986). These predictions are part of what has been called the utopian promise of cue-lean media. At the same time, these social status attributions are mentally salient, perceived to provide useful information, and frequently used in the person perception process (Bodenhausen & Macrae, 1998). It is possible that the mental salience of these categories sustains people’s reliance on them whether the physical indicators are visible or not. These contrasting predictions were tested using a between-subjects experimental design. Forty-two undergraduates at a large Midwestern university took part in this experiment. Participants engaged in the desert survival task across networked computers using text. Following the interactions, more than 1/3 of participants did not assign their partner to a sex category. The majority of those who made an attribution of their partner’s biological sex were inaccurate. Those who did not assign their partner to a sex category felt more immediacy and credibility as compared to those who did. Female participants reported the medium as being able to provide more social presence than did male participants. Implications for the utopian predictions in computer-mediated interactions are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Dominic Lasorsa, ” News Media Perpetuate Few Rumors About 9/11 Crisis,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.1 (Winter 2003): 10-21. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This analysis of the stories about the 9/11 attacks published in the week following the crisis showed that online sites widely circulated more than a dozen rumors, while mainstream newspapers and news magazines did a good job of separating out false information.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Quint Randle, Lucinda D Davenport and Howard Bossen, ” Newspapers Slow to Use Web Sites for 9/11 Coverage,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.1 (Winter 2003): 58-71.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Randle et al discuss the slow use of newspaper Web sites for the coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack of the World Trade Center. The analysis of 89 US daily newspaper Web sites on Sep 11, 2001 shows that 65% of the home pages in the late morning and 38% in the late afternoon said nothing about the bombings; such a high incidence of no coverage indicates that newspapers generally have not adapted very well to the immediacy offered by the Internet.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Stacey Frank Kanihan and Kendra L Gale, “Within 3 Hours, 97 Percent Learn about 9/11 Attacks,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.1 (Winter 2003): 78-91.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Kanihan and Gale discuss the results of a study which examined the news diffusion process of the Sep 11 attacks, as well as individuals’ emotional and issue involvements with the event in relationship to media use in the first few days following the attacks. The study showed that within three hours, 97% of the sample were already aware of the attacks, and that feelings of anger, not of being emotionally upset, correlated with media coverage in the first days following the tragedy.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Paula M Poindexter and Mike Conway, “Local, Network TV News Shows Significant Gains,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.1 (Winter 2003): 114-127. 
Key words: N/A
Abstract: This study found that the use of local TV news and network TV news increased significantly in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, but readership of newspapers and news on the Internet did not. Five months after the attacks 41% of respondents said their news media use had increased.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Shahira Fahmy and C Zoe Smith, “Photographers Note Digital’s Advantages, Disadvantages,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.2 (Spring 2003): 82-96.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Digital imaging technology is a source of control that exerts a variety of psychological and practical constraints on the photographer’s work, both the photographic process and final product. It has been found to increase photographer’s flexibility and time management, ensure usable images and increase involvement in photo editing decisions. However, digital imaging has also been found to generate shortage and archival problems and to increase editing duties.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Stan Ketterer, ” Oklahoma Small Dailies, Weeklies Use Internet as Reporting Tool,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.2 (Spring 2003): 107-113.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Small dailies and weeklies in Oklahoma are using the Web sites as a reporting tool. These newspapers have smaller staffs, more limited financial resources, and they cannot afford commercial databases that provide supplemental information. The Internet serves as a huge library and it dramatically increases their available resources.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Jaemin Jung, “Business News Web Sites Differ from Newspapers in Business Content,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.2 (Spring 2003): 114-119.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Business news Web sites differ from newspapers in term of business content. Newspapers focused on national economy, industry and executive news, while Internet news sites devoted more coverage to the stock market and individual firm news. Jung examines how the most popular newspapers and Internet Web sites in the U.S. covered business news, especially focusing on readability and content differentiation.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ryan Randazzo and Jennifer Greer, “Newspapers’ Web Sites Add Little to Print Version of Environmental News,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.2 (Spring 2003): 120-124.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Newspapers’ Web sites increased the coverage of environmental news to quench the public thirst for information. However, critics say that this coverage is fraught with problems, which include the proper placement of issues’ content and more of focus on controversy, instead of the environmental issues. Randazzo and Greer examine the types of content leading U.S. daily newspapers include their environmental coverage and whether they are using the Web’s potential to improve context in their coverage.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Bruce Garrison, “How Newspaper Reporters Use the Web to Gather News,” Newspaper Research Journal, 24.3 (Summer 2003): 62-75.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Provides information on a study that analyzed Web usage through the study of daily newspaper journalists.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Wilson Lowrey, “What Influences Small Newspapers to Decide to Publish Online News?”
Newspaper Research Journal, 24.3 (Summer 2003): 83-90.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Approximately 4,000 newspapers publish online editions, and of these, around 1,300 are small community non-dailies, while fewer than 70 are considered major metro dailies. Smaller online operations deserve focus because they are understudied, because there is greater variability in rate of online adoption among small papers, and because many online news sites lack interactivity. Greater audience-journalist connectivity could have an impact in smaller, less pluralistic communities.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Elinor Kelley Grusin and Aimee Edmondson, “Taking It to the Web: Youth News Moves Online,”
Newspaper Research Journal, 24.3 (Summer 2003): 91-96.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The youth market is one of the most important in helping to stop newspaper’s declining circulation. Only in recent years have a large number of newspapers begun to produce special sections to attract the youth audience. This present study looks at a sample of Web sites for teens and preteens sponsored by daily newspapers.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

M. Kent Jennings and Vicki Zeitner, “Internet Use and Civic Engagement: a Longitudinal Analysis,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 67.3 (Fall 2003): 311-334.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: Conclusions about the impact of the Internet on civic engagement have been hampered by the unavailability of before and after measures, a shortage of varied and multiple indicators of attitudes and behaviors regarding engagement, and insufficient attention to generational differences. This article seeks to address these weaknesses by employing a quasi-experimental design that draws on the 1982 and 1997 waves of a panel study that began with a national sample of the high school class of 1965 and that also includes that generation’s lineage successor. Comparisons between those using and not using the Internet demonstrated that the digital divide, the original pre-Internet gap in civic engagement, remained in place or increased slightly over time. Taking into account pre-Internet levels of civic engagement and key socioeconomic characteristics indicates that Internet access has positive effects on several indicators of civic engagement. Comparisons of civic engagement among Internet users according to how much they employ the Internet for political purposes revealed modest bivariate associations and very little independent effect at the multivariate level.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Coy Callison, “Media Relations and the Internet: How Fortune 500 Company Web Sites Assist Journalists in News Gathering,” Public Relations Review, 29.1 (March 2003): 29-41.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A content analysis of all 2001 Fortune 500 Company Web sites was conducted to determine how corporations are using the Web to meet the informational needs of journalists. Analyses revealed that the majority of Web sites do not have dedicated press rooms where media content is centralized. In press rooms, news releases, executive biographies and executive photographs are the most commonly included materials. Statistical analyses suggest that higher-ranking companies more often provide press rooms and materials in press rooms than lower-ranking companies.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

David Hachigian and Kirk Hallahan, “Perceptions of Public Relations Web Sites by Computer Industry Journalists,” Public Relations Review, 29.1 (March 2003): 43-62.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: A survey of computer industry journalists (n=101) explored usage and perceptions of public relations web sites as a newsgathering tool within the theoretical framework of journalistic conventions and routines, information subsidies and market-driven journalism. Regression analysis was used to identify the best predictors of web use for four key seminal questions. Depending on the specific questions, critical predictors of web use were the information value of the content, source credibility and reputation, perceptions about cost- and time-savings, and self-reported total hours of use. Implications for the future of sponsored web sites are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Michael L. Taylor, and William J. White, Kent, Maureen “The Relationship Between Web Site Design and Organizational Responsiveness to Stakeholders,” Public Relations Review, 29.1 (March 2003): 63-77.
Key words: N/A
Abstract: The Internet and World Wide Web are emerging as important public relations tools for both profit and non-profit organizations. Little evidence exists, however, about the extent to which new technologies help organizations build relationships with publics. This article examines the relationship between Web site design and organizational responsiveness to stakeholder information needs. Two organizational types with differing levels of resource dependency (general environmental activist and watchdog groups) are examined. Our analysis assesses each organizational type’s general dialogic capacity as well as the responsiveness of the organizations to requests for information.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

2004

Dolf Zillmann, Lei Chen, Silvia Knobloch and Coy Callison, “Effects of Lead Framing on Selective Exposure to Internet News Reports,” Communication Research, 31.1 (February 2004): 58-81.
Keywords: Internet news; overview function; lead framing; article choice; selective exposure; dramatic frames; conflict; misfortune; agony; economy
Abstract: With headlines and texts held constant, the subheads of articles embedded in an Internet newsmagazine were manipulated in an overview from which articles could be selected. In a control condition, the lead, indicating deplorable happenings, was framed in a factual manner. In the other conditions, the leads were framed either in terms of conflict between feuding parties, the unfolding of disastrous occurrences, the emotional upheaval and agony suffered by the victims of these occurrences, or the economic implications of the incidents. Selective exposure to the articles was accumulated in minute intervals and automatically recorded. Leads projecting aggravated conflict or the agony over suffered misfortunes were found to foster increased reading times of the associated articles. The effects of highlighting misfortunes by themselves or of emphasizing the misfortunes’ economic implications proved to be negligible, however.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Framing)

William P. Eveland, Jr., Krisztina Marton and Mihye Seo, “Moving Beyond ‘Just the Facts’ The Influence of Online News on the Content and Structure of Public Affairs Knowledge,” Communication Research, 31.1 (February 2004): 82-108.
Key words: schema; expertise; sophistication; WWW; Internet; learning
Abstract: The increasing use of online news, particularly by young Americans, points to the importance of understanding what users learn from this form of news and whether features of online news encourage or discourage various types of learning. This experimental study demonstrates that online news that takes advantage of one of the key characteristics of the Web–the use of in-text hyperlinks–may actually discourage learning of the facts that make up many news stories. But this same linking structure apparently encourages those who commonly use the Web to have more densely interconnected knowledge structures for public affairs topics. However, those who rarely use the Web for news do not gain such advantages and may even suffer disadvantages. These findings point to limitations in most past online news learning research, which has been limited to “just the facts” in its measurement of learning from the news.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Osei Appiah, “Effects of Ethnic Identification on Web Browsers’ Attitudes toward and Navigational Patterns on Race Targeted Sites,” Communication Research, 31.3 (June 2004): 312-337
Keywords: ethnic identification; Internet; Blacks; targeted marketing;
segmentation
Abstract: Contrary to research that suggests Blacks can only be reached effectively with
Black-oriented media, this research demonstrates that there appears to be a subset of the Black population that can be reached equally well with White-targeted media as they can with Black-targeted media. The study findings confirm expectations that Blacks’ differential responses to race-targeted Web sites are mediated by their level of ethnic identification. Blacks with strong ethnic identities spent more time browsing a site and viewing each story when the site was targeted to Blacks than Whites. Blacks with strong ethnic identities also rated the site and the stories more favorably when browsing the Black-targeted site compared to the White-targeted site. In contrast, Blacks with weak ethnic identities displayed no difference in their browsing time on the sites and stories or their rating of the sites and stories based on the racial target of the Internet site.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Identification Theory)

Fangfang Diao and S. Shyam Sundar, “Response and Memory for Web Advertisements: Exploring Effects of Pop-Up Window and Animation Orienting,” Communication Research, 31.5 (October 2004):  537-567.
Keywords: pop-up ads; animation; orienting response; ad recall; ad recognition; limited-capacity theory; distinctiveness theory; motion effects; bio-information theory; new media effects; psychology of technology; Web advertisements; structural features; formal features
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of pop-up windows and animation on online users’ orienting response and memory for Web advertisements. All participants (N = 60) in a mixed-design factorial experiment were exposed to four online portal Web sites, each containing a banner ad that was either animated or static and a pop-up ad that was also either animated or static. Their orienting responses during reception of the online sites were measured via heartbeats using electrocardiogram (ECG). Recall and recognition memory for ads and portal Web sites were measured via a post-exposure paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Hypotheses derived from visual attention, motion effect, distinctiveness, bio-informational and limited-capacity theories were tested. The results fully supported the proposition that pop-up ads elicit orienting responses. Ad recognition was lower whereas ad recall was higher for pop-up ads compared to banner ads. In addition to main effects, the data revealed several interaction effects, with implications for theory.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Limited Capacity Theory)

Peter Vorderer, Christoph Klimmt and Ute Ritterfeld, “Entertainment Enjoyment: At the Heart of Media,” Communication Research, 14.4 (November 2004): 388-408.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article suggests an integrated view of media entertainment that is capable of covering more of the dimensional complexity and dynamics of entertainment experiences than existing theories do. Based on a description of what is meant by complexity and dynamics, the authors outline a conceptual model that is centered around enjoyment as the core of entertainment, and that addresses prerequisites of enjoyment which have to be met by the individual media user and by the given media product. The theoretical foundation is used to explain why people display strong preferences for being entertained (motivational perspective) and what kind of consequences entertaining media consumption may have (effects perspective, e.g., facilitation of learning processes).
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Elana Shefrin, “Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Participatory Fandom: Mapping New
Congruencies between the Internet and Media Entertainment Culture,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 21.3 (September 2004): 261-281.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The culture of media entertainment, as exemplified in the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars film franchises, is being infused with new modes of authorship, production, marketing and consumption that are characterized by Internet fan clubs, online producer-consumer affiliations and real-world legal controversies over the proprietary ownership of digital bits of information. To analyze these new interactive patterns being employed by two competing media franchises, Bourdieu’s theory of cultural production is supplemented with Jenkins’s study of participatory fandom. Then, the contested nature of computer-mediated communication is explored using a model that brackets the opposing potentialities of Internet influence on offline society.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Cultural Production)

William P. Eveland, Jr., Juliann Cortese, Heesun Parks and Sharon Dunwoody. “How Web Site Organization Influences Free Recall, Factual Knowledge, and Knowledge Structure Density,” Human Communication Research, 30.2 (April 2004): 208-233.
Keywords: Cognitive Structures; College Students; Web Sites; Recall (Psychology); Adults; Hypermedia; Knowledge Level
Abstract: Past research has demonstrated that nonlinear Web presentations (i.e., those that allow viewing in multiple orders) may lead to decreased free recall and learning of factual information compared to traditional, print-like linear Web designs. Recent evidence suggests, however, that nonlinear designs may facilitate learning of the interconnectedness of the presented information. This article presents experimental data from a combined sample of college students and adults (N=172) manipulating site design and motivation designed to test for these various learning effects and to examine the potential influence of two mediating variables: selective scanning and elaboration. The central finding is that linear site designs encourage factual learning, whereas nonlinear designs increase knowledge structure density (KSD). The effects of elaboration and selective scanning, however, are mixed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Knowledge Structure Density)

Eun-Ju Lee, “Effects of Visual Representation on Social Influence in Computer-Mediated Communication: Experimental Tests of the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects,” Human Communication Research, 30.2 (April 2004): 234-259
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Two experiments investigated if and how visual representation of interactants affects depersonalization and conformity to group norms in anonymous computer-mediated communication (CMC). In Experiment 1, a 2 (intergroup versus interpersonal) x 2 (same character versus different character) between-subjects design experiment (N = 60), each participant made a decision about social dilemmas after seeing two other (ostensible) participants’ unanimous opinions and then exchanged supporting arguments. Consistent with the Social Identity model of Deindividuation Effects (SIDE), when the group level of self-identity was rendered salient in an intergroup encounter, uniform virtual appearance of CMC partners triggered depersonalization and subsequent conformity behavior. By contrast, when the personal dimension of the self was salient, standardized representation tended to reduce conformity. To elucidate the mediation process, Experiment 2 investigated the causal links between depersonalization, group identification and conformity. The results show that depersonalization accentuated adherence to group norms, both directly and indirectly via group identification. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Computer Mediated Communication)

Jung-Gyo Lee and Jae-Jin Park, “Consequences of Commercial Web Presence: an Exploratory Study of South Korean Business Adopters of Websites,” International Journal of Advertising, 23 (2004): 253-276.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A key research issue to this study is to explore how marketers who have already presented on the web perceive the world wide web as a marketing communications tool. The research focus is on examining what organizational benefits are recognized and how such benefits are associated with organizational features, attitudes towards the web presence and overall satisfaction with the web presence. The data for this study were collected from a national survey of a stratified random sample of 164 South Korean companies which were running websites at the time. The results obtained in this study suggest that companies, overall, hold favorable attitudes towards their web presence, yet the overall level of satisfaction with running websites was moderate. Four benefit dimensions emerged from the factor analysis. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Computer Mediated Communication)

Shintaro Okazaki, “How Do Japanese Consumers Perceive Wireless Ads?
A multivariate analysis,” International Journal of Advertising, 23 (2004): 429-454.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article explores the formation of Japanese mobile users’ attitudes to pull-type wireless advertising and their willingness to ‘click’ such ads. Both theoretical and practical considerations are used to develop a structural model, which is then tested using an empirical survey conducted in the greater Tokyo area. External search, content credibility and attitude towards ads are considered as antecedents of willingness to access. Attitude towards ads is conceptualized as a consequence of two psychological motives in wireless internet adoption: perceived infotainment and perceived irritation. The structural equation modeling indicates that all the paths are statistically significant, and provides strong empirical support for our basic propositions. A further analysis classifies the sample into three groups, i.e. e-newsletter subscribers, email users and voice users, according to their demographic data. The findings reveal that e-newsletter subscribers show the most positive perceptions on all the constructs, although the mean values of the total sample are well below an anchoring point. In addition, the principal characteristics of e-newsletter subscribers indicate that so-called ‘parasite singles’ (unmarried young females living with their parents, and with high disposable income) may be playing an important role in wireless internet adoption in Japan.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sejung Marina Choi and Carrie La Ferle, “Convergence Across American and Korean Young Adults: Socialization Variables Indicate the Verdict Is Still Out,” International Journal of Advertising, 23 (2004): 479-506
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A study was undertaken to examine consumer socialization variables among Korean and American young adults. Many studies have been undertaken that focus on American consumers and the consumer socialization process, but very few cross-cultural studies exist on this topic. However, efforts are increasing to suggest that consumers are converging on a global scale and research is needed to adequately assess the reality of these claims. Specifically the research explored Korean and American consumers’ media use patterns and the believed importance of different agents (media and interpersonal) for consumption-related information. The study also examined the relative importance of social structural variables on consumers’ perceived influences of key socialization agents. Results indicate that American and Korean consumers are quite similar in how they allocate their time across media. Both groups spent the most time with television and the internet. However, differences were evident in the perceived importance of information sources, as well as the influence of socialization agents when making purchase decisions. These differences do call into question the ability of standardized advertising campaigns and the ability to present one strategy to a unified global target market. Implications for advertisers and consumer researchers are provided.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Tara McGraw Swaminatha, “The Fourth Amendment Unplugged: Electronic Evidence Issues and Wireless Defenses – Wireless Crooks and the Wireless Internet Users who Enable Them,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 9.1 (Autumn 2004).
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: It would be foolish to contend that the degree of privacy secured to citizens by the Fourth Amendment has been entirely unaffected by the advance of technology. (1)
The question … is what limits there are upon this power of technology to shrink the realm of guaranteed privacy. (2) Well-established legal principles govern evidentiary issues arising from technology developments. (3) In the United States, the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals in every circuit draw from non-computer and non-wireless Fourth Amendment doctrine to address nascent electronic evidence issues. Author agrees that legal analyses drawing from historical treatment can be effective, but will argue in this Article that Internet access raises difficult legal issues to which standard Fourth Amendment analysis cannot be easily applied. Furthermore, the analyses will become more difficult with the introduction of wireless Internet access. (4) As wireless Internet connectivity burgeons throughout the world, nonsecure connections (5) will likely become a haven for illegal activity. Courts should consider and investigate the unique issues presented by wireless Internet access in depth to avoid setting unwanted precedents when they are, inevitably, presented with a defendant whose wireless connection was used to commit a crime.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis 
Theory: Interpretive – Policy

K.A. Taipale, “Technology, Security and Privacy: the Fear of Frankenstein, the Mythology of Privacy and the Lessons of King Ludd,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 9.1 (Autumn 2004).
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This article suggests that the current public debate that pits security and privacy as dichotomous rivals to be traded one for another in a zero-sum game is based on a general misunderstanding and apprehension of technology on the one hand and a mythology of privacy that conflates secrecy with autonomy on the other. Further, political strategies premised on outlawing particular technologies or techniques or seeking to constrain technology through laws alone are second-best–and ultimately futile–strategies that will result in little security and brittle privacy protection. This article argues that civil liberties can best be protected by employing value sensitive technology development strategies in conjunction with policy implementations, not by opposing technological developments or seeking to control the use of particular technologies or techniques after the fact through law alone. Value sensitive development strategies that take privacy concerns into account during design and development can build in technical features that can enable existing legal control mechanisms and related due process procedures for the protection of civil liberties to function. This article examines how identification, data aggregation and data analysis (including data mining), and collection technologies intersect with security and privacy interests and suggests certain technical features and strategies premised on separating knowledge of behavior from knowledge of identity based on the anonymization of data (for data sharing, matching and analysis technologies) and the pseudonymization of identity (for identification and collection technologies). Technical requirements to support such strategies include rule-based processing, selective revelation, and strong credential and audit.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis 
Theory: Interpretive – Policy

Jason M. Young, “Surfing While Muslim: Privacy, Freedom of Speech and the Unintended Consequences of Cybercrime Legislation: A Critical Analysis of the Council of Europe Convention on Cyber-crime and the Canadian Lawful Access Proposal,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 9.1 (Autumn 2004).
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The Canadian government’s Lawful Access discussion paper fails to provide empirical–or anything beyond anecdotal–evidence that the legislative amendments proposed are actually needed. Evidence derived from U.S. law enforcement agencies suggests that technological and administrative impediments – more than legal ones – are the cause of most difficulties experienced in cybercrime investigations and prosecutions, specifically: insufficient basic record keeping by telecommunications and Internet service providers; inability to effect data preservation extraterritorially; inability to circumvent encryption; and, a lack of common data-sharing protocols. Under the guise of international obligations, the government seeks to adopt new legal investigatory tools, the effect of which would be a dilution of judicial oversight for the production of digital “traffic data” in criminal investigations. These initiatives fail to address the fact that value is inherent in all technology and must be factored into the application of laws which seek to regulate new technologies. Unlike the analog analogue, digital traffic data will often reveal a great deal about one’s lifestyle, intimate relations or political or religious opinions. Canadian courts have unequivocally found that information of this nature is subject to the highest constitutional protections, particularly in the criminal investigation context. The Lawful Access consultation paper misinterprets the Supreme Court’s standard for finding a ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’, by failing to distinguish between the nature of information contained in the various categories of traffic and the label “traffic data”, which is otherwise legally meaningless. “Traffic data” should attract a reasonable expectation of privacy under the Plant doctrine if it passes within the permeable walls of the biographical core or, under the Shearing and Law doctrines, if the owner of the information held a subjective reasonable expectation of privacy in the data, regardless of its content. Such an expectation could flow inter alia from the nature of the relationship between a subscriber and a provider.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis 
Theory: Interpretive – Policy

Beryl A. Howell, “Real World Problems of Virtual Crime,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 9.1 (Autumn 2004).
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Theoretical debates about how best to address cybercrime have their place, but, in the real world, companies and individuals face harmful new criminal activity that poses unique technical and investigatory challenges. One of the greatest challenges posed by this new technology is how to combat wrongdoing effectively without netting innocent actors. This Article will present three case studies drawn from recent high-profile news stories to illustrate the pitfalls of legislating in the e-crimes arena.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis 
Theory: Interpretive – Policy

Sonia K. Katyal, “Privacy vs. Piracy,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 9.1 (Autumn 2004).
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Nearly 20 years ago, in a casual footnote at the end of an important essay, renowned property scholar Charles Donahue drew a distinction between “property as a sword,” and “property as a shield.”  Donahue’s distinction symbolized an important difference between two facets of the institution-as well as the execution-of property rights; suggesting that property rights can be used for both defensive and offensive purposes in relationships with third parties. Today, Donahue’s distinction offers us a rich metaphor for understanding the transformation that has taken place in the digital era, particularly with respect to the relationship between intellectual property and privacy in cyberspace. As is now clear, the Internet is no longer a smooth-functioning patchwork of anonymous communication between peers. Instead, lurking behind the façade of such potential connections lies an increasing and subtle host of opportunities for legal accountability and detection, particularly where the use (or misuse) of intellectual property is concerned. The result, this paper argues, heralds an important shift in property rights in the digital era: compared to real space, where property rights tended to serve as a shield from harm, property rights in cyberspace serve to form the basis for a host of potentially offensive strategies that have deleterious implications for privacy, anonymity, and freedom of expression.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Interpretive – Policy

Curtis E.A. Karnow, “Launch On Warning: Aggressive Defense of Computer Systems,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 9.1 (Autumn 2004).
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: There has been a growing interest in “self help” mechanisms to counter Internet-mediated threats. Content providers such as record labels and movie studios have favored proposed federal legislation that would allow them to disable copyright infringers’ computers. Software licensors have backed multiple-state legislation, permitting the remote disabling of software in use by the licensee when the license terms are breached. Internet security professionals debate the propriety, and legality, of striking back at computers which attack the Internet through the introduction of worms, viruses, and so on, collectively “malware.” Systems administrators are frustrated that the usual means of enforcing rights do not work on the Internet. Although national laws and civil jurisdiction usually stop at the border, attacks are global, and those responsible for infringements and network attacks are not only legion, but anonymous. The Internet’s massive, instantaneous distribution of software tools and data permits very large numbers of unsophisticated users access to highly efficient decryption tools, as well as to very powerful data attack weapons. Small children in Hanoi, Prague and Fairbanks can collapse central web servers in Silicon Valley and Alexandria, Virginia, and freely distribute the latest films and pop tunes. The irony is that as more of the global economy is mediated by the Internet – that is, as we increasingly rely on the Internet – the technologies become more complex, and more vulnerable to attack from more people. Even a cursory look at the figures suggests an almost exponential increase in these vulnerabilities. Simultaneously, the legal system is increasingly incapable of policing the illegal behavior. The United States court system is ponderous and expensive. One simply cannot go after every malefactor, and as a practical matter, it is usually impossible to pursue infringers outside the United States. The Internet and its language of code are global. They are not coterminous with any of the usual means of enforcement of laws and values, because the Internet is not coterminous with any country, region, or cultural group. The Internet gathers those who have no contractual relationship, speak no common language, and are not bound by a common law. Trade sanctions will not assist. Nations will not permit their citizens to be policed directly by authorities across the globe.  Author says  in his own work, he has tracked anonymous malefactors to towns in Australia, Eastern Europe and the Bahamas; and there, the trail went cold. Only in Australia could one have retained local counsel and perhaps pressed matters with the police, but it was too expensive, all told.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis 
Theory: Interpretive – Policy

Manuel J. Sánchez-Franco and Joaquina Rodríguez-Bobada Rey, “Personal Factors Affecting Users’ Web Session Lengths,” Internet Research, 14.1 (2004): 62-80.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The objective in this study is to evaluate the mediating role of personal factors affecting the Web behavior and in turn the length of Web sessions as a highly-subjective variable among individuals. This could be used to explain and improve the users’ experience of being and acting in the Web. The present study uses a flow- versus goal-directed theoretical and practical approach to determine the influence of personal factors on Web behaviors and session lengths. A field study of 209 Web users was conducted to validate measures used to operationalize model variables and to test the hypothesized network of relationships using partial least squares (PLS) as a second-generation multivariate analysis technique. The study findings indicate that experiential behavior, followed by goal-directed behavior, has the largest influence on the lengths of Web sessions.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shintaro Okazaki, “Do Multinationals Standardize or Localize? The Cross-cultural dimensionality of Product-based Web Sites,” Internet Research, 14.1 (2004): 81-94
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Despite the growing use of the Internet as an effective marketing channel, there is a lack of comprehensive research regarding multinational corporations’ (MNCs’) Web sites for multiple cultures. In this paper, Japanese MNCs’ product-based Web sites were content-analyzed, comparing the Web sites created by the same firms in domestic and external markets. In total, 150 product-based Web sites were chosen from the Japanese, Spanish and US market samples. Three explanatory variables (information content, cultural values and creative strategies) were examined on the basis of cultural dimensions and contexts. The results revealed that Japanese MNCs are likely to localize their Web sites to meet the target market culture through tailoring content and creative strategies, but also that online product presentations do not reflect target-market values. In closing, implications and future research directions are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Social Interaction

M.P. Jaiswal and Bhoopesh Raghav, “Cost-quality Based Consumer Perception Analysis of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in India,” Internet Research, 14.1 (2004): 95-102 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Telecom in developing countries faces a distinct challenge as compared to developed countries. The technology of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) would be a key enabler for growth and service delivery in the former case. VoIP, though reported not widely accepted in developed countries, would be acceptable in developing countries owing to its affordable quality and lower costs. This hypothesis was tested through a user survey conducted recently in India. Five different attributes of voice quality, telephone billing, VAS, reliability and responsiveness were analyzed for testing the hypothesis, along with a few case studies from other developing countries.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Efthymios Constantinides, “Influencing the Online Consumer’s Behavior: the Web Experience,” Internet Research, 14.2 (2004): 111-126.
Keywords: Internet marketing, Worldwide web, Online operation, Consumer behavior, Buying behavior 
Abstract: Addresses one of the fundamental issues of e-marketing: how to attract and win over the consumer in the highly competitive Internet marketplace. Analyses the factors affecting the online consumer’s behavior and examines how e-marketers can influence the outcome of the virtual interaction and buying process by focusing their marketing efforts on elements shaping the customer’s virtual experience, the Web experience. Identifying the Web experience components and understanding their role as inputs in the online customer’s decision-making process are the first step in developing and delivering an attractive online presence likely to have the maximum impact on Internet users. Click-and-mortar firms delivering superior Web experience influence their physical clients’ perceptions and attitudes, driving additional traffic to traditional sales outlets. Provides a contribution to the theoretical debate around the factors influencing the online consumer’s behavior and outlines some noticeable similarities and differences between the traditional and virtual consumers. 
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Chanaka Jayawardhena, “Personal Values’ Influence on e-Shopping Attitude and Behavior,” Internet Research, 14.2 (2004): 127-138.
Keywords: Social values, Attitudes, Consumer behavior, Shopping 
Abstract: A value-attitude-behavior model was applied to investigate the roles of personal values in e-shopping consumer behavior. Structural equation modeling identified that personal values (self-direction values, enjoyment values and self-achievement values) were significantly related to positive attitudes toward e-shopping. Individual attitudes toward e-shopping were a direct predicator of e-shopping behavior and mediated the relationship between personal values and behavior. This hierarchical relationship among personal values, attitudes and behavior may be exploited by e-tailers to position e-shops and provide a persuasive means for e-shoppers to satisfy their needs. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Other (Value-attitude-behavior model)

Changsu Kim and Robert D. Galliers, “Toward a Diffusion Model for Internet Systems,” Internet Research,14.2 (2004): 155-166.
Keywords: Electronic commerce, Internet, Shopping, Diffusion, Economic policy 
Abstract: The world of business is being profoundly transformed by the Internet and electronic commerce. The rapid advancement of Internet technology and its applications holds promise for the expansion of business opportunities in the global digital economy. Internet systems support a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination and a medium for electronic commerce between organizations and customers across countries. Describes research that leads to the derivation of a diffusion model of Internet systems, comprising four key dimensions: external market factors, external technical factors, internal organization factors and internal systems factors. The intention is for this model to provide a theoretical base for further research on electronic commerce and Internet technology diffusion. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory: Other (Learning Theory)

Shyamala C. Sivakumar and William Robertson, “Developing an Integrated Web Engine for Online Internetworking Education: a Case Study,” Internet Research, 14.2 (2004): 175-192.
Keywords: Learning methods, Computer based learning, Students, Remote consoles 
Abstract: An integrated Web engine (IWE) has been developed by the Internet-working program at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada to deliver remote learning experience to geographically remote Master’s students. The University intends to increase its student base through online education, retaining the same quality of interactions as the onsite program. To this end, the IWE accommodates three technology-enabled learning environments that correlate with the three pedagogical approaches and types of onsite interaction. Discusses the e-learning metrics, pedagogical and technical considerations that influence the design and implementation of the IWE environment. The IWE uses de facto networking standards, commercial and broadband Internet connectivity to ensure real-time secure interaction with equipment and deliver lectures respectively. A four-tier role architecture, consisting of faculty, locals, remote facilitators and students, has been determined to be appropriate and adapted to maintain academic integrity and offer the same quality of interaction as the onsite program. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Joey F. George, “The Theory of Planned Behavior and Internet Purchasing,” Internet Research, 14.2 (2004): 198-212.
Keywords: Internet, Shopping, Retail trade, Buying behavior, Privacy, Trust 
Abstract: Several opinion polls have found that many consumers resist making purchases via the Internet because of their concerns about the privacy of the personal information they provide to Internet merchants. Using the theory of planned behavior as its basis, this study investigated the relationships among beliefs about Internet privacy and trustworthiness, along with beliefs about perceived behavioral control and the expectations of important others, and online purchasing behavior. Data were collected from 193 college students. Analysis of the data indicates that beliefs about trustworthiness positively affect attitudes toward buying online, which in turn positively affect purchasing behavior. Beliefs about self-efficacy regarding purchasing positively affect perceived behavioral control, which in turn affects online purchasing behavior. In short, respondents who believed in the trustworthiness of the Internet and in their own abilities to buy online were more likely to make Internet purchases than were those without such beliefs. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ya-Yueh Shih and Kwoting Fang, “The Use of a Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior to Study Internet Banking in Taiwan,” Internet Research, 14.3 (2004): 213-223.
Keywords: Virtual banking, Consumer behavior, Mathematical modeling, Taiwan 
Abstract: With the liberalization and internalization of financial markets, in terms of the entrance of the World Trade Organization, banks in Taiwan face pressures in service quality and administrative efficiency. Predicting customers’ intention to adopt Internet banking is an important issue. Attempts to understand how an individual’s belief, embracing attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, can influence intention. Two versions of the model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) – pure and decomposed – are examined and compared to the theory of reasoned action (TRA). Data are collected from approximately 425 respondents and structural equation modeling is used to analyze the responses. Results generally support TRA and TPB and provide a good fit to the data. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Tero Pikkarainen, Kari Pikkarainen, Heikki Karjaluoto and Seppo Pahnila, “Consumer Acceptance of Online Banking: an Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model,” Internet Research, 14.3 (2004): 224-235.
Keywords: Virtual banking, Consumer behavior, User studies 
Abstract: Advances in electronic banking technology have created novel ways of handling daily banking affairs, especially via the online banking channel. The acceptance of online banking services has been rapid in many parts of the world, and in the leading e-banking countries the number of e-banking contracts has exceeded 50 percent. Investigates online banking acceptance in the light of the traditional technology acceptance model (TAM), which is leveraged into the online environment. On the basis of a focus group interview with banking professionals, TAM literature and e-banking studies, we develop a model indicating online-banking acceptance among private banking customers in Finland. The model was tested with a survey sample (n 1/4 268). The findings of the study indicate that perceived usefulness and information on online banking on the Web site were the main factors influencing online-banking acceptance. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Jonathan M. Lace, “At the Crossroads of Marketing Communications and the Internet: Rxperiences of UK Advertisers,” Internet Research, 14.3 (2004): 236-244.
Keywords: Internet, Information media, Marketing communications, Advertising, United Kingdom 
Abstract: The crossroads between new media (predominantly the Internet) and marketing communications is a topic of growing interest and importance. Several themes are addressed in this paper including the involvement of the advertising agency, the role and features of Web sites, the measurement of effectiveness, Internet advertising and e-commerce and the management of new media marketing communications. The author presents empirical evidence from a comprehensive study amongst UK marketers on contemporary practice, and proffers advice on best practice. 
Method: Interpretive: Essay (including History) 
Theory: Other (Grounded Theory)

Songpol Kulviwat Chiquan Guo and Napatsawan Engchanil, “Determinants of Online Information Search: a Critical Review and Assessment,” Internet Research, 14.3 (2004): 245-253
Keywords: Information retrieval, Internet, Consumer behavior 
Abstract: Developments in electronic technology are changing the way business is normally done. This paper investigates how Internet technology reshapes consumer behavior, specifically in online information search. While information search has been a major research stream in the consumer behavior literature, online search for product/service information is a relatively new area. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for studying the determinants of online information search. Since information search online is a precursor to online purchase, an in-depth understanding of how consumers gather information online is critical to Internet business success. 
Method: Interpretive: Essay (including History) 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Duen-Ren Liu and Chouyin Hsu, “Project-based Knowledge Maps: Combining Project Mining and XML-enabled Topic Maps,” Internet Research, 14.3 (2004): 254-266.
Keywords: Knowledge management, Extensible Markup Language, Topic maps, Internet, Data handling 
Abstract: Many enterprises implement various business projects on the Internet in the global knowledge economy. The task of managing distributed and heterogeneous project knowledge is very important in increasing the knowledge assets of enterprises. Accordingly, this work presents a project-based knowledge map system to properly organize project knowledge into topic maps, from which users can obtain in-depth concepts to facilitate further project development. A two-phase data mining approach involving the ISO/ISEC 13250 topic maps and Extensible Markup Language (XML) is used to establish the proposed system, which can determine knowledge patterns from previous projects and transform these patterns into a navigable knowledge map. The map can help users to locate required information and also offers subject-related information easily and rapidly over the Internet. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

A. Phippen, L. Sheppard, and S. Furnell, “A Practical Evaluation of Web Analytics ,” Internet Research,14.3 (2004): 284-293.
Keywords: Internet, Electronic commerce, Measurement 
Abstract: E-commerce has resulted in organizations investing significant resources in online strategies to extend business processes on to the World Wide Web. Traditional methods of measuring Web usage fall short of the richness of data required for the effective evaluation of such strategies. Web analytics are an approach that may meet organizational demand for effective evaluation of online strategies. A case study of Web analytics usage in a large multinational airline company demonstrates an application of the theory to a practical context with a company that invests significant resources in their Web strategies. The attitudes of company individuals toward the evaluation of Web strategy and the value of the approach are shown through a survey of key employees. This work demonstrates the potential value of Web analytics and also highlights problems in promoting an awareness of Web analytics and how it can be applied to corporate goals. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory: Other (Consumer Lifecycle)

John D’Ambra and Concepción S. Wilson, “Explaining Perceived Performance of the World Wide Web: Uncertainty and the Yask-technology Fit Model,” Internet Research, 14.3 (2004): 294-310.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Modeling, Information science, Performance appraisal, Variance 
Abstract: The performance of the World Wide Web is evaluated as an information resource in a specific information domain. The theoretical framework underpinning this approach recognizes the contribution of information-seeking behavior from the discipline of information science and models of information systems success from the discipline of information systems in explaining World Wide Web usage as an information resource. A model integrating the construct of uncertainty and the task-technology fit model is presented. A questionnaire-based empirical study is used to test this integrated approach. Our results confirm that richer models representing the broad context of World Wide Web usage are required to evaluate usage of the World Wide Web as an information resource. Usage for travel tasks, uncertainty reduction, the Web as an information resource, and mediation all have a significant impact on users’ perception of performance, explaining 46 per cent of the variance. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory: Other (Task Technology Fit)

Helen Dixon and Barry Quinn, “Franchising and the Internet: an Exploratory Study of Franchisor Web Sites,” Internet Research, 14.4 (2004): 311-322
Keywords: Franchising, Electronic commerce, World wide web, Internet 
Abstract: This paper explores the impact that electronic commerce is beginning to have on franchising, with the objective of discovering how franchisors are utilizing their Web sites. Results are presented from a survey of franchisor Web sites illustrating what content and features are being made available online. The analysis of franchise Web sites indicates that most franchisors use them for marketing purposes and to provide information. However, a significant number provide a fully developed electronic commerce site accepting both online orders and payments. The results of the study should help to significantly inform debate on this subject and serve as a starting-point for further research into the impact of electronic commerce, and more generally Internet technologies, on the franchising growth strategy. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory: Other (Resource Scarcity)

David M. Berry, “Internet Research: Privacy, Ethics and Alienation: an Open Source Approach,” Internet Research, 14.4 (2004): 323-332.  
Keywords: Internet, Research, Ethics, Privacy, Public domain software 
Abstract: This paper examines some of the ethical problems involved in undertaking Internet research and draws on historical accounts as well as contemporary studies to offer an analysis of the issues raised. It argues that privacy is a misleading and confusing concept to apply to the Internet, and that the concept of non-alienation is more resourceful in addressing the many ethical issues surrounding Internet research. Using this as a basis, the paper then investigates the Free/Libre and Open Source research model and argues for the principles of “open source ethics” in researching the online world, which includes a participatory and democratic research method. 
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History) 
Theory: Policy Analysis

Craig Valli, “Non-business Use of the WWW in Three Western Australian Organizations,” Internet Research, 14.4 (2004): 353-359.
Keywords: Worldwide web, User studies, Cost accounting, Australia 
Abstract: This paper is an outline of findings from a research project investigating the non-business use of the World Wide Web in organizations. The study uncovered high non-business usage in the selected organizations. Pornography and other traditionally identified risks were found to be largely non-issues. MP3 and other streaming media and potential copyright infringement were found to be problematic. All organizations had end-users displaying behaviors indicating significant, deliberate misuse that often used a variety of covert techniques to hide their actions. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

P. Joshi, H. Singh and A.D. Phippen, “Web Services: Measuring Practitioner Attitude,” Internet Research, 14.5 (2004): 366-371.
Keywords: Internet, Worldwide web, Servicing, Function evaluation 
Abstract: Distributed computing architecture has been around for a while, but not all of its benefits could be leveraged due to issues such as inter-operability, industry standards and cost efficiency that could provide agility and transparency to the business process integration. Web services offer a cross platform solution that provides a wrapper around any business object and exposes it over the Internet as service. Web services typically work outside of private networks, offering developers a non-proprietary route to their solutions. The growth of this technology is imminent; however, there are various factors that could impact its adoption rate. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of various factors that could affect adoption rate of this new technology by the industry. Various advantages, pitfalls and future implications of this technology are considered with reference to a practitioner survey conducted to establish the main concerns effecting adoption rate of Web services. 
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History) 
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

S. Shyam Sundar and Sriram Kalyanaraman, “Arousal, Memory, and Iimpression-formation Effects of Animation Speed in Web Advertising,” Journal of Advertising, 33.1 (Spring 2004): 7-17.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Animated advertisements on the Web come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. But, they also animate at different speeds. While recent studies have shown animated ads to be more effective than still ads, the role played by the rate of motion in animated ads has been neglected. Given that the primary function of animation is to attract attention, such differences in speed of animation are likely to lead to differential levels of attention to the ads. Researchers have pointed out that speed is an obvious component of an interactive media system, and the degree to which it is realized in an interaction is bound to determine one’s psychological experience with the system. An experiment was designed to address this issue by focusing specifically on the physiological and psychological effects of animation speeds in Web ads.
Method: Experiment 
Theory: Other (Motion Effects)

David Griffith and Qimei Chen, “The Influence of Virtual Direct Experience on Online Ads Message Effectiveness,” Journal of Advertising, 33.1 (Spring 2004): 55-69.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The World Wide Web has created a new communication environment for advertising campaigns, thus initiating a new era of firm-consumer interaction (Rust and Oliver 1994). Firms use advertising messages and direct experience (DE) as two common sources of information to communicate with consumers about products (Singh, Balasubramanian and Chakraborty 2000). These two sources of information differ significantly in their ability to foster strongly held beliefs about search and experiential product attributes. Advertising has been found to be superior at communicating search attribute beliefs and DE has been found to be superior at fostering experiential attribute beliefs (Kempf and Laczniak 2001).
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

James C. Tsao and Stanley D. Sibley, “Displacement and Reinforcement Effects of the Internet and Other Media as Sources of Advertising Information,” Journal of Advertising Research, 44.1 (2004): 126-142.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This Study measured to what extent consumers used the Internet to displace or reinforce the use of other media as sources of advertising information. The sample was 2,032 households from 5,031 households randomly selected from a Midwestern state. The results showed that although Internet advertising provided many unique features, it has not displaced most media as sources of advertising information. Many consumers found that Internet advertising was a complementary medium based on their favorable attitudes or frequent use of other media advertising. The research also indicated that the reinforcement effects will be likely more evident for the future use of Internet advertising associated with the use of billboards, direct mall, magazines and television. However, the displacement effects may continue to occur for the future use of Internet advertising associated with the future use of free community papers and weekly paid papers as advertising sources.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis 
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Ali M. Kanso and Richard Alan Nelson, “Internet and Magazine Advertising: Integrated Partnerships or Not?” Journal of Advertising Research, 44.4 (2004): 317-326.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the mixed-media strategy of advertising online and publicizing the web location in magazine advertisements. It also analyzes the extent of integration between websites and print advertisements in six major U.S. magazines. In creating an online commercial site, it is important to recognize that the internet requires different marketing and advertising practices than those used in traditional media. Mixed-media advertising necessitates coordinated efforts between those managing the website and those designing advertisements for other media. The findings suggest that marketers are not exploiting all possible benefits of their websites by not adequately integrating print and online advertising efforts.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

William J. Havlena and Jeffrey Graham, “Decay Effects in Online Advertising: Quantifying the Impact of Time Since Last Exposure on Branding Effectiveness,” Journal of Advertising Research, 44.4 (2004): 327-332.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Advertising effectiveness tests combining surveys and electronic tracking of online advertising are common, and the method is increasingly being utilized within more comprehensive, cross-media methodologies. The validity of these tests, however, has sometimes been called into question because of the short duration between online advertising exposure and survey taking. Using a unique database containing more than 1,600 online advertising campaigns, we find that there is a measurable but weak relationship between time since last exposure and branding effectiveness, indicating the shortness of duration does not have a substantial impact on the validity of these tests.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Joseph E Phelps, R Lewis, L Mobilio, D Perry and N Raman, “Viral Marketing or Electronic
Word-of-Mouth Advertising: Examining Consumer Responses and Motivations to Pass Along Email,” Journal of Advertising Research, 44.4 (2004): 333-348.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Although viral marketing has garnered a great deal of attention in the trade press, almost nothing is known about the motivations, attitudes, and behaviors of the people (those sending the email to others) that constitute the essential component of any such strategy. This article reports the results of three studies that examine consumer responses and motivations to pass along email. Implications for target selection and message creation are discussed for advertising practitioners interested in implementing viral efforts, and suggestions for future research relating to computer-mediated consumer-to-consumer interactions are presented.
Method:  Meta-Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Wenyu Dou, “Will Internet Users Pay for Online Content?” Journal of Advertising Research, 44.4 (2004): 349-359
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study investigated determinants of internet users’ willingness to pay for online content. A survey of internet users of a clip art website found that they did conduct benefits/costs analysis when evaluating whether to pay for online content. Usage purpose and experience with online purchasing emerged as significant predictors. Further, the study confirmed the existence of “free” mentality among online content users. Managerial implications are explored.
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Alan C.B. Tse and Chi-Fai Chan, “The Relationship between Interactive Functions and Website Ranking,” Journal of Advertising Research, 44.4 (2004): 369-374.
Keywords: Two-way Communication, Customization, Content Variety, and Interactive Job Search.
Abstract: This study looks into different types of interactive functions, and the associative relationship between these interactive functions and website ranking. Six types of interactive functions are identified, and four of them are found to be significant in affecting website ranking. The four important types of interactive functions are Online Two-way Communication, Customization, Content Variety, and Interactive Job Search.
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Sorin Matei, “The Impact of State-Level Social Capital on the Emergence of Virtual Communities,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.1 (2004): 23-40.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A rich literature describes the Internet’s ability to foster new types of social relationships and groups (Baym, 2001; Flanagin and Metzger, 2001; Howard, Rainie, and Jones, 2002; Jones, 1998; Katz and Rice, 2002; Kazmer and Haythornthwaite, 2001; Lievrouw and Livingstone, 2002; Nie, 2001; Putnam, 2000; Smith and Kollock, 1999; Wellman and Haythornthwaite, 2002). E-mail lists, Web pages and chatting facilities make it easier than ever for people with similar interests or backgrounds to meet and maintain social ties without being in the physical presence of each other. This phenomenon, usually labeled as “online” or “virtual communities,” has proliferated across the globe and is particularly strong in the United States (Baym, 1998; Matei and Ball-Rokeach, 2002; McLaughlin, Osborne, and Ellison, 1997; Rheingold, 2001; Watson, 1997). One of the important subjects of debate sparked by this development is the relationship between computer-mediated social formations and more traditional social arrangements, especially those that are geographically anchored. The Internet’s rapid diffusion and the online social ties it made possible have created hopes for building “community without propinquity” (Webber, 1963), where individuals can interact at a distance through technology, rather than by face-to-face exchanges (Rheingold, 2001).
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Other (Social Capital)

Mohan J. Dutta-Bergman, “Complementarity in Consumption of News Types Across Traditional and New Media,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.1 (2004): 41-60.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The increasing popularity of the World Wide Web has led to a growing academic interest in the effects of the Web on the consumption of traditional media (Kayany and Yelsma, 2000). While 57% of Americans visited the Internet at least once in 2001, 49% of these Internet users used it to gather information. In addition to the increase in Internet consumption, recent years have witnessed decreases in the consumption of traditional media such as newspapers, television, and radio (Stempel, Hargrove, and Bernt, 2000). This decrease in the consumption of traditional media has been attributed to the advent of the Internet. in its monthly telephone surveys conducted in 1998, the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press (2000) reported an increase in online news users on one hand and a decrease in the consumption of news from traditional sources such as TV, newspapers, and magazines on the other hand. Acknowledging the emergent role of the Internet in shaping the current media landscape, media scholars have become increasingly interested in studying its relationship with traditional media (Katz, 1999).
Method:  Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Other (Congruence)

Susannah R. Stern, “Expressions of Identity Online: Prominent Features and Gender Differences in Adolescents’ World Wide Web Home Pages,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.2 (2004): 218-243.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Despite the popularity of World Wide Web home pages among adolescents, we know little about their distinguishing features or utility. Accordingly, this article describes a content analysis of adolescents’ pages, noting gender differences when appropriate. Results indicate that home pages are prominent places for adolescents to discuss themselves in textual and multimedia fashions. Authors signal their desire for an audience, and they self-disclose with varying degrees of intimacy. Gender differences are noticeable primarily with regard to substantive rather than stylistic components of home pages. The results suggest that home pages simulate and supplement traditional (offline) fora for adolescent communication.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Other (Identity)

Robert LaRose and Matthew S. Eastin, “A Social Cognitive Theory of Internet Uses and Gratifications: Toward a New Model of Media Attendance,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.3 (2004): 358-377.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The addition of the Internet to the electronic media environment has renewed interest in the question of media attendance: the factors that explain and predict individual exposure to the media. Much of the research has been carried out by followers of the uses and gratifications tradition, who anticipated the medium as an exemplar of active media selection that could further validate the core tenets of that paradigm (Morris and Ogan, 1996; Newhagen and Rafaeli, 1996; Ruggerio, 2000). Instead, Internet research has introduced new conceptual and operational approaches and new variables that now challenge some of the basic assumptions, procedures, and findings of uses and gratifications. However, these findings have yet to be integrated into a comprehensive model of media attendance. Moreover, these relationships have been explored among college student samples and must now be extended to the general online population. The present research proposes and tests a model of media attendance inspired by Bandura’s (1986) Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) that builds upon the conventional uses and gratifications approach by clarifying important explanatory constructs and identifying new ones.
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Kevin C Lee and Stephen D Perry, “Student Instant Message Use in a Ubiquitous Computing Environment: Effects of Deficient Self-Regulation,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.3 (2004): 399-420.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Patterns of instant message software use among 409 college students at a small college with universal computing access were investigated based on dependency concepts using American Psychiatric Association DSM-IV criteria in an effort to identify effects of deficient self-regulation. Responses indicated that effects of deficient self-regulation were present, that instant messaging usurped the role of other socialization tools-including face- to-face communication-for many, and that a substantial amount of time was devoted to using it.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Nojin Kwak, Marko M. Skoric, Ann E. Williams and Nathaniel D. Poor, “To Broadband or Not to Broadband: The Relationship between High-Speed Internet and Knowledge and Participation,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.3 (2004): 421-445.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Rapid diffusion of the World Wide Web in past decades has prompted a number of scholars and pundits to inquire about the impact this new technology has on society (Norris, 2001). Researchers have tried to uncover various political and civic consequences of the Internet by focusing mostly on diverse aspects of user characteristics, including time spent online, frequency of Internet use, duration of Internet experience, information processing, and patterns of Internet activities (Bimber, 2001; Kwak, Williams, Joo, and Wang, 2003; Nie and Erbring, 2000; Shah, Kwak, and Holbert, 2001; Tewksbury and Althaus, 2000).
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Carolyn A. Lin, “Webcasting Adoption: Technology Fluidity, User Innovativeness, and Media Substitution,” Journal of Broadcasting  & Electronic Media, 48.3 (2004): 446-465.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Webcasting, hailed by some as the last frontier of the Internet era, has thus far been trekking sluggishly along its diffusion curve at 7% (Morrissey, 2003). This lackluster adoption rate is largely due to the technical constraints of Internet transmission speed and bandwidth. According to industry tracking statistics, the total video streams accessed in 2002 increased 52.3% to nearly 4 billion since 2001; average streams accessed per unique user also showed an increase of 25% per month to 1.53 (Accustream iMedia, 2003). This growth was primarily triggered by the increased penetration of broadband connections to Internet user homes (Atkin and Lau, 2002).
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Shu-Chu Sarrina Li, “Exploring the Factors Influencing the Adoption of Interactive Cable Television Services in Taiwan,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.3 (2004): 466-483.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Television digitalization is an important part of national information infrastructures, and several developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Japan have already started the process of television digitalization. Taiwan’s five terrestrial television stations, including one public broadcasting station, started their process of digital conversion in 1998, and the government has mandated that the five stations complete their digital conversion in 2006. More than 80% of Taiwan’s television households subscribe to cable television and thus it is necessary that cable television becomes digitalized so that the digital television signals can be received by most people in Taiwan. At the present time, most of Taiwan’s cable television system operators have converted part of their channels into digital ones and have provided various interactive services to their subscribers. However, recent studies show that most people in Taiwan do not feel the need to have digital cable, and such reluctance to adopt these interactive services slows down the diffusion process (Li, 2001; Liu, Li, and Chen, 2003). By using Rogers’ (1995) diffusion of innovations model, this study attempts to understand the factors that influence the adoption of interactive cable television services and to help policy makers and system operators know how to market these services and accelerate the diffusion of digital television in Taiwan.
Method:  Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Amanda D. Lotz and Sharon Marie Ross, “Toward Ethical Cyberspace Audience Research: Strategies for Using the Internet for Television Audience Studies,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.3 (2004): 501-512.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The increasing dissemination of Internet technologies may provide the greatest revolution in the study of media audiences since critical media scholars began turning their attention to audiences in the early 1980s. As is often the case with new technologies and applications, computer-mediated communication (CMC) provides a previously unimaginable tool, but also forces a revision of the standards and practices that governed qualitative audience study prior to its introduction. Researchers in a variety of fields have begun adapting traditional methodological practices and ethics to the new research tool of CMC and the “field space” provided by the Internet, but using the Web to research audiences of television series poses specific challenges that this research has not addressed.
Method:  Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Feminist Theory)

Michael A. Shapiro and T. Makana Chock, “Media Dependency and Perceived Reality of Fiction and News,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 48.4 (2004): 675-695.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Two studies examined whether familiar and unfamiliar contexts influenced the relationship between the typicality of a news or entertainment story and the perceived realism of that story. For shopping mall patrons in the United States, typicality had a significantly weaker effect when news events were presented as coming from Brazil rather than from the United States. Entertainment stories presented as coming from Brazil were seen as more real than identical stories presented as coming from the United States. However, the familiarity of the setting did not influence the story typicality and perceived reality relationship for entertainment stories.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Pablo J. Boczkowski, “The Processes of Adopting Multimedia and Interactivity in Three Online Newsrooms,” Journal of Communication, 54.2 (June 2004): 197-213.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article examines the material culture of newsroom practices by focusing on the dynamics of the processes through which news workers adopt new technologies. More specifically, it looks at some key factors that shape the adoption of multimedia and interactive technologies in online newspapers. Through ethnographic case studies of innovations in 3 online newsrooms, I show that variations in organizational structures, work practices, and representations of the users are related to different ways in which members of the newsroom appropriate these technologies. Author draws from this analysis to reflect on issues related to the technological dimension of editorial work and the dynamics of media convergence.
Method:  Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Mohan J. Dutta-Bergman, “The Impact of Completeness and Web Use Motivation on the Credibility of e-Health Information,” Journal of Communication, 54.2 (June 2004): 253-269.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Recent articles on the quality of health information on the Internet reveal two critical criteria: completeness and credibility. This article investigates the effect of Web use motivation on the relationship between completeness and consumer perceptions of credibility. Based on a 2 × 3 experiment conducted with 246 respondents, the article demonstrates that the extent of completeness of health information on the Internet impacts consumer assessment of source and website credibility. In contrast to the extant research on the orthogonality of content and source characteristics, this research demonstrates their interaction.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Nicholas A. Valentino1, Vincent L. Hutchings and Dmitri Williams, “The Impact of Political Advertising on Knowledge, Internet Information Seeking, and Candidate Preference,” Journal of Communication, 54.2 (June 2004): 337-354.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Previous research has suggested that exposure to political advertising is generally informative and may even reduce information gaps between the most and least aware in society, but does not produce large shifts in candidate preference. Drawing on extant models of opinion change, we predicted that the informational benefits of political ads would vary by level of awareness, such that the most aware would experience the largest gains, especially when they are asked to make inferences about issues not explicitly discussed in the ad. Further, we predicted that the most aware would use information in advertisements as a substitute for other kinds of information seeking, while the least aware would be relatively unmotivated to seek out new information, regardless of exposure. Finally, the least aware would be more susceptible to persuasion via ads than the most aware would be. Experimental evidence confirmed these predictions.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

Mike Allen, Edward Mabry, Michelle Mattrey, John Bourhis, Scott Titsworth and Nancy Burrell, “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Distance Learning: A Comparison using Meta-analysis,” Journal of Communication, 54.3 (June 2004): 402-420.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article uses meta-analysis to summarize the quantitative literature comparing the performance of students in distance education versus traditional classes. The average effect (average r = .048, k = 39, N = 71, 731) demonstrates that distance education course students slightly outperformed traditional students on exams and course grades. The average effect was heterogeneous, and the examination of several moderating features (presence or absence of simultaneous interaction, type of channel used in distance education, and course substance) failed to produce a homogeneous solution. The results demonstrate, however, no clear decline in educational effectiveness when using distance education technology.
Method:  Meta-Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ananda Mitra, “Voices of the Marginalized on the Internet: Examples From a Website for Women of South Asia,” Journal of Communication, 54.3 (June 2004): 492-510.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: With increasing availability of the Internet, many marginal groups are producing a presence in cyberspace. The presence can be thought of as a phenomenon in which the Internet is providing a unique forum for the dispossessed to find a voice in the public sphere. Using the theories of voice, the presence in cyberspace opens up questions of trust, authenticity, and power with respect to individual and institutional “speakers.” This article explores the textual and discursive strategies used by a South Asian women’s Web portal to understand the consequences of gaining a voice in cyberspace.
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Gender)

Steve Fox, “The New Imagined Community: Identifying and Exploring a Bidirectional Continuum Integrating Virtual and Physical Communities through the Community Embodiment Model (CEM),” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 28 (2004): 47-62.
Keywords: Community Embodiment Model; virtual community; imagined community;
physical community; Internet; continuum of virtuality/physicality 
Abstract: The Internet has enabled global growth in the use of virtual communities. Virtual communities provide Internet researchers with an excellent opportunity to study human communication across different conceptualizations of community, different technologies, and different cultures. This article introduces a theoretical framework called the Community Embodiment Model (CEM) to better understand the nature of the virtual community. It is proposed that CEM can help us better understand how participants interact with virtual communities by defining interaction within virtual communities as beginning with a conceptualization of community (imagined community) that embodies a continuum of virtuality/physicality. This article also describes a pilot study, as part of a wider research project  that used CEM as its theoretical framework.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Other (Community Embodiment Model)

Mark Giese, “Community Property: Digital Music and the Economic Modalities of Transmission and Ritual Modes of Communication,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 28 (2004):342-362.
Keywords: James Carey; ritual mode; transmission mode; Harold Innis; file sharing; MP3s; digital music; copyright; Internet; peer-to-peer networking; P2P; media economics 
Abstract: Using the evolution of the peer-to-peer music-sharing phenomenon as a springboard, this article explores the economic modalities inherent in two different but not mutually exclusive theoretic constructs of communication advanced by James Carey. The transmission mode of communication theorizes that communication is the transmission of information from one point to another. The ritual mode of communication theorizes forms of communication whose primary purpose is to strengthen communal bonds by sharing communication/communal experiences. Religious ceremonies and music are two prime examples of communication experiences whose primary purpose is not to transmit information. This article examines the role digital recording technologies, the Internet, and The World Wide Web play in pointing out the economic conflicts inherent in these two modes of communication. The recent spate of lawsuits initiated by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) against music swapping and file sharing over the Internet is one tangible example of these economic conflicts.
Method:  Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification 

George R. Milne, Andrew J. Rohm and Shalini Bahl, “Consumers’ Protection of Online Privacy and Identity,” The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 38.2 (2004): 217-232.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article examines online behaviors that increase or reduce risk of online identity theft. The authors report results from three consumer surveys that indicate the propensity to protect oneself from online identity theft varies by population. The authors then examine attitudinal, behavioral, and demographic antecedents that predict the tendency to protect one’s privacy and identity online. Implications and suggestions for managers, public policy makers, and consumers related to protecting online privacy and identity theft are provided.
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Jacqueline K Eastman and Rajesh Iyer, The Elderly’s Uses and Attitudes towards the Internet,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 21.2/3 (2004): 208-220.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Despite the growth of the Internet, one area that marketers have not really discussed is the elderly’s use of the Internet. Given the rapid growth of this population as well as the potential the Internet holds for them, it is a subject worth consideration. This paper discusses the use of the Internet by a national random survey of elderly consumers and the impact of attitude, innovation, and demographics on their use. This study shows that the elderly consumers have favorable intentions towards using the Internet; most learned to use the Internet on their own; and they preferred to learn more about the Internet if such classes were offered at convenient locations. Those seniors with higher levels of income are more willing to both use the Internet and purchase products online; while education levels positively impacted only Internet use. Finally, this paper provides implications for marketers and suggestions for future research.
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Dennis L Duffy, “Using On-line Retailing as a Springboard for Catalog Marketing,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 21.2/3 (2004): 221-225.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Chronicles the launch of a new e-commerce business. Reviews the implications and considerations of such a venture and documents the critical lessons learned. Concludes that the Internet provides an effective place for the development of a new business.
Method:  Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy Analysis

Judi Strebel, Tülin Erdem and Joffre Swait, “Consumer Search in High Technology Markets: Exploring the Use of Traditional Information Channels,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14.1-2 (2004): 96-104.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Understanding the use of information channels during the purchase process for high technology durable goods is vital if marketing managers want to efficiently allocate their communication budgets. This article examines how the perceived quality of information, as well as demographic and other consumer characteristics, affects consumers’ information-channel-choice behavior. The results suggest that (a) information channels operate as substitutes as far as information quality is concerned; (b) during each segment of the search consumers tend to use multiple sources of information, and in that context information channels act as complements, which illustrates the synergistic effect of search between channels and the importance of jointly estimating consumers’ information channel choices; and (c) utility derived from information search changes as time passes, which indicates that empirical research should use panel data to capture the dynamics of the search process.
Method:  Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Michael A. Kamins, Xavier Dreze and Valerie S. Folkes, “Effects of Seller-Supplied Prices on Buyers’ Product Evaluations: Reference Prices on Buyers’ Product Evaluations: Reference Prices in an Internet Auction Context ,” Journal of Consumer Research, 30.4 (March 2004): 622-628.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A field experiment investigated the impact of two external reference points under the seller’s control on the final price of an auction. when an item’s seller specified a high external reference price (a reserve price), the final bid was greater than when the seller specified a low external reference price (a minimum bid). When the seller provided both high and low reference prices, the reserve influenced the bid more. The low reference price led to a lower outcome compared to when the seller did not communicate any reference price. The number of bidders influenced outcomes in the absence of seller-supplied reference prices.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Other (Herd Behavior Bias)

Charla Mathwick and Edward Rigdon, “Play, Flow, and the Online Search Experience,” Journal of Consumer Research, 31.2 (September 2004): 324-332.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the conditions necessary to transform online information search into “play,” a highly positive experience capable of delivering intrinsic value in the form of escapism and enjoyment. On the basis of the four-channel model of flow, perceived play is investigated as the consequence of flow versus various nonflow states. Moderated by product involvement, play serves as a link between flow theory and the online consumer attitude formation process.
Method:  Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Douglas A. Ferguson and Elizabeth M. Perse, “Audience Satisfaction Among TiVo and ReplayTV Users,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.2 (Spring 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This study explores how early adopters of DVRs are using them as functional replacements for VCRs and as tools for enhanced viewing of live television. Two national samples totaling 198 users completed an online survey that measured TV uses and gratifications, viewing satisfaction, and attitudes toward DVR functions. DVR owners reported watching television, live and recorded, with more enjoyment and greater control. TiVo owners in the second sample noted a higher degree of satisfaction than in the first sample.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Wendy Macias, Liza Stavchansky Lewis and Vandana Shankar, “Dr. Mom and Dr. Web: A Qualitative Analysis of Women’s Use of Health Information on the Web,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.2 (Spring 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The primary goal of this qualitative study was to begin to understand and gain insight into how women use the Web to search for health information. This has become an increasingly important area to understand because more consumers are taking control of their healthcare, women tend to take responsibility more than men, and the Web is a key source of healthcare information. Several key findings support the literature and theory saying that women are highly involved in searching for health information and they increasingly rely on the Web. These women are not relying on their doctors to provide their healthcare information and they are skeptical of health information with a sales purpose. Implications for marketers are discussed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hanjun Ko, Jaemin Jung, JooYoung Kim, and Sung Wook Shim, “Cross-Cultural Differences in Perceived Risk of Online Shopping,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.2 (Spring 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This study investigates the perceived risk that has been considered as influencing the consumer purchase decision process during online shopping. For the purpose of this study, perceived risk is defined as the potential for loss in pursuing a desired outcome from online shopping. Specifically, this research investigates the differences in perceived risk between online shoppers and non-online shoppers, as well as online shoppers’ perceived risk relating to two culturally different countries (i.e., Korea and the United States). The results indicate that the perceived risk is higher for non- (or less-experienced-) online shoppers than for frequent online shoppers, and that both Korean and US Internet users have a similar aggregated degree of perceived risk toward online shopping, though there are significant relative differences in specific risk items (i.e., social, financial, time and psychological risk), which reflect the existence of the cultural differences in response to the specific risk factors.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

“Frank” Tian Xie, Naveen Donthu, Ritu Lohtia, and Talai Osmonbekov, “Emotional Appeal and Incentive Offering in Banner Advertisements,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.2 (Spring 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This study proposes a contingency framework on the role of emotions and incentives in affecting banner ads effectiveness. More specifically, how emotional appeals affect banner ad click-through rates in the presence or absence of incentives is explored. Data collected from nearly ten thousand real world banner ads is used to empirically test the moderating effect of ad-induced emotional appeals on the relationship between incentive offerings and banner ad effectiveness. The analysis concludes that providing incentives in banner ads is effective in soliciting click-through. When combined with emotional appeals, we found that positive emotions in banner ads enhance the effectiveness of incentives. However, ads with negative or no emotions seem to work better only when no incentives are offered.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Steven Bellman and John R. Rossiter, “The Website Schema,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.2 (Spring 2004)

Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The website schema is conceptualized as the consumer’s set of beliefs about information locations, and routes to those locations, on a website. A meta-analysis of three studies, one of them with a student sample and two with consumer samples, provides evidence that congruence between a consumer’s website schema and the actual structure of a particular site is associated with the site being rated easier to navigate, a more favorable attitude toward brands advertised on the site, and higher quality brand decisions. These studies provide evidence of the importance of the website schema for understanding consumer response to websites.
Method: Meta Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Chan Yun Yoo, Kihan Kim and Patricia A. Stout, “Assessing the Effects of Animation in Online Banner Advertising: Hierarchy of Effects Model,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.2 (Spring 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The present study attempts to examine the effects of animated banner ads, as well as the moderating effects of involvement, on each stage of the hierarchy of effects model, and to explore the applicability of the hierarchy of effects model to the banner advertising environment through an online experiment. The results provide support for the notion that animated banner ads prompt better advertising effects than do static ads. Animated banner advertising has better attention-grabbing capabilities, and generates higher recall, more favorable Aad and higher click-through intention than static ads. Furthermore, an individual’s product involvement moderates the effects of animated banner advertising on recall, Aad, and click-through intention. However, the study does not provide solid evidence of the feasibility of the traditional hierarchical model (Cognition -> Affect -> Behavior) in the online banner advertising environment. Several implications and limitations of these results are discussed, and future research is suggested.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Se-Jin Lee, Wei-Na Lee, Hyojin Kim and Patricia A. Stout, “A Comparison of Objective Characteristics and User Perception of Web Sites,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 4.2 (Spring 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The study reported in this paper employed a combination of web-based content analysis and web-assisted personal interviews to identify key characteristics of Web sites and how consumers perceive them. The extent of site characteristics found via the content analysis showed no major differences among the three designated computer manufacturers’ Web sites. On the other hand, the user perception of these site characteristics, obtained through in-depth interviews, provided a different outcome. Discussion on the incongruence between objective Web site characteristics and subjective perception is provided. Theoretical and methodological concerns and suggestions for future research are also addressed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Michelle R. Nelson, Heejo Keum and Ronald A. Yaros, “Advertainment or Adcreep Game Players’ Attitudes toward Advertising and Product Placements in Computer Games,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.1 (Fall 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Using netnography and questionnaires, authors examine how commercial practices are interpreted by electronic game-players. An analysis of 805 postings on Slashdot (2002-2004) revealed active discussions and insight into gamers’ beliefs about the effectiveness and appropriateness of marketers’ tactics as well as the perceived impact on self. Players were fairly positive about brands in games when they added realism. Those who were negative about product placements were also negative about advertising. While some players did not think they were influenced by product placements, others reported instances of learning about and then purchasing new brands. A survey of gamers empirically tested observations from the netnography. Positive relationships between attitudes toward advertising in general and attitudes toward product placement in games were noted, and each of these was positively related to perceived impact on purchasing behaviors. Attitudes toward product placements in games partially mediated the effect of attitudes toward advertising on respondents’ perceived purchasing behaviors..
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Dan M. Grigorovici and Corina D. Constantin, “Experiencing Interactive Advertising beyond Rich Media: Impacts of Ad Type and Presence on Brand Effectiveness in 3D Gaming Immersive 
Virtual Environments,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.1 (Fall 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Theories from social psychology, consumer psychology and Human Computer Interaction suggest that 3D gaming Virtual Environments increase users affective engagement with the stimuli/environment content due to their particular structural features (high immersion, presence, etc.). This, in turn, modifies the way in which embedded advertisements are processed by providing a direct, although virtual, brand experience. At the same time, product placements and blatant advertisements (i.e., virtual 3D billboards) were previously shown to be processed differently, given the increased reactance of media users toward messages identified as ads. A 2 (ad type: billboard vs. product placement) x 2 (IVE arousability level: high vs. low arousing 3D worlds) mixed factorial design was employed to test the effects of 3D billboards and product placements embedded within a 3D gaming Virtual Environment on brand recall and recognition, and brand preference.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Isabella M. Chaney, Ku-Ho Lin and James Chaney, “The Effect of Billboards within the Gaming Environment,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.1 (Fall 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Players from all demographic groups are spending more and more of their leisure time playing multiplayer online games. As such, the gaming environment may be a more suitable vehicle to reach target markets. This study assessed whether advertising in the form of embedded billboards has an impact on the online gamer. Even though they could recall passing the billboards many of the players could not recall the names of either the products or the brands after the gaming session. This was possibly due to the immersive nature of the game with peripheral details not fully registering. The embedded billboards within the game had very limited impact on either the enhancement of the game experience or on product purchase intentions.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Fang Wan and Seounmi Youn, “Motivations to Regulate Online Gambling and Violent Game Sites: An Account of the Third-Person Effect,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.1 (Fall 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: With online gaming becoming a major entertainment form, there are growing concerns that websites promoting gambling and violent games have undesirable effects. Such concerns have led to numerous calls to regulate controversial gaming sites. However, little research has been done to explain why people support restrictions on gaming sites. One theory, the third-person effect, provides a possible explanation. The third-person effect suggests that when confronted with a negatively perceived message, people tend to overestimate the message’s effect on others compared to one’s self. This perceptual disparity motivates people to take action against such messages. In a survey of 184 adults, this study found that people perceive gambling and violent game sites to have a greater effect on others than on themselves, and the third-person perception significantly contributes to predicting censorship attitudes. This study also found that age and gender play a part in explaining the magnitude of the third-person effect and the link between third-person perception and censorship attitudes. Public policy implications relating to regulation of gaming sites are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Joanna Phillips, Mavis Tandoh, Stephanie Noble and Victoria Bush, “The Value of Relationship Strength in Segmenting Casino Patrons: An Exploratory Investigation,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.1 (Fall 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Increased competition in the gaming industry has resulted in the need for casinos to identify consumer segments that will be most receptive to their communications. In the past, casinos have traditionally used behavioral variables (i.e., frequency of visits, amount of money wagered, etc.) to segment and target customers. However, recent work in segmentation advocates the value of also segmenting customers based on attitudinal variables (i.e., commitment, affect, etc.). The purpose of this study was to explore attitudinal measures of relationship strength to segment casino patrons. Based on a qualitative research design, we used indicators of relationship strength to identify four potential and unique segments. Strategic implications for both online and brick-and-mortar casino marketers are proposed for each segment.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Monica D. Hernandez, Sindy Chapa, Michael S. Minor, Cecilia Maldonado and Fernando Barranzuela, “Hispanic Attitudes toward Advergames: A Proposed Model of their Antecedents,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.1 (Fall 2004) 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Advergames are gaining recognition around the world as a new, captivating and persuasive environment among advertisers. Despite its growing popularity, very little is known about the formation of attitudes toward advergames in emerging economies. The objectives of our study were the refinement and empirical testing of a model of the reactions generated by exposure to advergames among Mexicans, Peruvians and Americans. A series of experiments revealed that Hispanics exhibited positive attitudes toward advergames. Intrusiveness was found as the factor accounting for most of the negative attitude toward advergames. Lack of congruence was found to be a precursor of intrusiveness. Interestingly, although ads in games were perceived as more intrusive, they were perceived as less irritating. Implications for advertisers are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mark Tremayne, ” The Web of Context: Applying Network Theory to the Use of Hyperlinks in Journalism on the Web,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81.2 (Summer 2004): 237-249.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study applies emerging network theory to the use of hyperlinks in journalism stories on the Web. A five-year data set, including almost 1,500 Web news stories, is examined. The study concludes that the use of links in Web news stories is increasing in ways predicted by network theory. Stories may become both more event-driven and more contextual on the flexible platform of the Web.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Thomas J Johnson and Barbara K Kaye, “Wag the Blog: How Reliance on Traditional Media and the Internet Influence Credibility Perceptions of Weblogs Among Blog Users,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81.3 (Autumn 2004): 622-642.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study surveyed Weblog users online to investigate how credible they view blogs as compared to traditional media as well as other online sources. This study also explores the degree to which reliance on Weblogs as well as traditional and online media sources predicts credibility of Weblogs after controlling for demographic and political factors. Weblog users judged blogs as highly credible-more credible than traditional sources. They did, however, rate traditional sources as moderately credible. Weblog users rated blogs higher on depth of information than they did on fairness.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Brian G Southwell and Mira Lee, “A Pitfall of New Media? User Controls Exacerbate Editing Effects On Memory,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81.3 (Autumn 2004) : 643-656. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: While much research focuses on main effects of emerging media technologies, the potential for new media attributes to moderate relationships between content features and cognitive outcomes has enjoyed less attention. Do new user controls moderate editing effects on memory? This study demonstrates that control can exacerbate effects. Researchers developed an interface offering two levels of user control. Those assigned to a situation comparable to traditional television viewing were four times more likely to later recognize complex media content than were those for whom user control over pacing and narrative sequence was available. Implications for journalism and strategic communication are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hyeseung Yang and Mary Beth Oliver, “Exploring The Impact Of Modality on Perceptions of Credibility for Online News Stories,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81.4 (Winter 2004): 733-749.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the influence of website modality on peoples perceptions of source and message credibility for an online news story. Findings indicated that increased modality in online news stories had no direct effect on perceived source or message credibility. However, a positive effect on perceived source credibility was observed when participants used multimedia content that was available in certain versions of the story. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Matthew C Nisbet and Dietram A Scheufele, ” Political Talk as a Catalyst for Online Citizenship,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81.4 (Winter 2004): 877-896.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Despite numerous and strong claims regarding the impact of the Internet on civic engagement, there has been limited empirical inquiry into the topic. In order to redress this gap, using survey data from the 2000 American National Election Study (ANES), we test the effects of Internet campaign exposure on political efficacy, political knowledge and campaign participation. Our findings lend only modest support to the optimistic hopes of Internet mobilization theorists. More important, however, our research goes a step further and finds differential gains in civic engagement for those Internet users who also frequently talk about politics, with political discussion amplifying the main effects of Internet campaign exposure.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Civic Engagement Theory)

Werner G. K. Stritzke, Anh Nguyen and Kevin Durkin, “‘Shyness and Computer-Mediated Communication: A Self-Presentational Theory Perspective,” Media Psychology, 6.1 (2004): 1-22.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study compared shy and nonshy Internet users in online and offline contexts on the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBSS; Cheek, 1983) and other measures intended to gauge 4 underlying aspects of shyness: rejection sensitivity, initiating relationships, self-disclosure, and providing emotional support and advice. University students (N = 134; 76% female) participated in a Web-based survey that investigated the impact of computer-mediated communications (CMC) on shyness level. Results show that individuals classified as shy or nonshy on the basis of their scores on the RCBSS in the offline context were also significantly different on offline measures of rejection sensitivity, initiating relationships, and self-disclosure. However, they were not significantly different on these same three domains in the online context. The results are interpreted as support for a self-presentation theory account that the absence of visual and auditory cues online reduces shy individuals’ experience of detecting negative or inhibitory feedback cues from others. We discuss positive and negative aspects of use of CMC by shy individuals.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Self Presentation Theory)

Hyung-jin Woo, Yeora Kim, and Joseph Dominick, “Hackers: Militants or Merry Pranksters? A Content Analysis of Defaced Web Pages,” Media Psychology, 6.1 (2004): 63-82.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Web defacement by hackers has been an emerging topic of concern among those in the online community. Hackers with different psychological motivations may produce different types of defacement. In this study, we content analyzed 462 defaced Web sites to describe how they were changed. In addition, we used social identity theory to predict the severity of the defacement according to the presumed motivations (political vs. personal) of the hackers. About 70% of the defacements could be classified as pranks, whereas the rest had a more political motive. Moreover, the findings suggest that hackers are not the lonely, isolated individuals sometimes portrayed in the media but are members of an extensive social network who are eager to demonstrate their reasons for hacking and often leave calling cards, greetings and taunts on Web pages. Text is the preferred means of defacement. Those sites hacked by individuals with a political motivation contained more aggressive expressions and greater use of various communication channels than those sites that were hit by people whose hacking was primarily for fun or self-aggrandizement.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Social Identity Theory)

Joyce Y.M. Nip, “The Relationship between Online and Offline Communities: The Case of the Queer Sisters,” Media, Culture and Society, 26.3 (2004): 409-428.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: One of the effects of the Industrial Revolution was the destruction of communities – at least that was received wisdom among sociologists until 1950s, when studies found that, in fact, traditional communities were maintained through new means (Wellman and Berkowitz, 1988; Wellman and Gulia, 1999). As we are going through what some call the ‘information revolution’ (Altschiller, 1995), the fear of losing communities has resurfaced. The appearance of human associations on the Internet has prompted claims that it provides an escape from (Willson, 1997) and a substitute for (Doheny-Farina, 1996; Lajoie, 1996; Nguyen and Alexander, 1996) offline communities, that it fragments offline communities (Sassi, 1996). Are the fears about online communities grounded? Are online communities unconnected to offline communities? Many have pointed out the need to understand how online communities relate to offline communities (Jones, 1999a, 1999b; Kollock and Smith, 1999; Slevin, 2000; Uncapher, 1999), but there have hardly been any such studies (Wellman and Gulia, 1999) and the topic has been left to opinion instead of evidence (Hill and Hughes, 1997; Kollock and Smith, 1999). This article takes a first step towards filling the gap in existing research by examining the autonomy of online communities in relation to their offline counterparts. The article is based on a case study of a bulletin board on the world-wide web and the women’s group in Hong Kong, the Queer Sisters, who created the board.  Content analysis, an online survey, interviews and observation between September 1999 and August 2000, showed the community formed on the bulletin board differed from the Queer Sisters over major goals and norms. Although participation on the bulletin board increased a sense of belonging to the Queer Sisters, this seemed to be hampered by the differences between the two communities.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Gender)

John Myles, “Community Networks and Cultural Intermediaries: the Politics of Community Net Development in Greater Manchester,” Media, Culture and Society, 26.4 (2004): 467-490.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article examines the development of civic and community networks in the Greater Manchester area. Civic and community networks (sometimes called PENs or public electronic networks) supply information about local community groups, city council community provision of goods and social services, and information about local government itself. Civic nets can be contrasted to information-providing community nets in that they are dedicated to governmental information, and have recently offered new avenues for political communication and potentially direct democratic forms of local governance. However, British civic nets are at present often little more than town hall web pages, although sites vary in range of information, links to other organizations, and levels of feedback and interactivity (i.e. email, computer conferencing). The so-called ‘digital cities’ are similar projects, but not necessarily always initiated by local authorities, and they can often be highly commercialized. Digital city networks, however, tend to be more interactive, have higher percentages of graphics to text and simulate a virtual reality (VR) form of participative environment.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy Analysis

Enrique Bustamante, “Cultural Industries in the Digital Age: Some Provisional Conclusions,” Media, Culture and Society, 26.6 (2004): 803-820.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study is based on the analysis of the seven main sectors – both in terms of political importance and of social influence – of contemporary culture and communication. It addresses the following: books, disks, cinema, the press, radio, television and the video games industry. The work addresses three main cross-cutting problematics that are considered to be crucial: intellectual property rights; the strategies of transnational multimedia groups; and the development of communication and cultural policies and their evolution in both the analogue and digital worlds (Bustamante, 2002, 2003). The framework that traditionally unified this apparently diverse group of elements was the concept of the ‘cultural industries’, which is still useful for analysing the transformations and the most important tendencies of the last decade. It is assumed that the future of our culture cannot escape from being determined by the evolution of the ‘old’ analogue world, and particularly by three main interrelated processes that have produced important changes in the cultural industries during the past few decades: Deregulation: this has entailed a diminished role for the state and public service and a shift in the cultural industries from overall regulation to regulation by the market. The state’s actions and regulation now take a secondary role, subsidiary to that of the market and its dynamics.
Concentration: the 1990s, in part because of the promise and challenge of the digital networks, but mainly because of increasing competition of all types in both national and international markets, brought about a new leap forward in terms of concentration, generally based on external growth (mergers and the take-over of others’ assets) and also based on vertical integration.
Globalization of forms and principles of management: this is due to the rapid expansion of national or international markets which entails intensive access to capital markets (stocks, bank loans, general indebtedness) and a permanent search to maximize profits in the short term; in other words, a complete conversion of the cultural industries into institutions defined by finance.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Wilson Lowrey, “More Control, But Not Clarity In Non-linear Web Stories,” Newspaper Research Journal, 25.2 (Spring 2004): 83-97
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Non-linear Web stories have a positive effect on the degree of perceived control, a negative effect on the amount of feedback and no significant effect on the degree of perceived credibility. In recent years there has been a call in the online news industry for greater innovation in the production and presentation of news on the Web.  Many journalists and scholars say Web news stories should offer more opportunities for readers to interact with journalists, should provide readers with greater control over site navigation and should offer readers both brief and encyclopedic information.  Journalism school curricula and media industry think tanks such as the Poynter Institute generally advocate such recommendations in courses on the production of non-linear Web news stories. These recommendations serve the financial needs of the news industry, but there are also more altruistic aims. News that is more interactive and “non-linear” should empower readers and bring about a more equal relationship between news media and audiences. This study has a number of objectives. One, it tests assumptions in the industry that non-linear Web stories benefit readers. Does the non-linear format improve learning of news information? Do audiences find the reading of non-linear text more involving and easier to control? Do readers of non-linear stories provide more feedback? Some recent evidence in the mass communication literature suggests hypermedia do not aid recall, but little research has been conducted on more advanced cognitive processes such as the formulation of feedback. A focus on feedback is also important because increased interaction has been touted as a way to improve relations with increasingly disenchanted news audiences9 and to ensure more open and robust public discussion of issues.10 Finally, the study is an attempt to shed light on the “media logic” of Web news. In other words, the study looks at the degree to which audiences and Web news producers share an understanding of the non-linear format.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jennifer Greer and Donica Mensing, “U.S. News Web Sites Better, But Small Papers Still Lag,” Newspaper Research Journal, 25.2 (Spring 2004): 98-112.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Web sites are increasingly more sophisticated in news presentation, revenue-generating features, multimedia and interactive elements. Small papers lag significantly behind medium and large ones. While newspapers have experimented with electronic publishing technologies since the early 1970s-including proprietary services, Videotext and bulletin boards–the World Wide Web, the platform of choice since the mid1990s– has been the most successful form of online newspaper publishing. The Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune launched an ISP and Web-based newspaper (called the Electronic Signpost) in April 1994. 2 By 1996,175 North American dailies were online, and 775 publications were online worldwide. One year later, nearly 1,600 newspapers were being published online, including 820 in the United States. Early newspapers were criticized as “little more than static boards displaying weather, tourist and civic information, or telephone numbers of editors at the newspaper.”4
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Brian L Massey, “Examination of 38 Web Newspapers Shows Nonlinear Storytelling Rare,” Newspaper Research Journal, 25.3 (Summer 2004): 96-102.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Massey attempts to shed some light on nonlinear storytelling by testing a textbook on the Web editions of U.S. daily newspapers. Among other things, it was suggested that future research should explore the frequency at which news Web sites are redesigned, the reasons for the redesign and how the redesign may affect the technological ways in which journalists configure the news for nonlinear storytelling.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Michael D Kaplowitz, Timothy D Hadlock and Ralph Levine, “A Comparison of Web and Mail Survey Response Rates,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 68.1 (Spring 2004): 94-101.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Internet (also called the World Wide Web or the Web) is increasingly looked at as a means of surveying the public (Couper 2000). Possible advantages of using the Internet include cost savings associated with eliminating the printing and mailing of survey instruments (Cobanoglu, Warae, and Morec 2001) as well as time and cost savings of having returned survey data already in an electronic format. For special populations that regularly use the Internet, the Web has been found to be a useful means of conducting research (Couper, Traugott, and Lamias 2001; Sills and Song 2002). In some instances, a mixed-mode strategy has been suggested as a means for exploiting the advantages of Web surveys and minimizing non-response (Dillman 2000; Schaefer and Dillman 1998). To reliably use a mixed-mode strategy (e.g., mail surveys and Web surveys) or to select among alternative survey modes, researchers must understand and demonstrate the equivalency and complementarily, or relative strengths of alternative modes (Dillman 2000). Researchers have used survey response rates as one measure of equivalency. The research reported here examines the effect of surface mail contacts on Web survey response rates. We also examine the relative merit of using a mail survey in a population that has ready access to the Web. The reported research is based on a larger research effort at Michigan State University (MSU). In 2000, MSU commissioned campus researchers and staff to develop a watershed plan that would comply with the storm water management requirements of Phase II of the federal Clean Water Act (Witter et al. 2001). One part of this integrated research, teaching, and outreach effort was a campus-wide survey (N = 19,890) of MSU students’ watershed knowledge, perceptions and use.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Access

Mick P Couper, Roger Tourangeau and Kristin Kenyon, “Picture This! Exploring Visual Effects in Web Surveys,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 68.2 (Summer 2004): 255-266.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article presents information on visual effects in web surveys. Our study focuses on one particular visual element, namely, the use of photographic images to supplement the question text. The task-style continuum suggests several different uses of pictures in web surveys. These include questions in which images play an essential role, such as questions on recall of an advertisement, brand recognition questions, questions on magazine readership. Questions in which images supplement the question text, whether the images are intended as motivational embellishments or as illustrations on the meaning of the question, questions exhibiting all three methods of blending text and image appear to be quite widespread in web surveys. The arguments for questions using the first type of text-image combination are quite compelling and questions in the third category—in which the images are incidental to the task-may also make sense in the highly competitive world of web surveys.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Patricia A. Curtin and T. Kenn Gaither, “International Agenda-building in Cyberspace: a Study of Middle East Government English-language Websites,” Public Relations Review, 30 (2004): 25-36.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study of the 10 official English-language, Middle East government and presidential web sites determines if and how they are building a dialogue with, and agenda for, English-language media and targeted publics. The paper addresses the dialogic functionality of web sites, what features are supplied to journalists to help build the media agenda, and how well communication across cultural boundaries and expectations takes place. Many results were unexpected and suggest Middle Eastern practitioners are relying on a personal relations model that takes advantage of the lack of a media gatekeeper on the web but not of the web’s media agenda-building capacities.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Annelie M. E. Naudéa, Johannes D. Froneman and Roy A. Atwood, “The Use of the Internet by Ten South African Mon-governmental Organizations—a Public Relations Perspective,” Public Relations Review, 30 (2004): 87-94.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract:  Practitioners using the internet in their public relations efforts often do not use the interactive features of the medium to their fullest potential. This article explores the interactive nature of the internet by applying the two-way symmetrical model of public relations to the web sites of 10 South African non-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The findings confirm that managing a web site successfully requires more than technical knowledge. Much more important is a sound understanding of communication within an organization, especially with regard to public relations. An understanding and practice of the two-way symmetrical model would optimize the communicative use of an organizational web site.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kirk Hallahan, “Protecting an Organization’s Digital Public Relations Assets,” Public Relations Review, 30 (2004): 255-268.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This review examines new legal and practical problems confronting organizations that arise out of misdeeds by Internet users outside or inside the organization. Five major culprits are identified: attackers, hackers, lurkers, rogues and thieves. Implications for effective online public relations are discussed.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Lynne M. Sallot, Lance V. Porter and Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, “Practitioners’ Web Use and Perceptions of Their Own Roles and Power: a Qualitative Study,” Public Relations Review, 30 (2004): 269-278.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Four focus group discussions with 35 practitioners were guided by theory about roles from public relations literature and power from strategic management literature to explore how World Wide Web use is related to practitioners’ perceptions of their own status and decision-making power. The web has become essential to public relations. Practitioners use the web extensively for research and evaluation, two-way communication, productivity and efficiency, issues management, and other applications. All four types of practitioners’ power, according to Finkelstein’s [Acad. Manage. J. 35 (3) (1992) 505-538] taxonomy-structural, expert, prestige and ownership-were enhanced by web use. Because, the web is such a great equalizer, web use may contribute to the blurring of practitioners’ roles.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Seok Kang and Hanna E. Norton, “Nonprofit Organizations’ Use of the World Wide Web: Are They Sufficiently Fulfilling Organizational Goals?” Public Relations Review, 30 (2004): 279-284.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study explores nonprofit organizations’ Web sites to determine the extent the organizations utilize the Web to accomplish organizational goals. A sample of the 100 largest NPOs in the United States was used for the study. Results found the selected NPOs were effectively using the Web to present traditional public relations materials and connect with publics. However, the organizations were largely unsuccessful in making interactive and relational communications with publics.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Michael Maynard and Yan Tian, “Between Global and Glocal: Content Analysis of the Chinese Web Sites of the 100 Top Global Brands,” Public Relations Review 30 (2004): 285-291
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the Chinese web sites of the 100 top global brands. It revealed that 58 of the 100 top global brands sponsored a Chinese web site. Refuting the argument that globalization is a homogeneous process, this study found that a glocal strategy, as opposed to a standardized global strategy, was being practiced in cyberspace by many of the companies with top brands. These companies glocalized their Chinese web pages by integrating local cultural characteristics into their brands’ strategies, thus presenting themselves as being socially accommodating to the local market. This study confirmed that glocalization is an outcome of the interaction between globalization and localization.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Thomas Gould, “Online Communication Research in 33 Mass Communication Journals, 1993-2003,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 7.2 (March 2004) 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study documents the growth of research about online communication in 33 mass communication journals over a decade. Articles on online communication constitute 0.9 percent of the total articles in these journals in 1993. By 2003, such articles constitute 11.4 percent of the total. The research also suggests the methods employed by researchers over the period shifted from qualitative (largely descriptive) to quantitative. This study examines the trends in mass communication research in an area that promises to be important for decades to come. It represents one of the broadest efforts in terms of journals, methods and theories. Its findings, especially in the preference for some areas of research methods and theories, report trends that are and will continue to be significant. What is left for future analysis is the degree to which journals and researchers successfully focus on the changing and converging environment of new communication that does not distinguish among the traditional topics or channels of mass communication.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy Analysis

Jin Yang and Padmini Patwardhan,  “Determinants of Internet News Use: A Structural Equation Model Approach,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 8:1 (December 2004). 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The study examines how demographics, perceived credibility of Internet news and Internet dependency relations directly influence Internet current affairs news use and how perceived credibility of Internet news and Internet dependency relations mediate the influence of demographics on Internet current affairs news use. The study finds that both the perceived credibility of Internet news and Internet dependency relations affect Internet current affairs news positively. Age and education have no direct impact on Internet current affairs news, but their indirect impact is all negative. In other words, younger people and less educated people access Internet current affairs news more frequently because their relationship with the Internet appears stronger. Moreover, the study finds a positive correlation between Internet credibility and Internet dependency relations suggesting that when people hold a more trusting attitude toward Internet news, they would depend more on the Internet for various life goals achievement; when they depend on the Internet more for various life goal achievements, they would rate the Internet news more credible.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Media System Dependency)

Thomas H.P. Gould is an associate professor at the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kansas State University where Aobo is a second year graduate student. Jacob Mauslein is a graduate student in security studies at Kansas State University.

Part Four, 2005-2009: Continuing the Patterns

By Thomas H.P. Gould, Aobo Dong and Jacob A. Mauslein

WJMCR 34 (July 2011)

2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |2009

We have looked at 15 years of research targeting online mass communications. This last five years we have found more articles addressing online subjects (782 to 616), but we have also found more overall articles in the period (4,514 to 3,824). The overall percentages of online articles increased from 11% to 13.6%, compared to the increase in all articles in the period of 18%. These asymmetrical increases suggest that interest in publishing (perhaps better described as “pressure to publish”) drove the creation of more new journals, as well as encouraging existing journal to publish more; but the focus on online subjects may be waning. That is, while we saw an increase in journal articles devoted to online mass communications, we did not see as many as we might have expected, given the overall, increase in publishing.

We resist drawing too much from this, except, perhaps, that online may finally have become absorbed into all areas of mass communications, an event we have expected for some time. Rather than seeing the delivery system as a more important topic than the messages themselves, we may be witnessing a return to content over electronics. Quantitatively and qualitatively, is a television commercial any different broadcast through a cable connection versus streamed to a computer monitor? This is a subject (controversy?) best addressed elsewhere.

In the period between 2005-2009, almost all 33 journals we examined were available online, though only a few were available through open access. While not undertaking a thorough examination of each journal’s publishing pattern, a casual examination of the data suggest that stalwarts, such as Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly and the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media published roughly the same numbers of articles they had in the previous five years. Of some interest, perhaps, is that the percentage devoted to online research by both journals fell from 16.1% to 13.7% for the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media and from 18.2% to 13.7% for Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

Table 1: Journal Articles by Journal, by Year, 2005-2009

	2005	2005 -All	2006	2006 -All	2007	2007 – All	2008	2008 – All	2009	2009 – All	Total	All	%
Communication Law and Policy	3	15	0	17	2	18	2	19	0	19	7	88	8.0%
Communication Quarterly	1	24	0	23	3	24	3	26	0	24	7	121	5.8%
Communication Research	2	28	6	26	2	29	9	36	2	36	21	155	13.5%
Communication Theory	2	24	3	21	2	24	1	23	0	21	8	113	7.1%
Critical Studies in Media Communication	1	30	3	33	2	40	5	25	3	26	14	154	9.1%
Global Media and Communication	4	28	3	19	1	34	0	15	3	18	11	114	9.6%
Human Communication Research	3	21	1	21	7	24	2	26	3	28	16	120	13.3%
International Journal of Advertising	1	22	0	20	7	21	1	31	6	25	15	119	12.6%
International Journal of Communications Law and Policy	9	9	8	9	0	0	8	15	5	10	30	43	69.8%
Internet Research	21	30	17	31	17	34	21	30	21	30	97	155	62.6%
Journal of Advertising	4	31	6	38	4	42	2	38	5	33	21	182	11.5%
Journal of Advertising Research	2	36	5	39	19	46	8	37	13	45	47	203	23.2%
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media	6	28	4	40	1	36	5	36	8	35	24	175	13.7%
Journal of Communication	6	43	8	55	7	41	3	39	7	35	31	213	14.6%
Journal of Communication Inquiry	2	15	1	12	3	16	1	18	4	22	11	83	13.3%
Journal of Consumer Affairs	2	20	1	19	2	17	2	19	4	24	11	99	11.1%
Journal of Consumer Marketing	4	46	2	48	4	44	1	44	4	41	15	223	6.7%
Journal of Consumer Psychology	0	34	0	41	0	33	0	36	5	48	5	192	2.6%
Journal of Consumer Research	1	65	1	61	1	63	1	78	1	78	5	345	1.4%
Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising	4	15	4	14	0	14	1	14	2	16	11	73	15.1%
Journal of Interactive Advertising	14	15	12	12	8	10	11	11	10	16	64	64	85.9%
Journal of Public Relations Research	0	17	2	18	0	16	0	19	3	24	5	94	5.3%
Journalism & Communication Monographs	1	4	1	5	1	4	0	7	0	7	3	27	11.1%
Journalism and Mass Comm Quarterly	3	44	7	44	9	40	3	40	6	37	28	205	13.7%
Mass Communication & Society	1	18	3	22	0	22	5	20	2	19	11	101	10.9%
Media Psychology	0	20	1	21	4	56	3	26	4	18	12	141	8.5%
Media, Culture and Society	4	39	3	38	5	42	3	47	6	54	21	220	9.5%
Newspaper Research Journal	3	20	1	24	6	27	3	28	6	25	19	124	15.3%
Public Opinion Quarterly	3	36	0	30	0	35	0	37	4	41	7	179	3.9%
Public Relations Review	3	52	3	47	2	44	5	42	14	83	27	268	10.1%
Visual Communication Quarterly	1	17	0	15	0	26	0	24	0	25	1	107	0.9%
Web Journal of Mass Comm Research	1	4	0	0	2	2	2	2	6	6	11	14	78.6%
Totals	112	850	106	863	121	924	111	908	157	969	616	4514	13.6%

In the area of research methods, the trend we noted in the 2000-2004 annotation toward quantitative increased, from 45.6% to 71.3%. While the percentage of research employing essays as a method fell roughly 10%, those using qualitative methods fell even further, from 26% to just over one in ten (10.2%). We might offer any number of reasons why the interest in using qualitative methods would fall so precipitously. However, that might be best addresses, again, elsewhere. We would only add that the quantitative percentage for 2007 reached its zenith for the overall 20-year period, with almost 8 out of 10 favoring a numeric analysis method. The fall from 79.3% in 2007 to 73% in the last year of the study might suggest that the shift toward quantitative methodology is experiencing a push back. Again, further research and analysis—such as an examination of the syllabi of university mass communication courses in research methods—is necessary.

Table 2: Primary Research Methods, 2005-2009

Method Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Total
Interpretive-Policy Analysis	9	2	4	11	10	36
Interpretive-Essay (including History)	20	21	10	15	10	76
Survey-Content Analysis	52	56	66	46	63	283
Survey-Interview/Case Study	6	6	11	17	22	62
Meta-Analysis	2	2	2	0	10	16
Model Building	4	1	2	1	7	15
Experiment	19	18	26	21	35	119
Total	112	106	121	111	157	607

Finally, we acknowledge our approach to coding theories is open to criticism. We ask the gentle reader to forgive us if we neglected to notate every variation on a given theory as separate and/or new. We used broad categories (such as Information Processing/Uses and Gratification and Social Interaction) to capture theories and models that were part of families versus species. We also acknowledge the increase in model building that employed new concepts and the increase in the number of sub-theories that resisted inclusion in our general categories. Again, our intent here was only to suggest broad trends, not specific interest in one new model over another.

Table 3: Theories by Year, 2005-2009

Theory Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Total
Access	3	1	2	0	1	7
Adoption/Diffusion	11	11	22	11	10	65
Agenda Building/Setting	1	2	0	2	1	6
Policy Analysis	28	24	12	18	31	113
Information Processing/Uses and Gratification	41	42	41	46	70	240
Social Interaction	18	16	17	29	41	121
Other	10	10	27	5	3	55
Total	112	106	121	111	157	607

Note: “Other” includes a variety of models that do not fit into the overall set.

We would like to thank those who offered advice and suggestions, as well as those who patiently waited for the product to take shape. Overall, we looked at almost 16,000 journal articles, initially almost all in print and, eventually, almost all online.

2005

JoAnne Holman and Michael A. McGregor, “The Internet As Commons: The Issue of Access,” Communication Law and Policy, 10.1 (Summer 2005): 267-289.
Keywords: Internet, mass media, law and legislation, digital media, World Wide Web, data processing. 
Abstract: Existing and developing regulatory frameworks for the traditional mass media are ill-suited to the new information environment in part because they emphasize the control of media content and distribution by private media owners. An analysis of the Internet as a commons has the potential to shift the basis of analysis from existing frameworks to one that examines the roles and behaviors of participants and the effects of their collective actions. This framework can help policymakers understand the complexity of multifaceted information exchange, and thereby draft policy that promotes or protects the diversity of communications activities that occur in this new environment, with specific attention to the importance of access and deliberative democracy.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Cassandra Imfeld and Victoria Smith Ekstrand, “The Music Industry and the Legislative Development of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s Online Service Provider Provision,” Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Summer 2005): 291-312.
Keywords: Music trade, copyright, infringement, intellectual property rights, cultural industries
Abstract: The online service provider provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act—Section 512 of the Copyright Act—limits the liability of online or Internet service providers whose users infringe the copyrights of others. While the provision limits liability, it also offers significant powers to a copyright holder seeking to prosecute online copyright infringers. This article traces the legislative development of the provision, examining initial opposition by copyright holders in the music industry. That opposition changed to support after considerable expansion of the original proposal. The article concludes that the music industry successfully lobbied within a three-month window before the first version of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was presented to Congress in May 1998. The expanded version of the provision included substantial new subpoena powers and takedown requirements.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Joshua Azriel, “The Internet and Hate Speech: An Examination of the Nuremberg Files Case,” Communication Law and Policy, 10.4 (Autumn 2005): 477-497.
Keywords: web sites, hate speech, communication policy, Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals.
Abstract: The Internet is a resource for many types of personal information including telephone numbers and addresses. Because the Internet is a communications medium that does not always identify its users, it is difficult to know who is making use of the information posted there, or whether there are Web sites that list such information within specific contexts. This article examines the ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the 2002 Planned Parenthood case involving a Web site, the Nuremburg Files, that listed names, addresses and telephone numbers of abortion providers across the country. Using the 1969 Brandenburg test for incitement, the court ruled that the Web site threatened the doctors’ safety and ordered it shut down. The article concludes that the spirit of the Brandenburg test can be applied to Internet-based speech. Anyone who uses the Internet to threaten an individual or group should not be protected by the First Amendment.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Robert Duran, Lynne Kelly and James Keaten, “College Faculty Use and Perceptions of Electronic Mail to Communicate with Students,” Communication Quarterly, 53.2 (2005):  159-176.
Keywords: Faculty use of e-mail, Faculty-student communication.
Abstract: In spite of the potential of e-mail to enhance faculty–student interaction, there is a limited amount of actual research on instructional uses of e-mail, and even less research on e-mail exchange between faculty and students. The purpose of the present study was to examine faculty-initiated e-mail with students, their perceptions of students’ motives for using e-mail, and their views of the consequences of faculty–student e-mail. A survey was distributed to faculty at two institutions, a small private university and a mid-sized public university. Results revealed that faculty in general are receiving more than twice as many e-mail messages as they initiate and that female faculty report receiving more student e-mail than male faculty. Faculty motives for initiating e-mail appear to be utilitarian in nature such as to make course announcements. Faculty reported that students used e-mail to make appointments and to clarify and ask questions about course material but that a primary motive was to offer excuses such as for late work. In general, faculty perceive the use of e-mail as both beneficial and as a liability in the educational context. Finally, institutional differences were found for faculty perceptions of students’ motives for using e-mail and for the consequences of e-mail.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Dhavan V. Shah, Jaeho Cho, William P. Eveland, Jr. and Nojin Kwak, “Information and Expression in a Digital Age: Modeling Internet Effects on Civic Participation,” Communication Research, 32 (2005): 531-565.
This article examines the role of the Internet as a source of political information and a sphere for public expression. Informational media use, whether traditional news sources or online public affairs content, is expected to foster interpersonal political discussion and online civic messaging, contributing to increased civic participation. Using two-wave national panel survey data, three types of synchronous structural equation models are tested: cross sectional (relating individual differences), fixed effects (relating intraindividual change), and auto regressive (relating aggregate change). All models reveal that online media complement traditional media to foster political discussion and civic messaging. These two forms of political expression, in turn, influence civic participation. Other variable orderings are tested to compare the theorized model to alternative causal specifications. Results reveal that the model produces the best fit, empirically and theoretically, with the influence of the Internet, rivaling the mobilizing power of traditional modes of information and expression.
Keywords: civic engagement; computer-mediated communication; interpersonal discussion; media effects; political participation; social capital
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Craig R. Scott and C. Erik Timmerman, “Relating Computer, Communication, and Computer-Mediated Communication Apprehensions to New Communication Technology Use in the Workplace,” Communication Research, 32 (2005): 683-725.
Keywords: computer anxiety; communication apprehension; computer-mediated communication; communication technology; organizational communication; new media; techno-stress; technology use. 
Abstract: This study explores three issues regarding the use of multiple workplace communication technologies: the relationships between distinct forms of apprehension (computer, communication and writing) and use, the relative contribution of computer-mediated communication (CMC) apprehension for predicting use, and changes in these relationships over time. A trend study, which consisted of the collection of data from two samples (N= 205) separated by a 5-year interval, suggests full or partial support for the hypotheses involving computer and communication apprehension. Although apprehension levels remain stable, usage frequency changed for several of the technologies examined—resulting in stronger relationships between apprehensions and those technologies for which use has changed the most in the past 5 years. Most notably, a new measure of CMC apprehension generally predicts communication technology use—especially text-based and conferencing tools—more strongly than do more traditional apprehension types.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jeroen Janz, “The Emotional Appeal of Violent Video Games for Adolescent Males,” Communication Theory, 15.3 (August 2005): 219–241.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article proposes a theoretical explanation for the popularity of violent video games among adolescent male gamers. The author uses theories about media and emotion as well as theories about emotion as a process to develop a model for the unfolding of emotion in violent video games. It is argued that violent video games provide a gratifying context for the experience of emotions. The fact that gamers are largely in control of the game implies that they can voluntarily select the emotional situations they confront. This freedom is attractive for adolescents who are in the midst of constructing an identity. For them, the violent game is a safe, private laboratory where they can experience different emotions, including those that are controversial in ordinary life. Gamers may deliberately select emotions that sustain dominant masculine identity (e.g., anger), as well as emotions that are at odds with dominant masculinity (e.g., fear).
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Bruce Bimber, Andrew Flanagin and Cynthia Stohl, “Reconceptualizing Collective Action in the Contemporary Media Environment,” Communication Theory, 15.4 (2005): 365–388.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Collective action theory, which is widely applied to explain human phenomena in which public goods are at stake, traditionally rests on at least two main tenets: that individuals confront discrete decisions about free riding and that formal organization is central to locating and contacting potential participants in collective action, motivating them, and coordinating their actions. Recent uses of technologies of information and communication for collective action appear in some instances to violate these two tenets. In order to explain these, we reconceptualize collective action as a phenomenon of boundary crossing between private and public domains. We show how a reconceptualized theory of collective action can better account for certain contemporary phenomena, and we situate traditional collective action theory as a special case of our expanded theory.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Lynn Schofield Clark, Christof Demont-Heinrich and Scott Webber, “Parents, ICTs, and Children’s Prospects for Success: Interviews along the Digital ‘Access Rainbow’,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 22.5 (December 2005): 409-426.
Keywords: ICTs; Cyberspace; Digital Divide; Parents; Children; Internet.
Abstract: Interviews with 52 parents of varying income levels and positions on the digital ‘‘access rainbow’’ are used to explore how parents discuss the widespread belief that ICT (information and communication technologies) access affects their children’s prospects for success. While all parents agreed that ICT competence is important, differences emerged along socioeconomic lines regarding how parents conceptualized the computer/success relationship. While upper-income parents demonstrated greater ICT proficiency and access and assumed that their children needed ICT proficiency for success, parents in the lower-income groups saw the need for ICT proficiency as more context-dependent and adopted broader definitions of success. All parents expressed concerns about the negative attributes of ICTs as entertainment rather than educational media; for lower- and middle-income families; however, this objection justified limits on use or access among children.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Rasha A. Abdulla, “Taking the e-train: The Development of the Internet in Egypt,” Global Media and Communication, 1.2 (2005): 148-165.
Keywords: Arab world, democratization, development, Egypt, internet, internet
effects, internet use.
 Abstract: Like many other countries in the Arab world, Egypt is trying to harness the internet as a powerful new medium to bridge the digital divide. This article starts by tracing the development of broadcast media technologies in Egypt, arguing that Egypt has historically made use of its position as a leader of media content in the Arab world to enhance development and culture as well as to advance the government’s political agenda. The article pays special attention to the development of the internet in Egypt, examining such issues as online connectivity, content and its Arabization. It argues that as a major provider of media content in the Arab world, and particularly with a new technocrat government, Egypt has the potential to lead the way towards greater democratization of communication and strengthening of civil society in the region.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Margarita Maass and Jorge A. González, “Technology, Global Flows and Local
Memories: Media Generations in ‘Global’ Mexico,” Global Media and Communication, 1.2 ( 2005): 167-184.
Keywords: Globalization, media generations, media memory, Mexico, symbolic
Ecologies, technology as social vector.
Abstract: This article presents part of the findings of a wider empirical study focusing on memories of three generations in Mexico. The study investigated the relationships between the three generational groups, their access to, and reception of, different media technologies, and how these affected the construction of their media memories. The authors show how social class, gender and age, and different media technologies (such as radio, television and the internet) interact to form media memories of ‘global’ events. Access to, and familiarity with, these material support systems combined with the social distribution of specific kinds of cognitive dispositions are the key conditions for making sense of media messages. Contesting some assumptions about the “globality” of media messages and experiences, this article’s conclusions and findings provide empirical evidence of a more complex situation. The study found only a limited global effect on the lower social classes, who form the majority of the population; in contrast, it was the privileged social classes of peripheral countries who ‘behaved’ in a global way and expressed their memories as global.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Gado Alzouma, “Myths of Digital Technology in Africa: Leapfrogging Development?” Global Media and Communication, 1.3 (2005): 339–356.
Keywords: Access, Africa, democracy, ICTs, internet, WSIS.
Abstract: Many multi- and bilateral agencies have integrated the promotion of information and communication technologies in Africa into their programmes. Along with African NGOs, they strongly advocate the use of ICTs by government offices, private enterprises, schools and the public. In general, groups and actors involved in such efforts share a set of dispositions and worldviews which are highly “modernist” and technocentrist and characterized by a propensity to view and act in favor of exogenous ‘technological’ solutions to development problems. One of the main characteristics of this rhetoric is that it accords no importance to existing social conditions, assuming that equipping people with computers will suffice to leapfrog them into the technological world of economic opportunities. This article critically reviews the main ideas presented by the proponents of this position in Africa and shows why there is a need for a more cautious approach to the question, without rejecting the promises of ICTs.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Lisa McLaughlin and Victor Pickard, “What is Bottom-up about Global Internet Governance?” Global Media and Communication, 1.3 (2005): 357–373.
Keywords: Gender, global policy, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), internet governance, neo-corporatism, neo-liberalism, Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG), World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
Abstract: This article maintains that the price for inclusion in the World Summit on the
Information Society – which finally has been achieved through the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) – has been the erosion of an oppositional civil society within the summit itself. Specifically, it evaluates the development of the WGIG as a manifestation of global neo-corporatism. In doing so, the article addresses recurrent patterns within neo-corporatist policy concentration that is oriented toward satisfying neo-liberal economic imperatives. The objective of this article is to provide an analysis of processes by which the diversity of interest representation that was characteristic of the first phase of the WSIS has become condensed into one agenda item focused on internet governance.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Yu Yuan1, Janet Fulk, Michelle Shumate, Peter R. Monge, J. Alison Bryant and Matthew Matsaganis, “Individual Participation in Organizational Information Commons: The Impact of Team Level Social Influence and Technology-Specific Competence, Human Communication Research, 31.2 (April 2005): 212-240.
Abstract: This research extended earlier public goods research on individual incentives to use an organizational information commons that was based in Marwell and Oliver’s (1993) collective action model. A revised theoretical model that incorporated team-level social influence and technology-specific competence was proposed. The model was tested using online survey data from 150 individuals in 13 work groups across 5 organizations. The research demonstrated that perceived team member behavior and technology-specific competence were positively related to individual use of intranets, over and above the collective level influences modeled in earlier research. These findings supported a more “socialized” model of individuals’ motivations to participate in organizational information sharing via collective repositories and suggested that management could boost levels of intranet usage through group level social influence and technology-specific training.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Hee Sun Park, Hye Eun Lee and Jeong An Song, “‘I Am Sorry to Send You SPAM’: Cross-Cultural Differences in Use of Apologies in Email Advertising in Korea and the U.S.,” Human Communication Research, 31.3 (July 2005): 365-398. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. A series of studies investigating cultural differences in apology usage in unsolicited email advertising messages (i.e., SPAM) are reported. Study 1 documented that in comparison to American SPAM, a greater percentage of Korean SPAM included apologies. The next five studies (“Ns” = 516, 3132, 662, 524, 536) tested various explanations for cross-cultural differences in uses of, and responses to, apologies. Findings indicated that advertising messages containing apologies were not necessarily more effective than advertising messages without apologies. Koreans, however, considered advertising messages with apologies as more credible and normal and exhibited a greater tendency to model other people’s apology use than did Americans. Thus, the frequent presence of apologies in Korean unsolicited email advertising is likely to be based on Koreans’ modeling behavior (i.e., a greater tendency to follow social norms).
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Jeremy N. Bailenson, Andrew C. Beall, Jack Loomis, Jim Blascovich and Matthew Turk, “Transformed Social Interaction, Augmented Gaze, and Social Influence in Immersive Virtual Environments,” Human Communication Research, 31.4 (October 2005): 511–537.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Immersive collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) are simulations in which geographically separated individuals interact in a shared, three-dimensional, digital space using immersive virtual environment technology. Unlike videoconference technology, which transmits direct video streams, immersive CVEs accurately track movements of interactants and render them nearly simultaneously (i.e., in real time) onto avatars, three-dimensional digital representations of the interactants. Nonverbal behaviors of interactants can be rendered veridically or transformed strategically (i.e., rendered nonveridically). This research examined augmented gaze, a transformation in which a given interactant’s actual head movements are transformed by an algorithm that renders his or her gaze directly at multiple interactants simultaneously, such that each of the others perceives that the transformed interactant is gazing only at him or her. In the current study, a presenter read a persuasive passage to two listeners under various transformed gaze conditions, including augmented gaze. Results showed that women agreed with a persuasive message more during augmented gaze than other gaze conditions. Men recalled more verbal information from the passage than women. Implications for theories of social interaction and computer-mediated communication are discussed.
Method: Experience
Theory: Social Interaction

Dongyoung Sohn and Joonhyung Jee, “Network structures of commercial portal sites: Implications for web advertising planning,” International Journal of Advertising, 24.4 (2005): 425-440.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Existing standards for the audience measurement and vehicle valuation of a website depend heavily on the traffic information of separate web pages. As a result, the hyperlink structure of a website has not been properly examined. This study attempts to extend the scope of existing web advertising planning perspectives by redirecting attention to the relational characteristics of websites as advertising vehicles. With two measures developed from network analysis methods (network density and network centrality), the hyperlink structures of five popular portal/search engine sites are analyzed and compared. Based on the analysis, this study develops a typology for classifying web pages and discusses how the typology can be used to design effective web advertisements.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Hyperlink Theory)

Zack Kertcher1 and Ainat N. Margalit, “Challenges to Authority, Burden of Legitimisation: The Printing Press and the Internet,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Internet is often regarded as a challenge to the nation-state’s ability to regulate flows of finance, information and symbols. Rather than examining whether it is possible to enforce regulation on such a media, this paper addresses two additional fundamental questions: (1) what do regulatory discourses and attempts to regulate reveal about the nation-state’s political authority under globalization, and (2) how does this authority vary across social, political and cultural contexts? In order to address these challenging queries we follow a unique path, both empirically and theoretically. Theoretically, we argue that political authority is a pivotal common denominator that undergirds diverse understandings of globalization. We then critically examine different conceptions of political authority and construct a typology that orients our study. Empirically, we follow our typology by comparing two historical phenomena: attempts by the Catholic Church to regulate the printing press during the 15th and 16th centuries, and attempts by China, Malaysia and the United States to regulate the Internet. Despite certain important commonalities, we posit that each of these cases illustrates a different model of the legitimization processes and transformations in political authority that occur under globalization.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Kenneth Katkin, “Communication Breakdown?: The Future of Global Connectivity after the Privatization of Intelsat,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In 1971, 85 nations (including the United States) formed the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization “INTELSAT,” a public intergovernmental treaty organization. INTELSAT was charged with operating the world’s first global telecommunications satellite system, in order to guarantee the interconnectedness of the world’s communications systems and the availability of international telecommunications service to every nation on Earth. By the late 1980s, however, INTELSAT’s operations began to experience substantial competition from the private sector. In 2000, the proliferation of privately-owned telecommunications satellites and transoceanic fiber optic cables led the U.S. Congress to mandate the privatization of INTELSAT. That privatization process began in 2001, and was substantially completed on January 28, 2005, when INTELSAT’s former satellite system was sold to private investors for $5 billion dollars.  The privatization of INTELSAT has been said to threaten universal global connectivity and/or the continuation of international telecommunications service to developing countries. Are the legal safeguards instituted during the privatization (which include the maintenance of a residual treaty organization) sufficient to dispel such economic and political threats? Economically, the privatized satellite system is now legally obligated to serve developing countries at rates no higher than those charged prior to privatization. It likely will remain capable of honoring this legal commitment. Even if its business operations fail, however, this commitment would survive a bankruptcy. Politically, the privatized satellite system has been rendered subject to U.S. law, including U.S. international trade policies. Current U.S. law, however, strongly protects the satellite system’s ability to serve every country on Earth. Congress, of course, retains power to amend U.S. law. But certain political safeguards, including U.S. participation in the World Trade Organization, would interpose significant obstacles to any Congressional attempt to implement telecommunications sanctions as a means of advancing U.S. foreign policy. Accordingly, the privatization of INTELSAT is unlikely to undermine the universal global connectivity of the world’s communications systems. 
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Access

Robert Danay, “Copyright vs. Free Expression: The Case of Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing of Music in the United Kingdom,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper explores the extent to which the peer-to-peer (p2p) file-sharing of music is a form of communication protected from the restrictions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (U.K.) (CDPA) by the guarantee of free expression enshrined in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and incorporated into domestic law through the Human Rights Act 1998 (U.K.) (HRA). The paper first examines the protection offered to freedom of expression through the existing copyright scheme. It is asserted that due to a lack of context-sensitivity, mechanisms such as the idea-expression dichotomy must not be relied upon to deny the existence of prima facie breaches of Article 10(1) of the ECHR. Rather, such breaches must be acknowledged and justified (if possible) as being “necessary in a democratic society” under Article 10(2) of the ECHR. Next, the extent to which p2p music file-sharing represents an infringement under the terms of the CDPA (exclusive of any effect of the ECHR) is examined. It is concluded that such sharing does amount to an infringement under the Act and is not subject to any of the enumerated defenses. The final part of the paper explores the extent to which the statutory restriction on file-sharing of music may be permitted under Article 10 of the ECHR. It is suggested that, for a number of reasons, the CDPA’s restriction on free expression may not be “necessary in a democratic society” under Article 10(2) of the ECHR. As a result, should this statutory restriction be impugned in a U.K. courtroom in the context of p2p music file-sharing, such a court may be under an obligation to exculpate infringing parties under the “public interest” defense or to make a declaration of incompatibility under the HRA.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Simone Francesco Bonetti,” European Union Legislation and Free Contracts for Internet Access in the United States and Italy: Towards a Consumer Rights Framework,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper seeks to add to the debate regarding the high level of privacy and consumer protection provided by European Union legislation, as compared to the United States. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the highly complex system of consumer protections by linking several regulatory initiatives in the wake of the European Parliament and Council Directive 00/31/EC. The result is a new legal framework for e-consumer protection that includes privacy protection. In the second part of the paper, the different free Internet access contract models in the U.S. and Italy are examined in order to test the implementation of the above-mentioned legislation from a European Community point of view. The analysis highlights the importance of a legal framework that seems capable of establishing the correct balance between the rights and duties of the e-consumer. At present, however, such a balance is not achieved by common U.S. and Italian free Internet access contracts.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Access

Christoph Engel, “Governing the Egalitarian Core of the Internet,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005).
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Few would claim that regulators, or academics working on regulatory policy, have neglected the Internet. However, most of their work is attracted by the global character of the Internet. Admittedly, this is a serious challenge to regulation, but it is not the only, and probably not even the most disquieting one. In the regulatory discourse, short shrift is given to the fact that the Internet originated in the egalitarian culture of American university computer labs. Its architecture was shaped during that period. Up to the present day, many key functions for Internet management are held by people coming from that culture. This paper argues that the egalitarian challenge to Internet governance has been largely overlooked. The challenge is serious, but not unmanageable. Nevertheless, regulators must use appropriate concepts to understand the challenge. A subfield of sociology, cultural theory, is particularly instrumental for that purpose. In order to address the challenge, regulators must use a set of governance tools that deviates considerably from standard regulatory responses.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Dan L. Burk, “Law as a Network Standard,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract 
The problem of global information flows via computer networks can be conceived and understood as raising issues of competition, interoperability and standard-setting parallel to those in analysis of technical standards. Uniform standards, whether technical or legal, give rise to a constellation of positive and negative network effects. As a global network based upon the “end to end” principle of interoperability, the Internet mediates between different, otherwise incompatible computing platforms. To the extent that law and technological “code” may act as substitutes in shaping human behavior, the Internet similarly mediates between different, otherwise incompatible legal platforms. Much of the legal and social controversy surrounding the Internet stems from the interconnection of such incompatible legal systems. As with technical systems, problems of incompatibility may be addressed by the adoption of uniform legal standards. This, however, raises legal standard-setting problems similar to those seen in technical standard setting, where the standard may be “tipped” in favor of dominant producers. In particular, if law is considered a social product, the benefits of interjurisdictional competition and diversity may be lost as a single uniform legal standard dominates the market for law. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Nicos L. Tsilas, “The Threat to Innovation, Interoperability, and Government Procurement Options From Recently Proposed Definitions of ‘Open Standards’,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: As the information technology (IT) marketplace becomes more competitive and heterogeneous in nature, the need for interoperability among diverse systems and components increases dramatically.2 Whereas 20 years ago, individuals and corporations customarily bought all of their IT equipment and services from one of the major vendors such as Digital, HP, IBM, or NCR, today they purchase and deploy multi-vendor networks of interoperable hardware and software. Today IT vendors accomplish interoperability in several often complementary and overlapping ways, including specifically designing interoperable products, publication of technology and licensing of related intellectual property (IP), and implementation of industry standards, including open standards such as TCP/IP, GSM, HTML, 802.11, and XML.3
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Lyombe Eko and Natasha Tolstikova, ” To Sign or not to Sign on the Dotted Line: The United States, the Russian Federation, and International Electronic Signature Policy,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 10.3 (Autumn, 2005). 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article compares the regulation of electronic signatures (e-signatures) in the United States and the Russian Federation as unique forms of communication that are the subject of international policy transfer through the framework of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The aim was to determine the extent to which American and Russian legislation on e-signatures adhere to, or incorporates e-signature principles set forth in, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures. It was found that the U.S. has embraced UNCITRAL e-signature principles and actively promotes their globalization. In contrast, the Russian Federation adopted a posture that is at variance with UNCITRAL’s globalist principles, opting for a closed, home–grown e-signature system. The e-signature policies of the U.S. and the Russian Federation are consistent with each country’s historical, political, and economic realities. Thus, even in an age of globalization, nation states succeed in putting their national imprint on the Internet in general, and on e-commerce in particular. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Luiz Antonio Joia and Paulo Sergio Sanz, “The Hidden Value of Sporadic Customers in e-Retailing: An Empirical Investigation,” Internet Research, 15.1 (2005): 7-20.
Keywords: Electronic commerce, Internet, Shopping, Customer retention, Buying behaviour, Profit maximization.
Abstract: Purpose – To analyze empirically the transaction profitability derived from sporadic and frequent customers in the e-retailing sector of minor home appliances in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach – A company’s database was analyzed quantitatively to assess the transaction profitability derived from sporadic and frequent customers purchasing via the firm’s digital channel, namely its web site. Besides, qualitative evidence was also collected from interviews with the main professionals involved in marketing and e-commerce in the firm and through analysis of the company’s web site and e-mail communications with customers.
Findings – The commercial transaction profitability associated with sporadic customers can be higher than that derived from frequent purchasers.
Research limitations/implications – The study concentrated on a single company within a specific industry (minor home appliance e-retailing) based in a specific country, namely Brazil.
Practical implications – The benefits of web consumer retention would only seem to be advantageous for digital companies that are client-centric, which can interact with these consumers. Furthermore, the mere fact of using transactional practices, low differentiation between products and the emphasis on promotion of price on the web would seem to increase sensitivity to price on the part of the consumers, particularly those who make purchases more frequently.
Originality/value – To enable practitioners and academics to grasp fully the real value of frequent and sporadic clients, in order to allow digital companies to develop coherent strategies for them.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Manuel J. Sanchez-Franco and Jose´ L. Roldan, “Web Acceptance and Usage Model: A Comparison Between Goal-directed and Experiential Web Users,” Internet Research, 15.1 (2005): 21-48.
Keywords: World Wide Web, Online operations, Consumer behaviour, Individual behaviour, User studies, User interfaces.
Abstract: Purpose – To analyze the web acceptance and usage between goal-directed users and experiential users, incorporating intrinsic motives to improve the particular and explanatory TAM (technology acceptance model) value – traditionally related to extrinsic motives.
Design/methodology/approach – A survey instrument was used to gather data to test the relationships shown in the research model. Data were collected from a sample of online questionnaires filled out by subscribers located in three discussion-mailing lists – administered by RedIris – about different topics (e.g. experimental sciences, social sciences and humanities). A structural equation modeling (SEM), specifically partial least squares (PLS), is proposed to assess the relationships between the constructs together with the predictive power of the research model.
Findings – The empirical development suggests that there is scope for further extension of TAM to adapt to the web-based usage and its profitable consequences. The article may help to further the empirical research and to clarify and examine a web acceptance and usage model. In general, experiential and goal-directed behaviors moderate the key relationships in the model. Experiential and goal-directed users do not weigh extrinsic and intrinsic motives in the same way when on the web. Goal-directed users are more driven by instrumental factors and focused on their decision-making process while experiential users are more motivated by process..
Research limitations/implications – First, constructs of enjoyment and concentration are used to define flow. However, because of the flow definition’s conceptual-vagueness, operationalizing the flow construct has been questioned in the previous empirical works. Second, the cross-sectional study is also an important limitation. Since the users’ perception and intention can change over time, it is important to measure these quantities at several points of time. Third, the sample sizes are relatively small. Fourth, the model needs to be tested with more objective measures to compare possible divergences. Finally, the model clearly does not include all the relevant variables. Practical implications – The results could be used to explain and to improve the experiential and goal-directed users’ experience of being and to return to the web.
Originality/value – The value of this study is to reveal the moderating influences of browsing-modes on relationship between flow and TAM-beliefs on the web, and, also, how the flow impacts the attitude and intention to use web between experiential and goal-directed users.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Bernard J. Jansen, Karen J. Jansen and Amanda Spink, “Using the Web to Look for Work: Implications for Online Job Seeking and Recruiting,” Internet Research, 15.1 (2005): 49-66
Keywords: Jobs, Internet, Search engines, Recruitment advertising.
Abstract: Purpose – The web is now a significant component of the recruitment and job search process.
However, very little is known about how companies and job seekers use the web, and the ultimate effectiveness of this process. The specific research questions guiding this study are: how do people search for job-related information on the web? How effective are these searches? And how likely are job seekers to find an appropriate job posting or application?
Design/methodology/approach – The data used to examine these questions come from job seekers submitting job-related queries to a major web search engine at three points in time over a five-year period.
Findings – Results indicate that individuals seeking job information generally submit only one query with several terms and over 45 percent of job-seeking queries contain a specific location reference. Of the documents retrieved, findings suggest that only 52 percent are relevant and only 40 percent of job-specific searches retrieve job postings.
Research limitations/implications – This study provides an important contribution to web research and online recruiting literature. The data come from actual web searches, providing a realistic glimpse into how job seekers are actually using the web.
Practical implications – The results of this research can assist organizations in seeking to use the web as part of their recruiting efforts, in designing corporate recruiting web sites, and in developing web systems to support job seeking and recruiting.
Originality/value – This research is one of the first studies to investigate job searching on the web using longitudinal real world data.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jürgen Kai-Uwe Brock and Yu (Josephine) Zhou, “Scale Development and Validation,” Internet Research, 15.1 (2005): 67-87
Keywords: Internet, Organizational analysis, Organizational processes, International business.
Abstract: Purpose – To contribute to the development of a theoretically grounded measure of organizational internet use (OIU) by conceptualizing and operationalizing it as a theoretical construct, and by empirically assessing its reliability and validity.
Design/methodology/approach – The focal construct OIU was conceptualized as an abstract collective object with three components, forming an index with formative, causal indicators. A multi-method research design – including a cross-sectional drop-and-collect survey among small technology-based firms (STBFs) in Germany and an observational study of web sites – was applied to assess empirically the theoretically developed construct OIU. This was achieved by using the component-based partial least squares (PLS) structural modeling technique using PLS-Graph.
Findings – The empirical assessment of the scale, applied to the international business domain, proved to be reliable and valid in the structural model and across assessment methods. 
Research limitations/implications – The focal construct was assessed among a very specific population. This limits the claims that can be made with regard to applying it in other industries, countries, and firms. Future research should address this by applying OIU in maximally different research contexts.
Practical implications – The developed construct has important implications for both managers and researchers. It should help in assessing levels of organizational internet use in a consistent fashion across populations and studies. It can be used for benchmarking purposes – of specific interest to managers – and it can be used to explore antecedents and consequences of organizational internet use – of specific interest to researchers.
Originality/value – Internet research is moving from anecdotal and exuberant internet euphoria to internet pessimism to internet realism. Only theoretically grounded, reliable and valid measures can support such a required transition. With this paper we have made an initial contribution for such a development to occur.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sangkyun Kim and Choon Seong Leem, “Security of the Internet-based
Instant Messenger: Risks and Safeguards,” Internet Research, 15.1 (2005): 88-98.
Keywords: Internet, Computer software, Safety.
Abstract: Purpose – To identify controls that can harness the power and capabilities of instant messengers (IM) while minimizing potential security risks.
Design/methodology/approach – A risk analysis method and (CIS) model are used. Findings – IMis a great tool for enterprise productivity. However, it has so many risks, but one could identify and control these risks with technical and managerial countermeasures.
Research limitations/implications – This paper fails to provide detailed and specific risks of commercial IMs, and the case study provided in this paper focuses on the technical rather than managerial issues.
Practical implications – A very helpful case study that provides general risks and controls of recent IMs for the security officers of various organizations.
Originality/value – This paper outlined the risks of IM and potential controls for securing public IM in the workplace.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy

Je Ho Cheong and Myeong-Cheol Park, “Mobile Internet Acceptance in Korea,” Internet Research, 15.2 (2005): 125-140.
Keywords: Internet, Mobile communication systems, Individual behavior, South Korea.
Abstract: Purpose – The increasing number of M-internet subscribers and the fast growing revenue proves the great potential of M-internet as well as the enormous business opportunity in Korea. The success in this business is dependent on understanding the concerns of customers and identifying the factors that promote the use of M-internet. Thus, this paper aims to examine the human motivations underlying individual behavioral intention to use M-internet in Korea.
Design/methodology/approach – Employs TAM (technology acceptance model) as the base model and develops a more comprehensive version of TAM to better reflect M-internet context. The model employs perceived playfulness, contents quality, system quality, internet experience and perceived price level, in addition to perceived usefulness and ease of use. Investigates the causal relationships among the constructs used in this revised TAM and identifies the direct and indirect causal role of the constructs in developing the intention to use M-internet.
Findings – Finds that attitude toward M-internet is the most significant factor in predicting the behavioral intention to use M-internet. Also identifies the positive role of the perceived playfulness and the negative role of perceived price level in developing the attitude as well as the intention. The positive causal relationships of “perceived contents quality – perceived usefulness”, “perceived system quality– perceived usefulness” and “internet experience–perceived ease of use” were also witnessed.
Practical implications – Considering the explosive growth of the M-internet market, well-established business strategy in M-internet will deliver great success to the mobile operators. Thus, understanding comprehensive causal relationship among the constructs used in this revised TAM would help managers to better implement the strategic ramifications in promoting M-internet.
Originality/value – Develops a more comprehensive version of TAM to better reflect M-internet context in Korea, adding five new constructs and identifies the role of the construct in promoting the use of M-internet.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

A. Gunasekaran and E.W.T. Ngai, “E-commerce in Hong Kong: an Empirical Perspective and Analysis,” Internet Research, 15.2 (2005): 141-159.
Keywords: Electronic commerce, Hong Kong.
Abstract
Purpose – The main objective of this study is to develop a framework for: identifying the reasons for using e-commerce; understanding the implications of e-commerce in companies; and implementing and applying e-commerce successfully for improved organizational competitiveness and success.
Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire was designed, pre-tested, modified, and used to capture data on e-commerce in Hong Kong. Based on the feedback from the pilot-test, the questionnaire was modified and a final questionnaire was developed and mailed to companies in Hong Kong. In the survey, conducted with Hong Kong companies, the perceived benefits and perceived barriers of e-commerce implementation are discussed.
Findings – The conceptual model based on the analysis of literature and some reported case experiences is developed using the current issues that have been highlighted as important e-commerce success factors of implementation. The major factors that influence the application and implementation of e-commerce are: perceived usefulness of web; perceived barriers of the internet for e-commerce; usage of the internet; and perceived benefits of the internet for e-commerce. In addition to this, country-specific factors such as culture, technology competency, government policy, educational level, influence the level of application of e-commerce.
Practical implications – The framework is the result of the validation of the theoretical model, together with the conclusions of the empirical analysis conducted in Hong Kong. The empirical analysis supported some of the assumptions of the theoretical model, but not others.  Based on the feedback received from respondents, the model has been revised to reflect these practical considerations.
Originality/value – Little research has been done to address the perceived benefits and potential barriers to e-commerce implementation in Hong Kong. This study is a timely and important one in that examines the current status of e-commerce implementation in Hong Kong. A generic framework is presented with the objective of supporting the application and implementation of the internet for e-commerce.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shintaro Okazaki, “Mobile Advertising Adoption by Multinationals: Senior Executives’ Initial Responses,” Internet Research, 15.2 (2005): 160-180.
Keywords: Advertising, Internet, Mobile communication systems, Telephony, Multinational-companies, Spain.
Abstract: Purpose – Although the wireless internet attracts more and more interest from marketers and researchers, there is little empirical evidence of multinational corporations’ (MNCs) adoption of push-type mobile advertising in global markets. The aim of this study is to fill this research gap, by conducting an empirical survey of the perceptions of MNCs operating in Europe regarding SMS-based mobile advertising adoption.
Design/methodology/approach – The study proposes six basic constructs which are thought to influence MNCs’ decision-making process on mobile advertising adoption. On this base, a structured questionnaire is developed. The data are obtained by telephone interviews from 53 senior executives of MNCs’ subsidiaries in Spain.
Findings – Hierarchical regression analysis reveals that branding strategy, facilitating conditions, and security and costs are the strongest determinants of MNCs’ mobile advertising adoption. Furthermore, discriminant analysis indicates that Japanese, American and European firms are statistically classifiable according to their cultural affiliation in terms of their perceptions of mobile advertising adoption. Japanese firms are the least willing to use mobile advertising, while their American counterparts are the most motivated in this regard.
Originality/value – While SMS-based mobile marketing has been receiving an increasing attention from both academics and practitioners, there exists little empirical research on this area. In this vein, this study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, the study proposes a conceptual research model based on six basic constructs, which incorporate both theoretical and practical perspectives. Second, the model is tested by empirical data obtained from top managers of MNCs’ subsidiaries operating in a European market. The findings of this study thus offer useful insights based on their “hands-on” experience.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Teemu Ylikoski, “A Sequence Analysis of Consumers’ Online Searches,” Internet Research, 15.2 (2005): 181-194.
Keywords: Internet shopping, Internet, Consumer behavior.
Abstract: Purpose – To describe consumers’ heuristic and analytical searches for a pre-purchase information acquisition, and to assess the correspondence of flexibility of information task and the information found with a search. 
Design/methodology/approach – Propositions based on current research in web use and consumer studies. Tracked records of searches are used for descriptive analysis of transitional patterns in the data. Regression is used for statistical verification of the information provided by searches.
Findings – Consumer searches center on chaining events, indicating heavy reliance on hyperlink navigation between web sites. Formal searches are seldom used, although when employed, tend to have a high level of diagnosticity. The emphasis on heuristic behavior is logical, because the way consumer information is currently presented on the Internet rewards for this type of behavior. Use of heuristic search increases the likelihood of access to flexibly presented information.
Research limitations/implications – Consumers favor heuristic trial-and-error searches even in focused fact-finding search tasks, which are typically considered the domain of analytical seeking.
Consumers seem to benefit most from apparently inefficient, reactive and heuristic searches, because these are more likely to provide information in a format that the consumer can adapt. Convenience sample limits generalizability of findings.
Originality/value – While there is an increasing body of knowledge concerning Internet use for finding information, fewer studies have focused on consumer uses of the web in search. This paper provides new information of online consumers, an increasingly important topic.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Other (Search Theory)

Gerard Ryan and Mireia Valverde, “Waiting for Service on the Internet: Defining the Phenomenon and Identifying the Situations,” Internet Research, 15.2 (2005): 220-240.
Keywords: Consumer behavior, Internet, Qualitative research.
Abstract: Purpose – E-consumers consistently complain that the Internet is frustratingly slow. Most existing research on this phenomenon is based on the concept of “download delay”, that is, the time required for a web page to fully download to the e-consumer’s computer screen. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the phenomenon of waiting for service on the internet with the intention of extending the narrow conceptualisation of the phenomenon of “download delay” to a more user-based perspective of waiting on the internet.
Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a qualitative research methodology. The research methods are seven asynchronous virtual focus groups involving 126 intensive internet users over 17 days and 92 participants who maintained personal diaries of waiting on the internet over a nine-week period.
Findings – A new definition of waiting on the internet is proposed based on extensive virtual focus group research. Subsequently, 14 distinct types of Internet waiting situations are identified based on the analysis of a total of 1,041 waiting situations as reported by the participants in the study.
Practical implications – A number of practical implications for various functional areas of the business are outlined. Conceptual and methodological contributions are also made.
Originality/value – The study is the first to present a broader conceptualization of waiting on the Internet from an e-consumer perspective and based on empirical research. All previous research has been based on just one type of online waiting, i.e. waiting for web pages to download to the user’s screen. This paper presents 13 “new” types of waiting situations on the Internet.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ying-Chieh Chen, Patrick S. Chen, Jing-Jang Hwang, Larry Korba, Ronggong Song and George Yee, “An Analysis of Online Gaming Crime Characteristics,” Internet Research, 15.3 (2005): 246-261.
Keywords: Video games, Internet, Crimes, Online operations, Taiwan 
Abstract: Purpose – To arouse the public awareness of online gaming-related crimes and other societal influences so that these problems can be solved through education, laws and appropriate technologies.
Design/methodology/approach – A total of 613 criminal cases of online gaming crimes that happened in Taiwan during 2002 was gathered and analyzed. They were analyzed for special features then focusing on the tendency for online gaming crime. Related prosecutions, offenders, victims, criminal methods and so on, were analyzed.
Findings – According to our analysis of online gaming characteristics in Taiwan, the majority of online gaming crime is theft (73.7 percent) and fraud (20.2 percent). The crime scene is mainly in internet cafe´s (54.8 percent). Most crimes are committed within the 12:00 to 14:00 time period (11.9 percent). Identity theft (43.4 percent) and social engineering (43.9 percent) are the major criminal means. The offenders (95.8 percent) and victims (87.8 percent) are mainly male and offenders always proceed alone (88.3 percent). The age of offenders is quite low (63.3 percent in the age range of 15-20), and 8.3 percent of offenders are under 15 years old. The offenders are mostly students (46.7 percent) and the unemployed (24 percent), most of them (81.9 percent) not having criminal records. The type of game giving rise to most of the criminal cases is Lineage Online (93.3 percent). The average value of the online gaming loss is about US$459 and 34.3 percent of criminal loss is between $100 and $300.
Research limitations/implications – These criminal cases were retrieved from Taiwan in 2002. Some criminal behavior may have been limited to a certain area or a certain period.
Practical implications – Provides a useful source of information and constructive advice for the public who will sense the seriousness and influence of online gaming crimes. Further, this topic may have implications on e-commence, e-services, or web-based activities beyond gaming.
Originality/value – Since there is little published research in this area, this paper provides the public with a good and original introduction to a topic of growing importance.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

C.M. Chewar, D. Scott McCrickard, and John M. Carroll, “Analyzing the Social Capital Value Chain in Community Network Interfaces,” Internet Research, 15.3 (2005): 262-280.
Keywords: Man machine interface, Design, Interface management.
Abstract: Purpose – This work aims to probe how interface designers concerned with human-computer interaction of community networks might use the theoretical constructs of social capital and activity awareness.
Design/methodology/approach – A design model for community network interfaces is introduced that reconciles various computer-mediated communication research contributions with support for typical community network scenarios of use. Using this model, an inspection is performed on existing community network implementations (available December 2002) and then the adequacy of the model for informing the design process is examined.
Findings – Based on the insight gained through this analysis, a generic prototype and new user evaluation method are introduced that allow survey of user reaction to community network design elements under differing conditions. It is shown how results obtained through this method frame a value-chain understanding of conceptual tradeoffs.
Research limitations/implications – To demonstrate the new user evaluation method in an analysis of critical design tradeoffs, the issues of persistent virtual identity implementation and usage motivation are probed. However, the evaluation method must be validated with other issues and tested by researchers that were not part of its creation process.
Practical implications – Contributions from this paper include tools (a design model, a generic prototype, and an evaluation method) linking theory with community design artifacts, building on previous work. Evaluators now have indicators for assessing community informatics.
Originality/value – Interface designers of community networks and those interested in social capital theory will appreciate the link between practice and theory provided by this approach.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Other (Social Capital)

Stephanie Hackett and Bambang Parmanto, “A Longitudinal Evaluation of Accessibility: Higher Education Web Sites,” Internet Research, 15.3 (2005): 281-294.
Keywords: Higher education, Educational policy, Internet, Disabled people.
Abstract: Purpose – Using Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, higher education web sites were retrospectively analyzed to study the effects that technological advances in web design have had on accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Design/methodology/approach – A convenience sample of higher education web sites was studied for years 1997-2002. The homepage and pages 1-level down were evaluated. Web accessibility barrier (WAB) and complexity scores were calculated. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine trends in the data and Pearson’s correlation (r) was computed to evaluate the relationship between accessibility and complexity.
Findings – Higher education web sites become progressively inaccessible as complexity increases.
Research limitations/implications – The WAB score is a proxy of web accessibility. While the WAB score can give an indication of the accessibility of a web site, it cannot differentiate between barriers posing minimal limitations and those posing absolute inaccessibility. A future study is planned to have users with disabilities examine web sites with differing WAB scores to correlate how well the WAB score is gauging accessibility of web sites from the perspective of the user.
Practical implications – Findings from studies such as this can lead to improved guidelines, policies, and overall awareness of web accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Originality/value – There are limited studies that have taken a longitudinal look at the accessibility of web sites and explored the reasons for the trend of decreasing accessibility.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Access

Bussakorn Jaruwachirathanakul and Dieter Fink, “Internet Banking Adoption Strategies for a Developing Country: the Case of Thailand,” Internet Research, 15.3 (2005): 296-311.
Keywords: Banking, Thailand, Internet, Developing countries, Consumer behavior.
Abstract: Purpose – The objective of the paper is to identify the factors that encourage consumers to adopt internet banking services in Thailand and to use the study’s findings to develop strategies for banks on how to maximize the rate of adoption.
Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative research with a sample size of 600 achieved by sending questionnaires to 15 people in each of 40 large companies in Bangkok. The study is based on the Decomposed Planned Behavior.
Findings – The attitudinal factors that appear to encourage the adoption of Internet banking in Thailand most are “Features of the web site” and “Perceived usefulness”, while the most significant impediment to adoption is a perceived behavioural control, namely “External environment”. The significant moderating factors are gender, educational level, income, internet experience and internet banking experience, but not age.
Research limitations/implications – In this study, encouragement factors are those that are able to be controlled by banks, while impediment factors are those that are not able to be controlled.
Practical implications – It is essential for banks to facilitate encouragement and restrict impediment factors. In addition to the direct “push” from internet banks (in respect of the encouragement factors), indirect persuasion should be carried out as a “pull” mechanism (in respect of the impediment factors).
Originality/value – The study identified a number of specific strategies that Thai banks could follow to maximize the adoption of Internet banking.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kim Ramus and Niels Asger Nielsen, “Online Grocery Retailing: What Do Consumers Think?” Internet Research, 15.3 (2005): 335-362.
Keywords: Consumer behavior, Electronic commerce, Marketing theory.
Abstract: Purpose – To use the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework to explore in depth the range of beliefs held by consumers about internet shopping in general and internet grocery shopping in particular.
Design/methodology/approach – Seven focus group interviews, four in the United Kingdom and three in Denmark, were conducted among consumers with different degrees of experience with internet grocery shopping. This diversification of respondents was chosen to capture a broad range of the consumer beliefs that predict intentions to buy groceries online or not. The TPB framework was used to construct the interview guide that was followed in all focus groups.
Findings – An unexpected result of the explorative study was that the seven groups consisting of more or less experienced Internet shoppers differed only little in their pool of beliefs (outcome and control beliefs). Beliefs about Internet grocery shopping, positive as well as negative, were remarkably congruent across groups. In the minds of consumers, internet grocery shopping is an advantage compared with conventional grocery shopping in terms of convenience, product range and price. Disadvantages, which could act as mental barriers, are, for instance, the risk of receiving inferior quality groceries and the loss of the recreational aspect of grocery shopping.
Research limitations/implications – An important potential limitation of this research is the choice of focus groups as research methodology, which can prevent the elicitation of certain types of beliefs. If important beliefs concern issues of a more sensitive, personal character they are not likely to be mentioned in a focus group. Another limitation is the explorative nature of the research, which makes it impossible to attach weights to the importance of the elicited beliefs in predicting internet shopping behavior.
Practical implications – The findings could be used to direct attention to consumer beliefs about internet grocery shopping which have the potential of acting as barriers to this line of e-commerce.
Originality/value – To shed some light on the role of consumers in an underperforming and understudied branch of internet retailing. Barriers in the consumers’ minds to shop for groceries online are identified using an established theoretical framework.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Other (Planned Behavior Theory)

Kenneth C.C. Yang, “Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Regulation of Internet Auction Sites: A Third-person Effect Perspective,” Internet Research, 15.4 (2005): 359-377.
Keywords: Internet, Auctions, Regulation, Surveys
Abstract
Purpose – The purposes of this study are to examine Internet users’ perception of potential harm among a list of products available on internet auction sites, to discuss the influence of the third-person effect on internet users’ pro-regulatory attitudes, and to investigate the effects of users’ characteristics and perceived harm on their attitudes toward regulation of online auction industry.
Design/methodology/approach – An online questionnaire survey was designed and employed to collect information about internet users’ third-person effect perception, pro-regulatory attitudes toward internet auction sites, and control variables such as demographics, internet usage, and innovative characteristics. A convenience sample of 592 internet users was recruited to take part in this study.
Findings – Internet users’ perceptual differences are statistically significant between the estimated influence on self, teenagers, and other adults for each product. Perceived harm to self consistently predicts Internet users’ pro-regulatory attitudes, but not for teenagers and other adults. Perceived harm to self also predicts pro-regulatory attitudes toward these web sites, even after controlling for potential confounding variables.
Research limitations/implications – The study is limited by its convenient sampling method and measurement of internet users’ actual and intended behavior. Nevertheless, because internet users play a complex role of buyers, sellers, and possible victims on auction sites, it is important to examine perceptions and motivations underlying their support for regulating online auction industry.
Originality/value – The integrated approach of mass communication, electronic commerce activities, and public policy-making perspectives ensures that future regulatory proposal of online auction industry will be comprehensive.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Yuval Elovici, Chanan Glezer, and Bracha Shapira, “Enhancing Customer Privacy While Searching for Products and Services on the World Wide Web,” Internet Research, 15.4 (2005): 378-399.
Keywords: Internet, Privacy, Electronic commerce, Customer profiling.
Abstract: Purpose – To propose a model of a privacy-enhanced catalogue search system (PECSS) in an attempt to address privacy threats to consumers, who search for products and services on the world wide web.
Design/methodology/approach – The model extends an agent-based architecture for electronic catalogue mediation by supplementing it with a privacy enhancement mechanism. This mechanism introduces fake queries into the original stream of user queries, in an attempt to reduce the similarity between the actual interests of users (“internal user profile”) and the interests as observed by potential eavesdroppers on the web (“external user profile”). A prototype was constructed to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the model.
Findings – The evaluation of the model indicates that, by generating five fake queries per each original user query, the user’s profile is hidden most effectively from any potential eavesdropper. Future research is needed to identify the optimal glossary of fake queries for various clients. The model also should be tested against various attacks perpetrated against the mixed stream of original and fake queries (i.e. statistical clustering).
Research limitations/implications – The model’s feasibility was evaluated through a prototype. It was not empirically tested against various statistical methods used by intruders to reveal the original queries.
Practical implications – A useful architecture for electronic commerce providers, internet service providers (ISP) and individual clients who are concerned with their privacy and wish to minimize their dependencies on third-party security providers.
Originality/value – The contribution of the PECSS model stems from the fact that, as the internet gradually transforms into a non-free service, anonymous browsing cannot be employed any more to protect consumers’ privacy, and therefore other approaches should be explored. Moreover, unlike other approaches, our model does not rely on the honesty of any third mediators and proxies that are also exposed to the interests of the client. In addition, the proposed model is scalable as it is installed on the user’s computer.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Policy

Dimitrios Lekkas, Stefanos Gritzalis, and Lilian Mitrou, “Withdrawing a Declaration of Will: Towards a Framework for Digital Signature Revocation,” Internet Research, 15.1 (2005): 400-420.
Keywords: Data security, Digital signatures, Extensible Markup Language.
Abstract: Purpose – The objective of this paper is to investigate the legal and technical reasons why a declaration of will, denoted by a digital signature, can be cancelled and how this cancellation can be technically achieved.
Design/methodology/approach – Proposes a technical framework for establishing a signature revocation mechanism based on special data structures, the signature revocation tokens (SRT), and investigates the alternatives for disseminating the signature status information (SSI) to the relying parties.
Findings – A relying party has to take into consideration the possible existence of a signature revocation, in order to decide on the validity of a digital signature. A scheme based on a central public repository for the archival and distribution of signature revocation tokens exhibits significant advantages against other alternatives.
Originality/value – Identifies various intrinsic problems of the digital signature creation process that raise several questions on whether the signer performs a conscious and willful act, although he/she is held liable for this action. The law faces the eventual right of the signer to claim a revocation of a previously made declaration of will, especially in cases of an error, fraud or duress.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Lin-Chih Chen and Cheng-Jye Luh, “Web page prediction from meta-search results,” Internet Research, 15.4 (2005): 421-446.
Keywords: Search engines, Individual behaviour, Worldwide web, Information retrieval.
Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to present a new web page recommendation system that can help users to reduce navigational time on the internet.
Design/methodology/approach – The proposed design is based on the primacy effect of browsing behavior, that users prefer top ranking items in search results. This approach is intuitive and requires no training data at all.
Findings – A user study showed that users are more satisfied with the proposed search methods than with general search engines using hot Keywords. Moreover, two performance measures confirmed that the proposed search methods out-perform other meta-search and search engines.
Research limitations/implications – The research has limitations and future work is planned along several directions. First, the search methods implemented are primarily based on the keyword match between the contents of web pages and the user query items. Using the semantic web to recommend concepts and items relevant to the user query might be very helpful in finding the exact contents that users want, particularly when the users do not have enough knowledge about the domains in which they are searching. Second, offering a mechanism that groups search results to improve the way search results are segmented and displayed also assists users to locate the contents they need. Finally, more user feedback is needed to fine-tune the search parameters including a and b to improve the performance.
Practical implications – The proposed model can be used to improve the search performance of any search engine.
Originality/value – First, compared with the democratic voting procedure used by meta-search engines, search engine vector voting (SVV) enables a specific combination of search parameters, denoted as a and b, to be applied to a voted search engine, so that users can either narrow or expand their search results to meet their search preferences. Second, unlike page quality analysis, the hyperlink prediction (HLP) determines qualified pages by simply measuring their user behavior function (UBF) values, and thus takes less computing power. Finally, the advantages of HLP over statistical analysis are that it does not need training data, and it can target both multi-site and site-specific analysis.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Other (Search Theory)

Carlos Flavián, Miguel Guinalíu and Eduardo Torres, “The Influence of Corporate Image on Consumer Trust: A Comparative Analysis in Traditional Versus Internet Banking,” Internet Research, 15.4 (2005): 447-470.
Keywords: Corporate image, Trust, Financial services, Internet banking.
Abstract: Purpose – To analyze the relationship between corporate image and consumer trust in the context of financial services distribution.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyzes the causal relationship that exists between corporate image and consumer trust in the financial services distribution through traditional channels, as well as over the Internet. This paper also analyzes the moderating effect of relationship duration on the influence of the corporate image on trust. 
Findings – The results obtained show that in distribution through traditional channels no significant differences exist in the intensity of the effect of the image on trust in terms of the relationship duration. Nevertheless, significant differences in the financial services distribution over the internet have been observed. 
Practical implications – The significant influence that image exerts on consumer trust shows us that corporate image becomes a key tool for the management of trust in financial services distribution. 
Originality/value – Despite the importance that researchers have assigned to the variables of corporate image and trust, much of the work so far is in the initial phase of development. Thus, the majority of the works have been approached from a fundamentally theoretical perspective, or else the empirical testing has been carried out in an indirect way, based on factors that form part of the image or are related to it. Because of this, today there is no research that has empirically evaluated the role played by corporate image in the levels of trust of the consumer of financial services.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

M. Coetzee and J.H.P. Eloff, “Autonomous Trust for Web Services,” Internet Research, 15.5 (2005): 498-507.
Keywords: Internet, Services, Trust.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to show that information and evidence found in the XML-based environment of web services can allow web services providers to gain a sense of the trustworthiness of web services requestors over time.
Design/methodology/approach – A literature review on trust in web services environment is provided. Trust management models, and an existing trust specification for web services are discussed. Next, a conceptual framework for web services trust formation is presented.
Findings – The paper makes explicit types of information that can be used for trust formation. Web services providers are given the ability to trust requestors autonomously by making use of information that is published through web services standards, defined over and above a web services interface. The approach incorporates elements of social trust as it is concerned with more than cryptographic controls. It has mechanisms that allow a web services provider to manage trust autonomously, enabling different types of trust for different situations.
Research limitations/implications – A conceptual framework for trust formation has been defined that identifies a proposal for trust calculation. The paper does not address the implementation of the framework, and calculation of trust over information categories.
Practical implications – The paper identifies a practical approach to autonomous web services trust by making use of web services standards such as WS-Policy and WS Metadata Exchange.
Originality/value – This paper identifies a taxonomy of trust information that can be used to make explicit the requirements for web services trust.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Hanjun Ko, Chang-Hoan Cho and Marilyn S Roberts, “Internet Uses and Gratifications: A Structural Equation Model of Global Interactive Advertising,” Journal of Advertising, 34.2 (Summer 2005): 57-70.
Keywords: N/A
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
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Robert S Moore, Claire Allison Stammerjohan and Robin A Coulter, “Banner advertiser-web site context congruity and color effects on attention and attitudes,” Journal of Advertising, 34.2 (2005): 71-84.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: These experiments were conducted in an online environment, considering “the effects of the congruity between the product foci of the advertiser and the web site, as well as banner color and banner color-text contrast on measures of attention (i.e., recall and recognition) and attitudes toward the ad and the Web site.” The first experiment found incongruity to have a “more favorable effect on recall and recognition,” and congruity to have a “more favorable effect on attitudes.” There were some inconclusive findings about color schemes as well, and overall attitude toward the website was found to be “more positive for those who did not recall or recognize the ad.” Color was found to have a limited effect on the behaviors of the web users, and while some extreme manipulations of colors (such as red background and white letters) drew greater attention, the “color-contrast combinations did not differentially affect Web browsers’ attention levels.”
    Some important implications to take away from these experiments have to do with the locale of banner advertisements–specific sites they are located on and pertain to. Regarding my thesis, the authors stress the idea that sometime incongruence is needed to attract consumers’ initial attention, although the incongruence operates on a fine line. The environment in which these advertisements are placed are extremely relevant to its success. Another avenue is the effect that the banner advertisement can have on the host site. Can there be a symbiotic relationship that exists between the two? And in that case, can that maybe be a revenue source that the banner advertisement company can take advantage of? In these results, there is a hint that banner advertisement color may play a role, and the authors suggest that further research should take place in this area. Specifically,  eye tracking devices would be useful to see how different color schemes are attended to and viewed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Chang-Hoan Cho and Hongsik John Choon, “Cross-cultural Comparisons of Interactivity on Corporate Web Sites: U.S., U.K., Japan and Korea,” Journal of Advertising, 34.2 (Summer 2005): 99-115.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: In order to understand the role of corporate website in marketing communication mix, this study investigates information content and advertising communication appeals reflected in top U.S. and Chinese  companies relative to their different stages of e-commerce development and socio-cultural environments. The  results suggest that most U.S. corporate websites were based on the e-commerce model and featured  significantly more detailed product information. In contrast, most Chinese corporate websites followed the image building model, emphasizing general company information, including history, missions, and company’s  engagement with society. Additionally, U.S. websites emphasized more individualistic appeals whereas Chinese corporate websites presented more collectivistic appeals. Based on the results, the future development of e-commerce in China is also discussed. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Maria Sicilia, Salvador Ruiz and Jose L Munuera, “Effects of Interactivity in a Web Site: The Moderating Effect of Need for Cognition,” Journal of Advertising, 34.3 (Fall 2005): 31-45.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This paper examines how consumers process the information available, and what their experiences are, when exposed to an interactive Web site as compared with a non-interactive Web site. The experiment developed analyzes two versions of a Web site in which the capacity to interact with the message has been manipulated. The results show that the interactive Web site leads to more information processing, higher favorability toward the product and the Web site, and greater flow state intensity. In addition, the findings confirm the hypothesized moderating effect of need for cognition on information processing. Implications for new media researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Henry Assael, “A Demographic and Psychographic Profile of Heavy Internet Users and Users by Type of Internet Usage,” Journal of Advertising Research, 34.1 (March 2005): 93-123.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: With the penetration rate of the web approaching 70 percent, profiles of general web usage are less important. Web marketers must begin to focus on the profile of heavy web users and users by type of web usage. This article develops a demographic and lifestyle profile of heavy web users (those using the web for 20 hours a week or more) based on a survey of over 5,000 respondents. It also identifies six key web usage categories—Web Generalists, Downloaders, Self-Improvers, Entertainment Seekers, Stock Traders, and Socializers—and develops a profile of each. This may be the first study providing a detailed demographic and lifestyle description of both heavy users and web usage types. The profiles should be useful to web marketers for selecting media and setting the tone of their marketing effort in targeting these groups.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis

Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Nigel Hollis, “Ten Years of Learning on How Online Advertising Builds Brands,” Journal of Advertising Research, 34.2 (June 2005): 255-268.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Online advertising has been with us for over 10 years. During that time two different paradigms have characterized the way the effectiveness of online advertising has been assessed: brand building or direct response. In general the direct response paradigm has become the yardstick of online advertising success due to the universal measurement of click-through. This article proposes that the two paradigms are not contradictory but are in fact complementary and that the applicability of either model depends on the mindset of the audience as much as the intent of the advertisement. The article outlines a conceptual framework that integrates an established brand equity model with different stages of the purchase process and then uses existing learning, new research data, and case studies to illustrate the various ways in which online advertising can help build brands and increase the probability of purchase. The article concludes that click-through is primarily a consequence of the brand building effect combined with a willingness to learn more about the specific brand as a result of an immediate need for a product or service of that type.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Seounmi Youn, “Teenagers’ Perceptions of Online Privacy and Coping Behaviors: A Risk/Benefit Appraisal Approach,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 49.1 (2005): 86-110.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Applying Rogers’s (1975, 1983) protection motivation theory to the online privacy context, this study determined that risk and benefit appraisals explain teenagers’ willingness to provide information to a Web site, which, in turn, affected their risk-lowering behaviors. Survey data from 326 high school students revealed that a higher level of risk perception of information disclosure led to less willingness to provide information. In contrast, as teenagers perceived more benefits from information disclosure, they were more willing to provide information. Subsequently, as teenagers were less likely to give out their information, they tended to engage in several risk-reducing strategies such as falsifying information, providing incomplete information, or going to alternative Web sites that do not ask for personal information. Implications for public policies and self-regulations to protect teenagers’ online privacy were discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ven-hwei Lo and Ran Wei, “Exposure to Internet Pornography and Taiwanese Adolescents’ Sexual Attitudes and Behavior,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 49.2 (June, 2005): 221-238.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Soon after its commercialization in 1993, the Internet and the World Wide Web gained prominence in producing, disseminating, storing, and presenting pornographic materials known as cyberporn or cybersex. Content analyses (Heider and Harp, 2000; Mehta and Plaza, 1997; Rimm, 1985) have shown that pornographic materials posted and distributed on the Internet have been presented in an unprecedented and interactive dimension. Concerns over the excessive growth of Internet pornography have given rise to a moral panic (McMurdo, 1997). Evidence in the literature has established an association of exposure to pornographic materials with sexual arousal and cognitive effects, especially changes in attitudes (such as disinhibition) and values (such as sexual callousness). The conclusions of the impact on behavioral effect, however, are inconsistent. A large number of studies reported effects of use of pornography on aggression, but other studies (e.g., Donnerstein, Linz, and Penrod, 1987; Linz, Donnerstein, and Adams, 1989) have suggested that aggression accompanied materials containing sexual violence. Several meta-analytic analyses provided the most compelling evidence (Allen, D’Alessio, and Brezgel, 1995; Allen, Emmers, Gebhardt, and Giery, 1995) to support the proposition that consumption of either nonviolent or violent pornography may lead to some serious attitudinal and behavioral effects. Not surprisingly, policymakers, parents, and educators fear cyberporn will cause greater social harm than traditional pornography.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Nikhil Sharma, Derek L Hansen and Scott Alter, “Impact of Popularity Indications on Readers’ Selective Exposure to Online News,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 49.3 (2005): 296-313.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Selecting news online may differ from traditional news choices, as most formal importance indicators in traditional media do not convert directly to online news. However, online portals feature news recommendations based on collaborative filtering. To investigate how recommendations affect information choices, 93 participants browsed online news that featured explicit (average rating) or implicit (times viewed) recommendations or no recommendations (control group) while news exposure was logged. Participants picked more articles if the portal featured explicit recommendations, and stronger explicit recommendations instigated longer exposure to associated articles. Implicit recommendations produced a curvilinear effect with longer exposure for low and high numbers.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Zizi Papacharissi and Jan Fernback, “Online Privacy and Consumer Protection: An Analysis of Portal Privacy Statements,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 49.3 (2005): 259-281. 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The advent of information technologies has raised public concern regarding privacy, as documented by the results of several surveys. Although extensive, online privacy statements seldom provide explicit reassurance that consumer information will be kept confidential and will not be exploited. This research examines these privacy statements to determine their overall utility. We evaluate the overall efficacy of privacy statements and focus on the language, format, privacy reassurances, complexity of legal and technical terms and perceived statement credibility. A content analysis of privacy statements reveals that privacy statements do not always protect customer interests as much as they serve as legal safeguards for the companies involved. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

David Tewksbury, “The seeds of audience fragmentation: specialization in the use of online news sites,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 49.3 (2005): 332-348.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Abstract: A number of recent appraisals of developing media technologies have emphasized the potential for the new media to fragment audiences (e.g., Chaffee and Metzger, 2001; Havick, 2000). This fragmentation is presumed to result from technologies that allow and even encourage people to narrow the focus of their media consumption to pursue their individualized interests and needs (Sunstein, 2001; Webster and Phalen, 1997; cf. Webster and Lin, 2002). As a result of a narrowed focus on specific content, people appear likely to ignore other messages. Katz (1996) has argued that such a process is problematic for the functioning of modern democracies. Fragmented audiences are unlikely to consume a common diet of news, potentially leaving them under-informed about central issues facing a nation. Individually tailored media use “seems to be fast displacing national comings-together, and pleasure seems to be pushing public affairs ever more out of sight” (Katz, 1996, p. 25). Such an environment threatens the very foundation of political systems based on assumptions of citizen awareness and involvement (Berelson, 1952; cf. Schudson, 1998).
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Chang-Hoan Cho and Hongsik John Cheon, “Children’s exposure to negative Internet content: effects of family context,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 49.3 (2005): 488-509.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Internet has become an indispensable element of life for most people in the contemporary world, and children are not excluded. Because of the ubiquitous availability of Internet access, in schools and libraries, children are increasingly becoming involved in this new technology (Steyer and Clinton, 2003). As of December 2003, 23 million children in the United States ages 6 to 17 have Internet access at home, which is a threefold increase since 2000 (MediaPost, 2003). According to a survey conducted by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in July 2002, 78% of family households with children have Internet access at home. A survey by Yahoo and Carat showed that children ages 12 to 17 used the Internet an average of 16.7 hours per week in 2003 (Indian television, 2003). Given this extensive usage, the Internet has the potential to be a very powerful socialization agent (Huston, Watkins, and Kunkel, 1989).
Method: Survey – Content Analysis

Theory: Social Interaction

Melissa Wood Alemán, “Embracing and Resisting Romantic Fantasies as the Rhetorical Vision on a SeniorNet Discussion Board,” Journal of Communication, 55.1 (2005): 5-21.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: A fantasy theme analysis of a SeniorNet discussion board found participants simultaneously embracing and resisting the relationships constructed in traditional romance narratives. The rhetorical vision that emerged illustrates how life-span conditions facilitate talk about romantic relationships. Three fantasies coalesced to construct the rhetorical vision “good men are hard to find”: the knight in shining armor, searching for a bargain, and fishing for men. Through these fantasies, the rhetorical community resisted female subordination found in traditional romance narratives while embracing the need for love, partnership, and physical intimacy. As the heroines in these fantasies, women were constructed as independent, vital and fulfilled, yet wanting to find heterosexual partnerships. The heroes upheld this construction of “woman,” while the villains infringed upon females’ valued independence. In this way, narratives that evidenced the struggle over the meaning of romance were tools for the participants’ empowerment.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Bruce W. Hardy and Dietram A. Scheufele, “Examining Differential Gains From Internet Use: Comparing the Moderating Role of Talk and Online Interactions,” Journal of Communication, 55.1 (2005): 71-84. 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The idea that interpersonal discussion moderates the effect of public affairs mass media on participatory behavior has been empirically supported by recent research. However, these studies focus on face-to-face conversations as the only means by which citizens discuss political issues with others. This study takes the idea one step further and not only examines the effects of face-to-face interactions, but examines the effects of computer-mediated interactions and internet hard-news use on participatory behavior. We found that not only did internet hard-news use have a positive main effect on participatory behavior, but that this effect was moderated by both face-to-face interpersonal discussion and computer-mediated interactions such as chat. This study explores explanations for this phenomenon and implications for future research.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Byoungkwan Lee and Ron Tamborini, “Third-Person Effect and Internet Pornography: The Influence of Collectivism and Internet Self-Efficacy,” Journal of Communication, 55.2 (2005): 292-310.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Within the context of Internet pornography, a survey of both U.S. and South Korean college students (N = 232) examined the influence of individualism-collectivism and media self-efficacy on the third-person effect. Two findings emerged: First, this study demonstrates the third-person effect of the Internet for the first time within Western culture. Participants perceived that Internet pornography’s negative effect was greater on others than themselves, and this third-person perception predicted support for Internet censorship. Second, although prior research failed to support conjecture that culture shapes third-person perception, these data show culture as an important antecedent; collectivism diminished third-person perception and subsequent support for Internet pornography censorship. The impact of Internet self-efficacy was not substantial. The influence of collectivism on the third-person effect generally and public perceptions of Internet pornography in particular signals its import to scholars interested in social policy and social influence.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

J.B. Walther, G. Gay and J.T. Hancock, “How Do Communication and Technology Researchers Study the Internet?” Journal of Communication, 55:3 (2005): 632–657. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: As a partial review of the field of communication and technology, this essay revisits Newhagen and Rafaeli’s (1996) Journal of Communication article that asked why communication researchers should study the Internet. Research directions, findings and theories are discussed under the organization of the 5 important qualities of the Internet that Newhagen and Rafaeli identified: multimedia, hypertextuality, packet switching, synchronicity, and interactivity. The article concludes with an assessment of theory development in communication and technology research, issues facing theoretical growth, and an answer to the question of what this research might teach us.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Hypertextuality Theory)

S.E. Caplan, “A Social Skill Account of Problematic Internet Use,” Journal of Communication, 55:4 (2005): 721–736.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract:
This study integrates research on social skill and self-presentation into the recently introduced cognitive-behavioral theory of generalized problematic Internet use. The model proposed and tested here predicted that individuals who lack self-presentational skill are especially likely to prefer online social interaction over face-to-face communication. Further, the model predicted that a preference for online social interaction fosters compulsive Internet use, which results in negative outcomes. Participants in this study completed measures of social skill, preference for online social interaction, compulsive Internet use and negative outcomes associated with Internet use. Structural equation modeling analysis techniques tested the proposed model. The analysis indicated a good fit between the hypothesized model and the current data.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Identity Theory)

Joseph B. Waither and Ulla Bunz, ” The Rules of Virtual Groups: Trust, Liking, and Performance in Computer-Mediated Communication,” Journal of Communication, 55.4 (2005): 828-846.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Research on virtual groups reflects concerns about the development of trust and liking and about the performance of partners who do not see each other or work proximally. Previous studies have explored behaviors leading to subjectively experienced trust and/or liking, or trusting behaviors associated with group output, but have not linked behaviors, subjective affect, and output quality. Deriving principles from the social information processing theory of Computer-mediated communication, this research identified and tested six communication rules for virtual groups. Employing a quasi-experimental procedure to maximize the variance in rule-following behavior, some distributed groups in a cross-university course were assigned to follow rules as part of their grades on group assignments conducted using computer-mediated communication from which messages were collected and later coded. Through self-reported measures of rule following and affect, results reveal correlations between each rule with trust and liking. Less consistent are the relationships between rule following, specific observed behaviors, and actual performance quality. Interpretations suggest that a powerful set of collaboration rules has been identified or that the mere following of any rules and norms reduces uncertainty and enhances trust in distributed work teams.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Lincoln Dahlberg, “The Corporate Colonization of Online Attention and the Marginalization of Critical Communication?” Journal of Communication Inquiry 29:2 (April 2005): 160-180.
Keywords: corporate colonization; critical communication; democracy; Internet; online attention; portal
Abstract: This article provides a general exploration of the argument that the Internet’s potential for extending strong democratic culture through critical communication is being undermined by a corporate colonization of cyberspace. The article investigates which sites are attracting the attention of participants seeking public content and interaction. The investigation finds that large corporate portals and commercial media sites are dominating online attention for news, information, and interaction, privileging consumer content and practices while marginalizing many voices and critical forms of participation. This situation threatens to limit the Internet’s contribution to the expansion of democratic culture. More research is needed to identify exactly what is being represented on which sites and how different groups are participating. However, the general colonization trend seems clear, and this article concludes by considering public policy options and civil society initiatives that may increase the visibility of marginalized voices and critical communication online.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Brenda Chan, “Imagining the Homeland: The Internet and Diasporic Discourse of Nationalism,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 29:4 (October 2005): 336-368. 
Keywords: Internet; liminal spaces; Chinese migrants; national identity; nationalism 
Abstract: This article examines the identity discourses of Chinese migrants in cyberspace in the light of contemporary theorizing of Chinese national identities and Chinese nationalism. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, based on the textual analysis of postings on Internet forums frequented by migrants from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) who are currently studying and working in Singapore, and in-depth interviews with the forum participants. Findings show that the Internet opens up liminal spaces from which migrants can resist, challenge and speak against regimes of truth imposed on them by their homeland and the host society. Furthermore, the combination of text and image on the forums enable the migrants from the PRC to produce an online imaginary of China as a superpower and an empire, thus articulating a form of resistance against the perceived hegemony of the United States in the international system and the disciplining of the host state.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Robert N. Mayer, Jisu Huh and Brenda J. Cude, “Cues of Credibility and Price Performance of Life Insurance Comparison Web Sites,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 39.1 (Summer 2005): 71-94.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: An array of Web sites is available to help consumers find the best deals on products and services. While these sites have the potential to save time and money by directly comparing alternatives, consumers still have the task of assessing the credibility of these comparison sites. Experts recommend that consumers look for certain key disclosures or ‘‘cues’’ to assess a site’s credibility (e.g., a site’s identity, the currency and authoritativeness of its information, its sponsors and business relationships, and its privacy practices). Focusing on 32 life insurance comparison Web sites, this research found that these recommended cues are often not present on Web sites and, when they are, do not seem to predict a site’s ability to deliver the lowest-priced quotes for term life insurance policies.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Nora J. Rifon, Robert Larose and Sejung Marina Choi, “Your Privacy Is Sealed: Effects of Web Privacy Seals on Trust and Personal Disclosures,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 39.2 (Winter 2005): 339-362.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online privacy is an issue of increasing national importance, and voluntary privacy seals provided by third-party organizations such as TRUSTe and BBBOnline have been proposed as a means of assuring consumer privacy. Few studies have examined privacy seal effects. This study presents results of an online experiment that evaluated consumer response to privacy seals in a naturalistic exposure setting. Findings suggest that privacy seals enhance trust in the Web site and expectations that the site would inform the user of its information practices. While concern for privacy-threatening information practices had no influence, privacy self-efficacy, confidence in ability to protect one’s privacy, moderated seal effects. Implications for the continued role of privacy seals are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Policy

Dennis L. Duff, “Affiliate marketing and its impact on e-commerce,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22.2/3 (2005): 161-163.
Keywords: Internet marketing; Marketing strategy.
Abstract: Affiliate marketing has become a major strategic consideration for all companies participating in e-commerce. The concept has certain technological complexities that have been made simpler through the development of several network companies that facilitate the tracking and settlement of payments between various companies on the internet. The strategy represents the ultimate in genuine pay for performance marketing and, as a result, represents one of the most promising long-term marketing strategies for e-commerce. In this article we will explore the inner workings of affiliate marketing, we will define the affiliate marketing marketplace including some of the participants and we will explore the characteristics of a successful long-term relationship.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Herbjørn Nysveen, Per E Pedersen and Helge Thorbjørnsen, “Explaining intention to use mobile chat services: moderating effects of gender,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22.4/5 (2005): 247-256.
Keywords: Mobile communication systems; User studies; Gender; Market segmentation.
Abstract: Purpose – In this article the authors aim to investigate the moderating effects of gender in explaining intention to use mobile chat services. 
Design/methodology/approach – An extended adoption model based on the technology acceptance model and theory of reasoned action is applied for pin-pointing the antecedents of intention to use mobile chat services and for revealing cross-gender differences. The hypotheses are tested on data from a survey of 684 users of mobile chat services. 
Findings – The study results suggest that social norms and intrinsic motives such as enjoyment are important determinants of intention to use among female users, whereas extrinsic motives such as usefulness and – somewhat surprisingly – expressiveness are key drivers among men.
Research limitations/implications – The findings put renewed focus on non-utilitarian motives and illuminate the role of gender in technology adoption.
Practical implications – The cross-gender differences observed give several guidelines for mobile service developers and marketers in how to accommodate female versus male users.
Originality/value – The paper provides important and new insights both into mobile services adoption and into gender as an important segmentation variable in marketing.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Dennis A Pitta and Danielle Fowler, “Internet community forums: an untapped resource for consumer marketers,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22.4/5 (2005): 265-274.
Keywords: Communications, Consumer marketing, Internet
Abstract:  Purpose – To explore an emerging area in internet practice that has implication for consumer marketers.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates concepts including a range of recently published (1993-2004) theoretical works and ongoing case developments in internet practice.
Findings – Provides information and action approaches to consumer marketers that may increase the success, providing want-satisfying market offerings. Outlines the market research benefits of monitoring and participating in internet community forums and offers practical suggestions for maximizing their value in the marketing and marketing research. It also provides a series of tactics that consumer marketers may use to maximize the value of internet community forums for their firms.
Research limitations/implications – The theoretical concepts that form the foundation of the paper appear to have a significant application to consumer marketing, but have not been tested empirically.
Practical implications – Uncovers a previously unrecognized source of direct consumer input and cooperation in the design and valuation of new products and the identification of emerging consumer wants.
Originality/value – This paper describes the nature and application of internet community forums to an important marketing process. It offers the potential of increasing marketing success by clearly and accurately identifying the wants of specific market segments.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Calin Gurau, “Pharmaceutical marketing on the internet: marketing techniques and customer profile,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 22.7 (2005): 421-439.
Keywords: Pharmaceuticals industry; Consumer psychology; Marketing strategy; Internet.
Abstract: Purpose – Attempts to investigate the perceived advantages and risks associated with online pharmaceutical transactions, and on this basis, to propose a specific segmentation of consumers.
Design/methodology/approach – Analyses the marketing procedures applied by pharmaceutical sites to emphasize the specific advantages and to minimize the perception of transactional risks, as well as the segmentation techniques applied online.
Findings – The results of the study indicate the existence of four main consumer categories. This schematic categorization needs further development, in order to define more precisely the decision taking process and the online shopping behaviour for each customer segment, as well as the level of post-purchase satisfaction. On the other hand, the paper demonstrated that the marketing approach of various online pharmacies is determined by the transactional model applied.
Originality/value – The empirical analysis presented in this paper should be complemented by future qualitative study, in order to facilitate a deeper understanding of the factors determining the growing success of online pharmacies.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ann E. Schlosser, “Posting versus Lurking: Communicating in a Multiple Audience Context,” Journal of Consumer Research, 32 (September 2005): 260-265.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Two experiments examined public and private responding in a multiple-audience context—a context in which members have varying opinions. Study find  that posters (those communicating their experience to others) are influenced only by another’s negative opinion because it triggers such social concerns as appearing indiscriminate. Consequently, they adjust their public attitudes downward. Self-presentational concerns appear to cause this negativity bias: lurkers (those not posting their opinion) were less affected by another’s negative opinion. Furthermore, posters presented more than one side when publicly explaining their attitudes. These effects persisted despite posters’ favorable product experiences and commitment to these attitudes.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Barbara Phillips and Wei-Na Lee, “Interactive Animation: Exploring Spokes-Characters on the Internet,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 27.1 (Spring 2005): 1-17.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Study examines one type of animation that has strong positive effects in traditional media—the spokes-character—by asking: how are advertisers using spokes-characters on their Web sites and how should they be using them? A content analysis of corporate Web sites containing spokes-characters shows limited animation and opportunity for interactivity. An experiment that examines the impact of adding animation and sound to character Web sites suggests that animation can increase character liking, perceived entertainment, and Web site liking. A second experiment that examines the impact of adding opportunities for interactivity suggests that higher levels of interactivity increase perceived entertainment, social presence, and Web site liking.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Surendra N. Singh, Nikunj Dalal, Sanjay Mishra and Vivek H. Patil, “A Communications View of Web Page Perception,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 27.1 (Spring 2005): 30-52.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper develops a model to measure people’s perception of web pages based on the premise that the World Wide Web is a persuasive technology intentionally designed to change a person’s attitudes and behaviors. The model, derived from the persuasion literature, particularly appraisal theory and the affect-as-information model, assumes that feelings induced by a web page directly influence its evaluations and the behavioral intentions (BI) of users. The model also postulates that the attitude toward the web page (Awp) will mediate the effects of feelings and evaluations on BI. In two studies, it is demonstrated that this model and measures based on it provide a psychometrically valid system of eliciting user reactions to web pages. The implications of this model and a number of future research issues are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Appraisal Theory)

Debbie D. DuFrene, Brian T. Engelland, Carol M. Lehman and Rodney A. Pearson,
“Changes in Consumer Attitudes Resulting from Participation in a Permission E-mail Campaign,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 27.1 (Spring 2005): 65-77.
Keywords: N.A.
Abstract: As permission (opt-in) e-mail is used increasingly for marketing products and services, traditional ideas about persuasive communication should be reexamined in light of the interactivity offered by e-mail marketing campaigns. This exploratory study utilized a longitudinal analysis to assess changes in prospects’ attitudes as a result of participation in a company’s permission e-mail marketing campaign. The sample of college students at two universities experienced statistically significant improvement in their attitude toward the brand and company, in their feelings of trust, and in their intention to purchase after receiving only three e-mail communications. Implications are drawn for development of permission marketing communications that build trust and ongoing relationships with customers.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hong-Youl Ha, “The Relationships between 3-D Advertisings and Risk
Perceptions on the Web: The Role of Brand and Emotion,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 27.2 (Fall 2005) 55-66.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: 3-D advertising has emerged as a new form of rich advertising enabling consumers to inspect products on the Web much as they can in the retail store. In contrast to developing Internet technologies, many researchers found that consumers are still aware of considerable risks associated with online purchase, regardless of Web advertisements. It is crucial to understand the relationships between risk perceptions, brand and emotion. This study fills a gap of relationships between 3-D advertising and consumers’ perceived risk, and investigates roles of brand and emotion on perceived risk. The findings showed that 3- D advertising has a significant effect upon reducing consumer’s perception of risk, whereas brand works as an antecedent that directly reduces that risk. Additionally, while a positive emotional state in 3-D advertising plays a positive role in reducing consumers’ performance risk, it does not reduce financial risk. We discuss the implications of these findings.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

S. Shyam Sundar and Jinhee Kim, “Interactivity and Persuasion: Influencing Attitudes with Information and Involvement,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.2 (Spring 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The recent arrival of interactive messaging/marketing units (IMUs) begs the question: Does interacting with an advertisement enhance its persuasive appeal? How does interactivity compare with other structural features of online ads such as animation 
and ad shape? A 3 (Interactivity: Low, Medium, High) x 2 (Animation: Animated, Static) x 2 (Ad Shape: Banner, Square) fully-crossed factorial within-participants experiment was conducted to explore these questions. All participants (N = 48) were exposed to 12 news-article Web pages, with one ad in each of them. Results show not only that the level of interactivity is positively associated with ad and product attitudes, but also that it interacts with animation and ad shape in complex ways to influence the persuasion process.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Qimei Chen, David A. Griffith and Fuyuan Shen, “The Effects of Interactivity on Cross-Channel Communication Effectiveness,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.2 (Spring 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of web site interactivity on consumers’ trust in brands and product evaluations, and their subsequent purchase intentions in a multi-channel context. Results from the experiment indicated that through greater interactivity, individuals developed greater trust in the vendor and better understanding of its products. Further, it was demonstrated that trust and product evaluation carried interactivity’s influence onto not only online purchase intention, but also offline purchase intention at a brand-specific business level. These findings indicate that online interactivity can have broad implications for multi-channel marketing.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Guohua Wu, “The Mediating Role of Perceived Interactivity in the Effect of Actual Interactivity on Attitude toward the Website,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.2 (Spring 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this research is to reconcile seemingly inconsistent findings regarding the effects of interactivity on communication outcomes such as attitude toward the website in two different interactivity research streams (i.e., actual interactivity vs. perceived interactivity) by proposing that perceived interactivity mediates the effect of actual interactivity on attitude toward the website. Empirical evidence supports the mediating role of perceived interactivity. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of building a theory of interactivity and providing practical insights into interactive advertising and marketing communications.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mark Tremayne, “Lessons Learned from Experiments with Interactivity on the Web,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.2 (Spring 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article reviews the empirical literature on interactivity, primarily studies based on experimental designs, and concludes that two conceptualizations of interactivity are beginning to dominate: the functional and the perceptual. Suggestions concerning future experiments with interactivity are offered.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Christina Spurgeon, “Losers and Lovers: Mobile Phone Services Advertising and the New Media Consumer/Producer,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 5.2 (Spring 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: How do advertising practices need to adapt and change in order to effectively engage new media consumers? Integration has been an important, overarching industry response in recent decades (Cappo 2003; Turow 1997). More recently, branded content has attracted a lot of attention as an integrated technique that is potentially well-suited to nationally and internationally recognized brands (Donaton 2004). This paper considers ‘conversational’ interaction with consumers as another technique that has been successfully used to market new media usage, most notably to drive consumer adoption of mobile phone data services. It also highlights the international significance of the mobile phone as an immensely popular new media platform, but one which has generally developed “under the radar” (Bond 1998) of much academic and trade literature.
Recent developments in new media and communication studies provide the theoretical basis for the typology of interactivity developed here. This typology outlines a continuum of interactivity. It provides a foundation for considering the way in which new media consumer input is being used in new media services advertising. This development is facilitated by the “conversational’”’ interactivity of new media such as the Internet and the mobile phone. Enabled by the flexibility of new media and communications networks, consumers can also now actively participate as producers of campaign materials. They can now be thought of as producers (Hartley 2004). Two case studies of recent successful advertising campaigns for mobile services are used as exemplars of the ways in which advertisers and agencies can actively seek out and make use of consumer creative input within an active campaign. Virgin Mobile Australia’s 2003 campaign for SMS services, which featured lovable loser ‘Warren’, is compared and contrasted with Hong Kong carrier CSL’s ‘Lovers’ campaigns of 2002 and 2003 for mobile data services.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Padmini Patwardhanand Jyotika Ramaprasad, “Rational Integrative Model of Online Consumer Decision Making,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Based on traditional rational consumer theories about beliefs preceding intent to act and knowledge preceding behavior, this study proposed, and empirically tested, a hierarchical path model of decision making in the online environment, focusing on the Internet’s role in two decision stages: pre-purchase search and evaluation, and actual purchase. Both direct and indirect effects were posited in the sequential model using four Internet related variables: pre-purchase search beliefs, purchase beliefs, actual pre-purchase search, and actual purchase.
The empirical test was conducted among consumers in the United States and India with 291 respondents taking the online survey (186 for the United States, 105 for India). For both U.S. and Indian respondents, each conceptualized stage of online decision-making was significantly impacted by the stages preceding it, either directly or indirectly. In terms of direct effects, an antecedent Internet belief variable (pre-purchase search beliefs) impacted a consequent belief variable (purchase beliefs), and an antecedent action variable (pre-purchase search) impacted a consequent action variable (purchase). Further, the consequent belief variable (purchase beliefs) impacted the immediately following antecedent action variable (pre-purchase search). In terms of indirect effects, all antecedent variables impacted consequent variables at each stage of the model.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ginger Rosenkrans, “Online Auctions as Advertising Revenue in the Media Mix,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online auctions hosted by newspapers to enhance the media mix are relatively new compared to other models of online advertising. This study examined the Ventura County Star newspaper’s open-cry, “going-going-gone” deadline, 12-day local online auctions for seven months. During these same months, the Ventura County Star deployed online banner ads. This research study investigated the effectiveness of the newspaper’s local online auction format by the advertising revenue generated from local auctions for seven months compared to concurrent revenue generated from online banner ads during the same time frame. In addition, it examined local online auctions’ page impressions to investigate how much traffic was increased to the site. Based on the metrics provided by Netgravity software, findings demonstrated that local online auctions’ revenue surpassed banner ad revenue and traffic was increased to the site.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Stefan G. Nicovich, “The Effect of Involvement on Ad Judgment in a Video Game Environment: The Mediating Role of Presence,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In this study the relationship between involvement, presence and ad judgment in a computer-mediated communications environment was investigated. A popular computer game was modified to incorporate advertisements within the actual game play. Results indicated that involvement affects ad judgment and that the degree of experienced presence within the environment mediated this relationship.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Leslie Townsend, “The Status of Wireless Survey Solutions: The Emerging ‘Power of the Thumb’,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Due to the increasing penetration of cell phone-only households, survey administration via wireless devices is gaining attention. Regulations currently prohibit autodialing of cell phones, making administration by telephone cumbersome at best. This article focuses primarily upon use of the wireless web for survey administration in conjunction with SMS (Short Message Service). Survey functionality can mimic the experience of a traditional web survey although screen size severely limits information display. Significant issues including higher costs, lack of available panels, unknown incentive structures, and uncertain user acceptance need to be addressed, but applications exist today for survey administration on wireless devices. One of the most promising involves the use of camera phones for ethnography studies and longitudinal diaries. Future enhancements will enable new and unique applications that are not currently addressable by today’s survey technology solutions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Juran Kim, Sally J. McMillan and Jang-Sun Hwang, “Strategies for the Super Bowl of Advertising: An Analysis of How the Web is Integrated into Campaigns,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Advertisers spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl advertising. Are those ads part of larger campaigns? Specifically is the Web integrated with Super Bowl advertising? This study examined overall strategy (transformational vs. informational), message strategy (what to say), and creative strategy (how to say it) of the 2003 Super Bowl ads and related Web sites. Television commercials used transformational strategies more than did Web sites. Message strategies were more consistent across media than were creative strategies. Thus, campaigns may be integrated in “what to say” even when the “how to say it” seems different. Some unexpected relationships were found between message and creative strategies but these findings highlight the need to tailor messages to technological capabilities of media.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shelly Rodgers, Yan Jin. Ruth Rettie, Frank Alpert and Doyle Yoon, “Internet Motives of Users in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Korea: A Cross-Cultural Replication of the WMI,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Web Motivation Inventory (WMI) is used in academic research and is cited in the academic Internet advertising literature. To date, the scale has only been tested on U.S. consumers. This research replicates the WMI using consumers from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and South Korea. Our findings revealed the same four-factor structure for three of the four countries, providing evidence of the scale’s global stability. However, the four motives–research, communicate, surf and shop-differed significantly among the countries.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Ainsworth Anthony Bailey, “Consumer Awareness and Use of Product Review Websites,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper reports on a study that was undertaken to assess consumer awareness, and use, of product review websites. Factors included the impact of e-opinion leadership, consumer susceptibility to informational influence, and gender on awareness and use of these websites. Participants completed a survey that solicited information on awareness of product review websites, extent of usage, the aforementioned individual difference factors, as well as demographic information. Results indicated that consumers, generally, are aware of the existence of product review websites and there is moderate usage of, and varied uses for, these types of websites. Gender and certain individual difference factors, in particular e-opinion leadership, have an impact on usage and perceptions of these types of websites. Limitations of the study and future research issues are presented.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

William N. Swain, “Perceptions of Interactivity and Consumer Control in Marketing Communication: An Exploratory Survey of Marketing Communication Professionals,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The literature of marketing communication in the latter half of the 1990s offers evidence that interactive marketing is a significant presence in the field of marketing communication, and that control of interactive communication in many cases is passing into the hands of consumers. Perceptions of the development of communication interactivity, and measurement of the outcomes of interactive marketing communication–both as a basis for measuring marketing success and as a basis for determining marketing communication investment and agency compensation–are therefore legitimate subjects for research inquiry. A survey was conducted among marketing communication executives and educators to investigate perceptions of the present and future status of interactive and consumer-controlled interactive marketing communication, the degree of preparation for them, preferences for their measurement, and preferences for methods of compensating agencies for interactive marketing communication services.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Maureen E. Hupfer and Alex Grey, “Getting Something for Nothing: The Impact of a Sample Offer and User Mode on Banner Ad Response,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.1 (Fall 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: An Internet banner that advertised a free sample generated higher click-through than a banner ad with information only. The ad attitude and site focus of experiential users were positively affected by the sample offer, but this incentive had a negative effect on goal-directed searchers, who appeared to regard the sample-offer banner as a distraction that interfered with search goals and reduced satisfaction experienced at the host site. Beliefs about bias in the site information were unaffected and goal-directed searchers expressed more favorable return visit intentions than experiential users. Further research is needed to clarify the effects of incentive-offer banners on experiential versus goal-directed users. In particular, the Interactive Advertising Model theorizing concerning goal-directed searchers should be examined more closely.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Steven Schild and Kim Oren, “The Party Line Online: An Oligarchy of Opinion on a Public Affairs Listserve,” Journalism and Communication Monographs, 7 (2005): 5-47.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: During a 6-month period analyzed in this study, a small number of ideologically like-minded participants dominated a listserve created in a small Midwestern city for discussion of public-policy issues. That dominant group exerted an oligarchy of opinion that led to online discussions about, and raises larger questions about, whether the listserve was achieving its goal of “creating a community-wide discussion.” This study examines two controversial issues about which the preponderance of opinion expressed online did not reflect the preponderance of opinion expressed in letters to the editor in two newspapers in the same city and, in one case, at the ballot box. Also examined are online conversations about bow the dominant opinion on the listserve may have caused some subscribers to participate as “lurkers” rather than as writers who expressed their opinions online. Note: The best way to show the flavor of the listserve was to quote extensively from messages posted there. Many of those messages contained mechanical and/or grammatical errors. Because the errors were so common, using the traditional “sic” to cite them would have disrupted the narrative flow of this study and may have been construed as an implicit—and unfairly negative—criticism of the quality of the postings. As such, the messages were quoted verbatim, and “sic” was not used to identify errors.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

William P. Cassidy, “Variations on a Theme: the Professional Role Conceptions of Print and Online Newspaper Journalists,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 82.2 (Summer 2005): 264-280.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: A national survey (N=655) examining the professional role conceptions of print and online newspaper journalists revealed the print group perceived the Interpretive/Investigative role as significantly more important than the online group. No significant differences were found between the groups in their perceptions of the Adversarial and Populist Mobilizer roles. Results were mixed for the Disseminator role. The online group rated getting information to the public as quickly as possible as significantly more important than the print group.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Setting/Building

Patricia Moy, Edith Manosevitch, Keith Stamm and Kate Dunsmore, “Linking Dimensions of Internet Use and Civic Engagement,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 82.3 (Autumn 2005): 571-586.
Abstract: Given scholars’ concerns with media influences on civic life, it is not surprising that researchers have begun to focus on how the Internet may enhance or erode levels of civic engagement. Collectively, however, these studies are rife with inconsistencies in the explication and operationalization of the predictor variable, Internet use. This study investigates the role of Internet use in shaping civic engagement, looking specifically at multiple conceptualizations and measurements. Results from a community study (N = 301) indicate nuanced relationships between dimensions of Internet use and forms of civic engagement. These relationships are discussed in light of citizens’ use of more traditional media. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR Copyright of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly is the property of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Kaye D Trammell and Ana Keshelashvili, “Examining the New Influencers: A Self-Presentation Study of A-List Blogs,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 82.4 (Winter 2005): 968-982.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study investigated impression management tactics and self-presentation on popular A-list blogs. Building on Goffman’s constructs of self-presentation and operationalizing impression management strategies, this study content analyzed the most-linked-to blogs. A-list bloggers reveal more information about themselves than other bloggers and actively engage in impression management. Differences in blogs based on gender confirm traditional gendered online behavior. Findings indicate the diversity of blogs and encourage researchers to understand the pieces of blogs before purporting to understand the medium as a whole.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Carol J. Pardun, Kelly Ladin L’Engle and Jane D. Brown, “Linking Exposure to Outcomes: Early Adolescents’ Consumption of Sexual Content in Six Media, Mass Communication and Society, 8.2 (2005): 75-91.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A media-use questionnaire was completed by 3,261 7th and 8th graders and a sub-sample of 1,074 respondents was interviewed about their sexual attitudes and behaviors. Based on results from the media survey, respondents’ top television shows, movies, music, Internet sites, and newspapers were content analyzed for portrayals or references to pubertal development, romantic relationships, body exposure or nudity, sexual innuendo, touching and kissing, and sexual intercourse. Overall, 11% of the media used by respondents contained sexual content. A measure called the Sexual Media Diet (SMD) was developed to assess each individual’s exposure to sexual content in the media, based on the combination of media consumption and content. The SMD measure showed a statistically significant association with adolescents’ sexual activity and future intentions to be sexually active, with measures of movie and music exposure showing the strongest associations. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Andrew Leyshon, Peter Webb, Shaun French, Nigel Thrift and Louise Crewe, “On the Reproduction of the Musical Economy after the Internet,” Media, Culture and Society, 27.2 (2005): 177–209.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This article examines a crisis of reproduction that began to afflict the music industry in the late 20th century. It considers the causes of the crisis and explores some of the ways in which the industry is being reformed in the face of the emergence of a new regime of socio-technical organization. The musical economy, at the time of writing, was dominated by four large corporations – AOL-Time Warner, Sony/BMG, Universal and EMI – that were responsible for 80 percent of global music sales and had significant interests across the media, entertainment and technology sectors. In the early 21st century, the music divisions of all these companies experienced a reversal of fortune, linked to falling sales and numerous misplaced investments. This marked a significant break with what, in retrospect, may subsequently be interpreted as a ‘golden era’ in the history of the music industry, during which it enjoyed about 15 years of steady growth in recorded music sales following the introduction of the compact disc (CDs) as the predominant format for the playback of recorded music (Figure 1). In 2001, global music industry sales fell by 5 percent, and then by over 9 percent in the first half of 2002 (Sanghera, 2002) (Figure 2). For an industry used to year-on-year sales growth, this reversal had serious consequences, with the leading firms in the sector posting disastrous financial results. Vivendi-Universal, for example, recorded a staggering $12 billion loss for the first nine months of 2002 (Economist, 2003a), although part of this loss was due to activities in other areas, such as motion pictures. EMI, which is the least diversified of the major companies, and the most reliant upon sales of recorded music, recorded a financial loss of £54.4 million in the six months to September 2001 (Economist, 2003b).1 The other companies experienced similar losses and, as a result, the major record companies have resorted to dramatic acts and gestures. Rosters of artists and repertoire have been reduced, and have been turned over more rapidly. In extreme cases under-performing acts have been bought out of their contracts altogether, so that the companies can avoid future outlays on production and marketing for material that, in their estimation, would not be recouped. The rapid circulation of artists through record companies has been accompanied by a similar high turnover of staff, within what was already a precarious industry in which to work.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy

Ananda Mitra, “Creating Immigrant Identities in Cybernetic Space: Examples from a Non-resident Indian Website,” Media, Culture and Society, 27.3 (2005): 371–390.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: A significant development in the 20th century has been the ease with which people can travel from one place to another, thus transporting their physical bodies to distant places. In the realm of the ‘analog’ this has meant that the fixity of space has been disrupted since transportation technologies have made it possible to travel conveniently and efficiently. One of the consequences of this convenience has been the increasing movement of people as they have easily migrated from a place of origin and immigrated to a place of adoption. Certainly changes in economic, political and technological relations between nations have facilitated this movement, but the sheer ease with which these movements can take place has added the necessary incentive to this process. For example, Britain has seen a significant increase in political asylum seekers after the opening of the tunnel under the English Channel as people have literally clung on to the trains that now ply between France and England (Travis, 2001).
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Harmeet Sawhney and Seungwhan Lee, “Arenas of innovation: understanding new configurational potentialities of communication technologies,” Media, Culture and Society, 27.3 (2005): 391–414.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: ‘No idea ever emerges full-blown from the head of Jove, or a secondary muse’ (Bell, 1973: 33). It arises as a little speck of insight that evolves as it bounces from one mind to another within an epistemic setting. The epistemic settings vary greatly in nature, as do the minds that populate them. The 18th-century French salons, with their leading ladies and eclectic mix of writers and thinkers, were an ‘informal academy for stimulating ideas by stimulating their authors’ (Coser, 1970: 14). The Bell Laboratories also stoked creativity by gathering a diverse array of creative talent. It, however, adopted a systems approach for facilitating communication among them. As Jack Morton, a long-time veteran of Bell Laboratories emphatically explained, “specialized people can become a system only through coupling with each other – and effective interaction in the tough creative process of innovation can come only through facile two-way communications between people” (Morton, 1971: 60). In effect, Bell Laboratories sought to create channels of communication between creative minds via organizational mechanisms or “couplings”, what French salons had opened up through dinner and wine. Lest we dismiss the contrast as simply a problem of scaling up, let us consider one more case – Silicon Valley. Rogers and Larsen tell us that we “ought to think of Silicon Valley not just as a geographical place, nor simply as the main center of the microelectronics industry not even as several thousand high-tech firms, but as a network” (1984: 79–80, italics in original). It is the informal information exchange mechanisms of Silicon Valley – extensive collegial networks spun by chronic job-hopping and the bars and other watering holes that constantly revitalize them – that give it its dynamism.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Maxim Waldstein, “The Politics of the Web: The Case of One Newsgroup.” Media, Culture and Society, 27.5 (2005): 739–763.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: What does it mean that the Internet is political? Of course, as in the case of other communication media, the Internet can be used for propaganda and publicity by various political forces. However, this is only the politics on the web, not of the web. In fact, the enthusiasts of this relatively new medium argue that, as a field of equal opportunities for participation and contribution, the net is profoundly liberal and, thus, nonpolitical. There can be no politics of the web, they argue, because this medium does not involve monopoly and exclusion of any kind. This logic is often justified by referring to J¨urgen Habermas’s theory of ‘uncoerced communication’ as a basic precondition for liberal democracy (e.g. Gimmler, 2001). For enthusiasts, the web is an embodiment of the normative ‘ideal speech situation’. As an ultimate medium of rational and deliberative democracy, it can only be optimized in its liberal predispositions. This is a key direction in the mainstream studies of the internet.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Shelly Rodgers, Glen T Cameron and Ann M Brill, “Ad Placement in E-Newspapers Affects Memory, Attitude,” Newspaper Research Journal, 26.1 (Winter 2005): 16-27.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Findings reveal that sponsors may benefit more from advertisements at the beginning or middle of news content, depending on their marketing goals.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Scott R Maier, “Comparing Internet vs. Paper in Newspaper Source Surveys,” Newspaper Research Journal, 26.2/3 (Spring 2005): 57-71.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Despite the Charnley method’s longevity, establishing an accuracy benchmark for newspapers has remained elusive. Most accuracy studies have involved a single local news market and commonly the cooperation of the newspaper being examined, thus potentially limiting the validity and reliability if this line of research. Seeking to address these limitations, Maier explores the feasibility of using Internet technology to facilitate a cross-market, independent accuracy survey of news sources.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jack Rosenberry, “Few Papers Use Online Techniques to Improve Public Communication,” Newspaper Research Journal, 26.4 (Fall 2005): 61-73.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: A content analysis of 47 online newspapers sites finds that few newspapers are using Internet’s interactive technologies to improve coverage of public affairs.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Scott Fricker, Mirta Galesic, Roger Tourangeau and Ting Yan, “An Experimental Comparison of Web and Telephone Surveys,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 69.3 (Fall 2005): 370-392.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: We carried out an experiment that compared telephone and Web versions of a questionnaire that assessed attitudes toward science and knowledge of basic scientific facts. Members of a random digit dial sample were initially contacted by telephone and answered a few screening questions, including one that asked whether they had Internet access. Those with Internet access were randomly assigned to complete either a Web version of the questionnaire or a computer-assisted telephone interview. There were four main findings. First, although we offered cases assigned to the Web survey a larger incentive, fewer of them completed the online questionnaire; almost all those who were assigned to the telephone condition completed the interview. The two samples of Web users nonetheless had similar demographic characteristics. Second, the Web survey produced less item nonresponse than the telephone survey. The Web questionnaire prompted respondents when they left an item blank, whereas the telephone interviewers accepted “no opinion” answers without probing them. Third, Web respondents gave less differentiated answers to batteries of attitude items than their telephone counterparts. The Web questionnaire presented these items in a grid that may have made their similarity more salient. Finally, Web respondents took longer to complete the knowledge items, particularly those requiring open-ended answers, than the telephone respondents, and Web respondents answered a higher percentage of them correctly. These differences between Web and telephone surveys probably reflect both inherent differences between the two modes and incidental features of our implementation of the survey. The mode differences also vary by item type and by respondent age.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Diana C. Mutz, “Social Trust and E-Commerce: Experimental Evidence for The Effects of Social Trust on Individuals’ Economic Behavior,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 69.3 (Fall 2005):  393-416.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: In this study, an experimental design embedded in a national survey is used to examine the impact of social trust on participation in e-commerce. To what extent does generalized trust in people influence economic behavior, particularly in newly established realms such as the Internet? Although some previous work has posited a role for social trust in encouraging both e-commerce and economic development more generally, evidence has been based on cross-sectional associations and, primarily, at the aggregate level of entire countries. While these relationships have been suggestive, studies have yet to confirm a causal role for social trust in influencing e-commerce. Would increasing levels of social trust actually encourage greater e-commerce participation? This study combines the representativeness of a national survey with the internal validity of an experimental design to answer this question.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Mark M. Blumenthal, “Toward an Open-Source Methodology: What We Can Learn from the Blogosphere,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 69.5 (2005): 655-669.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: During the 2004 election campaign, millions of political enthusiasts downloaded poll data on the Internet, while “Weblogs” provided a new forum for commentary on survey methodology. At the same time, traditional public opinion surveys came under pressure from declining cooperation, contact and coverage rates, and many automated and Internet surveys began to proliferate. This article provides some examples of “blog” commentary on automated and Internet polls and then explores the lessons to be learned from the spirit of innovation and openness of the Internet in evaluating new survey methods such as automated polls and those conducted over the Internet.

“Andy Warhol (updated): ‘. . . In the future, everyone will be a polling expert for 15 minutes.'” A user comment posted on the Weblog on DailyKos.com (2004b):
For many in the survey research profession, the future as described by the DailyKos commenter seems to have already arrived. During the 2004 election campaign, millions of political enthusiasts downloaded poll data on the Internet, while the emergence of “Weblogs” fostered an unusual amount of commentary and discussion on polls, much of it partisan and combative. The birth of this medium occurs in an environment where technological and social change put continuing pressure on the conduct of surveys. Yet for all the partisan rancor directed at pollsters in 2004, the spirit of innovation and openness of the Internet may have lessons to teach us about how to evaluate emerging new survey methods such as automated polls and those conducted over the Internet. This essay has three sections. The first reviews some of the discussion of polling and survey methodology on the Internet during the 2004 campaign, with special emphasis on developments in automated and Internet-based surveys. The second will consider the challenge to the survey research profession posed by these new methodologies and suggest a response. The final section will offer advice to survey consumers.
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Lance V. Portera and Lynne M. Sallot, “Web Power: a Survey of Practitioners’ World Wide Web Use and Their Perceptions of its Effects on Their Decision-making Power,” Public Relations Review, 31.1 (2005): 111–119.
Keywords: Power in public relations; Practitioners’ web use; Upper echelons theory; Finkelstein’s taxonomy of power 
Abstract: 
A national e-mail survey investigated how 432 public relations practitioners perceive their World Wide Web use impacts their decision-making power in their organizations. Practitioners’ web use appears to be positively related to three of Finkelstein’s [Finkelstein, S. (1992). Power in top management teams: Dimensions, measurement and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 35(3), 505–538] conceptualizations of power derived from “upper echelons” theory from the strategic management literature—structural, expert and prestige power. “Super users” who use the web more frequently for productivity and efficiency, for research and evaluation, and for issues communication are most likely to perceive the web empowered them to be promoted (structural power). Practitioners who use the web more frequently for productivity and efficiency as well as for issues communication are more likely to perceive the web empowers them as experts in their organizations (expert power) and enhances how others see them (prestige power). Practitioner-owners perceive that greater web use leads to greater expert power than did non-owners.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Upper Echelons Theory)

Muhammad I. Ayish, ” Virtual Public Relations in the United Arab Emirates: A Case Study of 20 UAE Organizations’ Use of the Internet,” Public Relations Review, 31.3 (2005): 381–388
Keywords: Virtual; United Arab Emirates; Dubai; Elisalat; Public relations; EPRA; MEPRA . 
Abstract: This paper analyzes the use of the Internet as a public relations tool by 20 government and private organizations in the United Arab Emirates. It concludes that, among other findings, UAE public relations staff members continue to play their traditional role in real world situations but when it comes to online communications, they do not seem to have a big say in controlling the flow of information to the public. This may suggest that what appears online about a certain organization may be in tune with what is carried out in real world communications.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Upper Echelons Theory)

Chris Galloway, “Cyber-PR and “Dynamic Touch,” Public Relations Review 31.5 (2005) 572–577
Keywords: Mobile; Dynamic touch; Idol; Postmodern 
Abstract: Mobile communications technologies challenge public relations practitioners to expand their thinking and practice. Liberating electronic communication from fixed devices means that familiar PR approaches designed to reach audiences through such equipment are insufficient in themselves. They need to be complemented by new strategies, including those based on conceptualizing cyber-PR as dynamic communicative “touch.”
Method: Interpretive – Essay (including History)
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Larry Mullen, “Visual Education and the Internet Camp: An Aesthetic Analysis of Underprivileged Children’s Web Pages,” Visual Communication Quarterly, 12.1-2 (2005): 78-95.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This study examined children’s web pages that were created in a visual literacy program called “The Internet Camp.” Because there is little evaluative research regarding the effects of visual literacy programs, this study was conducted as a small step toward filling this gap in the literature. The study provides a history of visual literacy programs, background on the children who participated in the program, and an analysis of their web pages. Initially it was thought that the children’s underprivileged status might affect their web page design. An aesthetic analysis found no profound influence of their social status on their web pages. An overall primitive, yet sophisticated style was evident in their web page designs. The outcome of the literacy program found little linkage between the children’s social status and how and what they visually created.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Thomas Gould, “Where’s Qualitative Research Going Online? Patterns of Methodology in Mass Communication, 1993-2003,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 8.2 (March 2005).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The battle is as old as academia. One side is filled with the certainty of numbers; the other with the confidence of language. The battle is not at all confided to mass communication, but has ranged far and wide, from research into management to family therapy to tourism to electrostatics. The debate can turn brutal. A recent correspondence with an anonymous reviewer for a major communication journal evoked the declaration that “qualitative research is not really a research method. Perhaps it is a form of analysis.” The reviewer went on to suggest that interpretive essays and other forms of qualitative research were not of the status of “real research” as exemplified by quantitative methods. Researchers fond of qualitative methods have equally confrontational opinions to offer, albeit, more defensive in nature. The data suggest that online communications may attract more than expected numbers of qualitative research over the period, certainly more than reported by Kamhawi and Weaver for offline research topics. However, the trend was consistently down over the period of study, suggesting a strong shift toward quantitative methods, such as experiments and surveys. It may be the newness of online communications that draws more early application of qualitative methodologies. No doubt some more interpretative techniques would have been used in the early days of the printing press, had the opportunity presented itself.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

2006

Jorge Pena and Jeffrey T. Hancock, “An Analysis of Socioemotional and Task Communication in Online Multiplayer Video Games,” Communication Research, 33.1 (2006): 92-109. 
Keywords: computer-mediated communication; video games; interaction process analysis; social information processing; socioemotional and task communication; computer experience
Abstract: Communication within recreational computer-mediated settings has received less attention than interaction in instrumental and organizational contexts. The present study compared the socioemotional and task-oriented content of 5,826 text messages produced by participants of an online video game. The results suggest that participants produced significantly more socioemotional than task content. Consistent with predictions flowing from Social Information Processing Theory, the vast majority of messages were socioemotional and positively valenced, despite the ostensible game objective of fighting other participants. Experience level played an important role in message production. More experienced participants produced both more positive and fewer negative socioemotional messages than the less experienced and used more specialized language conventions (e.g., emoticons, scripted emotes and abbreviations). The results are discussed in the context of previous research examining the effect of communication medium and interaction purpose on socioemotional and task message production.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jennifer L. Gibbs, Nicole B. Ellison, and Rebecca D. Heino, “Self-Presentation in Online Personals: The Role of Anticipated Future Interaction, Self-Disclosure, and Perceived Success in Internet Dating,” Communication Research, 33.2 (2006): 152-177.
Keywords: online dating; online personals; Internet relationships; computer-mediated communication; self-presentation; self-disclosure; anticipated future interaction; mixed-mode relationships
Abstract: This study investigates self-disclosure in the novel context of online dating relationships. Using a national random sample of Match.com members (N = 349), the authors tested a model of relational goals, self-disclosure, and perceived success in online dating. The authors’ findings provide support for social penetration theory and the social information processing and hyperpersonal perspectives as well as highlight the positive effect of anticipated future face-to-face interaction on online self-disclosure. The authors find that perceived online dating success is predicted by four dimensions of self-disclosure (honesty, amount, intent and valence), although honesty has a negative effect. Furthermore, online dating experience is a strong predictor of perceived success in online dating. Additionally, the authors identify predictors of strategic success versus self-presentation success. This research extends existing theory on computer-mediated communication, self-disclosure and relational success to the increasingly important arena of mixed-mode relationships, in which participants move from mediated to face-to-face communication. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jochen Peter and Patti M. Valkenburg, “Adolescents’ Exposure to Sexually Explicit Material on the Internet,” Communication Research, 33.2 (2006): 178-204.
Keywords: pornography; gender differences; sensation seeking; life satisfaction;
Internet use
Abstract: Drawing on a survey of 745 Dutch adolescents ages 13 to 18, the authors investigated (a) the occurrence and frequency of adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit material on the Internet and (b) the correlates of this exposure. Seventy-one percent of the male adolescents and 40% of the female adolescents had been exposed to some kind of online sexually explicit material in the 6 months prior to the interview. Adolescents were more likely to be exposed to sexually explicit material online if they were male, were high sensation seekers, were less satisfied with their lives, were more sexually interested, used sexual content in other media more often, had a fast Internet connection, and had friends that were predominantly younger. Among male adolescents, a more advanced pubertal status was also associated with more frequent exposure to online sexually explicit material. Among female adolescents, greater sexual experience decreased exposure to online sexually explicit material.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Miriam J. Metzger, “Trust and Disclosure Effects of Site, Vendor, and Consumer Characteristics on Web Site Trust and Disclosure,” Communication Research, 33.2 (2006): 155-179.
Keywords: Internet privacy; trust; disclosure; reputation; electronic commerce
Abstract: This study examines the role that communication plays in fostering trust and disclosure in electronic commerce exchanges. In particular, this research explores how characteristics of online vendors and consumers interact with Web site communications to affect consumer behavior online. The study relies on two relatively recent models of electronic exchange, the Internet consumer trust model and the electronic exchange model, to examine the effectiveness of certain trust and assurance mechanisms (i.e., privacy policies and seals), as well as e-tailer reputation and individuals’ concern for privacy and data security, on trust and disclosure of personal information to commercial Web sites. Results suggest that the vendor’s reputation is important in influencing e-tailer trust and that the content of privacy assurances do not affect trust or disclosure. The findings have important implications for both theoretical models of electronic exchange and for firms engaged in electronic commerce.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Consumer Trust and Electronic Exchange Models)

Eun-Ju Lee, “Norms in Computer-Mediated Communication? When and How Does Depersonalization Increase Conformity to Group,” Communication Research, 33.6 (2006): 423-447.
Keywords: depersonalization; social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE); conformity; need for public individuation; group identification
Abstract: The experiment reported herein examined how depersonalization, operationalized as the lack of individuating information, affects conformity to a group norm in anonymous computer-mediated communication. Participants made a decision about choice dilemmas and exchanged their decisions and supporting arguments with three ostensible partners via computer, who unanimously endorsed the position opposite of the participant’s. As predicted, depersonalization led to a more extreme perception of the group norm, better recall of the interactants’ arguments, and more positive evaluations of the interactants’ arguments through group identification, albeit only for women. Moreover, depersonalization was more likely to facilitate conformity to group norms among those with higher need for public individuation and among women. A test of indirect effects showed that group identification and extremity of the perceived group norm mediated the effects of depersonalization on conformity.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Matthew S. Eastin and Robert P. Griffiths, “Among Male Game Players Beyond the Shooter Game: Examining Presence and Hostile Outcomes,” Communication Research, 33.6 (2006): 448-466.
Keywords: video games; violence; presence; hostility; expectations; bias; general aggression model; priming; competition; Internet use; online gaming; multiuser
Abstract: Investigating male game players, this study explores how game interface (virtual reality [VR] and standard console), game content (fighting, shooting, and driving), and game context (human and computer competition) influence levels of presence and hostile expectation bias—the expectation others will think, feel, speak and act aggressively during social conflict. In addition to game interface and game content influencing hostile expectations, significant interactions were detected for hostile expectations. Presence, although not as predicted, also significantly differed across game interface and game content. Through the development and testing of each gaming experience, this study demonstrates that simply testing violent and nonviolent game situations underestimates the complexity of contemporary video-game play.
Method: Experiment

Theory: Social Interaction

Vincent Price, Lilach Nir and Joseph N. Cappella, “Normative and Informational Influences in Online Political Discussions,” Communication Theory 16.1 (2006) 47–74.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: How do the statements made by people in online political discussions affect other people’s willingness to express their own opinions, or argue for them? And how does group interaction ultimately shape individual opinions? We examine carefully whether and how patterns of group discussion shape (a) individuals’ expressive behavior within those discussions and (b) changes in personal opinions. This research proposes that the argumentative ‘‘climate’’ of group opinion indeed affects postdiscussion opinions, and that a primary mechanism responsible for this effect is an intermediate influence on individual participants’ own expressions during the online discussions. We find support for these propositions in data from a series of 60 online group discussions, involving ordinary citizens, about the tax plans offered by rival U.S. presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Clarissa David, Joseph N. Cappella and Martin Fishbein, “The Social Diffusion of Influence Among Adolescents: Group Interaction in a Chat Room Environment About Anti-drug Advertisements,” Communication Theory, 16.1 (2006): 118–140.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: One route to influence in mass communication campaigns to reduce risky behavior is through interpersonal discussion of the content of the campaign and other behaviors pertinent to those targeted by the campaign. The goal of this study was to test the effects of online group interaction among adolescents about anti-marijuana advertisements on relevant attitudes and behaviors. A between-subjects post-only experimental design was used to test two crossed factors, online chat and strength of arguments in anti-drug ads. A sample of 535 students was randomly assigned to one of four conditions: chat and strong-argument ads, chat and weak-argument ads, no chat and strong-argument ads, and no chat and weak-argument ads. The group interactions about anti-drug ads lead to negative effects such that those who chatted reported more pro-marijuana attitudes and subjective normative beliefs than those who just viewed the ads. No support was found for the hypothesis that strong-argument ads would result in more anti-drug beliefs relative to weak-argument ads in either the chat or the no-chat conditions. Overall, these findings suggest that viewing anti-drug ads and discussing them with peers may result in deleterious effects in adolescents.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Scott C. D‘Urso, “Who’s Watching Us at Work? Toward a Structural–Perceptual Model of Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance in Organizations,” Communication Theory, 16 (2006): 281–303.
Abstract: Nearly 80% of organizations now employ some form of employee surveillance. This significant level of use infers a salient need for additional theory and research into the effects of monitoring and surveillance. Accordingly, this essay examines the panoptic effects of electronic monitoring and surveillance (EM/S) of social communication in the workplace and the underlying structural and perceptual elements that lead to these effects. It also provides future scholarly perspectives for studying EM/S and privacy in the organization from the vantage point of contemporary communication technologies, such as the telephone, voice mail, e-mail, and instant messaging, utilized for organizational communication. Finally, four propositions are presented in conjunction with a new communication-based model of EM/S, providing a framework incorporating three key components of the panoptic effect: (a) communication technology use, (b) organizational factors, and (c) organizational policies for EM/S.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Monitoring and Surveillance)

Victor W. Pickard, “Assessing the Radical Democracy of Indymedia: Discursive, Technical, and Institutional Constructions,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 23.1 (2006): 19-38.
Keywords: Alternative Media; Cyberactivism; Democratic Theory; Independent Media
Centers; Indymedia; Networks; Radical Democracy; Social Movements
Abstract: This study examines the radical democratic principles manifest in Indymedia’s discursive, technical, and institutional practices. By focusing on a case study of the Seattle Independent Media Center and contextualizing it within theories and critiques of radical democracy, this article fleshes out strengths, weaknesses, and recurring tensions endemic to Indymedia’s internet-based activism. These findings have important implications for alternative media making and radical politics in general.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

David Croteau, “The Growth of Self-Produced Media Content and the Challenge to Media Studies,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 23.4 (2006): 340-344.
Abstract: In the coming years, the field of media studies faces a unique challenge. Until now, scholars usually have focused on centralized media producers, the content they create, and the relatively broad*though increasingly fragmented*audiences they reach. However, the much-anticipated era of broadband is finally beginning to bear fruit, creating opportunities for new forms of media production and distribution. With brand name recognition and massive promotion budgets, the big corporate media players will continue to hold sway, but their dominance is likely to erode as new technologies enable small-time media producers to create and distribute their own content via the mainstream channel of the Internet. There will be a wide range of producers, including start-up commercial enterprises, independent non-profits, religious groups, hobby enthusiasts, political organizations, ethnic groups, and the informal efforts of individuals or small groups of friends. The new proliferation of this varied media content—what the author refers to broadly as ‘‘self-produced’’ media—will present interesting opportunities and challenges for media scholars.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Michelle Rodino-Colocino, “Selling Women on PDAs from ‘Simply Palm’ to ‘Audrey’: How Moore’s Law Met Parkinson’s Law in the Kitchen ,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 23.5 (2006): 375-390.
Keywords: PDA; computer; marketing; advertising; gender; work; domestication; discourse; Audrey; Palm; Moore’s Law
Abstract: This essay investigates key moments in the history of personal digital assistant (PDA) marketing to women. Analyzing promotional texts for three PDAs that received considerable press coverage from 1999 to 2001, this essay explores the cultural significance of the convergence of anxieties about women’s place in the gendered division of labor with the computer industry’s changing marketing imperatives. Drawing on an array of promotional texts, including news articles, press releases, promotional Web sites and ads appearing in newspapers and magazines, this paper tells the story of how the computer industry aimed to sell smaller, faster computing devices to women while promising to mediate and thus reproduce women’s overwork as paid and familial laborers. After experimenting with the PDA as a sexy fashionable gadget for working women, marketers approached women as mothers with ‘‘Audrey,’’ an Internet appliance designed for the kitchen.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Moore’s Law)

Oliver Boyd-Barrett, “Cyberspace, globalization and empire,” Global Media and Communication, 2 (2006): 21-41.
Keywords: China, hegemony, ICTs, India, media imperialism, TNCs, USA
Abstract: The article proposes that the framework of media imperialism is appropriate for the study of US dominance of information and communication technology (ICT) industries in the period 1975–2000. Early media imperialism theories focused on US television exports at a time when such exports were set to decline in many local markets. Covert influences such as ownership, business models, professional values, content formatting, audience preferences, cultural hybrids and technologies, were insufficiently considered. In particular, the earlier focus on television and content may have distracted attention from the emergence of microprocessor-based computer networking technologies, their significance for the development of ICT industries, and the profound influence these have exerted on US economic and foreign policies. This article documents the continuing dominance of US corporate power, of US-based transnational corporations (TNCs) and, among them, of ICT industries, within the global economy. It charts US dominance of most spheres of computing and telecommunications at the turn of the 21st century. With specific reference to intelligence estimates of future global trends it assesses the significance of the ‘Asian challenge’, specifically the challenge of Asian ICT activity to the prospects of a continuation of US hegemony.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Robert A. Saunders, “Denationalized Digerati in the Virtual Near Abroad: The Internet’s Paradoxical Impact on National Identity among Minority Russians,” Global Media and Communication, 2 (2006): 43-69.
Keywords: cyberspace, digerati, Russia, ethnic minorities, ethnic Russians, globalization, internet and society, national identity, near abroad, new media
Abstract: This article focuses on Internet use as a mediating factor in identity formulation and maintenance among the minority Russian community living within post- Soviet space, but outside of the Russian Federation. I argue that regular internet usage among ethnic Russians in the near abroad has precipitated a denationalization of identity since the breakup of the USSR. The shock of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the often painful demands of living as an “immigrant” in one’s birth country, and the concurrent psychic traumas of globalization have created a powerful nexus which has deeply impacted younger near abroad Russians who, in turn, have turned to cyberspace to help them make sense of their place in world – a process which has, rather paradoxically, promoted postnational, globalist identities. Through regular web use and the creation of transnational communication networks, these Russian digerati are increasingly acting as agents of globalization within their own communities and steadily distinguishing themselves from the larger Russian community residing in the ethnic homeland.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Jack Linchuan Qiu, “The Changing Web of Chinese Nationalism,” Global Media and Communication, 2 (2006): 125-129.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: An essential component in nation-building processes around the world, nationalism is central to China’s online discourse and the evolving political identity of Chinese internet users. While politicians and activists in the country prefer the label, ‘patriotism’ (aiguozhuyi), the fundamental idea is clear: to many of today’s Chinese netizens, allegiance to the nation takes priority over other identities, ideologies and political actions. Nationalism, in this broad sense, underlies almost all political discussion in China’s cyberspace due to the withering away of communism, the need of the authorities to maintain social cohesion and the lack of alternatives created by the censorship regime. But as the anti-Japanese protests in April 2005 demonstrate, web-based nationalistic formations can materialize offline in a way that poses a threat to not only social stability in cities like Beijing and Shanghai but also the actual standing of the party-state as the only legitimate representative of the Chinese nation.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Arun Vishwanath, “The Effect of the Number of Opinion Seekers and Leaders on Technology Attitudes and Choices,” Human Communication Research, 32.3 (2006) 322–350.
Abstract: Status, which implies a positive evaluation by other members of the group, remains one aspect of group structure that has not received much theoretical or empirical evaluation. Although a number of researchers have focused on status and its emergence, the influence of the number of group members who share status has never been explored. This paper focuses on group relationships and examines the impact of the number of opinion seekers and opinion leaders on individual technology-related attitudes and behavior. The research model was built on the social influence model presented by J. Fulk (1993) and tested across multiple moderating variables suggested in the social psychological literature including cohesiveness, three types of uncertainty, two levels of uncertainty, and two media types. Contrary to the dominant theoretical position, the number of opinion leaders did not always influence technology attitudes; rather, in host of high-attraction conditions, the number of opinion seekers had a significant influence. The influence of the number of opinion seekers was moderated by the degree of cohesiveness—indicating internalization of attitudes rather than compliance. Also moderating this relationship were the type and level of uncertainty and the type of media chosen.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Joshua Pila, “Access to Global Telecommunications: A Comparative Discussion of the International Legal Issues Confronting the Telecommunications Relay Service,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy 11 (Autumn 2006): 1-21.
Abstract: The U.S. Telecommunications Relay Service (“TRS”) strives to facilitate access to telecommunications services for hearing and/or speech impaired people. This system, and other countries’ similar efforts, fails to take account of new technologies such as Internet Protocol (“IP”) and the increasingly global reach of telecommunications networks. The system works well for traditional domestic calls, but performs poorly when challenged by calls that traverse international networks or leave the Public Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”). In these cases, conflicting regulatory obligations, network architectures, cross-border funding mechanisms and international standardization issues interfere with TRS users’ ability to communicate in a functionally equivalent manner. This paper analyzes current U.S. TRS regulations and technologies, compares this system to Great Britain’s TypeTalk regime, explains system faults in international and IP contexts, and argues that U.S. and international telecommunications regulators should understand and attempt to resolve these challenges by: 1) a registration system for IP Relay, 2) a shared funding mechanism for required TRS provision tied to TRS usage, and 3) international negotiation on industry-wide standards.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Sheng-cheng Lin and Fu-ren Lin, “An Ecosystem View on Online Communities of Practice,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 11 (Autumn 2006): 1-31. 
Keywords: Online communities of practice, knowledge management, ecosystem, evolutionary model
Abstract: A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share common concerns, problems, or passions for a domain, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise through interaction on an ongoing basis. People view a CoP as a wellspring of precious knowledge in the era of knowledge economy. Notably, many researchers support the notion that a CoP is not designed or made but grown. However, there is no systematic theory of online community development. Based on the properties of autotrophic and open system of online CoPs, there are several differences between traditional groups and online CoPs. Interestingly, there exists an ideal mapping between the properties of an online CoP and an ecological ecosystem. This study adopts Yin’s analytic strategy of descriptive framework and Odum’s ecosystem model to develop an online CoP ecosystem model to identify the evolution of an ecosystem over time. Finally, some policies implications for development of online communities of practice are proposed based on the ecosystem view. 
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Celene Navarrete-A. and Esperanza Huerta, “Building Virtual Bridges to Home: The Use of the Internet by Transnational Communities of Immigrants,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy 11, (Autumn 2006): 1-20. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: For decades transnational communities of immigrants have used various forms of communication to maintain ties with their places of origin. Transnational communities of immigrants are creating and enhancing virtual spaces for (re)creating and maintaining a SOC across national borders. This paper explores the concept of sense of virtual community in transnational groups of immigrants. We review research from different disciplines to understand how the Internet is shaping the ability of dispersed national groups to create, preserve and extend their SOC in virtual spaces. The theory of SOC applied to virtual communities provides the frame of reference in which this phenomenon is analyzed. Based on our analysis of the literature we argue that the unique characteristics of communities of immigrants—such as shared histories, cultural values, experiences, common country of origin, and offline interaction—shape the nature and dynamics of their interactions online. Social, political and economic implications of the offline/online interaction are also addressed for the host and home society.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Rosemary Stockdale and Michael Borovicka, “Ghost Towns or Vibrant Villages? Constructing Business-Sponsored Online Communities,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 11 (Autumn 2006): 1-21. 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Businesses are being encouraged to construct online communities to interact with their customers and to realize the many benefits such communities offer. These benefits include enhanced brand recognition and more opportunities to develop close customer relationships. However, there remains little understanding of how such communities should be developed and maintained and many have failed, languishing as ‘ghost towns’ online. A case study of Lonely Planet examines the way in which the travel publisher has established a vibrant online community with more than 250,000 members. Analysis shows that the company has integrated the elements of a socially constructed community with those of a business one. Lonely Planet has increased the value proposition for their customers while nurturing a sense of social belonging. This case study of a vibrant business-sponsored online community contributes to more understanding of how such communities can be developed.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Rosemary Stockdale and Karine Barzilai-Nahon, “Gatekeepers, Virtual Communities and the Gated:  Multidimensional Tensions in Cyberspace,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 11 (Autumn 2006): 1-28. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Gatekeeping/Information Control is exercised frequently and daily in virtual communities. In this context, Gatekeeping mainly exists in four different levels of stakeholders: formal regulators, infrastructure regulators (e.g., service providers), communities’ managers and members of the communities (serving in two roles: as representatives of the communities or as individuals). The article analyzes the sensitive balance of relationships among these stakeholders. Additionally, it examines how power is manifested and exercised through information control in forums. Three levels that impact gatekeeping’s nature are analyzed – the gatekeepers, the community and the gated while addressing: first, the duality of gatekeepers as protectors or manipulators; second, the politics of power of marginalized groups in cyberspace; and finally, the meaning of gated anonymity to information control.  
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Will Wai-kit Ma, Theodore H.K. Clark and Pu Li, “Cognitive Style and Acceptance of Online Community Weblogs Systems,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 11 (Autumn 2006): 1-12. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Weblogs (“blogs”) are becoming increasingly important over time, with researchers asking why millions of Internet users are so eager to post their own diary on the web every day. This study collected data from 265 business school undergraduate students on their opinions concerning weblog usage and attitudes. The study then used cognitive style to analyze differences among various user types. Analysis of the respondents’ cognitive styles placed them along a spectrum with two extremes: intuitive (with non-linear thinking) and analytic (using rational information processing). Group analysis found significant differences between the two cognitive groups: performance expectancy was significantly higher in the analytical group, while effort expectancy and social influence were higher in influencing intention to use within the intuitive group.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Tammara Combs Turner and Karen E. Fisher, “Social Types in Technical News Groups: Implications for Information Flow,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 11 (Autumn 2006): 1-21. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Using Fisher and Durrance’s2 framework of information communities, this study examines the roles played by differed social types in information flow within online technical newsgroups. Data collection methods included content analysis of discussion threads from technical newsgroups, focus groups, participant observation and interviews with key informants, along with quantitative analysis of data obtained from Microsoft Research’s Netscan project. Findings support and expand the information communities framework. Four social types were identified: (1) Questioners, (2) Answer People, (3) Community Managers and (4) Moguls. Newsgroups facilitated social and information exchanges among individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and geographic locations as they posted and replied to messages publicly available for viewing. Interaction of these various social types cultivated information flow as users engaged in information seeking, giving and use behavior. Implications for information policy are discussed.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Katarzyna A. Czapracka, “Where Antitrust Ends and IP Begins—on the Roots of the TransAtlantic Clashes,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 11 (Autumn 2006): 1-55. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: U.S. antitrust enforcers see little scope for antitrust policy to mitigate the consequences of imperfect IP policies. They are reluctant to intervene in what is perceived to be the sphere of IP policy and take the view that any competitive concerns are better remedied by changes in the IP policy. This trend corresponds with shielding antitrust policy away from fields occupied by other forms of regulation. Exactly the opposite tendencies are present in EU competition law. Both the European Commission and the ECJ seem to see a role for competition law to correct improvidently defined IPRs, even if it entails adjusting competition principles. It may seem reasonable, as unlike competition policy, most issues relating to IP policy within the European Union are still decided at the national level. Yet, there is an inherent danger in this approach. It may lead antitrust authorities to adopt analytically questionable approaches that undermine the coherence of antitrust law. Competition agencies must be particularly cautious in adopting the measures to curb IP laws, as they may discourage private R&D investment. The Commission’s views on application of Article 82 to interoperability information, as expressed in the Microsoft Decision and the Article 82 Paper, confirm that these reservations are valid.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Kathryn Waite, “Task Scenario Effects on Bank Web Site Expectations,” Internet Research, 16.1 (2006): 7-22.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Financial services, Banks, Virtual banking
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore whether consumer expectations of web site attributes differ according to information-seeking or transaction tasks. Information seeking is a distinct online activity and is an important first stage of the Internet adoption process. However, there is little empirical research that compares online search and transaction behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – This pilot study focuses on retail bank web sites in order to select a service familiar to consumers for which a web site would serve as both an information source and a transaction channel. A self-administered questionnaire collected data from a convenience sample of 160 UK adults in December 2005. The questionnaire measured normative and predictive expectations of systems and information quality. Findings – The findings show differences between task contexts with regards to the requirement to supply personal details, the presence of a search engine and the inclusion of moving graphics. There are implications for studies informed by the SERVQUAL approach to measuring web site quality. Research limitations/implications – The acknowledged research limitations are the sampling method, sample size, sample composition and industry context, which contribute to the low generalizability of the results. However, the findings indicate that there are differences in task scenario worthy of investigation in broader studies. Originality/value – Task scenario differences mean that data collection instruments should specify to respondents for which task a multi-functional web site is being measured. This will be of value to practitioners and researchers who are studying web site quality. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Marie-Claude Boudreau and Richard T. Watson, “Internet Advertising Strategy Alignment,” Internet Research, 16.1 (2006): 23-37.
Keywords: Corporate strategy, Worldwide web, Strategic alignment, Internet, Advertising, Multinational companies
Abstract: Purpose – Because the web can be an influential medium for attracting and retaining customers, it is critical to examine the connection between web advertising and corporate strategy. This is particularly true for multinational organizations, which face the most complex organizational environment. The purpose of this paper is to propose that multinational organizations should be concerned with alignment of their strategy and web image because of the size and geographic spread of their operations.
Design/methodology/approach – This research paper reviews the fundamental global strategies that corporations can pursue (e.g. integration, transnational, national responsiveness) and then empirically examine the relationship between corporate global strategy and web advertising strategy for 20 multinational organizations.
Findings – The results show that misalignment between corporate global strategy and web advertising strategy is reasonably common. For two thirds of the companies in our sample, there was imperfect alignment.
Originality/value – The paper suggests three reasons why this can be, and offer a tool that enables organizations to recognize how they should handle design and content matters for the combination of corporate and national web sites.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Risk)

Evangelos Moustakas, C. Ranganathan and Penny Duquenoy, “E-mail Marketing at the Crossroads: A Stakeholder Analysis of Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (Spam),” Internet Research, 16.1 (2006): 38-52.
Keywords: Electronic mail, Internet marketing, Stakeholder analysis
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual overview of the process of unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE), propose a typology of UCE, and delineate key stakeholders of UCE, their roles and potential responses through a stakeholder analysis.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on the extant literature, this paper provides a
conceptualization of the UCE process, delineating specific types of UCE. It uses stakeholder analysis to identify key members in the UCE process and the potential roles to be played by them in combating UCE.
Findings – This paper proposes a four-way typology of the UCE process, identifies key stakeholders, and also mechanisms for tackling UCE.
Research limitations/applications – Given the limited empirical research on this topic, this paper is exploratory in nature, integrating concepts from marketing and e-commerce research streams. It will provide a solid conceptual foundation for future empirical research on UCE.
Practical implications – This paper will be a useful resource for customers, Internet merchants, policy makers, direct marketing associations, agencies and consumer awareness groups that are working on Internet security, privacy and anti-spam issues.
Originality/value – This paper addresses an important and timely issue, filling an important gap in current research on e-mail marketing. It provides conceptual foundations on UCE, and deploys stakeholder analysis to suggest useful guidelines for practice.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Stakehoder)

Paula M.C. Swatman, Cornelia Krueger and Kornelia van der Beek, “The Changing Digital Content Landscape: An Evaluation of e-Business Model Development in European Online News and Music,” Internet Research, 16.1 (2006): 53-80.
Keywords: Electronic media, Europe, Internet, Music industry, Newspaper publishers, Worldwide web
Abstract: Purpose – To provide an empirically based analysis and evaluation of the existing and possible future evolution of Internet business models within the digital content market, focusing particularly on the possibilities for cooperation and coopetition within this market-space. 
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a three-year study of the European online news and online music sectors, comprising a set of preliminary, scene-setting case studies of a number of major players within the European online news and music sectors; a detailed, two-stage survey made up of online questionnaires and face-to-face interviews; and a small number of in-depth case studies. 
Findings – Provides a discussion of the changes taking place in the online news and music sectors, the evolution of the business models within them, the driving forces we have identified, and finally some predictions about what the future may hold for both these sectors. 
Research limitations/implications – The research is indicative, rather than general – being centered on European participants in two sectors of the digital content market-space in the period between May 2003 and August 2004. 
Practical implications – A rich evaluation of these two fast-moving digital content sectors, providing empirically based insights into the ways in which they are evolving and changing and into parallels with other, similar sectors of the digital content market. 
Originality/value – This paper is the first major empirical evaluation of the digital content market-space and offers practical assistance, as well as new theoretical insights on e-business model evolution in this area.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Other (Competition)

Tom M.Y. Lin, Heng-Hui Wu, Chun-Wei Liao and Tzu-Hsin Liu, “Why are Some E-mails Forwarded and Others Not?” Internet Research, 16.1 (2006): 81-93.
Keywords: Electronic mail, Electronic commerce, Social networks, Behaviour, Customer relations, Taiwan
Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to explain why e-mails trigger emotional response states in receivers and to explore the influence of e-mail formats on the receivers’ intention to forward e-mails.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 305 undergraduate and EMBA students in one university in Northern Taiwan. Participants were asked to fill out the questionnaire based on any forwarded e-mail that they had recently received.
Findings – This study reveals that people will have a stronger intention to forward e-mails that make them feel positive emotions, display richer information, are greater in length, or include audio and visual information.
Research limitations/implications – This study shows that e-mail forwarding function maintains guanxi with others, supporting the social psychology theory that personal emotional states will trigger specific behaviors. Also, this paper extends the explanation of the “information richness” theory concerning the influence of format on receivers’ e-mail forwarding intentions.
Practical implications – This study can assist marketing managers in developing e-commerce by exploiting the special features of e-mails identified in the study.
Originality/value – This study provides a behavioral model of the type of e-mails most likely to be forwarded. Enterprises can use this model in developing better guanxi with their customers.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ana R. Del Aguila-Obra and Antonio Padilla-Mele´ndez, “Organizational Factors Affecting Internet Technology Adoption,” Internet Research, 16.1 (2006): 94-110.
Keywords: Internet, Innovation, Companies, Communication technologies, Spain
Abstract: Purpose – To explore the factors that affect the implementation of Internet technologies and to what extent the size of the company, as an organizational factor, influences that process.
Design/methodology/approach – According to the innovation adoption theory, it was found that Internet adoption in firms is a process with different stages where a company is in one of a number of development stages depending on some variables related to organizational factors, such as the availability of technology resources, organizational structure, and managerial capabilities. The paper identified empirically different stages in the Internet adoption process and linked them with those factors. It analyzed questionnaire-based data from 280 companies, applying factor and clustering analysis.
Findings – Four main groups of companies were found according to their stage in the adoption of Internet technologies. The paper established that, contrary to the literature suggestions, the size of the company does not have any effect on the availability of these Internet technologies but it does for managerial capabilities. The smaller the size of the firm, the greater the possibilities of using external advice in adopting Internet technologies, because small firms usually have fewer managerial capabilities. In the mean time, a more sophisticated technology development was identified in larger firms.
Research limitations/implications – As in all empirical research, the characteristics of this study limit the applicability of the findings. First, the study concentrated in businesses that already were using Internet technologies, because they have registered their domain name. Consequently, the study firms that did not have a Spanish domain name were omitted; however, firms could have a “.com” or “.org” domain name and still be Spanish firms. Also, other companies without any domain name on the Internet were not included in the study. Second, the study applied a classification analysis with exploratory purposes about the characteristics of the business according to the cluster of pertinence. Nevertheless, a longitudinal study could be more useful explaining whether or not these companies follow the process described. Third, a more detailed questionnaire with more specific questions could be more helpful to gain a better description of the phases of a more sophisticated technology adoption (i.e. the acceptance/routinization and infusion stages).
Practical implications – This paper has some relatively important managerial implications. First, the fact of having a domain name does not mean that the companies are in the acceptance/routinization phase and even less in the infusion phase. From this, the paper identified how the majority of firms were in the so-called initial stages of the Internet technologies adoption process. Second, it is possible that managers who do not perceive the strategic value of these technologies are managing the majority of these firms. Third, as more businesses implement these technologies in their processes, presumably more competitive pressure will exist to adopt Internet technologies. 
Originality/value – This paper contributes to the research into the organizational factors that affect Internet adoption.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

L. Kazatzopoulos, C. Delakouridis, G.F. Marias and P. Georgiadis, “An Incentive-based Architecture to Enable Privacy in Dynamic Environments,” Internet Research, 16.2 (2006): 170-188.
Keywords: Privacy, Incentives (psychology)
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of priority-based incentives for collaborative hiding of confidential information in dynamic environments, such as self-organized networks, peer-to-peer systems, pervasive and grid computing applications.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper documents the necessity of ISSON (Incentives for
Secret-sharing in Self-Organized Networks); it provides functional and technical details on the proposed architecture; and, it assesses its feasibility in mobile ad-hoc networks through real experiments. The paper elaborates on the availability of the hidden information through an analytical framework.
Findings – Through the real experiments, ISSON was found to be efficient in terms of communication and processing costs. Additionally, it avoids collusions for unauthorized revealing of the hidden information, and ensures the unlinkability and availability of the secret when it is divided and stored to peers.
Originality/value – The proposed, incentive-based, privacy enforcement architecture is novel and applies to distributed, dynamic, and self-configured computing environments.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Policy

Carlos Flavian and Raquel Gurrea, “The Choice of Digital Newspapers: Influence of Reader Goals and User Experience,” Internet Research, 16.3 (2006): 231-247.
Keywords: Internet, Newspapers, User studies
Abstract: Purpose – To analyze press reader behavior in the digital medium: identify the main goals that lead readers to read the press and analyze their influence on the choice of digital newspapers. Moreover, the research analyses the moderator effect of user experience.
Design/methodology/approach – First, qualitative studies were carried out which allow reader objectives to be identified and the hypotheses to be established. Subsequently a survey was applied to a representative sample of users. The scales were validated and refined, after which the hypotheses were tested by way of a structural equation model and a multi-sample analysis.
Findings – The goals based on the search for specific information and for updated news have a positive effect on reading newspapers on the Internet. In contrast, there is no significant effect when reading is for entertainment. This last relationship has been found to be moderated by the user experience variable.
Research limitations/implications – The main aspects which justify digital newspaper reading should be considered in order to increase its use. Similarly, attention is drawn to the probable evolution of reader behavior, which could depend on the level of user’s experience with the Internet press. 
Originality/value – This is one of the first studies that analyses reader behavior on the part of the Internet press readership. In this sense, it provides a significant contribution in that it sets out to identify patterns of behavior on the part of readers of digital newspapers, as well as to study reader goals from a global perspective.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Pradeep Korgaonkar, Ronnie Silverblatt and Tulay Girard, “Online Retailing, Product Classifications, and Consumer Preferences,” Internet Research, 16.3 (2006): 267-288.
Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Internet, Electronic commerce
Abstract: Purpose – To investigate if consumer online patronage is influenced by product category and online store type.
Design/methodology/approach – Building on the prior work in this area by the authors and other researchers the study collected data in two phases to investigate the study hypotheses.
Findings – The study results suggest that consumers’ online patronage is differed based on product type. Interaction effects of the online stores and product type were significant too. Additionally, the rank order of importance of the Internet attribute varied among the three types of online retailers.
Research limitations/implications – The study results should be replicated in other markets. Future studies may also include a variety of different types of online outlets to improve the conclusiveness of the findings reported in this study.
Practical implications – The results should be of interest to the online retailers in choosing the types of merchandise and services to emphasis in the retailers marketing program.
Originality/value – The paper should be of interest to academicians as well as practitioners as it contributes to the small but growing literature in the area of online retailing. It adds to the literature on the product classification paradigm as well as offers practical guidelines for managers.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Matthew K.O. Lee, Christy M.K. Cheung, Kai H. Lim and Choon Ling Sia, “Understanding Customer Knowledge Sharing in Web-based Discussion Boards: An Exploratory Study,” Internet Research, 16.3 (2006): 289-303.
Abstract: Purpose – The proliferation and advance of web-based technologies create expanded opportunities for retailers to gain a better understanding of their customers. However, the success of these web-based discussion boards depends solely on whether customers are willing to share their knowledge and experience with other customers in these discussion boards. Thus, this study aims at identifying the factors that drive knowledge sharing among customers in web-based discussion boards.
Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study with 104 respondents was conducted to identify and categorize the key factors of customer knowledge sharing in web-based discussion boards.
Findings – The results indicate that the enjoyment of helping others is the most frequently cited reason for customer knowledge sharing in web-based discussion boards. On the other hand, the lack of knowledge self-efficacy is the mostly cited reason explaining why customers do not want to share knowledge with others.
Research limitations/implications – The exploratory analysis suggests that the underlying reasons that motivate and inhibit customers to share are very different. There is a need to integrate multiple theoretical perspectives from across the social and technical domains if this phenomenon is to be better understood.
Practical implications – Building upon the findings of this study, some generic guidelines for retailers and web designers for promoting customer sharing in web-based discussion boards are outlined.
Originality/value – This research is one of the first studies to use the socio-technical perspective to investigate customer knowledge sharing phenomena in web-based discussion boards.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Katariina Maenpaa, “Clustering the Consumers on the Basis of their Perceptions of the Internet Banking Services.” Internet Research, 16.3 (2006): 304-322.
Keywords: Internet, Electronic commerce, Banking, Consumer behaviour, Cluster analysis
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore Internet banking services (IBS), consumers availing the services and the potential development possibilities of the services in the challenging operational environment.
Design/methodology/approach – On the basis of exploratory interviews, previous Internet banking studies and relating literature, seven dimensions of IBS ranging from very practical to more hedonic are developed and explored. The users of IBS are examined by clustering them on the basis of differences in perceptions of the proposed service dimensions. Data set comprised of 300 computer-supported interviews.
Findings – The major finding is that three of the consumer clusters do not value service dimensions containing experiential features, whereas the fourth cluster, comprising mainly of youngsters, perceived those service dimensions very appealing.
Practical implications – Two alternative approaches are suggested to the developing and designing IBS. The cost-effective strategy for serving currently profitable customers is to adhere to basic IBS that they prefer. However, designing versatile and experiential IBS might prove to be lucrative investment for the future. The biggest consumer cluster comprising of youngsters, potential bank customers of tomorrow, preferred more diversified and even entertaining features.
Originality/value – The study represents strategically interesting viewpoints to design and develop IBS in order to achieve optimal results in the future.
Method: Survey – Interviews/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

H. Cenk Ozmutlu, Fatih Cavdur and Seda Ozmutlu, “Automatic New Topic Identification in Search Engine Transaction Logs,” Internet Research, 16.3 (2006): 323-338.
Keywords: Search engines, Identification, Information retrieval, Cluster analysis
Abstract: Purpose – Content analysis of search engine user queries is an important task, since successful exploitation of the content of queries can result in the design of efficient information retrieval algorithms of search engines, which can offer custom-tailored services to the web user. Identification of topic changes within a user search session is a key issue in content analysis of search engine user queries. The purpose of this study is to address these issues.
Design/methodology/approach – This study applies genetic algorithms and Dempster-Shafer theory, proposed by He et al., to automatically identify topic changes in a user session by using statistical characteristics of queries, such as time intervals and query reformulation patterns. A sample data log from the Norwegian search engine FAST (currently owned by overture) is selected to apply Dempster-Shafer theory and genetic algorithms for identifying topic changes in the data log.
Findings – As a result, 97.7 percent of topic shifts and 87.2 percent of topic continuations were estimated correctly. The findings are consistent with the previous application of the Dempster-Shafer theory and genetic algorithms on a different search engine data log. This finding could be implied as an indication that content-ignorant topic identification, using query patterns and time intervals, is a promising line of research.
Originality/value – Studies an important dimension of user behavior in information retrieval.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Demspter-Shafer)

Rong-An Shang, Yu-Chen Chen and Hsueh-Jung Liao, “The Value of Participation in Virtual Consumer Communities on Brand Loyalty,” Internet Research, 16.4 (2006): 398-418.
Keywords: Internet, Brand loyalty, Buying behaviour
Abstract: Purpose – To examine the effects of consumers’ lurking and posting behaviors in virtual consumer communities on specific brand loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach – An online survey of a virtual community of Apple computer users was conducted to test a model of involvement, participation, loyalty, trust, and attitudes toward the brand exist in messages within the community.
Findings – The causes and effects of lurking and posting differed. Lurking contributed to brand loyalty more than posting did, and the primary purpose of lurking was to look for information regarding product function/performance, instead of satisfying consumers’ affective needs.
Research limitations/implications – As a result of the limitations in a computer mediated communication environment, virtual consumer communities should be perceived as an arena for weak-tied strangers to communicate for word-of-mouth (WOM) behavior, rather than as a brand community.
Practical implications – Although negative messages in a community can hurt brand image, companies should encourage the establishment of communities about their products and encourage consumers to participate in them.
Originality/value – Although the importance of virtual communities has been recognized, few studies have been done to examine the business value of consumer communities. Based on perspectives of brand community and WOM behavior, this paper contributes to virtual community and marketing research by clarifying the effects of consumers’ lurking and posting behaviors in a consumer community on brand loyalty.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Amanda Spink, Bernard J. Jansen, Vinish Kathuria and Sherry Koshman, “Overlap Among Major Web Search Engines,” Internet Research, 16.4 (2006): 419-426.
Keywords: World wide web, Search engines Abstract: Purpose – This paper reports the findings of a major study examining the overlap among results retrieved by three major web search engines. The goal of the research was to: measure the overlap across three major web search engines on the first results page overlap (i.e. share the same results) and the differences across a wide range of user defined search terms; determine the differences in the first page of search results and their rankings (each web search engine’s view of the most relevant content) across single-source web search engines, including both sponsored and non-sponsored results; and measure the degree to which a meta-search web engine, such as Dogpile.com, provides searchers with the most highly ranked search results from three major single source web search engines.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors collected 10,316 random Dogpile.com queries and ran an overlap algorithm using the URL for each result by query. The overlap of first result page search for each query was then summarized across all 10,316 to determine the overall overlap metrics. For a given query, the URL of each result for each engine was retrieved from the database.
Findings – The percent of total results unique retrieved by only one of the three major web search engines was 85 percent, retrieved by two web search engines was 12 percent, and retrieved by all three web search engines was 3 percent. This small level of overlap reflects major differences in web search engines retrieval and ranking results. Research limitations/implications – This study provides an important contribution to the web research literature. The findings point to the value of meta-search engines in web retrieval to overcome the biases of single search engines.
Practical implications – The results of this research can inform people and organizations that seek to use the web as part of their information seeking efforts, and the design of web search engines.
Originality/value – This research is a large investigation into web search engine overlap using real data from a major web meta-search engine and single web search engines that sheds light on the uniqueness of top results retrieved by web search engines.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Pablo Zoghbi Manrique de Lara, Domingo Verano Tacoronte and Jyh-Ming Ting Ding, “Do Current Anti-cyberloafing Disciplinary Practices Have a Replica in Research Findings? A Study of the Effects of Coercive Strategies on Workplace Internet Misuse,” Internet Research, 16.4 (2006): 450-467.
Keywords: Leadership, Punishment, Internet, Control theory, Workplace
Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to test the extent to which current coercive control strategies receive research support in controlling deviant workplace Internet behavior, also called cyberloafing. Consequently, it examines the relationship between cyberloafing and three classic coercive variables: perceived organizational control (POC), fear of formal punishment (FFP) and physical leadership proximity (LPP) as sensed by the employee. The model tested suggests that perceptions of leader physical proximity (LPP) antecede both the organizational amount of control (POC) and FFP and these both ones, in turn, affect cyberloafing. Additionally, the model suggests that POC increases FFP. 
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 147 (19.4 percent) of the 758 non-teaching staff at a Spanish public university. Accessibility of individual e-mail accounts was similar for all employees. E-mails asking for collaboration were sent in two phases. A questionnaire was posted on the university intranet and could be accessed by clicking on a link in the e-mails.
Findings – Structural equation modeling results show that LPP is a significant positively associated antecedent of POC and FFP. Moreover, POC, in turn, decreases cyberloafing, while FFP increases it. Finally, POC and FFP fully mediate the relationship between LPP and cyberloafing. Research limitations/implications – The researched employees have job conditions inherent to the peculiarities of the public sector which may limit the ability to extrapolate the findings in the private sector. The fear construct was assessed by a self-supplied scale, and thus the presence of shades of other similar emotions could not be discounted. Findings provide a more understandable mechanism of the influence of supervisor proximity on cyberloafing.
Practical implications – These findings contribute to an understanding of the ways in which organizations can control cyberloafing and provide reservations about the intimidator strategy efficiency. Supervisor proximity through the employee’s control senses appear as an effective strategy. 
Originality/value – The study of the joint interaction of the cited coercive variables against cyberloafing is unprecedented.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Dong Hee Shin, “Distributed inter-organizational systems and innovation processes,” Internet Research, 16.5 (2006): 553-572.
Keywords: Computer software, Employee behavior, Computer communications software,
Computer networks
Abstract: Purpose – This research provides a contextual analysis of the introduction of a distributed inter-organizational system (DIOS) in three organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory case study was conducted to assess the user reactions and the consequences of implementing a videoconferencing system in the organizations.
Findings – Respondents reported radically different experiences with the DIOS videoconferencing. Activity theory is used as a framework for analyzing the organizational context at the three sites and exploring the consequences of using the system. It describes a range of human activities and innovation underlying the inter-organizational work process and suggests that deficiencies in actors’ activity of the process limit the value of DIOS process.
Research limitations/implications – A context-sensitive research approach to explain the DIOS design and use shows how human activities are included into DIOS. Meso level focus of activity analysis suggests an implication for IOS literature which supplements the findings from activity theory. The paper concludes by examining extant theorizing about innovation and suggests points of departure suggested by the conceptual frame.
Practical implications – The research provides a valuable reference for DIOS designers in particular public organizations’ process innovation. It further gives a lesson that DIOS design engages not only technical innovations, but also accompanies significant organizational changes.
Originality/value – This research contributes to DIOS planning research by clarifying the relations of the DIOS planning process and its consequences. It further clarifies the environmental and organizational factors in terms of political economy perspective identified by previous IOS research. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kelli S Burns and Richard J Lutz, “The Function of Format: Consumer Responses to Six On-line Advertising Formats,” Journal of Advertising, 35.1(Spring 2006): 53-63.
Keywords: N/A/
Abstract: This study represents an initial empirical test of a new construct–attitude toward on-line advertising format (AFORMAT). An on-line survey was used to examine both antecedents and consequences of AFORMAT for each of six on-line ad formats (e.g., pop-ups, banners, skyscrapers). Regression analyses revealed AFORMAT to be significantly related to attitude toward the ad (AAD) for all formats. Furthermore, AFORMAT was significantly related to self-reported on-line ad behaviors such as clickthrough. Overall, the results strongly suggest that the nature of the on-line ad format is an important characteristic that influences on-line advertising response.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Gary L Geissler, George M Zinkhan and Richard T Watson, “The Influence of Homepage: Complexity on Consumer Attention, Attitudes, and Purchase Intent,”
Journal of Advertising, 35.2 (Summer 2006): 69-80.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Web is an increasingly important component of promotional strategy for many organizations. To date, most advertising research has focused on banner ads. In the present study, home pages as promotional vehicles are evaluated. Specifically, we examine the influence of perceived home page complexity on communication effectiveness, as measured by attention to the home page, attitude toward the home page, attitude toward the company, and purchase intent. Qualitative research is used to identify important factors that appear to influence perceptions of home page complexity, including home page length, number of graphics, number of links, amount of text, and use of animation. A pretest experiment further aided in the selection of appropriate factors and factor levels to manipulate in a subsequent, main experiment. The findings in the main experiment suggest that consumers respond more favorable toward home pages that fall in a moderate range of perceived complexity.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Stephen K Koernig and Neil Granitz, “Progressive Yet Traditional: The Portrayal of Women Compared to That of Men in e-Commerce Magazine Advertising,” Journal of Advertising, 35.2 (Summer 2006): 81-97.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Advertising serves as a form of communication and cultural record that can reflect the social condition and be a constructor of those who view the ads (Kellner 1995). However, this cultural record may not always reflect reality; instead it may create and perpetuate cultural stereotypes (Kates and Shaw-Garlock 1999). A significant body of research focusing on the United States and international settings has analyzed sex roles in advertisements, generally demonstrating negative and inaccurate stereotypes of women. Traditionally, women have been depicted as dependent on men, and are shown primarily in domestic scenarios related to happy families and perfectionism. In contrast, men have been shown in the workplace, and are portrayed as knowledgeable, powerful, and driven; they are also depicted in a wide variety of locations, situations, and occupations.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Chun-Yao Huang and Chen-Shun Lin, “Modeling the Audience’s Banner Ad Exposure for Internet Advertising Planning,” Journal of Advertising, 35.2 (Summer 2006): 123-135.
Keywords: N/A/
Abstract: The authors focus on methods to measure and plan for Internet advertising. Since Internet audiences are not bound by a schedule in the conventional sense, they propose that an exposure model for banner advertising be analyzed by frequency of Web site visits. They believe that a negative binomial distribution (NBD) model, which has been used in analyzing repeat behaviors in marketing science, can be employed as a model for measuring banner ad exposure. The model performs well for the description and prediction of the extent of exposure to online advertising campaigns and can serve as a foundation for future modeling efforts.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Negative Binomial Distribution)

Chang-Hoan Cho and HyoungKoo Khang, “The State of Internet-Related Research in Communications, Marketing, and Advertising: 1994-2003,” Journal of Advertising, 35.3 (Fall 2006): 143-163.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study analyzes trends, patterns and rigorousness in research studies about the Internet through a content analysis of published Internet-related papers in 15 major journals in communications, marketing and advertising between 1994 and 2003. Five hundred thirty seven papers of 4,050 total papers in the 15 journals (13.3%) were about the Internet. The results of this study demonstrate a definite pattern of increase in Internet research, the existence of a wide dispersion of individual and institutional contributors, a need for a more explicit theoretical framework, and a need for better methodological rigors in Internet research. In terms of topical coverage, this study concludes that Internet research deals with diverse research topics, but has not quite reached the last phase of Wimmer and Dominick’s (2002) media developmental model (i.e., how we can improve the Internet).
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Grace J Johnson, Gordon C Bruner II and Anand Kumar, “Interactivity and its Facets Revisited,” Journal of Advertising, 35.4 (Winter 2006): 35-52.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Interactivity is reviewed with the goal of addressing several important shortcomings in existing work: a need for generalizability of definitions across all situations and technologies; an explicit incorporation of the nonverbal facet of communication; and a reconsideration of control as an intrinsic aspect of all manners of interactivity. Based on this review, four facets of interactivity are proposed and tested experimentally. Three of the facets–responsiveness, nonverbal information, and speed of response–were found to be significantly related to perceived interactivity. It is important to note that support was also found for modeling interactivity as a second-order formative construct. Implications of the findings for interactivity theory, as well as for managers developing advertising strategies using interactive media, are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Barbara Briers, Siegfried Dewitte and Jan Van den Bergh, “E-zines Silence the Brand Detractors,” Journal of Advertising Research 46.2 (June 2006): 199-209.
Keywords: Research; Preference; Studies; Indexes; Implications 
Abstract: In this paper we investigated whether a company’s recommendation factor can be increased by opt-in e-zines. A sample of 817 railway travelers was interviewed on the train. Using Reichheld’s (2001) recommendation index, respondents were categorized as brand detractors, passively satisfied customers, or brand promoters. Respondents giving permission (n = 555) received either none or three e-zines in a period of six weeks. Post-measurement results (n = 221) showed that the proportion of detractors was significantly lower among respondents who received the newsletters compared to those who received no e-zines. Personalization to the receivers’ lifestyle, however, had a negative effect on recommendation. We conclude with managerial implications and suggestions for future research.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Carolyn A Lin, “Predicting Webcasting Adoption via Personal Innovativeness and Perceived Utilities,” Journal of Advertising Research, 46.2 (June 2006): 228-239.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Broadcasting over the internet presents a new frontier for media and advertising industries to conquer. At the local level, the greatest asset of a television station is its “localism” with the audience still regarding television stations as the most effective source for local weather, traffic, and sports news as well as advertising compared to cable television, public television, newspapers, magazine, or the internet. Hence, the unique advantage that a television station website can offer may involve providing locally-oriented webcasting services as well as serving as a portal to features and other websites of local interest. This study explored the profile of early adopters of webcasting, the potential predictors of webcasting adoption and audience interest in different types of local webcast features. A national sample representing the top 50 television markets in the United States was interviewed via a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system for data collection. Study results found that webcasting adopters suited the profile of “early adopters” of online technology. Moreover, personal innovativeness, perceived utilities of webcasting as well as online-use frequency and per-online-use duration were found to be significant predictors of webcasting adoption (although demographic characteristics were not). Findings on audience adoption interest in local webcast features, and their implications for advertisers, were also discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Robert V. Kozinets, “Click to Connect: Netnography and Tribal Advertising,” Journal of Advertising Research, 46.3 (September 2006): 279-289.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Copywriters ground advertising insight in their understanding of the consumer. In contemporary consumer culture, much meaningful consumption takes places in a communal, collective, and tribal environment. Advertisers and copywriters in particular would benefit from a culturally-grounded understanding of the language, meanings, rituals, and practices of the consumer tribes with which advertising seeks to communicate. This article suggests that the rigorous application of netnography the online practice of anthropology could be helpful to advertisers and copywriters as they seek this enhanced understanding. Netnography is faster, simpler, timelier and much less expensive than traditional ethnography. Because it is unelicited, it is more naturalistic and unobtrusive than focus groups, surveys, or interviews. However, it still largely text-based, anonymous, poses ethical issues, is often overwhelming, can invite superficial and decontextualized interpretation, and requires considerable researcher acuity. In a detailed interpretation of a single newsgroup posting, author seeks seek to demonstrate the level of cultural nuance required for quality netnographic interpretation and the potential of the method for generating technocultural insights to guide advertising copywriters.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Gwen S. Ishmael and Jerry W. Thomas, “Worth a Thousand Words,” Journal of Advertising Research, 46.3 (September 2006): 274-278.
Keywords: N/A/
Abstract: A look into online ethnography. This article describes what online ethnography is and how to analyze it. Online ethnography provides a snapshot of respondents’ real-life experiences in order to truly understand not just what they report they do, but what they are actually doing and how that behavior drives their decisions.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

K. Kenski and T. Jomini, “Connections between Internet Use and Political Efficacy, Knowledge, and Participation,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50.2 (2006): 173-192.
Keywords: Internet use; Internet access; Internet exposure; online exposure; political efficacy; political knowledge; political participation
Abstract: Using data from the 2000 National Annenberg Election Survey, this study looks at the relationships between Internet access and exposure to presidential campaign information online and political efficacy, knowledge, and participation. Our results show that Internet access and online campaign exposure are significantly associated with these important political variables. Several of the associations between Internet access and exposure with political efficacy, knowledge, and participation are detectable even when taking sociodemographic variables, party identification, partisan strength, political interest and several other media exposures variables into account.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Matthew S. Eastin, Mong-Shan Yang and Amy I. Nathanson, “Children of the Net: An Empirical Exploration Into the Evaluation of Internet Content,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50.2 (2006): 211-230.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: During a typical online search, users are faced with literally thousands of information sources as well as unsolicited information such as advertising. Judging the legitimacy of information presented and focusing on needed content can be difficult for children. Thus, the current study examines how children evaluate information online. Manipulating the presence of a source, advertising and dynamism to understand information recall and credibility perceptions, this project initiates a needed research agenda aimed at children and their Internet experiences. Results demonstrate that content such as source, advertising, and dynamism do influence credibility perceptions and recall.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Cassandra van Buren, “Critical Analysis of Racist Post-9/11 Web Animations,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50.3 (2006): 537-554.
Abstract: Of particular relevance to this study, as narratives that provide a foundation for interpreting post-9/11 anti-Arab animations, are those cartoons Sampson (1998) discussed that construct Arabs in negative characterizations. These works illustrate that the use of negative stereotypes to represent Arabs is not a recent phenomenon in the U.S. cultural lexicon. Sampson documented that the Arabs in these earlier animations are often characterized by affording them various African American dialects and accents, a narrative move that addresses a complexity in and conflation of racial tensions among White Americans, producers and audiences alike.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Dmitri Williams, “Groups and Goblins: the Social and Civic Impact of an Online Game,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50.4 (2006): 651-670.
Abstract: Video games have joined the media mainstream and are now played regularly by a majority of Americans (Entertainment Software Association [ESA], 2005). As an industry, they gross almost as much as motion pictures. Although many people perceive video games to be the province of children (Williams, 2003), their use has become an all-ages phenomenon, with the average player now 30 years of age and rising (ESA, 2005). Nevertheless, the cultural reception surrounding video games has focused research attention largely on their potentially harmful effects on interpersonal violence and aggression in adolescents (Anderson and Dill, 2000; Sherry, 2001). Recently, scholars have begun to take notice of the socially networked aspect of game play, opening up new lines of inquiry (Griffiths, Davies, and Chappell, 2003; Jones, 2003). In particular, games played over broadband networks, whether they are based on personal computers or console systems, have begun to link people from around the world as they engage in a shared play experience. These computing networks create social networks (Wellman and Gullia, 1999), which in turn have brought networked gaming into the research arena of Internet effects. Online gaming, then, has become a place to test hypotheses about civic engagement, social capital, and the displacement of face-to-face interactions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Dmitri Williams, “Virtual Cultivation: Online Worlds, Offline Perceptions,” Journal of Communication, 56.1 (2006): 69-87.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The first longitudinal, controlled experiment of a video game explored the presence of cultivation effects due to play. Over the course of a month, participants in an online game changed their perceptions of real-world dangers. However, these dangers only corresponded to events and situations found in the game world, not other real-world crimes. This targeted finding is at odds with the broader spreading activation postulated by some cultivation researchers. The results, their implications for theory, and the study of games are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Sriram Kalyanaraman and S. Shyam Sundar, “The Psychological Appeal of Personalized Content in Web Portals: Does Customization Affect Attitudes and Behavior?” Journal of Communication, 56.1 (2006): 110-132.
Keywords: N/A/
Abstract: Internet technology has made possible the widespread dissemination of individualized media messages, but we know very little about their psychological import. A between subjects experiment (N = 60) with three levels of customization (low, medium, high) was designed to examine whether greater levels of personalized content engender more positive attitudes. The results not only confirm this hypothesis but also reveal the mediating role played by users’ perceptions of relevance, involvement, interactivity, and novelty of portal content. In addition, customization has behavioral effects in that it affects users’ browsing activity.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Rebecca Verser and Robert H. Wicks, “Managing Voter Impressions: The Use of Images on Presidential Candidate Web Sites During the 2000 Campaign,” Journal of Communication, 56.2 (2006): 178–197.
Abstract: Presidents Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton mastered of art of using television to manage impressions in the television age. With the advent of the Internet, recent presidential campaigns have begun to recognize the potential of this medium in shaping images and managing impressions among voters. This study focuses on the 2000 presidential election and the images of the presidential candidates appearing on their official campaign Web sites. It also evaluates the visual strategies the candidates used and the overall themes of the images. Each candidate appeared to present campaign photographs in ways that may have been orchestrated to enhance their appeal and reverse negative media portrayals.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Kenichi Ishii, “Implications of Mobility: The Uses of Personal Communication Media in Everyday Life,” Journal of Communication, 56.1 (2006): 346-365.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the impact of mobile communications on interpersonal relationships in daily life. Based on a nationwide survey in Japan, landline phone, mobile voice phone, mobile mail (text messaging), and PC e-mail were compared to assess their usage in terms of social network and psychological factors. The results indicated that young, nonfamily-related pairs of friends, living close to each other with frequent face-to- face contact were more likely to use mobile media. Social skill levels are negatively correlated with relative preference for mobile mail in comparison with mobile voice phone. These findings suggest that mobile mail is preferable for Japanese young people who tend to avoid direct communication and that its use maintains existing bonds rather than create new ones. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kirstie M. Farrar, Marina Krcmar and Kristine L. Nowak, “Contextual Features of Violent Video Games, Mental Models, and Aggression,” Journal of Communication, 56.2 (2006): 387-405.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This experiment employed a 2 (third vs. first person) 3 2 (blood on/off) 3 2 (sex) design in order to examine the effects of two internal video game manipulations: the presence of blood and point of view on participants’ perceptions of the game. Overall, when the blood manipulation was on, participants perceived greater gore. Players were significantly more focused when they played in the third-person point of view than when they played in first person. Males were more involved in the game overall regardless of point of view, but females were more focused and involved when they played in third, not first, person. In addition, we wanted to see if game manipulations and perceptions of the game affected aggressive outcomes. Those who played the game in the blood-on condition had more physically aggressive intentions, and when players were more involved and immersed in the game, they reported greater hostility and physically aggressive intentions. Findings are discussed as they relate to mental models of media violence.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Schema)

Eyun-Jung Ki, Byeng-Hee Chang and Hyoungkoo Khang, “Exploring Influential Factors on Music Piracy Across Countries,” Journal of Communication 56.2 (2006) 406-426.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study explored various determinant variables influencing music piracy rates across countries. Seven variables, including income level, income inequality, individualism– collectivism, level of education, intellectual property protection, music CD price and music market size, were adopted for this study. This study found that income level, income inequality and market size directly impact music piracy, whereas income level, level of education, music CD price and market size influenced music piracy through intellectual property protection.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Policy

Matthew S. Eastin, Bradley S. Greenberg, and Linda Hofschire, “Parenting the Internet,” Journal of Communication 56.3 (2006): 486-504.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Telephone surveys of single and married mothers of teenagers in public schools, mothers of teenagers in religious schools, and mothers of homeschooled teenagers examined the influence that parenting styles and level of Internet access in the home have on parenting mediation of online content and time spent on the Internet (N = 520). Specifically, how authoritative, authoritarian, permissive and neglectful parenting styles as well as home and bedroom Internet access influence the evaluative and restrictive mediation techniques used by parents was investigated. Results indicate that parenting style has a significant effect on almost all mediation techniques studied, whereas increased access only influences time online. Additionally, technological blocking as a restrictive mediation technique was found to be highest among authoritative parents, followed by authoritarian and neglectful.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Jochen Peter and Patti M. Valkenburg, “Adolescents’ Exposure to Sexually Explicit Online Material and Recreational Attitudes Toward Sex,” Journal of Communication 56.4 (2006): 639-660.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Previous research has largely ignored the implications of adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit online material for their sexual attitude formation. To study whether adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit material on the Internet is related to recreational attitudes toward sex, researchers conducted an online survey among 471 Dutch adolescents aged 13–18. In line with an orientation 1 – stimulus – orientation 2 – response (O1-S-O2- R) model, study found a pattern of multiple mediated relationships. Male adolescents (O1) used sexually explicit online material (S) more than female adolescents, which led to a greater perceived realism of such material (O2). Perceived realism (O2), in turn, mediated the relationship between exposure to sexually explicit online material (S) and recreational attitudes toward sex (R). Exposure to sexually explicit online material, then, is related to more recreational attitudes toward sex, but this relationship is influenced by adolescents’ gender and mediated by the extent to which they perceive online sexual material as realistic.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Faiza Hirji, “Common Concerns and Constructed Communities: Muslim Canadians, the Internet, and the War in Iraq,” Journal of Communication Inquiry 2006; 30; 125-141.
Keywords: Muslim diaspora; Internet news service; citizenship
Abstract: Media fulfill a number of different functions for members of diasporas, helping to maintain networks built around nationality, culture or religion. In times of international conflict, immigrants or minorities living in Canada may be particularly reliant on diasporic media if mainstream news networks do not supply the relevant information or desired perspective. This article focuses on the specific role that Internet news services might play in fostering a sense of identity or community for a uniquely placed group, Canadian Muslims, during the invasion of Iraq. In particular, the construction of a loosely knit community opposed to the Iraq War is examined in relation to a news service, Montreal Muslim News, which is based in Canada but addresses a variety of domestic and international affairs. The content on this Web site is analyzed to determine what discourses it may contain regarding citizenship, community, and political engagement.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

May O. Lwin and Jerome D. Williams, “Promises, Promises: How Consumers Respond to Warranties in Internet Retailing,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 40.2 (2006): 236-260.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Past studies have shown that perceived risk is a critical determinant of purchase intention in non–store retailing contexts, including Internet retailing. Extant literature in physical retailing suggests that warranties can be a significant variable in reducing consumers’ perceived risk. Researchers examine the role of Web site warranties in risk reduction and how warranty information interacts with retailer reputation and brand name as two other risk relievers in an online shopping environment. Results suggest that warranties can make a positive difference for online retailers with strong reputations with respect to perceived risk, perceived product quality, and purchase intentions. However, consumers are less influenced by warranty information when dealing with online retailers with weak reputations. For the other extrinsic cue, however, study finds that warranty information does not have an effect when dealing with brand names, suggesting that a brand name’s impact on online risk reduction remains regardless of the presence of warranty information.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Policy

Heejin Lim, Richard Widdows, and Jungkun Park, “M-loyalty: Winning Strategies for Mobile Carriers,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 23.4 (2006): 208-218.
Keywords: Mobile communication systems, Customer services quality, Customer satisfaction, Customer loyalty
Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to investigate determinants of satisfaction and loyalty decisions in the use of mobile services.
Design/methodology/approach – A research model was designed to identify multi-dimensions of mobile service quality and perceived value, and investigate their influences on satisfaction and loyalty. Structural equation modeling was employed to test hypotheses.
Findings – Statistical analysis identified five distinct dimensions of mobile service quality, and their direct and indirect effects on economic value, emotional value on loyalty intention through satisfaction. Two dimensions of perceived value (i.e. economic value, emotional value) had significant influences on customer satisfaction, and then, on loyalty intention. Also, the results show interrelationship between economic and emotional value.
Originality/value – In particular, each dimension of mobile service quality appeared to have different effects on perceived economic value, emotional value and the level of satisfaction. Accordingly, mobile service managers are recommended to develop strategic promotion efforts based on targeted consumers’ needs and marketing goals.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Dennis Pitta, Frank Franzak and Danielle Fowler, “A Strategic Approach to Building Online Customer Loyalty: Integrating Customer Profitability Tiers,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 23.7 (2006): 421-429.
Keywords: Customer loyalty, Customer relations, Internet shopping, Profit maximization, Electronic commerce
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a strategic framework to managing online loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper integrates concepts including a range of recently published (1993-2006) theoretical works in consumer loyalty and ongoing case developments in internet practice.
Findings – Provides information and action approaches to consumer marketers that may increase the success providing want satisfying market offerings. Outlines the costs and benefits of some online customer loyalty building practices. By integrating the literature supporting lifetime customer value with the literature concerned with generating online customer relationships, it provides a pathway to profitable relationships. It also exposes the unintended problems that some online customer loyalty initiatives may create.
Research limitations/implications – The theoretical concepts that form the foundation of the paper appear to have a significant application to consumer marketing but have not been tested empirically.
Practical implications – Uncovers a previously unreported strategy for generating profitable online customer loyalty.
Originality/value – This paper describes the nature and application of customer value tiers to an important marketing process. It offers the potential of increasing marketing success by allowing firms to maximize the value of their scarce service resources by serving profitable customers.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

James C. Ward and Amy L Ostrom, “Complaining to the Masses: The Role of Protest Framing in Customer-Created Complaint Web Sites,” Journal of Consumer Research, 33.2 (2006): 220-230.
Abstract: Consumers who once might have voiced their dissatisfaction with a firm to a few friends and acquaintances are now constructing Web sites to tell the world about their dissatisfaction. Protest-framing theory reveals the interlocking rhetorical tactics (injustice, identity, and agency framing) consumers use to mobilize mass audiences against a firm, contributing important insights to our understanding of negative word of mouth. Moreover, an analysis of protest sites reveals that consumers “frame” their corporate betrayal to the public to demonstrate their power to influence others and gain revenge. As a result, a community of discontent may arise in which both individual and social identities appear to be constructed and affirmed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Osei Appiah, “Rich Media, Poor Media: The Impact of Audio/Video vs. Text/Picture Testimonial Ads on Browsers’ Evaluations of Commercial Web Sites and Online Products,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 28.1 (Spring 2006): 73-87.
Key Words: vividness effects, modality, availability-valence, multimedia, online shopping
Abstract: There has been some debate among advertisers concerning the practicality, necessity, and effectiveness of using multimedia on Internet Web sites. Most companies have been slow to use multimedia features on their site, and it seemed worthwhile to test whether this behavior is warranted by testing the impact of multimedia ads on a commercial Web site. In particular, this study attempted to test whether browsers’ responses to multimedia like audio/video testimonial ads on a commercial Web site would significantly differ from their responses to either a commercial Web site with text/picture testimonials or a commercial Web site with no testimonials. The findings indicated that Internet browsers were more likely to believe a site was targeting them, rate a site more favorably, and rate the product more favorably when the site contained audio/video testimonials than they were when the site contained either text I picture testimonials or no testimonials. Vividness effects of media modality and the availability-valence theoretical framework are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

W.M. Guohua, “Conceptualizing and Measuring the Perceived Interactivity of Websites,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 28. 1 (Spring 2006): 87-105.
Keywords: interactivity, interactive media, interactive advertising, interactive marketing, online consumer behavior.
Abstract: The perceived interactivity of websites by site-visitors (PI^^J is defined as a psychological state experienced by a site-visitor during the interaction process. It manifests in three dimensions: (1) perceived control over (a) the site navigation, (b) the pace or rhythm of the interaction, and (c) the content being accessed; (2) perceived responsiveness from (a) the site owner, (b) from the navigation cues and signs, (c) the persons online; and (3) perceived personalization of the site (a) as if it were a person, (b) as if it wants to know the site visitor, and (c) as if it understands the site visitor. Based on this conceptual definition, a scale for the perceived interactivity of zoebsites was developed and validated. A series of studies was conducted to assess its dimensionality, reliability, and validity. Empirical evidence indicates that the scale is reliable, valid, parsimonious and generalizable. Implications of our conceptual and operational definitions of the construct of perceived interactivity of websites are discussed for interactive advertising and marketing research and practice. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Eric J. Karson, Samuel D. McCloy and P. Greg Bonner, “An Examination of Consumers’ Attitudes and Beliefs Towards Web Site Advertising,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 28.2 (Fall 2006): 77-92.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article examines consumers’ attitudes towards Web site advertising (WSA), and the beliefs that help shape these attitudes, using an established model of consumers’ evaluation of advertising (Pollay and Mittal 1993). The authors apply these constructs to WSA, using three years of data gathered from consecutive student samples. Key findings indicate that while global attitudes towards WSA are relatively stable, consumers have become less positive about the “hedonic/pleasurable” aspects of WSA. In addition, this analysis suggests that consumers can be segmented based on their beliefs about Web site advertising in terms of the following: (1) Pro WSA; (2) Ambivalent towards WSA; and (3) Critics of WSA.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Hanjun Ko, Marilyn S. Roberts and Chang-Hoan Cho, “Cross-Cultural Differences in Motivations and Perceived Interactivity: A Comparative Study of American and Korean Internet Users,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 28.2 (Fall 2006): 93-105.
Keywords: Cultural Contexts, Interactivity and Motivations
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine cultural differences in motivations for using the Internet and consumers’ interactivity on a website. Cultural context was used to explain cultural differences in motivations and interactivity between South Korea and the United States. The results showed that subjects from the low context culture had a higher degree of information and convenience motivation and perceived a higher degree of human-message interaction, while subjects from the high context culture had a higher degree of social interaction motivation and human-human interaction. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Ronald E. Goldsmith and David Horowitz, “Measuring Motivations for Online Opinion Seeking,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.2 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online interpersonal influence or electronic word-of-mouth (“eWOM”) is an important aspect of ecommerce. Consumers give and seek opinions online in much the same way as they do offline, thereby affecting the sales of many goods and services. To further the understanding of eWOM, the present study used data from a survey of 309 consumers to develop a 32-item self-report scale measuring consumer motivations for online opinion seeking. This study revealed eight distinct factors. Consumers seek the opinions of others online to reduce their risk, because others do it, to secure lower prices, to get information easily, by accident (unplanned), because it is cool, because they are stimulated by off-line inputs such as TV, and to get pre-purchase information. A second study using data from 109 consumers showed that: (1) the scales measuring these motivations are free from social desirability response bias and acquiescence, (2) other consumers’ information is more important than advertising, and (3) consumers are likely to continue to seek WOM online, thereby confirming its importance in ecommerce.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Ray L. Benedicktus and Melinda L. Andrews, “Building Trust with Consensus Information: The Effects of Valence and Sequence,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.2 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A Direction
Abstract: Sellers’ reputation, as conveyed by consensus information, influences consumers’ trust in the company. Two experiments were used to investigate the effects of consensus information on consumer trust. Consensus trends were manipulated over three reporting periods. The results indicated that trust varies positively with the valence of a firm’s reputation and is similarly dependent upon whether the trend decreases or increases over time. Effects of valence and sequence direction were further explored in conditions wherein variation between periods was attenuated. Results showed that valence continued to drive trust. However, effects of sequence direction ceased to be significant when the change in reputation between periods was reduced.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Lance Porter and Guy J. Golan, “From Subservient Chickens to Brawny Men: A Comparison of Viral Advertising to Television Advertising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.2 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study sought to examine and define a division of Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) known as viral advertising. Representing the first empirical effort to investigate the content of, and ultimately define, viral advertising, this exploratory study found important differences between viral and television advertising. The definition posited in this study was confirmed. Significantly more than traditional advertising, viral advertising relies on provocative content to motivate unpaid peer-to-peer communication of persuasive messages from identified sponsors. While emotive content has always been the key to capturing audiences’ attention in advertising, viral advertising relies on increasingly raw content for actual distribution. This added reliance on titillation for distribution has a number of implications both for advertisers and the ultimate consumers of advertising.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Kjerstin S. Thorson and Shelly Rodgers, “Relationships between Blogs as eWOM and Interactivity, Perceived Interactivity, and Parasocial Interaction,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.2 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of a political candidate’s blog-a form of eWOM (electronic Word-of-Mouth)-on attitudes toward the website, attitudes toward the political candidate, and intentions to vote. The results showed that interactivity in the form of a blog significantly influenced attitude toward the website, but not attitudes toward the candidate or voting intention. However, perceived interactivity influenced all three dependent variables, but did not interact with interactivity, suggesting that these are two separate constructs. The effects were mediated by parasocial interaction.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Alexandre Steyer, Renaud Garcia-Bardidia and Pascale Quester, “Online Discussion Groups as Social Networks: An Empirical Investigation of Word-of-Mouth on the Internet.” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.2 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: While consumer behavior researchers have long studied word-of-mouth and diffusion of information among reference groups, the emergence of the internet has recently provided the means to empirically establish just how this process takes place, as well as who contributes to it. In this study, the way information was shared among consumers in relation to two product categories was described as following a power law. Implications for marketing and research are provided.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

John Fong and Suzan Burton, “Electronic Word-of-Mouth: A Comparison of Stated and Revealed Behavior on Electronic Discussion Boards,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.2 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The important influence of peer recommendations on consumer purchases has been strongly established. However, recent growth in electronic discussion boards has increased the potential for electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) between people who have never met. This study examines and compares the extent of eWOM on electronic discussion boards within U.S. and China based websites. Using online surveys (N = 214) and observation of discussion postings (N = 3029), data were collected from the “Digital Photography” discussion boards on eBay, Yahoo, and Google (U.S. based websites) and EachNet, Sina, and Netease (China based websites). The findings indicated both similarities and differences in the information giving and seeking behaviors, with the U.S. participants more likely to provide information than Chinese participants, resulting in the U.S. based discussion boards containing a richer source of information relative to requests.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Antti Vilpponen, Susanna Winter and Sanna Sundqvist, “Electronic Word-of-Mouth in Online Environments: Exploring Referral Network Structure and Adoption Behavior,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6.2 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article presents a network analysis of electronic word-of-mouth referral communication in a real life online environment. The goal of the paper was to clarify the existing terminology of electronic word-of-mouth behavior, to examine the kind of network structure that will emerge in the electronic environment, and finally to explore the impact of the network structure on the acceptance of an innovation in such a communication environment. Results indicated that the structure of an electronic communication network is different from the traditional interpersonal communication network structure. This study also showed that the network structure affects innovation adoption timing in the electronic communication environment, as a centralized network structure leads towards early adoption and as tie strength and adoption timing are related.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Mariko Morimoto and Susan Chang, “Consumers’ Attitudes toward Unsolicited Commercial E-mail and Postal Direct Mail Marketing Methods: Intrusiveness, Perceived Loss of Control, and Irritation,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.1 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Using Psychological Reactance as the framework, this study sought to understand consumer attitudes towards two major direct marketing techniques: unsolicited commercial e-mail and postal direct mail. In particular, audience perceptions of advertising intrusiveness, perceived loss of control (as conceptualized by Psychological Reactance), and irritation regarding the direct marketing techniques were investigated. The results of this survey study (N=119) indicated that recipients perceived unsolicited e-mails as more intrusive and irritating than postal direct mail. This study contributed to the theory of Psychological Reactance by indicating that recipients did not feel a loss of control regarding spam, thus Psychological Reactance was not fully supported in the context of these marketing communication techniques. Suggestions for direct marketing practitioners conclude the paper.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Psychological Reactance)

Verolien Cauberghe and Patrick De Pelsmacker, “Opportunities and Thresholds for Advertising on Interactive Digital TV: A View from Advertising Professionals,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.1 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This exploratory study investigates the knowledge, perceptions and intentions of advertising professionals in Belgium toward the introduction and use of IDTV as a marketing communication tool. In the first wave, a total of 320 advertising professionals cooperated in a web-survey that was posted just before the commercial launch of IDTV. 437 advertising professionals participated in the second wave, just one year after the commercial launch. The results show that their knowledge about the possibilities of IDTV was still very limited one year after the launch, reflecting also a rather troublesome result in terms of intentions to adopt IDTV. The intention rates measured in the first wave were relatively promising, taking into account that IDTV was not available at that moment, and the lack of knowledge about its possibilities. These intentions did not appear to be increased one year after IDTV launch. The growing perception of the low effectiveness of advertising on IDTV in combination with technological concerns that are rising after the first real-life try-outs may be the reasons for this threshold to use IDTV.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Tina Winkler and Kathy Buckner, “Receptiveness of Gamers to Embedded Brand Messages in Advergames: Attitudes towards Product Placement,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.1 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Advergames are increasingly being used as part of a marketing campaign to promote products and brands. Previous research investigating the extent to which game players absorb messages in interactive environments has focused on video and more general online gaming environments. Using a snowball sampling technique authors examined the level of recall of products, brands and companies in advergames and whether the acceptability of product placement in advergames is related to attitude towards advertising in general. Our investigation shows recall of products and companies is high and that being negative about advertising in general has a stronger influence on attitude towards product placement in advergames than being positive about advertising. Authors conclude that advergames might work more effectively for products and brands that are already known to the game players and that advergames may be more suited to enhancing and altering brand impression rather than building awareness of products that are new to the target audience.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Qimei Chen and Shelly Rodgers, “Development of an Instrument to Measure Web Site Personality,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.1 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A Website Personality Scale (WPS) was developed and validated through a multi-phase process. We investigated the presence of human and brand personality attributes as well as information characteristics in over one hundred websites. A strong presence of information characteristics was found, verified along dimensions of content quality, access, and time. A number of traditional human and brand personality attributes also were present. These attributes correlated with overall attitude and liking of the websites, which helped to validate the scale. There was little evidence to support the presence of interactivity, real time, and customization-characteristics believed to be central to the Internet and Web technology. The findings suggest that the WPS is both a reliable and valid measure of website personality.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Brant Barton, “Ratings, Reviews, and ROI: How Leading Retailers Use Customer Word of Mouth in Marketing and Merchandising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.1 (Spring 2006).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online word of mouth takes many forms, from individual blog posts to threaded message board conversations, but one particular form is quickly emerging as the new consumer-generated media of choice for leading online retailers and e-commerce sites focused on extracting both immediate and long-term ROI from their marketing efforts: customer ratings and reviews. Highly successful retailers like CompUSA, PETCO, and Burpee are leveraging customer ratings and reviews to enhance their existing online marketing, merchandising, and brand building efforts, including search marketing, email marketing, online display advertising, data-driven merchandising, blogs and RSS. These retailers and others have discovered that customer ratings and reviews are a highly desirable and effective form of word of mouth for multiple reasons. Ratings and reviews are highly focused on the objects of the purchase task, frequently sought out by consumers, and highly measurable.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy Analysis

Lorna Chicksand and Marylyn Carrigan, “Segmenting Voters Online: The Youth Vote,” Journal of Public Affairs, 6 (2006): 269–282.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper will build on previous work that has examined the impact of the Internet on political processes, such as the work of Gibson and Ward (1998, 2003) and Dermody and Wring (2001). Most of this work has focused on developing frameworks with which to analyze the “effectiveness” of these websites. Our approach complements this earlier work by utilizing an interpretive methodology (Thompson, 1996) to gain a deeper insight into end-users perceptions of political parties’ websites. This paper discusses the activities of young people on the Net and outline some of the reasons why political parties’ websites are failing to attract a younger audience. A consideration of the technical factors that make a ‘good’ website was followed by in-depth interviews with young people to elicit their views and experiences of political parties’ websites. At a time when voter apathy is at an all time low, this study is especially relevant.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Bryan H. Reber, Karla K. Gower and Jennifer A. Robinson, “The Internet and Litigation Public Relations,” Journal of Public Relations Research, 18.1 (2006): 23-44.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Internet is an emerging new tool in litigation public relations. This article explores this new phenomenon of personal litigation Web sites by content analyzing the Web sites of 3 celebrities who were involved in high-profile litigation at the time: Martha Stewart, Richard Scrushy, and Michael Jackson. The analysis revealed that traditional litigation public relations standards transfer well to the Internet and suggests that such Web sites are a promising means for disseminating and controlling a client’s message. Implications for public relations theory, particularly the role of asymmetrical communication in public relations, are discussed. Suggestions for litigation public relations Web sites are proposed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Bryan H. Reber and Jun Kyo Kim, “How Activist Groups Use Websites in Media Relations: Evaluating Online Press Rooms,” Journal of Public Relations Research, 18.4 (2006): 313-333.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Content analysis of activist organization Websites determined how activists use online resources in media relations. Seventy-four activist Websites were analyzed. About one-third (32.4%) included organized online press rooms. The most common media relations materials were organizational history (70.3%), organizational mission statement (54.1%), organizational publications (47.3%), press releases (33.8%), and policy papers (31.1%). Activist Websites did not provide strong dialogic features for journalists, but dialogic features were more available for the general public. Theoretical implications are examined and 6 recommendations are made for improving online activist press relations.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Edgar Huang, Karen Davison, Stephanie Shreve, Twila Davis, Elizabeth Bettendorf and Anita Nair, “Bridging Newsrooms and Classrooms: Preparing the Next Generation of Journalists for Converged Media,” Journalism and Communication Monographs, 8.3 (October 2006): 221-263.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study has provided empirical evidence that will help journalism educators make informed decisions about how to teach media convergence in their curricula and courses. A national survey was conducted among college professors, news professionals, and news editors. The study found strong support for training generalists and teaching new technology while continuing to emphasize critical thinking in journalism schools. It concludes that dealing with media convergence in college journalism education is an urgent necessity.   
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Lindsay H. Hoffman, “Is Internet Content Different After All? A Content Analysis of Mobilizing Information in Online and Print Newspapers,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 83.1 (Spring 2006): 58-76.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The present study answers calls of previous research to analyze the content of online news, assessing differences between print and online newspapers in frequency of “mobilizing information” (MI)-information aiding people to act on pre-existing attitudes. Conceptual and operational definitions of locational, identificational, and tactical MI are included. Results revealed that online newspapers did not have significantly more MI than their print counterparts. This finding counters the assumption that online newspapers have more mobilizing content than print.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Dustin Harp and Mark Tremayne, “The Gendered Blogosphere: Examining Inequality Using Network and Feminist Theory,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 83 (Summer 2006): 247-264.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined gender inequity among the most-read political blogs on the Web. Sampling over one year from blog rankings, we found that 10% of the top bloggers were women. Discourse analysis of bloggers’ explanations for gender disparity revealed three dominant beliefs: women do not blog about politics, women’s blogs lack quality, and top bloggers do not link to women’s sites.  Authors used network and feminist theory to explore these claims and offer suggestions for increasing the representation of female voices in the political Blogosphere.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Jeongsub Lim, “A Cross-lagged Analysis of Agenda Setting Among Online News Media,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 83 (Summer 2006): 298–313.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the causal relationships among the issue agendas of three online news media in South Korea during two time periods. The issue agendas of the two online newspapers at Time 1 influenced the issue agendas of the online wire service at Time 2. The online wire service did not influence the issue agendas of the two newspapers during the same time periods. The leading online newspaper influenced the issue agendas of both the secondary online newspaper and the online wire service. The findings extend intermedia agenda-setting studies to the online environment.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Setting/Building

Shannon L Bichard, “Building blogs: A Multi-dimensional Analysis of the Distribution of Frames on the 2004 Presidential Candidate Websites,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 83.2 (Summer 2006): 329-345.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study investigates frames used by candidate Web sites in the 2004 presidential election. The analysis focuses on official blog content posted by the George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry Web sites. Content analysis was used to record time, space, tone, and topic attributes used in the blog text during the 64 days prior to the election. A comprehensive analysis is offered for the distribution of framing content and mechanisms employed for a total of 1,309 blog postings. The findings indicate notable trends as well as significant differences between candidates and their use of frames.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Jane B. Singer, “Stepping Back from the Gate: Online Newspaper Editors and the Co-Production of Content in Campaign 2004,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 83.2 (Summer 2006): 265-280.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In their coverage of the 2004 political campaign, editors of Web sites affiliated with major U.S. newspapers continued to emphasize their role as providers of credible information. But they moved toward seeing that information less as an end product than as a basis for user engagement, participation, and personalization. This study, which builds on a similar study conducted after the 2000 election, suggests journalists may be taking steps toward reshaping their gatekeeping role to accommodate the interactive nature of the Internet.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Adam J. Schiffer, “Blogswarms and Press Norms: News Coverage of the Downing Street Memo Controversy,” Journalism &  Mass Communication Quarterly, 83.3 (Fall 2006), 494-510.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Among well-documented factors that shape political news coverage are reliance on official sources, indexing of coverage to the range of opinion among officials, and privileging of “episodes” over “themes.” The Downing Street Memo controversy of 2005 embodies a clash among those media agenda-setting factors and the intense desire of Internet activists to bring coverage to an issue that most political and media elites initially ignored. This case study analyzes the brief burst of mainstream coverage of the controversy. While straight news and television coverage were pegged mostly to official words and action, activists apparently had an easier time penetrating the op-ed pages of major newspapers.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Setting/Building

Xiaoli Nan, George Anghelcev, Jun Rong Myers, Sela Sar and Ron Faber, “What If a Website Can Talk? Exploring the Persuasive Effects of Web-based Anthropomorphic Agents,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 83.3 (Fall 2006): 615-631.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This research examines the impact of Web-based anthropomorphic agents on consumers’ attitudes toward the Web site and the brand, with particular focus on two mediating factors. An experiment found that the presence (versus absence) of an anthropomorphic agent led to significantly more favorable attitudes toward the Web site, but had minimum influence on attitudes toward the brand. In addition, the influence of the agent on attitudes toward the Web site was mediated by perceived credibility of the Web site and positive emotional responses.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kaye D. Trammell, Andrew Paul Williams, Monica Postelnicu and Kristen D. Landreville, “Evolution of Online Campaigning: Increasing Interactivity in Candidate Web Sites and Blogs Through Text and Technical Features,” Mass Communication and Society, 9.1 (2006): 21-44.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Political candidates have responded to the public’s desire to use the Internet as an interactive information source by creating their own online presence. This study is a content analysis of the Web sites and blogs of the 10 Americans vying to be the Democratic candidate for the 2004 presidential election. Focusing on interactivity, data indicated front pages hyperlink to participation areas such as Donation or Volunteer sections and rarely linked to external content. Blogs used hyperlinks at a rate less than Web sites. Interactivity was encouraged through text, as 83.7% of Web sites asked voters to become more involved. Blog posts discussed issues and attacked the opponents, including President Bush. For the most part, blog posts were personal in nature and used direct address. The tactical use of advanced Web site features showed a technological progression of political campaigning and an overall increase in interactivity through technology and text.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

James D. Ivory, “Still a Man’s Game: Gender Representation in Online Reviews of Video Games,” Mass Communication and Society, 9.1 (2006): 103-114.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Despite the rising popularity of video games, the majority of the medium’s audience continues to be male. One reason may be that character representations in video games are geared toward male players. This content analysis used video game reviews from a heavily trafficked Internet site to investigate the prevalence and portrayal of male and female video game characters. Consistent with the findings of previous studies, female characters were found to be underrepresented and proportionally more often sexualized in comparison to their male counterparts. In addition to these findings, the study’s innovative method—the use of online video game reviews as an indirect measure of video game content—shows promise as a tool for future content analyses of video games.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Nojin Kwak, Nathaniel Poor and Marko M. Skoric, “Honey, I Shrunk the World! The Relation Between Internet Use and International Engagement,” Mass Communication and Society, 9.2 (2006): 189-213.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Scholars have long been interested in the overlap between electronic communication systems and international affairs. New communication systems have brought an expectation for greater information flow and connection across geographical boundaries when compared to the systems that came before them. This study continued this longstanding scholarly interest by examining how the Internet facilitates a sense of connection to the international community at the individual level. Findings demonstrate that the Internet matters for international engagement. According to the results, the Internet connects individuals to the international community by helping them increase their knowledge of the world, facilitating their sense of belonging to the greater world, and motivating them to participate in international events and foreign volunteer opportunities. Further, findings suggest that younger users of the Internet tended to benefit more than older users from reading international news on the Internet with respect to international political knowledge and international participation.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Richard P. Bagozzi, Utpal M. Dholakia, and Amit Mookerjee, “Individual and Group Bases of Social Influence in Online Environments,” Media Psychology, 8 (2006): 95–126.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online social interactions in the form of collaborative browsing and recreational chatting were studied. The theory of planned behavior and an augmented theory of planned behavior with the inclusion of group norms and social identity were used to explain decision making by Indian recreational chatters (n = 176) and decision making and behavior by American collaborative browsers (n = 160) and recreational chatters (n = 157). Consistent with predictions under the theory of planned behavior, attitudes and perceived behavioral control were significant determinants of intentions, and intentions influenced behavior. Subjective norms failed to affect intentions. Group norms also proved to be important determinants in all three samples, and social identity was salient for American and Indian recreational chatters but not for American collaborative browsers. In tests of hypotheses, intentions were reconceptualized as we- or shared-intentions, and all variables under test contained group action as the referent, in contrast to past research, which has focused on individual action.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Richard Collins, “Internet Governance in the UK,” Media Culture Society, 28.3 (2006):  337-359.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Three myths of internet governance prevail – none is well founded. First, the myth dominant in the public policy domain, that internet governance is best when the market decides. Second, the myth dominant in scholarly discussion of the internet, that network governance and self-regulation is both pervasive and effective. Third, the myth that internet governance is quite distinct from governance of ‘legacy media’ (notably broadcasting and telephony), which has led internet scholarship to focus on the DNS (Domain Name System) and ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers) with, as Wilson (2004: 2) has observed, a consequential neglect of national governance of the internet. This article examines these myths through consideration of internet governance in the UK.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Tania Lewis, “Seeking Health Information on the Internet: Lifestyle Choice or Bad Attack of Cyberchondria?” Media Culture Society, 28.4 (2006): 521-539.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Browsing through a range of health websites recently, I encountered RealAge.com, a health website that has been given the thumbs up by no less a personage than Oprah Winfrey. On this site you can calculate the actual biological age of your body, based on how well you’ve maintained it. When you take the RealAge test you are then provided with a Personalized Age Reduction Plan, which is aimed at helping you reduce the ‘age’ of your body through various health-oriented and risk-prevention strategies. What marks out websites like RealAge.com is that they not only provide broad knowledge to ‘lay’ people about maintaining health and preventing disease, they also offer the ability to personalize and individualize such information, to address individuals as essentially reflexive self-managing health consumers.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Access

Peter A. Chow-White, “Race, Gender and Sex on the Net: Semantic Networks of Selling and Storytelling Sex Tourism,” Media Culture Society, 28.6 (2006): 883-905.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Debates about the impact of the Internet on society oscillate between utopian and dystopian poles, usually in regards to issues of the digital divide and community building (Burnett and Marshall, 2003). Boosters of the Internet predicted it to be a place where social inequalities would be democratized. Individuals and groups would find new spaces for expression and alternative methods of communication that could circumvent dominant forms of mainstream media, state-regulated telecommunications and the technological constraints of old media (Gates, 1996; Gilder, 1994; Rheingold, 1994). Proponents also argued that people could have more control over their own identities, free from the social structures of difference, such as race and gender. These types of debates about the Internet often offered prognostications about the solid implications of this emerging technology. Current Internet studies, however, have turned the focus of research to what is actually occurring online.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

William P. Cassidy, “Gatekeeping Similar For Online, Print Journalists, ” Newspaper Research Journal, 27.2 (Spring 2006): 6-23.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Data from a national survey found that routine gatekeeping forces exerted more influence on the professional role conceptions of print and online journalists than did individual level forces.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Gonz´alez-Herrero Alfonso and Ruiz de Valbuena Miguel, “Trends in Online Media Relations: Web-based Corporate Press Rooms in Leading International Companies,” Public Relations Review, 32.3 (2006): 267-275.
Keywords: Online; Media relations; Web; Press room; Internet 
Abstract: An analysis of 120 corporate websites from Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States reveals, for the first time, international results about the implementation and use of virtual press rooms. This article shows the importance that large international companies attribute to Web-based media centers to achieve organizational objectives and to meet journalists’ demands for information and audiovisual resources. The study also shows, however, that most press rooms are far from being complete, efficient, easy-to-use, reliable and updated on a daily basis. In fact, there is not a single country from those analyzed that consistently stands out from the rest. In most of them, good results in certain areas coexist with significant shortcomings in others, resulting in some cases in poor press rooms that may not achieve the desired public relations objectives.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Mihaela Vorvoreanu, “Online Organization–Public Relationships: An Experience-Centered Approach,” Public Relations Review, 32.4 (2006): 395-401.
Keywords: Online public relations; Usability; Experience analysis; Online relationships; Website experience
Abstract: This paper advocates an experience-centered approach to public relations websites. A conceptual framework of the public relations website experience is proposed. The framework is grounded in communication and reader-response theory, and integrates organization–public relationship research as well as website usability findings. A new research protocol, website experience analysis, is derived from the conceptual framework. Applications of website experience analysis in public relations scholarship and practice are discussed. 
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Use and Gratification

Kaye D. Trammell, “Blog Offensive: An Exploratory Analysis of Attacks Published on Campaign Blog Posts from a Political Public Relations Perspective,” Public Relations Review, 32.4 (2006): 402–406. 
Keywords: Blog; Weblog; Candidate; Campaign; Politics; Functional theory; Internet; Web; Election; Political public relations
Abstract: An advancement in online campaigning during the 2004 election cycle was the integration of blogs in candidate Web sites. This content analysis investigated the political public relations message strategy on campaign blogs during the 2004 election, focusing on attacks as a part of Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse. Results indicated frequent discussion of the opponent, reliance on attacks, and the dominance of logical appeals. Candidates focused on issue over image. The incumbent attacked more often than the challenger.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

2007

Charlene Simmons, “Protecting Children While Silencing Them: The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and Children’s Free Speech Rights,” Communication Law and Policy, 12.2 (Spring 2007): 119-142.
Keywords: Internet, right of privacy, online chat groups, freedom of speech, Internet publishing and broadcasting, web search portals, computer network resources, law and legislation
Abstract: In 1998, Congress passed the first law protecting the privacy of individuals on the Internet. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) restricts the online collection of personal information from children aged 12 or younger. Under the law, Web sites that maintain chat rooms directed at children must either condition a child’s participation on the consent of a parent or guardian or monitor the chat room and censor references to personal information. This article examines whether COPPA’s chat room restrictions infringe on the free speech rights of children. The examination finds that aspects of the chat room restrictions are constitutionally suspect because it is questionable whether the parental consent requirement is narrowly tailored.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis                     
Theory: Policy

Robert G. Magee and Tae Hee Lee, “Information Conduits or Content Developers? Determining Whether News Portals Should Enjoy Blanket Immunity from Defamation Suits,” Communication Law and Policy, 12.4 (Autumn 2007): 369-404.
Keywords: Libel and slander, freedom of the press, press law, Internet service providers, journalistic ethics, communication, publicity (law), journalism, mass media, Wired Telecommunications Carriers, accuracy in journalism, criminal law, Internet industry
Abstract: News portals should be held to the same standard of liability for defamation as other news media. Internet service providers (ISPs) enjoy blanket immunity from liability for defamation under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, while information content providers (ICP) might not. Some courts have indicated, however, that a defendant who participates in developing third-party content should be classified as an ICP and thus be held liable. Confusion over the difference between an ISP and an ICP is applied to the case of news portals. This study investigates to what extent news portals should enjoy immunity from liability for defamation. To determine a news portal’s exposure to liability, a continuum of involvement is proposed as a standard in which liability is based on a defendant’s actions and not on the medium employed. A defendant’s involvement with third-party content can be classified under the four levels of the continuum, which can guide courts in deciding whether a defendant is liable. Congress should amend Section 230 to incorporate the continuum and allow courts discretion in determining whether a defendant is immune from liability.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis                     
Theory: Policy

Jeffrey T. Child, Judy C. Pearson and Najla G. Amundson, “Technology Talk: Public Speaking Textbooks’ Coverage of Information Retrieval Technology Systems,” Communication Quarterly, 55.4 (August 2007): 267-281.
Keywords: Diffusion of Innovation, higher education, public speaking textbooks, technology and information gathering
Abstract: College students use technology to gather information and conduct their daily lives. Textbooks increasingly relate course content to students through technology. An analysis of the top ten public speaking textbooks revealed the ways in which technology is addressed within information-gathering chapters. Seven areas of technology were identified: search engines/conducting searches, the Internet, general computing, non-computer technologies, technology applications, technology in general, and the provision of Website addresses. Chi-square tests showed significant differences in the coverage of the technology topics. Instructors can make more informed textbook selections as a result of this investigation. Technology is essential to the information gathering process, and this study suggests how its treatment may be more beneficial to both students and instructors.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis              
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Tony Docan-Morgan and Carol A. Docan, “Internet Infidelity: Double Standards and the Differing Views of Women and Men,” Communication Quarterly, 55.3 (August 2007): 317-342.
Keywords: Interdependence Theory, Internet infidelity, sex differences in infidelity
Abstract: This exploratory study analyzed which types of acts involving the Internet are considered most severe, sex differences in the perceptions of infidelity, and the evaluation of infidelity when one commits it versus one’s partner. Two-hundred and eight participants rated the severity of 44 specific acts (e.g., disclosing love to a person met in an Internet chat room) on either the self-infidelity or partner-infidelity questionnaire. The results indicated that involving/goal-directed acts were rated as more severe than superficial/informal acts, women viewed involving/goal-directed acts of Internet infidelity as more severe than did men, and partner-infidelity was perceived as more severe than self-infidelity. The severity of 44 specific acts is also provided, and this information advances our ability to describe infidelity on the Internet and predict if, and to what degree, others will consider particular actions as infidelity. The implications of these results, as well as future directions, are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Stephen A. Banning and Kaye D. Sweetser, “How Much Do They Think It Affects Them and Whom Do They Believe?: Comparing the Third-Person Effect and Credibility of Blogs and Traditional Media,” Communication Quarterly, 55.4 (November 2007): 451-466.
Keywords: Attribution Theory, blogs, credibility, Internet, new media, Third-Person Effect
Abstract: Using an experimental design, this study investigated third-person effect and media credibility as a result of media attribution. Specifically, we compared third-person effect across four media sources: personal blogs, media blogs, online news and print newspaper. Overall, participants exhibited third-person effects equally across the mediums. Third-person effect regressed with credibility.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Young Mie Kim, ” How Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations Interact in Selectivity: Investigating the Moderating Effects of Situational Information,” Communication Research, 34.2 (2007): 185-211.
Keywords: Intrinsic motivation, issue publics, extrinsic motivation, selectivity, the Web
Abstract: By employing a unique methodological tool that combines individual-level Web behavior data with survey data, this study explored the effects of two levels of motivations on online information selection and candidate evaluation in an actual election campaign: the moderating effects of situational information processing goals (i.e., extrinsic motivation) on the selectivity and candidate evaluation of members of issue publics (i.e., intrinsic motivation). The results suggest that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and more importantly the interplay of the two, exert significant influences on online political information consumption and candidate evaluation. When the accuracy goal was promoted, issue publics extended their search beyond the issue domains of their personal concerns and considered diverse issues in candidate evaluation. However, an issue public’s extremity in candidate evaluation was heightened, in that issue publics paid little attention to the implications of the information when the preservation goal was introduced. Implications for the field of communication are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jorge Peña, Joseph B. Walther and Jeffrey T. Hancock, “Effects of Geographic Distribution on Dominance Perceptions in Computer-Mediated Groups,” Communication Research, 34.3 (2007): 313-331.
Keywords: computer-mediated communication, dominance, virtual groups, distributed work, impression formation, social information processing, hyperpersonal model, symmetry
Abstract: This study examined how the geographic distribution of group members affected dominance perceptions in a field experiment involving 65 computer-mediated groups communicating over a two-week period. Dominance perceptions were more extreme when group members did not share a geographic location (distributed groups) than when they did (collocated groups). Collocated groups showed greater convergence between self and partner dominance perceptions than distributed groups, suggesting more symmetrical perceptions. More symmetrical groups exhibited more attraction and cohesion than less symmetrical groups. These results lend some support to recent models of computer-mediated communication that take into consideration the social psychological processes involved in distributed work and run counter to studies suggesting status equalization in mediated group collaboration. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Stephen A. Rains and Craig R. Scott, “To Identify or Not to Identify: A Theoretical Model of Receiver Responses to Anonymous Communication,” Communication Theory, 17.1 (2007): 61–91.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Although anonymity has been studied for well over a century, scholarship on anonymous communication has been fragmented and the role of message receivers, in particular, warrants greater attention. A theoretical model is developed here explaining receiver responses to anonymous communication. The context of the communication, degree to which the source is perceived to be anonymous, receiver’s desire to identify the source, and potential ability to determine the source’s identity are posited to influence receiver attempts at identifying (or further anonymizing) the source as well as perceptions of the source, message, and medium. The study concludes by identifying instances where anonymity may be particularly beneficial or problematic for message receivers and offering directions for future research.
Method: Model Building        
Theory: Other (Anonymous Communication)

Keri K. Stephens, “The Successive Use of Information and Communication Technologies at Work,” Communication Theory, 17.4 (2007): 486–507.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Past research on information and communication technology (ICT) use has largely assumed that people use only one ICT per task. Yet completing a task often requires a mix of ICTs used over time. ICT succession theory argues that by examining the modalities—for example, auditory, visual and textual—found in ICTs today, we can predict how to use follow-up or successive ICTs to complete tasks efficiently and effectively. The six propositions that form the core of this theory make predictions linking tasks and types of successive ICT use. Using complementary modalities should help people best accomplish persuasion, status, information and problem-solving tasks. This strategy should also increase the likelihood that communicators will reach their audience. Using mass media as a precursor, should ICT help people best accomplish information, status and learning tasks. Using text-capable ICTs as a follow-up strategy is most helpful in persuasion, information and problem-solving tasks. 
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

John Shiga, “Copy-and-Persist: The Logic of Mash-Up Culture,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 24.2 (June 2007): 93-114.
Keywords: Mash-Up Culture, Audio-Editing Software, Unauthorized Reproduction
Abstract: This essay traces the logic of mash-up culture, an online music scene in which practitioners use audio-editing software to splice and combine pop songs encoded in MP3 format to produce hybrid or ‘‘mashed-up’’ recordings. The study focuses on the logic that guides the development of works, styles and reputations in mash-up culture. Several fields of practice shape this cultural logic, including ‘‘virtual studios,’’ online message boards, dance clubs, and the market for ‘‘underground’’ and ‘‘unofficial’’ remixes. This cultural logic generates a new kind of amateur musicianship based on pluralistic listening and the reorganization of the relations that constitute musical recordings.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Adrienne Russell, “Digital Communication Networks and the Journalistic Field: The 2005 French Riots,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 24.2 (October 2007): 285-302.
Keywords: Bourdieu, Field Theory, Networked Journalism, Transnational Media,
Online News, French Riots, Amateur News, Blogs
Abstract: Coverage of the 2005 riots in France underlined the multimedia and transnational nature of contemporary news. The controversies that spun out of the coverage even as it was being produced extended larger debate about emerging journalism practices and products. This case study, centered on the meta-discourse of the riots and the relationships among the diverse media covering the riots, underlines the relevance of Pierre Bourdieu’s influential field theory to studies of new media and suggests a critical update to Bourdieu’s conception of the field. Bourdieu placed the norms and values of the participants of a field at the center of his analysis, but his theory, as it has been applied to journalism, rests on a stark division between journalists and their audiences. The news story of the French riots was very much a new-media product in that it was created by professionals and non-professionals. In Bourdieu’s vocabulary, the amateurs at the middle of the riots and in nations around the world contributing news product constituted new ‘‘agents’’ whose influence on the field has yet to be fully considered. The rise of the audience-participant poses compelling new challenges to field study. This article points out some of the areas scholars across disciplines and methodological approaches might take up for research.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Other (Influential Field)

Andy Yinan Hu, “The Revival of Chinese Leftism Online,” Global Media and Communication, 3.2 (2007): 233–238
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: China’s epochal transformation has been a phenomenon in which nationalism has played a crucial formative role. This has been particularly evident in the past few years in the emerging cybersphere. Nonetheless, to say that “nationalism is central to China’s online discourse and the evolving political identity of Chinese Internet users” (Qiu, 2006: 125) would be both an analytical misjudgment and a rhetorical exaggeration. First, the complexity of China’s transformation extends beyond the explanation of the ultra-simplistic notion of (rightwing) Chinese nationalism, which assumes different meanings in different contexts for different social groups in different times. Second, because of the growing prevalence and intensity of online debates regarding the nature of Chinese reform, itself initiated as a nationalistic mission, what we are witnessing at present is not only the apparent tide of state-guided Chinese nationalism, but more importantly, the revival of Chinese leftism on- and offline as both a less cherished but firm undercurrent and a persistent challenge to that tide.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Joseph B. Walther and Natalya N. Bazarova, “Misattribution in Virtual Groups: The Effects of Member Distribution on Self-Serving Bias and Partner Blame,” Human Communication Research, 33.1 (2007): 1–26.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Interest in virtual groups has focused on attribution biases due to the collocation or distribution of partners. No previous research examines self-attributions in virtual groups, yet self-attributions—the acknowledgment of personal responsibility or its deflection— potentially determines learning and improvement. This study reviews research on attributions in virtual groups and the effects of distance on members’ proclivity to blame others or themselves. An experiment involved groups whose members were geographically collocated, distributed or mixed, working over two weeks exclusively using asynchronous computer-mediated communication. Attributions for participants’ own poor performance reflected a self-serving bias in completely distributed groups, whose members eschewed personal responsibility and blamed their partners more than in collocated groups. Mixed groups’ results help distinguish among competing theoretical perspectives. Moreover, an externally imposed observational goal mitigated attributional bias among distributed members by raising awareness of the socio-technical effects of communication medium among those for whom the goal was successfully induced.
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Li Gong and Clifford Nass, “When a Talking-Face Computer Agent is Half-Human and Half-Humanoid: Human Identity and Consistency Preference,” Human Communication Research, 33.2 (2007): 163–193.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Computer-generated anthropomorphic characters are a growing type of communicator that is deployed in digital communication environments. An essential theoretical question is how people identify humanlike but clearly artificial, hence humanoid, entities in comparison to natural human ones. This identity categorization inquiry was approached under the framework of consistency and tested through examining inconsistency effects from mismatching categories. Study 1 (N = 80), incorporating a self-disclosure task, tested participants’ responses to a talking-face agent, which varied in four combinations of human versus humanoid faces and voices. In line with the literature on inconsistency, the pairing of a human face with a humanoid voice or a humanoid face with a human voice led to longer processing time in making judgment of the agent and less trust than the pairing of a face and a voice from either the human or the humanoid category. Female users particularly showed negative attitudes toward inconsistently paired talking faces. Study 2 (N = 80), using a task that stressed comprehension demand, replicated the inconsistency effects on judging time and females’ negative attitudes but not for comprehension- related outcomes. Voice clarity overshadowed the consistency concern for comprehension-related responses. The overall inconsistency effects suggest that people treat humanoid entities in a different category from natural human ones.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Identity Categorization)

Nick Yee and Jeremy Bailenson, “The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior,” Human Communication Research, 33.3 (2007): 271–290.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Virtual environments, such as online games and web-based chat rooms, increasingly allow us to alter our digital self-representations dramatically and easily. But as we change our self-representations, do our self-representations change our behavior in turn? In two experimental studies, we explore the hypothesis that an individual’s behavior conforms to their digital self-representation independent of how others perceive them— a process we term the Proteus Effect. In the first study, participants assigned to more attractive avatars in immersive virtual environments were more intimate with confederates in a self-disclosure and interpersonal distance task than participants assigned to less attractive avatars. In our second study, participants assigned taller avatars behaved more confidently in a negotiation task than participants assigned shorter avatars. We discuss the implications of the Proteus Effect with regards to social interactions in online environments.
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Other (Proteus Effect)

Donald G. Ellis and Ifat Maoz, “Online Argument Between Israeli Jews and Palestinians,” Human Communication Research, 33.3 (2007): 291–309.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Previous research with face-to-face groups found that majority–minority theory was a better predictor of argument patterns between Israelis and Palestinians than cultural codes theory (D. G. Ellis and I. Maoz, 2002, I. Maoz and D. G. Ellis, 2001). But, because of the difficulties of organizing face-to-face contacts between Israelis and Palestinians (e.g., security, transportation, check points), computer-mediated communication has taken on increased significance. This paper builds on previous research pertaining to argument between Israeli Jews and Palestinians and extends that work by investigating the effects of communication technologies on argument interactions between these two groups. The most notable finding was the absence of complex argumentative structures that are typically associated with conflict resolution.  
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Dmitri Williams, Scott Caplan and Li Xiong, “Can You Hear Me Now? The Impact of Voice in an Online Gaming Community,” Human Communication Research, 33.4 (2007): 427–449.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper reports the results of a controlled field experiment in which voice communication was introduced into an existing online community (online gaming guilds within the popular game ‘‘World of Warcraft’’), comparing a mix of voice and text with text only. Quantitative results suggest increases in liking and trust due to the addition of voice, as well as insulation from unexpected negative impacts of text-only play. The findings are discussed with respect to social capital, cyber-balkanization, and the general computer-mediated communication literature, with special attention paid to social information processing theory.
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Social Interaction

Matthew S. Eastin, “The Influence of Competitive and Cooperative Group Game Play on State Hostility,” Human Communication Research, 33.4 (2007): 450–466.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Most research on violent video game play suggests a positive relationship with aggression-related outcomes. Expanding this research, the current study examines the impact group size, game motivation, in-game behavior and verbal aggression have on post-game play hostility. Consistent with previous research, group size and verbal aggression both displayed a significant positive relationship with hostility. From these results, avenues for future research on anti- and pro-social outcomes from group gaming are offered.  
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Eun-Ju Lee, “Effects of Gendered Language on Gender Stereotyping in Computer-Mediated Communication: The Moderating Role of Depersonalization and Gender-Role
Orientation,” Human Communication Research, 33.4 (2007): 515–535.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This experiment examined what situational and dispositional features moderate the effects of linguistic gender cues on gender stereotyping in anonymous, text-based computer-mediated communication. Participants played a trivia game with an ostensible partner via computer, whose comments represented either prototypically masculine or feminine language styles. Consistent with the social identity model of de-individuation effects, those who did not exchange brief personal profiles with their partner (i.e., depersonalization) were more likely to infer their partner’s gender from the language cues than those who did. Depersonalization, however, facilitated stereotype-consistent conformity behaviors only among gender-typed individuals, that is, participants conformed more to their masculine- than feminine-comment partners, and men were less conforming than were women, only when they were both gender-typed and depersonalized.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Amy Carroll, Stuart J. Barnes, Eusebio Scornavacca and Keith Fletcher, “Consumer Perceptions and Attitudes Towards SMS Advertising: Recent Evidence from New Zealand,” International Journal of Advertising, 26.1 (2007): 79–98.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Mobile advertising is an area of mobile (m-) commerce expected to experience tremendous growth in the next five years. This paper explores consumers’ perceptions and attitudes towards mobile advertising via SMS through a sequential, mixed-methods investigation. Four factors were identified and demonstrated a significant impact on mobile advertising acceptance: permission, content, wireless service provider (WSP) control and delivery of the message. This guided the development of a revised and empirically tested model of m-advertising consumer acceptance, using a scenario approach. The findings also suggest that marketers should be optimistic about choosing to deploy mobile advertising, but to exercise caution around the factors that will determine consumer acceptance. The paper concludes by presenting the revised model, and with further discussion and directions for future research.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Alexander Muk, “Consumers’ Intentions to Opt in to SMS Advertising: A Cross-national Study of Young Americans and Koreans,” International Journal of Advertising, 26.2 (2007): 177–198.
Abstract: This paper examines the differences between American young consumers and their Korean counterparts’ interests in accepting SMS advertising via their mobile phones. The appeal of using the mobile phone as an advertising medium is its accessibility because it can pinpoint the locations of mobile phone users. The results of the study provide preliminary evidence that consumers’ attitudes and beliefs do have significant positive relationships with intentions to opt in to the new medium. The theoretical model for the study is based on employing the theory of reasoned action as the underlying structure to operationalize the conceptual constructs proposed in the diffusion theory. The study identifies the potential of a new research domain in advertising, presents a conceptual framework for its examination and suggests the importance of constructs under study. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ian Grant and Stephanie O’Donohoe, “Why Young Consumers Are not Open to Mobile Marketing Communication,” International Journal of Advertising, 26.2 (2007): 223–246.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper explores young people’s motivations for using mobile phones. Older adolescents’ everyday use of traditional and new forms of mediated communication were explored in the context of their everyday lives, with data generated from self-completion questionnaires, diaries and mini focus groups. The findings confirm the universal appeal of mobile phones to a youth audience. Social and entertainment-related motivations dominated, while information and commercially orientated contact were less appealing. While marketers are excited by the reach and possibilities for personalization offered by mobile phones, young people associated commercial appropriation of this medium with irritation, intrusion and mistrust. In other words, while marketers celebrated mobile phones as a ‘brand in the hand’ of youth markets, young people themselves valued their mobiles as a ‘friend in the hand’. This suggests that the way forward for mobile marketing communications is not seeking or pretending to be young consumers’ friend, but rather offering content that helps them maintain or develop the personal friendships that matter to them.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Daechun An, “Advertising Visuals in Global Brands’ Local Websites: a Six-country Comparison,” International Journal of Advertising, 26.3 (2007): 303–332.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The visual strategies employed in top global brands’ local advertising websites were compared between two groups of nations: the Western group, consisting of the US, UK and Germany, and the Eastern group, consisting of Japan, Korea and China. The results of a content analysis of 253 web ads show a clear pattern of differences in the role of visuals (literal vs. symbolic), the use and role of celebrity models, the use of photographs vs. illustrations, and the frequency of product portrayals between two groups. Ads from high-context nations tend to rely on symbolic visuals, celebrity models featured as characters, mixed use of photographs and illustrations, and indirect portrayals of advertised products. Ads from low-context nations are found to be the opposite, reaffirming the association between Hall’s information contextuality and advertising visual strategies. The findings imply that the idea of employing advertising visuals that reflect the communication styles of a particular national market appears to be a promising strategy to effectively reach consumers around the world. With this in mind, multinational advertisers might prefer to implement differentiated ad visual strategies in web advertising for Western and Eastern markets.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Visual)

George Balabanis, Vincent-Wayne Mitchell and Sarah Heinonen-Mavrovouniotis, “SMS-based Surveys: Strategies to Improve Participation,” International Journal of Advertising, 26.3 (2007): 369–385.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The advertising industry is increasingly using mobile technology to communicate and do research. This paper examines the use of the short messaging service (SMS) on mobile phones to recruit samples for probability web and telephone surveys. The influence of topic salience, sponsor identity and repeated contacts on decision to participate in the survey is tested through an experimental design. Results indicated that sponsor identity and repeated contacts have an effect on decision to participate, but topic salience did not. The majority of respondents preferred the web survey alternative over telephone survey mode, and the main advantage of using SMS is the high speed of response. However, the method appears to elicit higher levels of participation from male and younger members of the population.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Salience)

Shelly Rodgers, Ye Wang, Ruth Rettie and Frank Alpert, “The Web Motivation Inventory Replication, Extension and Application to Internet Advertising,”International Journal of Advertising, 26.4 (2007): 447–476.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Web Motivation Inventory (WMI) is used in internet advertising research, and is frequently used and cited in advertising, marketing and communication literature. Investigations of the robustness of the WMI have been somewhat limited. Additionally, new uses of the internet are not accounted for by the WMI since its publication in 2002. This paper replicates and extends the original WMI using participants in the US, UK and Australia and includes internet motives not previously examined. The results show that the four-factor WMI remained reliable and valid for all three samples. Findings suggest the extended WMI may be broken into 12 sub-scales that represent the original four-factor measure.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Helen Robinson, Anna Wysocka and Chris Hand, “Internet Advertising Effectiveness: The Effect of Design on Click-through Rates for Banner Ads,” International Journal of Advertising, 26.4 (2007): 527–541.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online advertising has experienced phenomenal growth since its inception in 1994. This empirical study investigates the impact of seven creative characteristics of banner ads on the effectiveness of online advertising using a multiple regression model. A random sample of 209 banner ads was drawn from a sampling frame of advertisers, provided by an advertising agency specializing in internet advertising for the gaming industry. The findings of this study are broadly consistent with past research into online advertising efficiency, indicating that the creative characteristics of effective banner ads in the online gaming arena include: a larger size, absence of promotional incentives and the presence of information about casino games. In contrast, banner features such as animation, action phrase and presence of company brand or logo were ineffective in generating click-throughs. Contrary to expectations, long messages on banners were associated with higher click-through rates.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Robert Loew, Katrin Kuemmel, Judith Ruprecht, Udo Bleimann and Paul Walsh, “Approaches for Personalised Knowledge Retrieval,” Internet Research, 49.1 (2007): 49-60.
Keywords: Knowledge management, Information retrieval, Information services, Semantics
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe new search methods based on semantic information structures to offer a personalized and interactive knowledge retrieval to the user.
Design/methodology/approach – A careful look on existing “knowledge management projects” leads to a proposed approach of a “knowledge broker network” where transfer of knowledge is based on communication between humans. To enhance the quality of search results a new search algorithm (“Search Assistance Algorithm (SAA)”) is described in a simplified manner.
Findings – The paper provides information on the knowledge broker network and shows the advantages of this concept especially of the automated part.
Research limitations/implications – The paper shows the proposed approach has not formally being tested yet. Some pilot studies have been made and a study especially for the SAA is planned.
Practical implications – This approach has the potential to change the way of transfer of knowledge using a knowledge broker network based on knowledge management systems, which could be improved by our SAA in practice.
Originality/value – Using knowledge management systems in a “standard way” by feeding in information and using retrieval methods is not optimal for sharing knowledge between humans. To provide and update information is very cost-intensive. Using “meta-information” about “who is expert in which area” and bring information-seeker and experts together could be the optimal method. This knowledge broker network helps to bring this idea into reality.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Search)

Hsiu-Fen Lin, “The Role of Online and Offline Features in Sustaining Virtual Communities: an Empirical Study,” Internet Research, 49.2 (2007): 119-138.
Keywords: Internet, Communication technologies, Information exchange
Abstract: Purpose – By expanding the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this paper is to provide a research model to examine the impact of online (information quality, system quality and service quality) and offline (offline activities) features on the sustainability of virtual communities.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on a survey of 165 community members, the paper uses structural equation modeling approach to investigate the research model.
Findings – The findings indicate that perceived of usefulness, perceived ease of use and offline activities are determinants of sustainability of virtual communities. In addition, information quality affects perceived usefulness, while system-quality and service quality influence both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of virtual communities.
Research limitations/implications – Since this study only considered non-profit virtual communities, it is unclear whether these analytical results can be generalized to other virtual communities. Further research can apply this research model to examine profit-oriented virtual communities, such as eBay.com.tw or brand communities.
Practical implications – To sustain a successful virtual community, attention must be paid to enhance both online and offline interactions, including content management, specific sets of web site functions and offline communication. Virtual community providers can apply the findings of this study to focus on the determinants of success for their virtual communities.
Originality/value – Theoretically, while drawing upon the extended TAM, this paper provides a model that is capable of understanding the determinants of sustainability of virtual communities. From a managerial perspective, the findings should provide further insight into member behaviors, leading to more effective strategies for expanding the virtual community.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ching-Wen Chu and Hsi-Peng Lu, “Factors Influencing Online Music Purchase Intention in Taiwan: An Empirical Study Based on the Value-intention Framework,” Internet Research, 49.2 (2007): 139-155.
Keywords: Music, Internet, Consumer behaviour, Taiwan
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation of factors influencing online music purchase intention of Taiwanese early adopter of online music, which can help the online music practitioners of Taiwan to develop better market strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – An empirical survey was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from a total of 302 online Taiwanese early adopters of online music. A structural equation modeling (SEM) is proposed to assess the relationships of the research model.
Finding – The findings in this paper show that the perceived value of online music is a significant factor in predicting the purchaser intention of buying online music in Taiwan. Also, the beneficial factor of the perceived usefulness and playfulness are identified in addition to the sacrificing factor of the perceived price for assessing the value. Moreover, purchasers and potential purchasers differ in the determinants underlying the perceptions of value, which customers hold towards online music.
Practical implications – The results in the paper facilitate to understand what encourages and impedes the purchase intention of early adopters of online music in Taiwan.
Originality/value – The value of this paper is to establish a theoretical model incorporating the value-intention framework into technology acceptance model to investigate the purchase behavior of early adopter of online music in Taiwan. The results of this study help online music practitioners of Taiwan and other Asian countries culture similar to Taiwan to create a success business model.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

“Sung Yong Chun and Minhi Hahn, “Network Externality and Future Usage of Internet Services,” Internet Research, 49.2 (2007): 156-168.
Keywords: Internet, Networking, South Korea
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate different effects of three network externality factors, i.e. local network size, network strength and total network size, on online messenger, online community, chat room and e-mail services.
Design/methodology/approach – In the paper hypotheses are tested with a regression model using a survey data collected from 107 MBA students at a business school in South Korea.
Findings – The paper finds that the three network externality factors have different effects on the users’ future usage intention for the four Internet services. Local network size is significant for online messenger services, local network size and network strength are significant for online community services, and total network size is significant for chat room services. For email services, none of the network externality factors are significant.
Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that a total network size is an important network externality factor affecting the success of a network. However, users’ satisfaction with network services and two additional network externality factors, local network size and network strength, are also important determinants. To generalize the finding, investigations into other network services in other environments and into some offline networks are necessary.
Originality/value – The paper shows that depending on types of networks, managers can focus on different important network externality factors in managing their networks. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kathryn Waite and Tina Harrison, “Internet Archaeology: Uncovering Pension Sector Web Site Evolution,” Internet Research, 49.2 (2007): 180-195.
Keywords: Financial services, Pensions, Internet
Abstract: Purpose – The paper has two objectives. First, it seeks to present a procedure for exploring web site development using the Internet archive (www.archive.org). Second, it aims to test the assumption that over time a progression in web site numbers and interactivity is visible within an industry sector.
Design/methodology/approach – The Internet archive was used to view web site activity from 1998-2004 for 21 randomly selected organizations generating a final sample of 106 web sites. Content analysis was used to gather information on web site numbers and functionality. Web sites were evaluated using existing models of web site evolution adapted for the financial services sector.
Findings – This paper produces meaningful data on patterns of web site development. Results indicate that UK pension provider web sites have increased in sophistication but remain underdeveloped.
Research limitations/implications – In this paper there is no qualitative web site assessment and thus no information on web site quality. This method is recommended as a starting point for a wider enquiry due to the incompleteness of some archived records.
Practical implications – The paper shows that for practitioners, a methodology for mapping the configuration and evolution of sector web sites will assist in developing Internet marketing strategy.
For academics, awareness of web site evolution patterns will inform Internet research. For the pension sector this identification of unrealized cost-efficiencies from developing online payment and processing functionality highlights a competitive opportunity.
Originality/value – Considerable commentary exists on paths of Internet development but there is little longitudinal research into patterns of web site change; this research addresses this gap. This paper is a novel approach to web site metrics that allows both practitioners and academics to trace changes in the Internet landscape.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Evolution)

Thomas Mandl, “The Impact of Web Site Structure on Link Analysis,” Internet Research, 49.2 (2007): 196-206.
Keywords: Information retrieval, Internet, Worldwide web
Abstract: Purpose – This web mining paper aims at analyzing whether the number of links pointing to a web page is biased by the structure of web sites.
Design/methodology/approach – By web-design mining methods, two collections of web pages are extracted and the in-links counts are determined by querying web search engines.
Findings – The paper finds that the structure bias and pages on a higher hierarchical level are likely to receive more links than other pages.
Research limitations/implications – The links are set by web page authors whose behaviour is not yet fully understood and which requires further research.
Practical implications – The paper shows that the structure bias of in-links should be considered by link analysis measures used in search engines. Potential consequences are presented.
Originality/value – The number of links toward a web page are considered to be an indicator for the quality of that page. This measure is biased and cannot be solely trusted as a knowledge source for the quality of a page.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Search)

Nigel Jackson, “Political pParties, the Internet and the 2005 General Election: Third Time Lucky?” Internet Research, 49.3 (2007): 235-248.
Keywords: Political parties, Internet, Elections, Politics, United Kingdom
Abstract: Purpose – Existing literature has agreed that during elections party web sites are primarily an information tool. This study seeks to identify to what extent political parties have developed a distinctive role for the Internet as a communications channel.
Design/methodology/approach – Research data were based on content analysis of the web sites and e-newsletters of parties contesting the 2005 UK General Election, and interviews with party e-campaigners.
Findings – Party size determined whether they had an integrated online communication strategy or not. The Internet did provide a discrete role, that of recruiting new members, encouraging donations and mobilizing volunteers. Whereas previous research has focused on the web as an election campaign tool, this study found that it was e-mail, especially pass-protected e-newsletters to party members.
Originality/value – The traditional view was that parties used their web sites primarily to promote information. This study suggests that they only do so partially. Parties do not use their web sites as part of an integrated communication strategy supporting the messages carried by other channels. In 2005 UK parties began to develop a positive reason for having an online presence, namely as a resource generating tool, particularly in mobilizing volunteers. Previous literature had considered whether parties had entered into dialogue, this study further defined this into asymmetrical and symmetrical two-way communication. The results suggest that it is smaller parties who are more likely to use two-way symmetrical communication.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Genevieve Marie Johnson, “The Internet Vocabulary Test for Children: Preliminary Development,” Internet Research, 49.3 (2007): 249-271.
Keywords: Internet, Assessment, Children (age groups), Canada
Abstract: Purpose – Currently, the only mechanisms to determine children’s use of the Internet are interviews and questionnaires. To increase the validity of theory and research and ensure that practitioners and policy-makers are guided by accurate information, an improved method of determining children’s patterns of Internet use is required. The purpose of this study is to present the Internet Vocabulary Test for Children (IVTC) as a measure of Internet use in children.
Design/methodology/approach – The IVTC requires oral definition of 10 terms (Internet, gamer, e-mail, search engine, chat, online games, instant messaging, cheats, web site, browser). An elementary school in rural western Canada agreed to participate in trial administration of the IVTC. All children in first through sixth grade were invited to participate (n 1/4 149). Parents completed a consent form and a questionnaire. A total of 128 children (62 males and 66 females) were administered the IVTC.
Findings – Trial administration of the IVTC established the viability of determining children’s use of the Internet with a test of expressive vocabulary.
Originality/value – Given the rate of population penetration coupled with rapidly changing technology, measuring children’s Internet use presents challenges. Simple solutions such as the development of software and firmware to monitor children’s online behavior may provide misinformation. That is, surveillance influences behavior and children’s Internet activities often involve multiple users. The IVTC is not vulnerable to biased responding, is inexpensive, and easily administered.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ilyoo B. Hong, “A Survey of Web Site Success Metrics Used by Internet-dependent Organizations in Korea,” Internet Research, 49.3 (2007): 272-290.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Internet, Measurement, Quality, South Korea
Abstract: Purpose – The key purpose of the present research is to learn whether businesses use web site metrics to support business strategies and how web site metrics used differ by web site categories. 
Design/methodology/approach – A combination of a preliminary telephone survey and an e-mail questionnaire survey was used to gather data. Potential respondents were contacted by phone to find firms measuring web site success. An e-mail survey was conducted to learn how metrics were used to measure the success of a corporate web site. 
Responses were examined to study not only purposes and net benefits of measurement but also metrics measured.
Findings – Findings of the study indicated that a majority of businesses which took part in this survey were using the metrics more for operational than for strategic purposes. This observation is to some extent consistent with the normative view highlighted by the literature that organizations should measure how successfully their web sites support business objectives and, therefore, the web metrics to measure web site success should differ by web site categories.
Research limitations/implications – This explorative research is not based on a large sample, thereby limiting its academic contribution. Since the data analysis is over eight web site categories, future research will need to employ a sample large enough to eliminate any potential bias.
Practical implications – A key managerial implication is that businesses need to measure the success of their web site using web metrics tied to their business objectives, if they want their web site to effectively support business strategies.
Originality/value – This paper is the first attempt to explore the way that Internet-dependent businesses measure the success of their web site via web metrics, for the purpose not only of observing some patterns between web metrics measured and site categories, but also of examining whether metrics were used for strategic or merely for operational purposes.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Marijke Coetzee and J.H.P. Eloff, “Web Services Access Control Architecture Incorporating Trust,” Internet Research, 49.3 (2007): 291-305.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Trust, Managers 
Abstract: Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate how the concept of a trust level is used in the access control policy of a web services provider in conjunction with the attributes of users.
Design/methodology/approach – A literature review is presented to provide background to the progressive role that trust plays in access control architectures. The web services access control architecture is defined.
Findings – The architecture of an access control service of a web service provider consists of three components, namely an authorization interface, an authorization manager, and a trust manager. Access control and trust policies are selectively published according to the trust levels of web services requestors. A prototype highlights the incorporation of a trust level in the access control policy as a viable solution to the problem of web services access control, where decisions of an autonomous nature need to be made, based on information and evidence.
Research limitations/implications – The WSACT architecture addresses the selective publication of policies. The implementation of sophisticated policy-processing points at each web service endpoint, to automatically negotiate about policies, is an important element needed to complement the architecture.
Practical implications – The WSACT access control architecture illustrates how access control decisions can be made autonomously by including a trust level of web services requestors in an access control policy.
Originality/value – The WSACT architecture incorporates the trust levels of web services requestors and the attributes of users into one model. This allows web services providers to grant advanced access to the users of trusted web services requestors, in contrast with the limited access that is given to users who make requests through web services requestors with whom a minimal level of trust has been established.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Access

Pooja Malhotra and Balwinder Singh, “Determinants of Internet Banking Adoption by Banks in India,” Internet Research, 49.3 (2007): 323-339.
Keywords: Banking, Internet, Financial services, Virtual banking, India
Abstract: Purpose – The current exploratory study is an attempt to discover the factors affecting a bank’s decision to adopt Internet banking in India. Particularly, it seeks to examine the relationship between the bank’s adoption decision and various bank and market characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach – The data for this study consist of panel data of 88 banks in India covering the financial years 1997-1998 to 2004-2005. Logistic regression technique is employed to study the relationship.
Findings – The results show that the larger banks, banks with younger age, private ownership, higher expenses for fixed assets, higher deposits and lower branch intensity evidence a higher probability of adoption of this new technology. Banks with lower market share also see the Internet banking technology as a means to increase the market share by attracting more and more customers through this new channel of delivery. Further, the adoption of Internet banking by other banks increases the probability that a decision to adopt will be made.
Research limitations/implications – The primary limitation of this study is the scope and size of its sample as well as other variables (e.g. market, environmental, regulatory etc.) which may have an effect on the decision of the banks to adopt Internet banking.
Originality/value – An understanding of the factors affecting this choice is essential both for economists studying the determinants of growth and for the creators and producers of such technologies. From this perspective, understanding the factors determining the adoption of technology becomes highly relevant from the policy point of view. Moreover, the studies on the adoption of financial innovations are related to developed markets, e.g. US or European banking markets. Hence, this paper contributes to the empirical literature on diffusion of financial innovations, particularly Internet banking, in a developing country, i.e. India.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Hsi-Peng Lu and Kuo-Lun Hsiao, “Understanding Intention to Continuously Share Information on Weblogs,” Internet Research, 49.4 (2007): 345-361.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Social theories, Information transfer, Expectation, Communication technologies
Abstract: Purpose – Weblogs, or blogs, have been a significant new development in recent years. Many businesses have begun using blogs to stimulate discussions, garner ideas, and provide further visibility. Thus, blog usage as well as individual motives behind continued usage is an important area of research. This research aims to examine behavioral motivations underlying individual intention to keep using blogs.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on social cognitive theory and related technology adoption literature, this study considered knowledge self-efficacy, subjective norms, feedback, and personal outcome expectations as the determinants of continuing to share information on blogs. The proposed model was empirically evaluated using randomized survey data collected from 155 users of a popular web site in Taiwan (WRETCH blog).
Findings – The results revealed that although both self-efficacy and personal outcome expectations affected directly the intention of sharing information on blogs; personal outcome expectations had stronger impacts on behavioral intention. In addition, social persuasion has no direct but indirect impact via self-efficacy and personal outcome expectations on the intention of sharing information.
Practical implications – This study contributes to a theoretical understanding of the factors that promote the usage of weblogs. For web log service providers, the results help them better develop tools to enhance people’s intention to share information.
Originality/value – The paper verifies the effect of knowledge self-efficacy, personal outcome expectations, and social persuasion on the behavior of blog users. Furthermore, it verifies the determinants of knowledge self-efficacy.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Social Interaction

Christos Halaris, Babis Magoutas, Xenia Papadomichelaki and Gregoris Mentzas, “Classification and Synthesis of Quality Approaches in e-Government Services,” Internet Research, 49.4 (2007): 378-401.
Keywords: E-commerce, Government, Public sector organizations, Quality management
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a multi-faceted summary and classification of the existing literature in the field of quality of service for e-government and outline the main components of a quality model for e-government services.
Design/methodology/approach – Starting with fundamental quality principles the paper examines and analyzes 36 different quality approaches concerning public sector services, e-services in general and more specifically e-government services. Based on the dimensions measured by each approach the paper classifies the approaches and concludes on the basic factors needed for the development of a complete quality model of e-government services.
Findings – Based on the classification of literature approaches, the paper provides information about the main components of a quality model that may be used for the continuous monitoring and measuring of public e-services’ quality. The classification forms the basis for answering questions that must be addressed by the quality model, such as: What to assess? Who will perform the assessment? And How the assessment will be done?
Practical implications – This model can be used by the management of public organizations in order to measure and monitor the quality of e-services delivered to citizens.
Originality/value – The results of the work presented in this paper form the basis for the development of a quality model for e-government services.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

J. Alberto Castaneda, Dolores M. Frıas and Miguel A. Rodrıguez, “The Influence of the Internet on Destination Satisfaction,” Internet Research, 49.4 (2007): 402-420.
Keywords: Tourism, Internet shopping, Customer satisfaction, Leisure activities, Travel
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of the present study is to provide an insight into the effect that the satisfaction with the information obtained through the Internet may have on the satisfaction with the selected destination. In particular, assuming that the Internet functions as an effective source of information for the tourist, one would expect the above relationship to be positive and significant.
Design/methodology/approach – In order to test the proposed hypotheses, a structured questionnaire was administered to tourists of different nationalities. The total number of valid cases was 279. The field work was done between June 2004 and June 2005.
Findings – The results seem to show that the greater the tourist’s satisfaction with the Internet, the fuller is his or her enjoyment of the holiday. This relationship, however, is moderated by two variables – the tourist’s previous experience of the destination and the tourist’s experience of the Internet. These conclusions may well prove crucial for the future use of the Internet in the promotion of tourism destinations.
Practical implications – The results of the study lend support to the importance of the Internet as an information source in the promotion of tourism destinations, which contributes in particular to attracting new visitors. However, its development will depend heavily on improvements in the ease of use of the information highway and will progress with the passage of time and the concomitant increase in the Internet experience of its users.
Originality/value – The study focuses on empirically testing the advantages that, from a merely conceptual perspective, are becoming evident in the use of the Internet in the tourist sector. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Harriet Stranahan and Dorota Kosiel, “E-tail Spending Patterns and the Importance of Online Store Familiarity,” Internet Research, 49.4 (2007): 421-434.
Keywords: Electronic commerce, Buying behaviour, Internet shopping, Shops, United States of America
Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to explore patterns in e-tail spending across different demographic groups and to predict which households are the most frequent shoppers and highest spenders. Further, it aims to investigate which households are least likely to purchase from unfamiliar online stores.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a random sample of Florida households, the study is the first to use probit and ordered probit models to study Internet purchasing behavior.
Findings – Younger, college educated, higher income households living in suburban, rural and small towns spend and shop the most online. Caucasians purchase online more often than African Americans and Hispanics but spend about the same amount. The study also finds that male, Hispanic, college educated and younger consumers are more willing to purchase from unfamiliar online stores.
Originality/value – This study provides new evidence on factors affecting household online spending and buying decisions. Previous studies have not used an ordered probit to model different levels of spending and this new specification provides information about which demographic groups are the most (or the least) frequent buyers as well as which demographic groups are the highest (or the lowest) e-tail spenders. This study also investigates which demographic groups are most likely to shop only at stores with whom they are already familiar. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Other (Consumer Behavior)

Karl-Heinz Rau, “Transformation from Internet Portal to the World’s Largest Internet Communications Enterprise,” Internet Research, 49.4 (2007): 435-456.
Keywords: Internet, Portals, Entrepreneurialism, Strategic management, Germany
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to give the reader an insight into the evolution of a fast-growing and innovative Internet company by helping to understand the web portal business in Germany and to identify and assess strategies to transform an Internet portal to an Internet communications enterprise.
Design/methodology/approach – The case is based on field research accomplished together with executives of the company.
Findings – The case shows that implementing a professional management structure and a continuous strategic analysis of the competitive environment are crucial for being successful in a dynamic Internet business.
Practical implications – Teachers can use this case study in advanced management courses for applying methodologies of strategic analysis, e.g. M. Porter’s five-forces-model, value-chain analysis, concept of key success factors, SWOT-analysis. Students are expected to know basics about financial analysis, and information technologies. Managers can take the case as a best practice example for successful entrepreneurship in the Internet world.
Originality/value – The paper provides insights into the strategies of an innovative Internet company.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study        
Theory: Other (Evolution)

Otthein Herzog, Michael Boronowsky, Ingrid Rugge, Ulrich Glotzbach and Michael Lawo, “The Future of Mobile Computing: R&D Activities in the State of Bremen,” Internet Research, 49.5 (2007): 495-504.
Keywords: Mobile communications systems, Research and development, Laboratories, Sciences, Germany
Abstract: Purpose – The paper aims to report on the future of mobile computing and R&D activities in the state of Bremen.
Design/methodology/approach – The Mobile Research Center in Bremen, Germany, provides results from interdisciplinary scientific research for the creation of economic value by partners from industry.
Findings – The paper finds that, through the MRC and its partners, a national and international brand is being developed with respect to excellent research and to the transfer of research in the area of mobile solutions.
Originality/value – This paper outlines technology and research activities in Bremen, which promotes itself as the mobile city, a trademark standing for innovation and supporting in innovative ways the necessary structural changes in the economy. It will be of interest to those in the field of R&D.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study        
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Dongyoung Sohn, Cunhyeong Ci and Byung-Kwan Lee, “The Moderating Effects of Expectation on the Patterns of the Interactivity-Attitude Relationship,” Journal of Advertising, 36.3 (Fall 2011): 109-119.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Is interactivity always beneficial? Not always. Rather, the effects of interactivity on consumers’ attitudes toward the site may not be a context-free outcome, but instead may change across the product categories to which consumers have different “expected interactivity” (EI). This study attempts to show how the interactivity–attitude relationship is moderated by consumers’ varying EI levels. By employing a 3 (high/medium/low Web site interactivity)  2 (high/low product category expectation) between-subjects factorial experiment, two competing hypotheses of how EI works were tested: (1) whether EI could reverse the direction of the interactivity–attitude relationship (direction-effects hypothesis), or (2) whether EI would change only the magnitude of the effects of interactivity on attitude toward site without changing its direction (magnitude-effects hypothesis). The experimental results supported the direction-effects hypothesis rather than the magnitude-effects hypothesis. Implications for further research and advertising practice are discussed. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Expected Interactivity)

Kim Bartel Sheehan, “Direct-to-consumer (DTC) Branded Drug Web Sites,” Journal of Advertising, 36.3 (Fall 2011): 123-135.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article focuses on research that has been conducted on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs. The issues examined include how pharmaceutical websites influence consumer’s expectations and their doctor-patient relationship, how print, television, and the Internet can positively and negatively affect health care decisions, and how effectively product information and disclosure is made available.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sejung Marina Choi and Wei-Na Lee, “Understanding the Impact of Direct-to-consumer (DTC) Pharmaceutical Advertising on Patient-Physician Interactions,” Journal of Advertising, 36.3 (Fall 2011): 137-149.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: As a growing number of people go on-line for health- and drug-related information, pharmaceutical companies devote significant resources to direct-to-consumer (DTC) promotions on the Web. Little is known about how advertising, and age on consumers’ inquiries and requests for prescription drugs advertised on the Web. Findings of this study suggest that Web credibility and attitudes toward DTC advertising in general exert significant influence on consumer response to DTC advertising DTC advertising of prescription drugs on the Web impacts patient–physician interactions, however. This study identified and investigated the influence of credibility perception of the Web for information related to prescription drugs, overall attitudes toward DTC on the Web in the form of patient-physician interactions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mira Lee and Ronald J Faber, “Effects of Product Placement in On-line Games on Brand Memory: a Perspective of the Limited-capacity Model of Attention,” Journal of Advertising, 36.4 (Winter 2007): 75-90.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study explores the conditions under which product placement in an on-line game will get noticed and be remembered from a perspective of the limited-capacity model of attention. Results show that the location of brand messages in the game (referred to here as proximity), game involvement, and prior game-playing experience interact to influence brand memory. Although experienced players in the moderate-involvement condition recognize focal brands better than the peripheral brands, the recognition superiority of the focal brands over the peripheral brands disappears when experienced players’ involvement is high. The interaction between proximity and game involvement does not emerge for inexperienced players, however. Findings also demonstrate that the degree of congruity between the product category of a brand and game content influences brand memory such that highly incongruent brands are better recalled than either moderately incongruent brands or highly congruent brands. Implications for researchers are also discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Branding)

Cara Peters, Christie H Amato and Candice R Hollenbeck, “An Exploratory Investigation of Consumers’ Perceptions of Wireless Advertising,” Journal of Advertising, 36.4 (Winter 2007): 129-145.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The ubiquitous nature of cell phones makes them an ideal advertising vehicle. While the popular press touts the benefits of wireless advertising messages (WAM), few marketing researchers have addressed this advertising innovation. Media uses and gratifications theory is used to study consumers’ perceptions of WAM. Data from in-depth interviews indicate that usage is motivated by process, socialization, and content needs. Informants perceived WAM as a way to stay “in the know,” build relationships with companies, and feel part of an “in-group.” Few would pay for WAM, however, and most would discontinue usage if companies sent unsolicited messages. We theorize about two potential barriers to adoption: social costs and monetary costs. Our interpretations of these behaviors are enfolded with theoretical and managerial implications.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study        
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mark Ferris, “Insights on Mobile Advertising, Promotion, and Research,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.1 (March 2007): 28-37.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Wide usage of the mobile phone provides opportunities for marketers and researchers. Consumers are more accessible through these devices, and communication through the mobile internet can more easily be interactive. Case studies from Japan indicate that marketers can conduct mobile campaigns aimed at building a large database of potential customers, better understanding customers through data mining, crafting outbound campaigns targeted at specific consumer segments, and easily measuring the effectiveness of campaigns. The ability to market to consumers according to their location and certain handset features (such as using the phone as a means of effecting payment) also have interesting applications for marketers.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study        
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Stephen D. Rappaport, “Lessons from Online Practice: New Advertising Models,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.2 (June 2007): 135-142.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The advertising industry is crossing an inflection point, passing from the conventional mass media interrupt and repeat model for advertising to a family of advertising models centered on relevance. This article reviews the developments and events that have brought us to this point, and then outlines three new models rising in importance—On Demand, Engagement, and Advertising as a Service. Although they differ, the models share similarities: a focus on dynamic relationships among brands and consumers, penetrating insights into consumers through data on behavior and preferences, and support from technology. These new models provide marketers with flexibility and a range of options they can apply as consumers and situations warrant. Now is the time for brands to experiment with a model, or combinations of models, that suit the brand best. One conclusion is certain: we will never see another 75-year period of advertising centered on one model and four dominant media.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

William E. Lipper, “The Future of Online Market Research,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.2 (June 2007): 142-147.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: As new online technologies open doors to new opportunities in market research, the research industry must take care to uphold the integrity of its work in the online and mobile media space. This article takes a look ahead to the future of online market research and suggests three key areas on which the industry should focus to ensure that the research opportunities associated with the online advertising are maximized. 
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Huei-Chen Hsu, Cho Shiun Lai and Cheng Hsui Chen, “Extrinsic Cue of Warranty by Selling through a Reputable Website,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.2 (June 2007): 158-165.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This research aims to investigate the interactive effects of website reputation, manufacturer brand, on electronic commerce. We surveyed 543 internet users to investigate the effects of high-reputation and low-reputation websites on two digital camera brands—Nikon and Snap. A major finding of this study is that a reputable website seems to have a significant effect on a well-known manufacturer’s brand. It is also apparent that a lesser-known manufacturer can use a reputable website as a quality endorser.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Other (Branding)

Shintaro Pkazaki, Akihiro Katsukura, and Mamori Nishiyama, “How Mobile Advertising Works: The Role of Trust in Improving Attitudes and Recall,” Journal of 
Advertising Research, 47.2 (June 2007): 165-179.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: How does trust affect consumer attitudes and recall in mobile advertising? This study explores this question by conducting a large-scale “pseudo” mobile advertising campaign in Japan. Two “real” brands (one durable and one nondurable good) of major Japanese manufacturers were used as study stimuli. Using a push messaging service, both a campaign message and a subsequent questionnaire for each brand were sent to 40,000 opt-in mobile users. Five primary constructs were examined: brand trust, mobile advertising trust, attitude toward brand, attitude toward mobile advertising, and mobile campaign recall. Findings suggest that a mobile campaign’s recall largely depends on perceptions of both the medium and the advertised content, and that the effects of mobile advertising trust on attitude toward mobile advertising were stronger than those of other relationships. The path from attitude toward brand to mobile campaign recall was notably and statistically stronger for the durable good sample than for the nondurable good sample. Only in the durable good sample is attitude toward brand a mediating variable in linking attitude toward mobile advertising and mobile campaign recall. This study offers a basic but useful research framework for a mobile-based online survey.
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Nick Sparrow, “Quality Issues in Online Research,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.2 (June 2007): 179-183.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online polls and surveys using volunteer panels have grabbed a large slice of the research data collection market largely because they offer fast and cost-effective research solutions. Concerns over the level of internet penetration and the use of volunteer panels have in many cases been set aside, as has research evidence showing sharp differences between the results of online and conventional telephone and face-to-face surveys. This study set out to find effective weighting systems that would bring the results of online surveys into line with telephone and other large-scale random surveys. Disappointingly, the differences could not be removed by weighting demographics, newspaper readership, or by using attitudinal weighting variables. Instead, the study found evidence of significant and disturbing mode effects that seem to arise largely because panel members are primarily motivated to participate in surveys by the money they hope to earn, and in some cases seem to expend little time and energy doing so. The article suggests treating panel members as valued employees, appropriately paid for carefully considered answers and aware they are subject to rigorous quality control procedures. These procedures are designed to weed out panel members who do not play fair, and in this regard the article sets out some alternative strategies that might be employed.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Marie-Pierre Fourquet-Courbet, Didier Courbet and Marc VanHuele, “How Web Banner Designers Work: The Role of Internal Dialogues, Self-Evaluations, and Implicit Communication Theories,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.2 (June 2007): 183-193.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In-depth interviews with web banner designers, combined with retrospective protocols, reveal implicit theories of the communication process that they apply during their creation process. These theories take the form of reactions of imaginary audiences with whom web banner designers engage in imaginary dialogues. The dialogues reveal the evaluation standards held by internet users, advertisers, and different colleagues. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Wenyu Doandeep and S. Krisnamurthyu, “Using Brand Websites to Build Brands Online: A Product versus Service Brand Comparison,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.2 (June 2007): 193-207.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study analyzes important content, function, and design elements of brand sites along six dimensions: text information, multimedia information, interface design, loyalist support, promotion synergy and interactivity. A total of 219 brand websites for a product category (i.e., drinks and candies) and a service category (i.e., accounting firms) are examined. Results indicate that accounting firms treat their brand sites as corporate-image building vehicles and virtual information sources while drinks and candies firms use entertaining design elements to build customer relationships through greater interaction. Companies may be underutilizing elements related to interactivity, cultivating loyal customers, and supporting cross-channel promotions. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Branding)

William Havlena, Robert Cardarelli and Michelle de Montigny, “Quantifying the Isolated and Synergistic Effects of Exposure Frequency for TV, Print, and Internet Advertising,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.3 (September 2007): 215-222.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article describes an approach to measuring frequency of exposure to all media at the individual level and presents a case study illustration based on a cross-platform TV, print and online campaign for a consumer packaged good for which advertising had begun several weeks prior to data collection. Using the respondent-level frequency approach, we address the contribution of different media to marketing objectives in circumstances where the campaign has already started and for very well-established brands with high levels of awareness. Knowing respondent-level frequencies also allows us to understand if media synergy effects are truly synergistic or the result of achieving higher frequency levels among people who have been exposed to multiple media.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Synergy)

Gillian Sullivan Mort and Judy Drennan, “Mobile Communications: A Study of Factors Influencing Consumer Use of m-Services,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.3 (September 2007): 302-313.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article examines the new medium of mobile communications and the factors influencing consumers’ use of m-services in that medium. M-services are defined as enhanced information services accessed while mobile. Marketing communications, specifically advertising, can be delivered as an m-service. This research models a system of relationships of the factors affecting use of m-services, finding that involvement and innovativeness, but not self-efficacy, are significant. The article concludes with implications for advertising delivered as an m-service, the identification of the potential for m-services advertising as part of m-commerce, and directions for future research.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ted Smith, James R. Coyle, Elizabeth Lightfoot and Amy Scott, “Reconsidering Models of Influence: The Relationship between Consumer Social Networks and Word-of-Mouth Effectiveness,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 387-398.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In today’s fragmented media landscape, generating positive word of mouth (WOM) among consumers has become an important tool for marketers. Marketers are challenged with identifying influential individuals in social networks and connecting with them in ways that encourage WOM message movement.  This article explores the nature of social networks, their role in influence, and the characteristics of the most influential individuals. It also examines the characteristics of viral marketing messages. Our findings contradict the commonly accepted notion that WOM influence comes from an elite, highly connected few. This research suggests that most people are moderately connected and are as willing as the highly connected to share marketing messages with others. Also, we find that influence is motivated by our basic human need to be helpful by giving advice, and that people share a common enjoyment in seeking out valuable information. The implications of these findings for marketers are discussed. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Flow)

Kate Niederhoffer, Rob Mooth, David Wiesenfeld and Jonathan Gordon, “The Origin and Impact of CPG New-Product Buzz: Emerging Trends and Implications,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 420-427.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Marketers are interested in the phenomenon of “consumer-generated media”, or “buzz,” given its potential to affect the commercial prospects for their products. Within the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector, advertisers experiment with a variety of tactics to generate buzz in their marketing communications strategies, including stimulating it. An in-depth analysis of this rapidly evolving domain—considering blog buzz, marketing spending, pre-market purchase intentions, and in-market sales revealed five key themes: (1) a minority of new CPG brands generate the majority of buzz, (2) new CPG product buzz usually precedes sales, (3) strong new CPG product buzz usually occurs in combination with a strong traditional media presence, (4) category ubiquity and brand distinctiveness are predictive of buzz, and (5) high buzz levels drive sales and can be anticipated to help improve forecasting models.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Branding)

Jeffrey Graham and William Havlena, “Finding the ‘Missing Link’: Advertising’s Impact on Word of Mouth, Web Searches, and Site Visits,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 427-436.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: For decades, marketers have trumpeted the importance of word of mouth in influencing purchase choice, but have still spent billions on brand advertising—without any proof of the link between the two. Using newly available data, this study sought to resolve this contradiction by searching for the “missing link” between positive word of mouth about brands and brand advertising. It also tested the relationship between advertising and measurable behaviors of brand interest—namely, brand searches and website visits. The analysis involved 35 brands over a 26-week period using six sources of data. The results indicate that brands should redouble their efforts in using advertising to grow brand advocacy through the integration of online and offline branded consumer contact points.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Branding)

Cate Riegner, “Word of Mouth on the Web: The Impact of Web 2.0 on Consumer Purchase Decisions,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 436-448.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The Internet stands apart from other media in enabling its “users” to interact. From this perspective, the internet will always be, at its core, a tool for interpersonal communication. While consumers find emotional and practical benefits in participating in online discussions, these conversations have profound commercial implications as well. Everyday consumers are wielding greater control over their media habits and their role in the commercial marketplace. Moreover, with the growth of online participation, consumers exert greater influence over the products and brands considered for purchase. Based on a study of over 4,000 broadband users in the United States, this article examines consumer adoption of Web 2.0 and the impact those rants, raves, comments, and reviews are having on purchase decisions today.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Flow)

Chun-Yao Huang, Yong-Zheng Shen, Hong-Xiang Lin and Shin-Shin Chang, “Bloggers’ Motivations and Behaviors: A Model,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 472-485.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: During the past few years, there has been an exponential growth of blogs, and behind these blogs are numerous bloggers who create and manage them, it is widely expected that bloggers armed with their own blogs will make a tremendous impact on both mass communication media and marketers who rely on such media. However, given the widespread use of blogs, there has been little systematic analysis of the factors behind blogging activities. To serve as a stepping-stone, this article presents a model that addresses the relationships among blogging motivations and behaviors, and reports the empirical validation of the model.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kineta H. Huang and Stella Yiyan Li, “The Influence of eWOM on Virtual Consumer Communities: Social Capital, Consumer Learning, and Behavioral Outcomes,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 485-496.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Word of mouth (WOM) is a highly credible form of marketing information. However, because it is difficult to study WOM in the face-to-face context, researchers have limited understanding of its sources of effectiveness or its effects beyond product and brand communications. This study analyzed computer-mediated data and conducted face-to-face interviews with beauty product enthusiasts in China to understand electronic WOM (eWOM) in a consumption-interest virtual community.  Findings reveal four categories of responses: (1) sources of social capital, (2) brand choice facilitation, (3) persuasion knowledge development, and (4) consumer reflexivity. We then propose a model and offer a set of postulates to outline future research directions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Flow)

Peyton R. Mason and Boyd H. David, “More than the Words: Using Stance-Shift Analysis to identify Crucial Opinions and Attitudes in Online Focus Groups,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 496-507.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Advertisers, marketers and researchers all wrestle with finding the personal human presence in text-based online communication. Social features are present, if subtle. Users of online research must work to identify when and how unseen writers are or are not strongly committed to what they have just written, and must work even harder to keep from reading themselves and their own biases into the text being analyzed. Our discussion illustrates how stance-shift analysis, as a type of quantitative content analysis, maximizes understanding of online communication through its identification of key language patterns that highlight consumer evaluation, attitudes, and attribution of behaviors or opinions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Stance Shift)

Daniel M. Haygood, “A Status Report on Podcast Advertising,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 518-522.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Podcasting has begun to capture the public’s imagination. Content creators are now providing a growing stream of intriguing and diverse content for downloading on iVIP3 players or personal computers, allowing consumers to control the time and place of their viewing or listening. And even advertising is emerging as a presence in podcasts. This article examines the landscape of podcast advertising, providing an overview of podcasting’s development and current usage. New research explores current podcast advertising practices, such as quantity, type, placement, and just which companies are putting commercial messages on podcasts. Finally, the future direction of podcast advertising is anticipated.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Hung-Chang Chiu, Yi-Ching Hsieh, Ya-Hui Kao and Monte Lee, “The Determinants of Email Receivers’ Disseminating Behaviors on the Internet,” Journal of Advertising Research, 47.4 (December 2007): 524-535.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To investigate the determinants of the effects of a viral campaign, this study employs the classical framework of a persuasive communication model, designated as “Who says what to whom in which channel and with what effect?” This study also considers theories of consumer value, personality, word-of-mouth communication and source credibility. On the basis of an experiment conducted in Taiwan, we find four main results. First, message recipients who receive emails from close interpersonal sources are more willing to forward them than messages from unfamiliar interpersonal or commercial sources. Second, those who receive more utilitarian or more hedonic messages are more willing to forward them. Third, those who score high on extraversion and openness and low on conscientiousness traits are more willing to forward a marketing message to others. Fourth, those who access the internet via a broadband connection are more willing to forward the message than are those who use dial-up modems. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Rajiv C. Shah and Jay P. Kesan, “The Privatization of the Internet’s Backbone Network,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 51.1 (March 2007): 93-109
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Scholars have neglected the privatization of the Internet’s backbone network, despite the obvious significance of the U.S. government turning control of a powerful new communication technology over to the private sector. This article analyzes the transition from a government-sponsored backbone network to multiple commercially owned backbone networks. The authors also analyze the implications of the privatization on the Internet’s governance, competition and performance.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Yuqiong Zhou and Patricia Moy, “Parsing Framing Processes: The Interplay Between Online Public Opinion and Media Coverage,” Journal of Communication, 57.1 (2007): 79–98.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To what extent do frame-building and frame-setting processes manifest themselves in the interplay between online public discourse and traditional (offline) media discourse? Employing a content analysis of 206 online posts and 114 news reports regarding a sociopolitical incident in China, this study tests the associations and causal relationships between the salience of opinion frames and media frames. Online public opinion plays an important role in transforming the original local event into a nationally prominent issue. It also exerts a significant frame-building impact on subsequent media reports but only in the early stage of coverage. However, the media are not passive in this two-way process and adapt online frames as necessary. Although media coverage is the primary source of information for netizens, it does not set frames for online discourse. Noticeably, significant associations between concurrent opinion frames and media frames lend strong support to frame-interacting effects. Discussion focuses on governmental influences in the frame-building process and the potential of netizen autonomy to attenuate frame-setting effects. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Eun-Ju Lee, “De-individuation Effects on Group Polarization in Computer-Mediated Communication: The Role of Group Identification, Public-Self-Awareness, and Perceived Argument Quality,” Journal of Communication, 57.2 (2007): 385-403.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The present experiment investigated how de-individuation affects group polarization in computer-mediated communication. Before exchanging their opinions about social dilemmas with three ostensible partners via computer, participants either shared some personal information (individuated) or not (de-individuated). Consistent with the social identity model of de-individuation effects (SIDE), de-individuation fostered group identification with the partners and induced greater opinion polarization, partly by heightening concerns about public evaluations. Although participants rated the partners’ arguments more positively when they identified with the partners, perceived argument quality did not significantly affect post-discussion opinion shift. De-individuation did not lower private-self-awareness, nor did private-self-awareness significantly influence opinion polarization. Implications are discussed in light of SIDE and the referent informational influence theory.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Seungyoon Lee, Peter Monge, Francxois Bar and Sorin Adam Matei, “The Emergence of Clusters in the Global Telecommunications Network,” Journal of Communication, 57.3 (2007): 415-434.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Studies of international telecommunication networks in past years have found increases in density, centralization, and integration. More recent studies, however, have identified trends of decentralization and regionalization. The present research examines these structural changes in international telephone traffic among 110 countries between 1989 and 1999. It examines the competing theoretical models of core–periphery and cluster structures. The initial results show lowered centralization and inequality in the network of international telecommunications traffic. Statistical p* procedures demonstrate significant interactions within countries in blocks of similar economic development status, geographic region and telecommunications infrastructure development status. Specifically, countries with less developed economic and telecommunications status showed significant increases in tendencies to connect to each other and to reciprocate ties. Altogether, the result supports the idea that the global telecommunications network is moving toward a more diversified structure with the emergence of cohesive and interconnected subgroups. The findings have implications for global digital divide and developmental gap issues.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Other (Core–periphery and Cluster Structures)

Dongyoung Sohn and John D. Leckenby, “A Structural Solution to Communication Dilemmas in a Virtual Community,” Journal of Communication, 57.3 (2007): 435-449.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In a many-to-many communication setting like a virtual community, individuals may be strongly tempted to free-ride on others’ contributions, which would eventually lead to the collapse of the community. To find a structural solution to the ‘‘communication dilemma,’’ this study compared the performances of 2 communication structures—one based on the interpersonal networks (network-generalized exchange: NEX, e.g., blogs) and the other based on a public electronic bulletin board (group-generalized exchange: GEX). In a 2 3 2 3 2 longitudinal between-subject experiment, it was found that changing GEX to NEX could increase the contributions made by individuals. Furthermore, NEX was found to be an effective structure for N-person communication particularly when a large number of individuals were involved. The findings imply that an individual’s cooperative motivation is a function of the incentive structure of a particular form of information exchange, which means that altering the exchange form may be a possible solution to the communication dilemmas in virtual communities.
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Social Interaction

Dhavan V. Shah, Jaeho Cho, Seungahn Nah, Melissa R. Gotlieb, Hyunseo Hwang, Nam-Jin Lee1, Rosanne M. Scholl and Douglas M. McLeod, “Campaign Ads, Online Messaging, and Participation: Extending the Communication Mediation Model,” Journal of Communication, 57.3 (2007): 676-703.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Political communication researchers have devoted a great deal of attention to the role of political advertising, the Internet and political discussion in civic and political life. In this article, we integrate and extend this research by developing a campaign communication mediation model of civic and campaign participation. Two data sets are merged for this inquiry: (a) content-coded ad-buy data on the placement of campaign messages on a market-by-market and program-by-program basis and (b) a national panel study concerning patterns of traditional and digital media consumption and levels of civic and campaign participation. Exposure to televised campaign advertising is estimated by developing an algorithm based on the market and program placement of specific ads and geo-coded survey respondents’ viewing of certain categories of television content in which these ads were concentrated. Structural equation models reveal that advertising exposure drives online news use in ways that complement conventional news influences on political discussion and political messaging. However, campaign exposure emphasizing ‘‘attack’’ messages appears to diminish information seeking motivations via broadcast and print media, yet only indirectly and weakly suppresses participation in civic and political life. Further, alternative specifications reveal that our original model produces the best fit, empirically and theoretically. We use these insights to propose an O-S-R-O-R (orientations-stimuli-reasoning-orientations-responses) framework as an alternative to the longstanding O-S-O-R model in communication and social psychology.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Michael Xenos and Patricia Moy, “Direct and Differential Effects of the Internet on Political and Civic Engagement,” Journal of Communication, 57.3 (2007): 704-718.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Given the significant rise in the number of Americans who turn to the Internet for political information, we examine the effects of these behaviors on political and civic engagement in an evolving media landscape. Specifically, this study tests hypotheses derived from competing models—the instrumental approach, which posits direct effects of Internet use and a psychological approach, which predicts contingent effects. Analyses of the 2004 American National Election Studies (N = 1,212) reveal a pattern of direct effects of Internet use on basic information acquisition and use but contingent effects for concrete acts of civic or political engagement. These results provide an important window on the political impacts of contemporary Internet use and suggest that future reassessments of the Internet’s role in public life should continue to probe for direct as well as differential effects.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Policy

Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick and Scott Alter, “The Gender News Use Divide: Americans’ Sex-Typed Selective Exposure to Online News Topics,” Journal of Communication, 57.3 (2007): 739-758.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To examine psychological origins of sex-typed news preferences, an online newsmagazine was presented to 196 American participants in an experimental setting. The presented articles featured the same portions of social/interpersonal and achievement/ performance topics. Newsreaders’ selective news exposure was unobtrusively logged. Results show that, in line with gender stereotypes, women favor social/interpersonal topics and men prefer achievement/performance issues. Newsreaders’ affiliation motive, self-esteem, and, to a small extent, gender schemata influenced what news content was preferred.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

James Gillett, “Internet Web Logs as Cultural Resistance: A Study of the SARS Arts Project,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 31.1 (2007): 28-33.
Keywords: Web logs, cultural resistance, SARS
Abstract: This article examines an Internet project — sarsart.org — that features digital artworks created in response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in spring 2003. Qualitative methods including archival research, semiotic analysis and interviews are used to examine the emergence and substance of this Internet project. The analysis identifies ways in which contributions by artists and bloggers (i.e., individuals with their own Internet site or Web log) contest institutional representations of SARS. The site challenges the representation of the outbreak on three levels: portrayals of citizens affected by SARS, portrayals of health professionals, and portrayals of the risk and panic associated with the outbreak. The argument is made that Internet projects such as sarsart.org can increase the capacity for cultural resistance by creating greater opportunities for the expression of political opposition to institutional authority.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Victor Pickard, “Neo-liberal Visions and Revisions in Global Communications Policy From NWICO to WSIS,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 31.2 (2007): 118-139.
Keywords: New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO), World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Internet governance, neo-liberalism, global communication, international communication, media history, Internet policy 
Abstract: The author proposes that any account seeking to contextualize crucial policy debates connected to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) must engage with two necessary projects. First, it must historicize WSIS in relation to an earlier international forum similarly focused on global communications policy, the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO). Second, it must theorize WSIS in terms related to neo-liberalism, the dominant political economic system defining global relations today. This analysis brings into focus both continuities and changes in global communications policy during the formative period of the past three decades. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Lucas Graves, “The Affordances of Blogging: A Case Study in Culture and Technological Effects,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 31.4 (2007): 331-346.
Keywords: technological determinism, social construction, affordance, news, blogging 
Abstract: Informed by Carey’s cultural approach to communication, this article revisits the debate about the historical impact of new communication technologies. Several studies have pointed to technology “affordances” as offering a useful middle ground between determinist and social constructivist perspectives. This article explores how the concept of affordance might be tweaked to emphasize what an emerging technology suggests in time to the cultures using and developing it. The second half of the article illustrates the discussion with a close examination of the affordances of blogging technology and especially of a novel communications genre: news-related blogs.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Robert Larose and Nora J. Rifon, “Promoting i-Safety: Effects of Privacy Warnings and Privacy Seals on Risk Assessment and Online Privacy Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 41.1 (Fall 2007): 127-149.
Keywords: N/A/
Abstract: Using social cognitive theory, this study experimentally examines the effects of explicit privacy warnings, a clear, conspicuous and concise presentation of the benefits and risks associated with database information practices stated in a Web site’s privacy policy. Warnings increased perceptions of the risks associated with information practices and decreased disclosures, but not in the presence of a privacy seal. The effects were also moderated by consumer privacy self-efficacy and involvement with privacy. The results support the development of privacy warnings as a part of consumer privacy self-regulatory efforts and the use of a social cognitive paradigm for understanding consumer privacy behaviors.
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Social Interaction

Mariea G. Hoy and May O. Lwin, “Disclosures Exposed: Banner Ad Disclosure Adherence to FTC Guidance in the Top 100 U.S. Web Sites,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 41.2 (Winter 2007): 185-198.
Keywords: N/A/
Abstract: With banner ads accounting for one-fifth of the $16.4 billion spent on Internet advertising in 2006, this advertising format has become an integral marketing communications tool. Inclusion of required disclosure language and presenting those disclosures in a clear and conspicuous manner are important areas of regulatory interest and in recent years have extended to the online environment. This study examines the extent to which disclosures in banner ads in the top 100 U.S. Web sites adhere to Federal Trade Commission guidance in these two areas. Additionally, this study compares the banner ad results for clear and conspicuous presentation to those of a prior study that examined television advertising. All the banner ads in the study contained at least one disclosure, yet, adherence was mixed in terms of providing all the required information clearly and conspicuously. Implications of these results are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Jenni Niemela-Nyrhinen, “Baby Boom Consumers and Technology: Shooting Down Stereotypes,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 24.5 (2007): 305–312.
Keywords: Communication technologies, Experience, Baby boomer generation 
Abstract: Purpose – Current stereotypes of aging consumers paint a picture of them as technology anxious and reluctant to adopt new technologies. This paper aims to show that the present 50-to-60 age group does not fit these stereotypes. 
Design/methodology/approach – A total of 620 Finnish baby boomers (aged between 50 and 60) responded to a mail survey. Findings – Baby boom consumers are shown, in contrast to the stereotypes, to have low levels of technology anxiety and high levels of experience of internet and SMS usage. It is also shown that technology anxiety and experience have an inverse relationship in the age group. 
Research limitations/implications – To some extent, the results provide evidence of the distortedness of current stereotypes that are used to describe 50-plus consumers. However, data was gathered only in one country. Replications of this study in different countries would allow drawing broader conclusions. 
Practical implications – Marketers of technological products and services are advised to let go of the outdated stereotypes, familiarize themselves with today’s 50-plus consumers and when applicable, invest effort in serving this market. 
Originality/value – While there exists some research on aging consumers as Internet users, this study offers a more general view on aging consumers and their use of technological services by examining technology anxiety within this specific market. The results should be of value to both academicians and practitioners in realizing the potential of the mature market.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Lars P. Andersen, Birgitte Tufte, Jeanette Rasmussen and Kara Chan, “Tweens and New Media in Denmark and Hong Kong,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 24.6 (2007): 340-350.
Keywords Youth, Socialization, Information media, Cross-cultural studies, Denmark, Hong Kong
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a study that compares ownership and usage of new media among young “tween” consumers in Denmark and Hong Kong. Further, it shows the ways of finding new interesting web sites.
Design/methodology/approach – In 2004-2005 a survey was conducted in Denmark and Hong Kong of 434 fourth, fifth and sixth class students. Questionnaires were distributed in six elementary schools. Hypotheses about new media ownership and usage in the two societies are formulated based on the economic development and individualistic/collective cultural dimensions of the societies.
Findings – Household ownership of new media, ownership of mobile phone and heavy use of the internet were found to be more prevalent among Danish tweens than among Hong Kong tweens. Danish tweens were more likely to use mobile phones and Hong Kong tweens used the internet more for educational purposes than Danish tweens. the internet for interpersonal communication and for enjoyment than Hong Kong tweens. The results seem to support that adoption and consumption of new media are motivated differently in cultures of individualism and collectivism, and consequently that the tween consumer segment is not as globally homogeneous as it is claimed to be.
Research limitations/implications – The study was based on a convenience sample, thus it may be problematic to generalize from the findings.
Practical implications – The study can serve as a guideline for marketing communication targeting tweens. The emphasis on the hedonic use and social function of new media may be suitable for a highly developed, individualistic society. In collective societies, marketers may need to put emphasis on the instrumental values of new media, such as improving academic performance.
Originality/value – This paper offers insights into designing communication strategies for Danish and Hong Kong tweens, particularly when incorporating new media. Findings are compared with existing preconceptions of the tween segment in the marketing literature.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Tim Reisenwitz, Rajesh Iyer, David B. Kuhlmeier and Jacqueline K. Eastman, “The Elderly’s Internet Usage: an Updated Look,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 24.6 (2007): 406-418.
Keywords Elderly people, Internet, Nostalgia, Risk management, Consumer behaviour
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend earlier research on mature consumers and their Internet use by examining how mature consumers’ use of the internet is impacted by their nostalgia proneness, innovativeness, and risk aversion.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a convenience sample (n 1/4 374) of respondents who were 65 years of age or older. Several scales were used to measure the constructs of interest to the research, all of which have been used in earlier research.
Findings – Results revealed that those seniors with higher levels of nostalgia proneness used and accessed the Internet less, purchased less online, had less online experience and felt less comfortable using the internet. There is also support for the impact of innovativeness on mature consumers’ internet use, frequency, online purchases, experience, comfort level with the internet, and satisfaction with the internet. In terms of risk aversion, seniors with more online experience report a lower level of risk aversion to the internet than other mature consumers.
Research limitations/implications – Future research needs to determine if these results can be replicated with a national random sample.
Additionally, research is needed to determine what factors increase seniors’ experience with the internet.
Originality/value – This study demonstrates that seniors are becoming an increasingly more viable segment for internet marketers. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Tommi Laukkanen, Suvi Sinkkonen, Marke Kivijarvi,and Pekka Laukkanen, “Innovation Resistance Among Mature Consumers,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 24.6 (2007): 419-427.
Keywords Innovation, Older consumers, Banks, Mobile communication systems, Consumer behaviour
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate innovation resistance among mature consumers in the mobile banking context. The reasons inhibiting mature consumers’ mobile banking adoption were compared to those of younger consumers.
Design/methodology/approach – Following Ram and Sheth, resistance was measured with five barriers namely Usage, Value, Risk, Tradition and Image barriers. An extensive internet survey was implemented and 1,525 usable responses were collected, of which 370 respondents (24.3 percent) represented the mature consumer segment (age over 55) and 1,155 respondents (75.7 percent) represented the younger consumers.
Findings – The empirical findings indicate that the value barrier is the most intense barrier to mobile banking adoption among both mature and younger consumers. However, aging appears to be related especially to the risk and image barriers, the most significant differences between mature and younger consumers’ perceptions of mobile banking were related to input and output mechanisms of information, the battery life of a mobile phone, a fear that the list of PIN codes would be lost and end up in the wrong hands and the usefulness of new technology in general.
Practical implications – The study has practical implications to marketers in different fields in that strategies to overcome resistance to innovations like mobile banking are discussed.
Originality/value – Innovation resistance can be seen as a less developed concept in adoption research. While the majority of studies have focused on the success of innovations and reasons to adopt, this study empirically investigates the reasons preventing innovation adoption. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Brian T. Ratchford, Debabrata Talukdar, and Myung-Soo Lee, “The Impact of the Internet on Consumers’ Use of Information Sources for Automobiles: A Re-Inquiry,” Journal of Consumer Research, 34.1 (June 2007): 111-118.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Using three cohorts of data from field surveys of new car buyers in 1990, 2000, and 2002, this study seeks to determine how the Internet fits into patterns of information search for recent car buyers. We believe that our study provides the most complete analysis to date of how the Internet is being integrated with other product information sources. Specifically, we find that the Internet substitutes for time spent at the dealer and time spent in negotiating prices. We also find that it substitutes for print third-party sources. Manufacturer/dealer Internet sources are the most widely used and appear to substitute the most for traditional sources.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Gordon C. Bruner II and Anand Kumar, “Attitude toward Location-Based Advertising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.2 (Spring 2007).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Location-based advertising (LBA) is not new but being able to access it through one’s mobile communication device is. Description of this revolutionary advertising medium is provided as well as some opportunities and challenges that come with it. Desperately needed is more research since in-depth examination of the topic has barely begun. To assist researchers in their investigations, a scale is provided here that is likely to become central to many studies: attitude toward location-based advertising (Alba). Support for the scale’s psychometric quality comes from a preliminary study and a two-stage analysis of a large, national sample.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Dimitris Drossos, George M. Giaglis, George Lekakos, Flora Kokkinaki and Maria G. Stavraki, “Determinants of Effective SMS Advertising: An Experimental Study,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.2 (Spring 2007).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Mobile advertising has become one of the most popular applications in mobile commerce, particularly in the form of text advertising through SMS (Short Messaging Service). However, in the study of mobile advertising little is known regarding the effectiveness of SMS advertising and the factors contributing to its success. This research investigates the significance of a number of factors associated with SMS advertising effectiveness through an experimental study. The findings indicate that incentive, interactivity, appeal, product involvement and attitude toward SMS advertising in general directly influence attitude toward the advertisement, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intention. The results of the study suggest that a stronger focus on these factors is necessary to improve the effectiveness of SMS advertising campaigns.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ramaprasad Unni and Robert Harmon, “Perceived Effectiveness of Push vs. Pull Mobile Location-Based Advertising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.2 (Spring 2007).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The emergence of mobile phones as the leading personal communications device portends their attractiveness as a potentially lucrative media platform for marketers. This article presents initial consumer evaluations of mobile location-based advertising (LBA). LBA is a new form of marketing communication that uses location-tracking technology in mobile networks to target consumers with location-specific advertising on their cell phones. We use an experimental setting to test the effects of LBA characteristics on privacy concerns about location tracking, perceived benefits, value, and intentions to try LBA. LBA was described as a free, opt-in service from cell phone service providers. Results indicate that privacy concerns are high, and perceived benefits and value of LBA are low. LBA was relatively more effective when it becomes available upon explicit request by the consumer than when consumers are alerted to location-specific advertising or promotions for preferred product categories relevant to a specific location. Implications for marketers are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Marko Merisavo, Sami Kajalo, Heikki Karjaluoto, Ville Virtanen, Sami Salmenkivi, Mika Raulas, and Matti Leppäniemi, “An Empirical Study of the Drivers of Consumer Acceptance of Mobile Advertising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.2 (Spring 2007).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The ubiquity of text messaging (SMS) based mobile communication creates new opportunities for marketers. However, the factors that induce consumers to accept mobile devices as an advertising medium are not yet fully understood. This paper examines the drivers of consumer acceptance of SMS-based mobile advertising. A conceptual model and hypotheses are tested with a sample of 4,062 Finnish mobile phone users. Structural equation modeling is used to test five drivers of mobile advertising acceptance: (1) utility, (2) context, (3) control, (4) sacrifice, and (5) trust. The results show that utility and context are the strongest positive drivers, while sacrifice is negatively related to the acceptance of mobile advertising. Despite the concerns about privacy, our results indicate that control and trust are not that important to consumers in mobile advertising.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Suzanne Altobello Nasco and Gordon C. Bruner II, “Perceptions and Recall of Advertising Content Presented on Mobile Handled Devices,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7.2 (Spring 2007).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: With the advancements in mobile phone technology and the increase in consumer use of wireless devices to access the internet, there is a need to explore the inevitable effect of these factors on mobile advertising.  This project presented commercial content on wireless devices, designed to represent various modality combinations (text, audio, and pictures) to test hypotheses based on cognitive load theory. Results showed that modality significantly affected subjects’ perceptions toward and recall of the commercial content. However, modality did not affect perceptions of the mobile device itself, or influence behavioral intentions and attitudes toward mobile advertising on wireless devices. Behavioral intentions to use mobile devices were significantly predicted by consumer perceptions of content and of the device. Marketers can use these results to design more effective ads to be presented on mobile devices.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

2008

Bill D. Herman, “Breaking and Entering My Own Computer: The Contest of Copyright Metaphors,” Communication Law and Policy, 13.1 (Spring 2008): 231-274.
Keywords: Copyright, Discourse analysis, figures of speech, digital media, possession (Law), digital technology
Abstract: In the current debate over copyright law, those who support maximum copyright protections have advanced their agenda largely via the metaphor of ownership in physical property. As part of this metaphorical system, they have successfully argued that digital rights management (DRM) systems deserve legal protections befitting locked doors. This article is a discourse analysis of this related system of metaphors and of opponents’ metaphorical and non-metaphorical responses. Scholars who oppose the maximalist vision of copyright have devoted considerable thought to the problem of metaphors, including especially the search for metaphors that can challenge the metaphor of property. The article concludes there is work yet to be done on this count. As an incremental contribution to this conversation, the article suggests additional arguments, including additional metaphors in search of a new means to conceptualize copyright law.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Jasmine E. McNealy, “Angling for Phishers: Legislative Responses to Deceptive E-Mail,” Communication Law and Policy, 13.2 (Spring 2008): 275-300.
Keywords: Spam (Electronic mail), electronic mail systems, web site development, Internet — law and legislation, phishing, Internet publishing and broadcasting and web search portals, Internet fraud, computer crimes, identity theft, state laws
Abstract: Unsolicited e-mail, called spam, is more than just an annoyance for recipients; some of these e-mails are designed to lure recipients into providing confidential personal and financial data. The sender creates e-mails, resembling those from a well-known companies, requesting that the recipient click on a URL provided, which links to a dummy company Web site where the recipient is asked to input personal information. The e-mail sender may then use the information for illegal purposes. This activity, called “phishing,” is on the rise and is expensive for both individuals and industry. While most states have provisions in their anti-spam statutes prohibiting the sending of fraudulent unsolicited e-mails, more states are enacting laws aimed specifically at phishing. This article examines the state laws aimed at stopping phishing as well as proposed federal legislation. The article also considers the sufficiency of Internet crime control measures. It concludes with possible solutions to the phishing problem.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Anthony J. Roberto, Kellie E. Carlyle, Rick S. Zimmerman, Erin L. Abner, Pamela K. Cupp and Gary L. Hansen, ” The Short-Term Effects of a Computer-Based Pregnancy, STD, and HIV Prevention Program,” Communication Quarterly, 56.1 (February 2008): 29-48.
Keywords: HIV prevention, Internet-based program, pregnancy, rural adolescents, STD
Abstract: A computer- and Internet-based intervention was designed to influence several variables related to the prevention of pregnancy, STDs, and HIV in rural adolescents. Three-hundred and thirty-eight tenth-graders enrolled in two rural public high schools participated in this field experiment. Results indicate that students in the experimental school had greater knowledge, greater condom negotiation efficacy, greater situational efficacy, and more favorable attitudes toward waiting to have sex than students in the control school. In tandem, the results suggest that computer-based programs may be a cost-effective and easily replicable means of providing teens with basic information and skills necessary to prevent pregnancy, STDs, and HIV.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Brian T. Kaylor, “A Burkean Poetic Frames Analysis of the 2004 Presidential Ads,” Communication Quarterly, 56.2 (May 2008): 168-183.
Keywords: Attack ads, Burke, Internet, poetic frames, presidential ads
Abstract: While numerous studies have examined the frequency of attack ads in presidential elections, this study measures the level of severity of the attacks. Using Burke’s poetic frames as a foundation, this content analytical study examines the 2004 presidential ads. The negativity level of the ads is explored with comparisons made between those by the candidates and the organizations, differences in ads by medium (television, radio, and Internet), and differences in three time periods of the election (pre-conventions, between conventions, and post-conventions). Finally, implications are addressed concerning Burkean frames, 527 groups, and the Internet.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Political)

Ringo Ma, “Spread of SARS and War-Related Rumors through New Media in China,” Communication Quarterly, 56.4 (November 2008): 376-391.
Keywords: Chinese culture, Internet, New media, SARS, SMS
Abstract: Current literature suggests that, as a form of communication, rumor is a story or statement circulated without confirmation. Rumors emerge under conditions marked by a combination of uncertainty, involvement, anxiety, and credulity, and may circulate by word-of-mouth or various media. The SARS- and war-related rumors in China in 2003 have stimulated new thoughts to the existing theories of rumor. The spread of the rumors was due to a unique combination of Chinese culture and society, the media environment in China, and conditions conducive to generating rumors. New media played a significant role in disseminating information with high efficiency and facilitating free flow of information.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Debra Burns Melican and Travis L. Dixon, “News on the Net: Credibility, Selective Exposure, and Racial Prejudice,” Communication Research, 35.2 (April 2008): 151-168.
Keywords: credibility; Internet; news; race; racism
Abstract: An online survey was conducted to assess the perception of credibility of various forms of news media, including Internet news sites associated with traditional forms of media and nontraditional Internet news sites. The survey also explored a possible link between news media credibility and scores on a modern racism scale. This study found that people held differential perceptions of Internet news credibility. Specifically, nontraditional Internet sources were perceived as far less credible than all other news sources. After controlling for a number of factors, the results suggest that those who view nontraditional Internet news sources as more credible than traditional media also score higher on a modern racism scale. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, with a focus on the Internet as a safe haven for divergent, even racist, beliefs.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shirley S. Ho and Douglas M. McLeod, “Social-Psychological Influences on Opinion Expression in Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication,” Communication Research, 35.2 (April 2008): 190-207.
Keywords: opinion expression; spiral of silence; computer-mediated communication; fear of isolation; communication apprehension; news media use; opinion congruency; public deliberation; same-sex marriage
Abstract: This study used an experiment embedded within a Web-based survey to examine the influence of contextual (i.e., face-to-face vs. online chat room discussion) and social-psychological factors on individuals’ willingness to express opinions. In this experiment, respondents were asked whether they would be willing to express an opinion if they were placed in a face-to-face discussion group in one condition and in an online chat room discussion group in the other condition. Results indicate that print news use, fear of isolation, communication apprehension, future opinion congruency, and communication setting significantly predict willingness to speak out. In addition, not only did fear of isolation have a negative main effect on opinion expression, but this effect was significantly attenuated by computer-mediated discussion. Findings suggest that computer-mediated communication may avoid some of the dysfunctional social-psychological influences found in face-to-face interactions and create a forum conducive for public deliberation.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Patti M. Valkenburg and Jochen Peter, “Adolescents’ Identity Experiments on the Internet: Consequences for Social Competence and Self-Concept Unity,” Communication Research, 35.2 (April 2008): 208-231.
Keywords: Internet; instant messaging; chat; identity; social competence; social skills; loneliness; social anxiety; self-concept unity; self-concept clarity
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of adolescents’ online identity experiments on their social competence and self-concept unity. An online survey was conducted among 1,158 Dutch adolescents between 10 and 17 years of age. Using structural equation modeling, the authors investigated the validity of four opposing effects hypotheses in an integrative antecedents-and-effects model. Adolescents who more often experimented with their identity on the Internet more often communicated online with people of different ages and cultural backgrounds. This communication, in turn, had a positive effect on adolescents’ social competence but did not affect their self-concept unity. In particular, lonely adolescents used the Internet to experiment with their identity. The social competence of lonely adolescents benefited significantly from these online identity experiments.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Stephen A. Rains, “Health at High Speed: Broadband Internet Access, Health Communication, and the Digital Divide,” Communication Research, 35.3 (June 2008): 283-297.
Keywords: information seeking; health; Internet; e-health; digital divide; broadband
Abstract: The study reported here explored the broadband digital divide in the context of Internet-based health communication. Inequities in the adoption of broadband technology were examined and the comprehensive model of health information seeking (CMIS) was used to make predictions about the implications of broadband Internet for personal health. Data from a population-based survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute in 2005 (N = 5,586) were analyzed. Results showed that those who were younger, more educated, and lived in an urban area were more likely to have a broadband Internet connection in their home. Furthermore, consistent with the CMIS, those with a broadband connection were more likely to use the Internet for health-related information seeking and communication than those with a dial-up connection.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Artemio Ramirez, Jr., John Dimmick, John Feaster and Shu-Fang Lin, “Revisiting Interpersonal Media Competition: The Gratification Niches of Instant Messaging, E-Mail, and the Telephone,” Communication Research, 35.4 (August 2008): 529-547.
Keywords: media competition; niche theory; social information processing theory; electronic propinquity; computer-mediated communication; gratifications 
Abstract: The theory of niche proposes that a new medium competes with older, more established media to fulfill users’ needs. This study uses niche theory, a macrolevel theory, as well as social information processing theory and the theory of electronic propinquity, both micro-level theories, to examine the niche of instant messaging (IM) in providing general gratifications. Results indicate that IM is characterized by a broad niche, surpassed only by that of the cell phone. IM had substantial niche overlap with e-mail and the cell phone, indicating a degree of substitutability between them; the least overlap was with the landline telephone (LLP). The hierarchy that emerged indicated that the cell phone was superior to IM, which was superior to e-mail, followed by the LLP for providing general gratifications. Finally, displacement tests indicated that IM use displaced e-mail and LLP but not cell phone use. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jochen Peter and Patti M. Valkenburg, “Adolescents’ Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material, Sexual Uncertainty, and Attitudes Toward Uncommitted Sexual Exploration: Is There a Link?” Communication Research, 35.4 (October 2008): 579-601.
Keywords: pornography; youth; sexual socialization; teenagers 
Abstract: The link between adolescents’ exposure to sexual media content and their sexual socialization has hardly been approached from an identity development framework. Moreover, existing research has largely ignored the role of adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material in that association. This study introduces two characteristics of adolescents’ sexual self—sexual uncertainty and attitudes toward sexual exploration—and investigates these characteristics as potential correlates of adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material. Drawing from a sample of 2,343 Dutch adolescents aged 13 to 20, the authors find that more frequent exposure to sexually explicit Internet material is associated with greater sexual uncertainty and more positive attitudes toward uncommitted sexual exploration (i.e., sexual relations with casual partners/friends or with sexual partners in one-night stands). The findings call for more attention to adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit material on the Internet and identity-related issues.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Eszter Hargitta and Amanda Hinnant, “Digital Inequality: Differences in Young Adults’ Use of the Internet,” Communication Research, 35.5 (October 2008): 602-621.
Keywords: skill; self-perceived knowledge; Internet; Web use; online behavior; young adults; digital divide 
Abstract: This article expands understanding of the digital divide to more nuanced measures of use by examining differences in young adults’ online activities. Young adults are the most highly connected age group, but that does not mean that their Internet uses are homogenous. Analyzing data about the Web uses of 270 adults from across the United States, the article explores the differences in 18- to 26-year-olds’ online activities and what social factors explain the variation. Findings suggest that those with higher levels of education and of a more resource-rich background use the Web for more “capital enhancing” activities. Detailed analyses of user attributes also reveal that online skill is an important mediating factor in the types of activities people pursue online. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for a “second-level digital divide,” that is, differences among the population of young adult Internet users.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Joseph B. Walther and Natalya N. Bazarova,  “Validation and Application of Electronic Propinquity Theory to Computer-Mediated Communication in Groups,” Communication Research, 35.5 (October 2008): 622-645.
Keywords: computer-mediated communication; interactive communication technology; electronic propinquity; group communication; teleconferencing 
Abstract: This research presents an experiment based on the theory of electronic propinquity, testing how the presence of alternate communication media, media bandwidth, information complexity, and users’ communication skills affect propinquity (the psychological feeling of nearness) and satisfaction that communicators experience using different communication channels. Groups communicated using one or two of several different channels, including face-to-face, desktop video, audio and text-based chat, with channel differences between members in some groups. Predicted effects of bandwidth, information complexity, communication skills, and comparative media availability on propinquity and satisfaction were observed. These findings demonstrate a confound in previous research on propinquity theory, suggest newfound validity and extend the model to interactive computer-mediated communication channels unanticipated by the original theory. Implications include the potential of electronic propinquity to account for discrepancies in the research on computer-mediated communication that have been generated by other theories.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Eun-Ju Lee, “When Are Strong Arguments Stronger Than Weak Arguments? Deindividuation Effects on Message Elaboration in Computer-Mediated Communication,” Communication Research, 35.5 (October 2008): 646-665.
Keywords: argument strength; computer-mediated communication (CMC); multiple-source effect; social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE)
Abstract: The present experiment examined how the lack of individuating information affects message elaboration and conformity to group norms in text-based computer-mediated communication. Participants made decisions about choice dilemma scenarios and exchanged their arguments with three ostensible partners via computer. Consistent with the social identity model of deindividuation effects, those who had exchanged personal profiles with their partners prior to the discussion were better able to differentiate between strong and weak arguments and were more likely to make conformity decisions based on the message content than those who had not. On the other hand, those who had no identity cues were more likely to factor in group identification for their conformity decisions. Results suggest that less systematic message processing and greater reliance on normative considerations account for how deindividuation moderates the effects of argument strength on group conformity.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Peter Monge, Bettina M. Heiss and Drew B. Margolin, “Communication Network Evolution in Organizational Communities,” Communication Theory, 18 (2008): 449–477.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Organizational communities are typically defined as populations of organizations that are tied together by networks of communication and other relations in overlapping resource niches. Traditionally, evolutionary theorists and researchers have examined organizational populations that comprise organizational communities by focusing on their properties rather than on the networks that link them. However, a full understanding of the evolution of organizational communities requires insight into both organizations and their networks. Consequently, this article presents a variety of conceptual tools for applying evolutionary theory to organizations, organizational communities, and their networks, including the notions of relational carrying capacity and linkage fitness. It illustrates evolutionary principles, such as variation, selection, and retention, that lead to the formation, growth, maintenance and eventual demise of communication and other network linkages. This perspective allows us to understand the ways in which community survival and success are as dependent on their communication linkages as they are on the organizations they connect. The article concludes with suggestions for potential applications of evolutionary theory to other areas of human communication.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Other (Evolution)

Sue Tait, “Pornographies of Violence? Internet Spectatorship on Body Horror,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 25.1 (March 2008): 91-111.
Keywords: Body Horror; War; Internet; Spectatorship; Witnessing 
Abstract: Technological innovations have meant that the way images of the victims of war and other categories of body horror are procured and disseminated has changed. Soldiers in theatre may record what they witness, and upload this material online. Terrorist groups have staged the executions of hostages for the camera and distributed this imagery via the internet. Thus, the circulation of body horror is enabled in ways that evade the prerogatives of the mainstream press to produce news which accords with notions of ‘‘taste and decency’’, using practices which protect publics from imagery which may cause harm yet also often map with a propagandist function to conceal the carnage of war from public view. The essay explores online spectatorship which takes place outside that which is deemed appropriate for the publics of news, arguing that we must move beyond the reductive ways in which looking at body horror has been conceptualized. Neither witnessing, as the posited correct form of spectatorship, nor the pervasive pornographic analogy used to render moral judgment on such looking account for the diversity of spectatorial positions taken up by those who choose to look at online imagery of the dead and suffering.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Adriana de Souza e Silva and Daniel M. Sutko, “Playing Life and Living Play: How Hybrid Reality Games Reframe Space, Play, and the Ordinary’,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 25.5 (December 2008): 447-465.
Keywords: Game Studies; Play; Urban Space; Hybrid Space; Hybrid Reality Games; Mobile Media; Mobile Games; Mobile Technologies; Sociability; Critical Analysis; Surveillance 
Abstract: Hybrid reality games (HRGs) employ mobile technologies equipped with Internet access and location awareness to create a multi-user game space that occurs simultaneously in physical, digital and represented spaces as denoted by the player’s mobility. This essay analyzes and compares two HRGs: I Like Frank and Day of the Figurines. The goal is to understand games and play as activities intrinsically and inseparably connected to our physical spaces and to our daily lives by focusing on the interconnection between play and ordinary life, game community and player identity. The essay also interrogates how these games reconfigure and reflect current concepts of surveillance, community and anonymity in city spaces. The development of these concepts expands current research about how new Internet-connected mobile communication technologies change our experience of physical spaces by adding to them imaginary playful layers that influence player mobility through the city and promote singular types of interactions among physical, digital and represented spaces. Our analysis considers the intertwined and complex consequences of HRGs and other locative media, illustrating how such media can both normalize and provide modes of resistance to certain power relationships.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Robert Glenn Howard, “The Vernacular Web of Participatory Media,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 25.5 (December 2008): 490-513.
Keywords: Vernacular; Worldwide Web; Participatory Media; Internet 
Abstract: From wikis to blogs, new participatory forms of web-based communication are increasingly common ways for institutions and individuals to communicate. The content these forms produce incorporates elements of both institutional and non-institutional discourse. More than a syncretic pastiche, this content is the product of hybrid agencies made possible by these new forms. Terming this content ‘‘vernacular’’ acknowledges that this hybridity frustrates any reified conception of pure or authentic non-institutional discourse. At the same time, the theory of a ‘‘vernacular web’’ attends to the complex new transformational possibilities of participatory media seem to offer individuals.’’
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Paul Booth, “Rereading Fandom: MySpace Character Personas and Narrative Identification,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 25.5 (December 2008): 514-536.
Keywords: Fandom; Narrative; Identity; Social Software; Internet; Textual Poaching 
Abstract: In an age of media convergence, researchers can no longer solely study a single media text. As Henry Jenkins (2006) points out, the transmediation of a textual narrative across media technologies is becoming a more common practice. In this paper, I examine how fans are participating in this transmediation by creating personal profiles, or personas, for extant media characters. This paper shows that the fans’ creative and resourceful practice of textual creation in social networking sites finds meaning through the creative assemblage of members of the fan community. Using their own fan-created texts as material with which to create this community, fans shakeup the traditional de Certeauan binary of strategic and tactical readings (and poachings) of texts. By creating a ‘‘space of their own,’’ fans not only rewrite the media text, but also rewrite traditional notions of fandom itself.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Serena Hashimoto and Scott Campbell, “The Occupation of Ethereal Locations: Indications of Mobile Data,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 25.5 (December 2008): 537-558.
Keywords: Mobile Telephony; Mobile Data; Subject; Thing; Self; Other 
Abstract: This theoretical investigation explores how ethereal locations have become increasingly inhabitable through mobile telephony. Residue of the occupation of these ethereal places is found in the form of mobile data, traces of the mobile user’s fantasy of connection with the other. Drawing from an interdisciplinary body of theory and research, we demonstrate how new forms of access to ethereal locations have emerged which allow for modifications to the positioning of self, other, subject and thing. Central to this phenomenon is the shifting away from optical discernment to an alternate employment of vision. This paper demonstrates how the process of mediation afforded by mobile communication blurs these divisions and encourages the extension of self into new contexts. The utilization of mobile data facilitates these alterations which allows for the user to occupy ethereal places and to enact subjectivity differently.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Joseph B. Waltherl, Brandon Van Der Heide, Sang-Yeon Kim, David Westerman and Stephanie Tom Tong, “The Role of Friends’ Appearance and Behavior on Evaluations of Individuals on Facebook: Are We Known by the Company We Keep?” Human Communication Research,  34.1 (2008): 28-49.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This research explores how cues deposited by social partners onto one’s online networking profile affect observers’ impressions of the profile owner. An experiment tested the relationships between both (a) what one’s associates say about a person on a social network site via ‘‘wall postings,’’ where friends leave public messages, and (b) the physical attractiveness of one’s associates reflected in the photos that accompany their wall postings on the attractiveness and credibility observers attribute to the target profile owner. Results indicated that profile owners’ friends’ attractiveness affected their own in an assimilative pattern. Favorable or unfavorable statements about the targets interacted with target gender: Negatively valenced messages about certain moral behaviors increased male profile owners’ perceived physical attractiveness, although they caused females to be viewed as less attractive.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Gary Bente, Sabine Ruggenberg, Nicole C. Kramer and Felix Eschenburg, “Avatar-Mediated Networking: Increasing Social Presence and Interpersonal Trust in Net-Based Collaborations,” Human Communication Research, 34.2 (2008): 287-318.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study analyzes the influence of avatars on social presence, interpersonal trust, perceived communication quality, nonverbal behavior, and visual attention in Net-based collaborations using a comparative approach. A real-time communication window including a special avatar interface was integrated into a shared collaborative workspace. Communication modes under investigation were text chat, audio, audio–video, and avatar. Significant differences were found between text chat and all other communication modalities in perceived intimateness, co-presence, and emotionally-based trust. Microanalyses of nonverbal activity and visual attention point to similarities between video and avatar modes, both showing higher levels of exposure to the virtual other and visual attention, in particular in the initial phase of interaction as compared to text and audio. 
Method: Experiment

Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Louisa Ha and Kim McCann, “An Integrated Model of Advertising Clutter in Offline and Online Media,” International Journal of Advertising, 27.4 (2008): 569–592.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The rapid growth of online advertising raises concerns about advertising clutter in the online media environment. This paper proposes an integrated model of advertising clutter that addresses the unique characteristics of the online media environment. We review the structural, information processing and functional approaches to advertising clutter, and integrate these approaches into a new comprehensive framework that explains consumer response to advertising clutter by differentiating consumer-centered analysis from media-centred analysis. The differences between online media and offline media are compared in terms of audience control and advertiser control. Attitudes towards advertising in general and in specific media contexts, and task orientations are introduced as mediating factors that affect the perception of and the subsequent response to advertising clutter. This paper offers a set of propositions on the factors affecting perception of advertising clutter, the relationship between physical characteristics and perception of advertising clutter, and how perception of clutter creates negative advertising effects. Managerial and theoretical implications of this framework are discussed.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Slavka Antonova, “Deconstructing an Experiment in Global Internet Governance: the ICANN Case,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 1-19.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The model of a global multi-stakeholder collaboration in Internet domain-name system management, as developed by U.S. government in 1998 and embedded in the Internet Corporation for Assigned  Names and  Numbers (ICA  ), held all the promises of a paradigm shift in global governance. Seven years later, the UN  World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia ( November 2005) adopted some of the vocabulary of the ICA   experiment and recognized the multi-stakeholder collaboration as a key organizational principle in global Internet governance. Yet, it reestablished the leading role of national governments and intergovernmental organizations, such as the ITU, in the regulation of the global Internet. This paper examines what was lost during the four years of experimenting with “multi-stakeholderism” in ICA   and what the stakes of the parties that influenced the policymaking process the most were. Building on Governmentality Studies’ understanding of the neo-liberal project of self-governance and Organization Studies’ collaboration theory, the document and discourse analysis of ICA  ’s practices deconstructs the original model of a collaborative policymaking process conducted by a private multistakeholder corporation and formulates the expectations, stakes and strategies of the participating parties. Thus, it is suggested in the paper that, because the Internet technical elite was granted the managerial role in ICA  , the experts were able to influence the agenda of the policymaking process and its pace, and ultimately to take over the policy-proposal accumulation task and eliminate the working groups, which were open to all participants.  The paper concludes that, with the globalization of Internet, a cluster of new players entered the field, such as the developing countries governments, and, in the U  WSIS setting, the concerns of “protecting the public interest” reconnected with the familiar international arrangements.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Chris Armbruster, “Cyberscience and the Knowledge-Based Economy, Open Access and Trade Publishing: From Contradiction to Compatibility with Nonexclusive Copyright Licensing,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 20-38.
Keywords: Cyberscience, cyberinfrastructure, open source, scientific publishing, guild publishing, trade publishing, peer review, open access, copyright, knowledge-based economy, Creative Commons, Science Commons
Abstract: Open source, open content and open access are set to fundamentally alter the conditions of knowledge production and distribution. Open source, open content and open access are also the most tangible result of the shift towards e-Science and digital networking. Yet, widespread misperceptions exist about the impact of this shift on knowledge distribution and scientific publishing. It is argued, on the one hand, that for the academy there principally is no digital dilemma surrounding copyright and there is no contradiction between open science and the knowledge-based economy if profits are made from nonexclusive rights. On the other hand, pressure for the `digital doubling’ of research articles in Open Access repositories (the `green road’) is misguided and the current model of Open Access publishing (the `gold road’) has not much future outside biomedicine. Commercial publishers must understand that business models based on the transfer of copyright have not much future either. Digital technology and its economics favour the severance of distribution from certification. What is required of universities and governments, scholars and publishers, is to clear the way for digital innovations in knowledge distribution and scholarly publishing by enabling the emergence of a competitive market that is based on nonexclusive rights. This requires no change in the law but merely an end to the praxis of copyright transfer and exclusive licensing. The best way forward for research organizations, universities and scientists is the adoption of standard copyright licenses that reserve some rights, namely Attribution and No Derivative Works, but otherwise will allow for the unlimited reproduction, dissemination and re-use of the research article, commercial uses included.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Ian Gillies, “Real World Toys and Currency turn the Legal World Upside Down: A Cross-sectional Update on Virtual World Legalities,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 120-139.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: With 40 million members on the leading virtual world and overall user growth at 22%,1 some experts are saying virtual worlds are to the new millennium what websites were to the 90s.2 Just as the technological and economic growth of the internet drove numerous moral and legal issues to the forefront of society, so also will virtual world growth expand the overlapping moral and legal boundaries between virtual and real world experience. This paper provides a technology and market overview of virtual worlds and explores the intersection of some social and legal issues arising from the financial opportunity and virtual sexuality emerging from this growing online society and economy.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Gerard Goggin, “Regulating Mobile Content: Convergences and Citizenship,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 140-160. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Internet and media convergence has been for sometime concentrated on mobile technologies. Most notable, perhaps, has been the emergence of a cluster of online, mobile data and content services and technologies that have been precursors of fully-fledged mobile media themselves. With these important, lucrative, and potentially far-reaching developments in mind, this paper focuses on international approaches to regulation of mobile content with case studies of the US, Canada, Britain and Australia. As well as reflecting on the trends across these countries, I also consider the implications of such regulation, and the new models of governance they represent, for questions of cultural citizenship. To what extent are questions of cultural citizenship being posed in regulatory and policy models and discussions of mobile content? At stake here is the convergence, or rather clash, of the quite distinct models of cultural citizenship and exchange, that come respectively from the histories and traditions of telecommunications and the Internet. Thus in conclusion the author raises the question of why the commons debate with respect to mobiles be so belated? Is the commons a useful notion to draw upon in thinking about the future of mobiles, or are there new concepts required to register what is at stake in these velocitous transformations?
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Sara M. Grimes, “Kids’ Ad Play: Regulating Children’s Advergames in the Converging Media Context,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 161-178.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article explores possibilities for regulating emerging forms of advertising within children’s online culture, focusing specifically on the rising phenomenon of advergames. An immensely popular form of entertainment among children and teens, advergames integrate advertising and market research strategies directly into the fabric of online games and environments. I begin by situating advergames within broader traditions of advertising to children. I then present and discuss four potential “points of entry” for the regulation of these new media advertising practices, which include media regulation, consumer protection law, industry self-regulation and contract law. As media regulation in Canada and the US share many similarities, and because children’s digital media is most often transnational with a large proportion of content originating from the US, the discussion draws upon both Canadian and US legislation, providing comparisons where relevant. I discuss different courses of action that could potentially establish clearer restrictions on marketers’ interactions with children online, as well as enforce regulation of the role of advertising in children’s online games. The aim of this paper is to explore the Canadian government’s position that existing regulatory frameworks can be effectively extended to digital media, as well as demonstrate the necessity of enhanced coordination and integration if these regulatory regimes are to remain relevant within the converging media context.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Hannelore Dekeyser and Tomas A. Lipinski, “Digital Archiving and Copyright Law: a Comparative Analysis,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 179-224.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Existing precedent and commentator opinion reiterates that the purpose of copyright law is not to benefit authors or owners but to benefit the public. The limited monopoly right of copyright granted to authors or owners is a predicate to achieve that goal. The limited monopoly is a necessary and prerequisite incentive. Preservation of and access to the body of knowledge created through the limited monopoly incentive is the ultimate goal of the copyright system. Archives by nature and design play a critical role in the collation and preservation of the creative societal record; its cultural heritage. Applying present copyright law principles to digital collation and preservation processes often thwarts rather than forwards these efforts. Exceptions provided by the copyright law go may alleviate the problem, but do not solve it. Furthermore, the recent adoption of legislative protection for copyright management information and technical measures controlling access to and in some instances use of protected works exacerbates rather than ameliorates the problem. In the digital age, the copyright law becomes an inadequate tool for the preservation of the cultural record or access to that record. Present copyright exceptions may no longer be of any consequence. In the current article two approaches of copyright towards digital archiving and dissemination are examined and compared, namely that of U.S. law and of Belgian law, the latter being an example of implementation of the recent EU directives harmonizing copyright law. The authors demonstrate that copyright systems originating in the same basic policy proposition may result in different outcomes. Recent and pending changes in both U.S. and EU systems offer opportunity for policy-makers to enrich their own processes by understanding the success as well as shortcomings of these comparative outcomes.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Sascha D. Meinrath and Victor W. Pickard, “The New Network Neutrality: Criteria for Internet Freedom,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 225-243.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The meteoric rise of network neutrality’s prominence as a crucial Internet policy debate has led to current events far outpacing theoretical and historical analyses. This paper addresses this lag in scholarship by contextualizing recent events in relation to historical telecommunications antecedents. In doing so, we critically evaluate the current network neutrality debate and offer a set of technical and policy guidelines for a new, more broadly defined network neutrality. Specifically, we submit that beyond redefining network neutrality, we must connect issues usually dealt with separately – issues that are actually a subset of one overarching concern: Internet freedom. We conclude with an exploration of the social and political impacts of this broader conception of network neutrality and suggest that this “new network neutrality” provides a proactive foundation for supporting the goal of creating a more open and participatory Internet. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Siddharta Menon, “Policy Impediments to Media Convergence: An Exploration of Case Studies from South Africa and India,” International Journal of Communications Law and Policy, 12 (2008): 313-344.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article focuses on regulatory aspects of the media convergence issue in two country cases: South Africa and India. The discussion addresses the central motivating research question of whether and why countries set an agenda to respond to the phenomenon of media convergence which is an inquiry of paramount importance not only to the specific field of international telecommunications policy, but also to the broader discourse of information and new media studies. Consequently this paper examines four dimensions of convergence policy in the two countries including: cross-sector entry; technological neutrality; competitive neutrality; and the role of the regulator.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Chia-Hui Yen and Hsi-Peng Lu, “Factors Influencing Online Auction Repurchase Intention,” Internet Research, 18.1 (2008): 7-25.
Keywords: Auctions, Internet, Customer satisfaction 
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to integrate expectancy disconfirmation theory (EDT) to explore cognitive beliefs and affect influencing an individual’s intention to repurchase in online marketplaces. 
Design/methodology/approach – The paper used EDT to conduct an empirical study and data were collected from a total of 303 bidders of online auctions. A structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the relationships of the research model. 
Findings – The findings show that bidders’ disconfirmation of online auctions is positively associated with their satisfaction, which in turn is positively associated with their repurchase intentions.
Practical implications – Both bidders’ expectation of policy and auctioneers’ performance of policy are important determinants of disconfirmation. Auctioneers need to recognize the distinctive roles of information policy in selling and bidding rules. Besides, neither bidders’ expectation of sellers’ reputation nor their expectation of service quality has a significant relationship with disconfirmation. This finding implies that in a mature e-commerce environment bidders pay more attention to the sellers’ performance than their prior expectation.
Originality/value – This study, which aims to shed light on bidder behavior in online auctions, is the first study that has applied an EDT-based model to investigate the determinants of repurchase intention in online auctions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Carlos Flavia´n and Raquel Gurrea, “Reading Newspapers on the Internet: the Influence of Web Sites’ Attributes,” Internet Research, 18.1 (2008): 26-45.
Keywords: Newspapers, Internet, Readers 
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze key factors that could influence the choice of digital newspapers: usability of newspaper web sites, reputation, trust, privacy and familiarity.
Design/methodology/approach – A survey on the Internet was applied. The scales were validated and refined, after which the hypotheses were tested by way of a structural equation model.
Findings – The results support an intense effect of usability and familiarity with web sites on the choice of electronic newspaper. However, reputation, privacy and trust in the web sites do not influence significantly the final choice of digital dailies. This is due to the readers who do not perceive risk and costs derived by choosing mistakes or giving data, because the change of news supplier is really fast and easy.
Research limitations/implications – The main aspects which justify digital newspaper reading should be considered by the management in order to develop its use. Also, newspaper firms should make efforts to improve the levels of usability of their web sites. Moreover, digital dailies should develop strategies in order to ensure the loyalty of readers who could be familiarized with the new medium.
Originality/value – This is one of the first studies that analyze online press reader behavior on the Internet. The paper identifies the main factors related to web sites that affect reading newspapers on the Internet.  
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Fons Wijnhoven and Jeroen Kraaijenbrink, “Product-oriented Design Theory for Digital Information Services,” Internet Research, 18.1 (2008): 93-120.
Keywords: Electronic publishing, Information services, Internet 
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to give a structured literature review, design concepts, and research propositions related to a product-oriented design theory for information services. Information services facilitate the exchange of information goods with or without transforming these goods. Exemplar information services are e-publishing, electronic communities-of-practice and management reporting. The importance of information services in the current economy merits the development of an explicit product- and process-oriented design theory.
Design/methodology/approach – This article focuses on the product-oriented design theory by applying Walls et al.’s framework. A product-oriented design theory of information services identifies relevant descriptive and explanatory insights (i.e. content, use, value, and revenue), meta-requirements, and meta-designs. The paper describes design problems for information services, and gives key requirements for information services. Next, it describes the information, organizational and information technological components of an information service, and identifies at least four information service architectures. Finally, it gives research hypotheses, research ideas and discusses practical implications.
Findings – The results form a product-oriented design theory for information services. The paper gives a structured way for practitioners to analyze information service design challenges, and suggestions are given for requirements and design decisions on three aspects (content, use feature, and revenue).
Originality/value – Given the previously fragmented nature of the literature, this paper gives new opportunities for research and practice.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Henry M. Kim and Saggi Nevo, “Development and Application of a Framework for Evaluating Multi-mode Voting Risks,” Internet Research, 18.1 (2008): 121-135
Keywords: Elections, Internet, Canada
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the risks associated with online voting and to compare them with more traditional voting modes.
Design/methodology/approach – A modified version of the Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation (OCTAVE) approach from the CERT Coordination Center at
Carnegie-Mellon University is used for developing a framework for comparing threats for different stakeholders. In addition, these risks and threats are quantified, offering an opportunity to conduct a multi-mode risk analysis in a manner independent of the underlying voting modes. The framework is exemplified using data from officials who had been involved in an actual municipal election, in which registered voters were given the option of voting through the Internet.
Findings – What is instructive in the context of this study is that the “low-tech” threats such as large-scale mail theft of election notifications and family member coercion may in fact be significant for Internet voting, and the sensationalized threats mentioned by the media may pale in comparison in terms of vulnerabilities.
Research limitations/implications – Conclusions drawn from applying the methods may be very sensitive to parameters chosen for quantification, especially since estimates of probabilities of threats may vary in order of magnitude.
Originality/value – This paper demonstrates a quantitative and comparative analysis for Internet voting, something which does not seem to be adequately addressed in the literature.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Yayoi Hirose and Noboru Sonehara, “Management of Information-credibility Risk in an ICT Society: A Social Implementation,” Internet Research, 18.2 (2008): 142-154.  
Keywords: Risk management, Society, Knowledge management, Knowledge transfer 
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a new direction for managing information-credibility risk in the current information and communications technology (ICT) era, where ICT has had both positive and negative effects on contemporary society.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a practical and inductive approach to study the Kyoto avian influenza panic and countermeasures taken in 2004.
Findings – The paper identifies factors which led to enormous damage through harmful rumors and proposes new perspectives for devising countermeasures, such as increasing consumer confidence in an agency as a source of information and effective management of knowledge transfer from experts to non-experts.
Practical implications – The study gains a better understanding of both technological and social factors that enable or detract from effective nationwide management of information-credibility risk. Many related ICT projects have been based on either human resource systems or advanced technology. It considers the integration of both factors from three perspectives.
Originality/value – This is a new perspective for examining the transfer of knowledge from experts to consumers in terms of practical solutions, in contrast to the many existing knowledge-related articles that have mainly focused on knowledge management among experts.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Robert Malouf and Tony Mullen, “Taking Sides: User Classification for Informal Online Political Discourse,” Internet Research, 18.2 (2008): 177-190.
Keywords: Politics, Databases, Online operations, United States of America
Abstract: Purpose – To evaluate and extend, existing natural language processing techniques into the domain of informal online political discussions.
Design/methodology/approach – A database of postings from a US political discussion site was collected, along with self-reported political orientation data for the users. A variety of sentiment analysis, text classification, and social network analysis methods were applied to the postings and evaluated against the users’ self-descriptions.
Findings – Purely text-based methods performed poorly, but could be improved using techniques which took into account the users’ position in the online community.
Research limitations/implications – The techniques we applied here are fairly simple, and more sophisticated learning algorithms may yield better results for text-based classification.
Practical implications – This work suggests that social network analysis is an important tool for performing natural language processing tasks with informal web texts.
Originality/value – This research extends sentiment analysis to a new subject domain (US politics) and a new text genre (informal online discussions).
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Yoshikiyo Kato, Sadao Kurohashi and Kentaro Inui, “Classifying Information Sender of Web Documents,” Internet Research, 18.2 (2008): 191-203.
Keywords: Information management, Project management, Worldwide web, Data analysis 
Abstract: Purpose – To develop a method for classifying information sender of web documents, which constitutes an important part of information credibility analysis. 
Design/methodology/approach – Machine learning approach was employed. About 2,000 human-annotated web documents were prepared for training and evaluation. The classification model was based on support vector machine, and the features used for the classification included the title and URL of documents, as well as information of the top page.
Findings – With relatively small set of features, the proposed method achieved over 50 per cent accuracy.
Research limitations/implications – Some of the information sender categories were found to be more difficult to classify. This is due to the subjective nature of the categories, and further refinement of the categories is needed.
Practical implications – When combined with opinion/sentiment analysis techniques, information sender classification allows more profound analysis based on interactions between opinions and senders. Such analysis forms a basis of information credibility analysis.
Originality/value – This study formulated the problem of information sender classification. It proposed a method which achieves moderate performance. It also identified some of the issues related to information sender classification.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Christy M.K. Cheung, Matthew K.O. Lee and Neil Rabjohn, “The Impact of Electronic Word-of-mouth: The Adoption of Online Opinions in Online Customer Communities,” Internet Research, 18.3 (2008): 229-247.
Keywords: Internet, Electronic commerce, Consumer behaviour
Abstract: Purpose – Web-based technologies have created numerous opportunities for electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication. This phenomenon impacts online retailers as this easily accessible information could greatly affect the online consumption decision. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which opinion seekers are willing to accept and adopt online consumer reviews and which factors encourage adoption. Design/methodology/approach – Using dual-process theories, an information adoption model was developed to examine the factors affecting information adoption of online opinion seekers in online customer communities. The model was tested empirically using a sample of 154 users who had experience within the online customer community, Openrice.com. Users were required to complete a survey regarding the online consumer reviews received from the virtual sharing platform.
Findings – The paper found comprehensiveness and relevance to be the most effective components of the argument quality construct of the research model, making them key influencers of information adoption.
Research limitations/implications – Only 46 per cent of the variance is explained by the constructs due to its intentional simplicity. This would indicate that there are more actors in motivating information adoption than solely information usefulness. A closer look should be taken at the effectiveness of some of the other motivational factors suggested in the previous research on this topic.
Practical implications – The paper outlines ways to effectively promote one’s business or cause through online customer communities, as well as general tips for web site and forum moderators for facilitating such presentation in a manner useful to the members of their online communities.
Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to develop and empirically test a theory-driven information adoption model for opinion seekers in online customer communities. It also uniquely breaks down and tests the components of argument quality to discern the important motivating factors. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Blanca Hernandez-Ortega, Julio Jimenez-Martınez and M. Jose Martın-DeHoyos, “Differences Between Potential, New and Experienced e-Customers: Analysis of e-Purchasing Behaviour,” Internet Research, 18.3 (2008): 248-265.
Keywords: Electronic commerce, Consumer behaviour 
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to analyze  the evolution of e-customer purchasing behaviour. Certain perceptions of electronic commerce (EC) may differ according to the purchasing experience of customers. Three groups of e-customers are differentiated: potential, new and experienced.
Design/methodology/approach – First of all, the socio-demographic characteristics of each group were analyzed using the Chi-squared test. Then, using ANOVA and post hoc analysis (Scheffe’s test), the differences that exist in their perceptions were analysed.
Findings – Data analyses show that level of experience with Internet and the perceptions about EC differ according to the e-customer. Some variables, like perceived usefulness or attitude, increase significantly as the number of interchanges grows, while others, such as perceived ease of use, tend to stabilize. It can be affirmed that there is an evolving cycle of purchasing that will continue to develop as the individual acquires experience.
Practical implications – This research enables the companies that want to compete in the e-market to know the type of customer they are addressing. Moreover, the results obtained show what perceptions must be concentrated on if these companies want to capture new customers (potential e-customers) or if they want to maintain existing customers (new and experienced). The evolution of this behaviour means that the strategies oriented to fomenting EC should stress one or another aspect depending on the target customer.
Originality/value – While most research indistinctly analyses the behaviour of any e-customer, this study has considered it necessary to differentiate at least three types of e-customers in function of their purchasing experience. Thus, this is one of the few studies that allows us to know the evolution of the perceptions related to e-commerce.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Paweena Srisuwan and Stuart J. Barnes, “Predicting Online Channel Use for an Online and Print Magazine: a Case Study,” Internet Research, 18.3 (2008): 266-285.
Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Magazine, Online operations
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a conceptual model to predict the determinants of online channel use in a multi-channel environment.
Design/methodology/approach – A case study of a free, multi-channel entertainment magazine is used to statistically analyze a proposed model of customers’ channel use (n 1/4 224) using an online survey of real consumers.
Findings – The findings in the paper confirm a number of determinants of consumer attitudes. Subjective norms and consumer attitudes positively affect behavioral intention to use and intentions directly relate to actual use. The results also indicate that three constructs (i.e. enjoyment, marketing efforts and age), one from each three main determinant groups (i.e. marketing variables, individual difference variables and channel attributes), are likely to be an accurate predictor of consumer attitudes.
Practical implications – The paper shows that enjoyment was an important factor among the younger, socially aware and somewhat hedonistically-oriented consumers of the magazine. Firms should track consumer preferences from registration and then should try to create activities that give consumers enjoyment. Linking together of marketing efforts is very important. Advertising can be a great opportunity to grow online operations. Search engines and the use of incentives (prizes) can be useful in this regard. Firms should also advertise their web site through the offline channel or any places that can reach target consumers. A good mix of offline and online advertising can present a message and reinforce it for consumers in different channels.
Originality/value – This paper contributes towards understanding consumer behaviour in the online channel use context in a multi-channel environment.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification
Howard Chen Yen Hao and David Corkindale, “Towards an Understanding of the Behavioral Intention to Use Online News Services: An Exploratory Study,” Internet Research, 18.3 (2008): 286-312.
Keywords: Information media, Consumer behaviour, Internet, Taiwan
Abstract: Purpose – Research into the use/adoption of online news services (ONSs) is still in its infancy, Scholars have indicated that there is no comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding or predicting consumers’ online adoption behavior. The purpose of the paper is to propose a theoretical framework as a foundation for better understanding and further analyzing the adoption of ONSs.
Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was conducted together with a series of in-depth interviews with selected key industry experts. Three paradigms (i.e. the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, the Technology Acceptance Model, the Uses and Gratifications Theory) were examined and included findings from research into some aspects of online behaviour and these are discussed in relation to the objectives of this paper.
Findings – Six factors are identified as potential key drivers in the adoption of ONSs These are based on the findings from the literature review and the in-depth interviews with the industry experts. The six factors are: Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Core Service Quality (PCSQ), Perceived Supplementary Service Quality (PSSQ), Trust, Networking, Interface and Subjective Norm. A theoretical framework for better understanding and analyzing the adoption of ONSs is built that shows the relationship among these factors and adoption of ONSs.
Originality/value – For researchers, this paper provides a framework to identify and understand the way the potential key factors contribute to the adoption of online news services. For practitioners, this framework lists the features that specifically attract online news users. Understanding users’ preferences is of major importance in e-businesses for making strategic decisions to increase user satisfaction, as well as improving the performance of the business. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Jeewon Choi, Hyeonjoo Seol, Sungjoo Lee, Hyunmyung Cho and Yongtae Park, “Customer Satisfaction Factors of Mobile Commerce in Korea,” Internet Research, 18.3 (2008): 313-335.
Keywords: Customer satisfaction, Customer loyalty, Communication technologies, Korea, Electronic commerce
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to distinguish features of m-commerce from those of e-commerce and identify factors to influence customer satisfaction (m-satisfaction) and loyalty (m-loyalty) in m-commerce by empirically-based case study.
Design/methodology/approach – First, based on previous literature, the paper builds sets of customer satisfaction factors for both e-commerce and m-commerce. Second, features of m-commerce are identified by comparing it with current e-commerce through decision tree (DT). Third, with the derived factors from DT, significant factors and relationships among the factors, m-satisfaction and m-loyalty are examined by m-satisfaction model employing structural equation model.
Findings – The paper finds that m-commerce is partially similar in factors like “transaction process” and “customization” which lead customer satisfaction after connecting an m-commerce site, but it has unique aspects of “content reliability”, “availability”, and “perceived price level of mobile Internet (m-Internet)” which build customer’s intention to the m-commerce site. Through the m-satisfaction model, “content reliability”, and “transaction process” are proven to be significantly influential factors to m-satisfaction and m-loyalty.
Research implications/limitations – The paper can be a meaningful step to provide empirical analysis and evaluation based on questionnaire survey targeting actual users. The research is based on a case study on digital music transaction, which is indicative, rather than general.
Practical implications – The paper meets the needs to focus on customer under the fiercer competition in Korean m-commerce market. It can guide those who want to initiate, move or broaden their business to m-commerce from e-commerce.
Originality/value – The paper develops a revised ACSI model to identify individual critical factors and the degree of effect.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Genevieve Marie Johnson, “Verbal and Visual Reasoning in Relation to Patterns of Internet Use,” Internet Research, 18.4 (2008): 382-392.
Keywords: Internet, Working patterns, Reasoning 
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine cognitive differences between frequent and infrequent Internet users. Theoretically, culturally-valued use of the Internet is related to cognitive (i.e. intellectual) ability.
Design/methodology/approach – A total of 406 college students completed measures of verbal reasoning, visual reasoning, and patterns of Internet use.
Findings – Significant group differences in visual reasoning consistently favored frequent Internet users (e.g. in terms of use of search engines and playing games online). With respect to visiting chat rooms and downloading music, however, infrequent users demonstrated better verbal reasoning than frequent users. Findings support the conclusion that extensive and appropriate use of the Internet is associated with increased human capacity to reason. Research limitations/implications – Generalization of findings is limited because college students may not necessarily reflect the general population. Results require confirmation with other measures of cognitive ability.
Practical implications – Internet use is not simply the ability to manipulate a set of physical tools (i.e. devices and applications); it is the ability to execute a set of cognitive tools (e.g. verbal and visual reasoning). Apprehension regarding the potential hazards of Internet use may legitimately be narrowed to individuals with limitations, relative to peers, in cognitive ability.
Originality/value – This is the first empirical investigation that links verbal and visual reasoning with patterns of Internet use. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Rebeca San Jose-Cabezudo, Jesus Gutierrez-Cillan and Ana M. Gutierrez-Arranz, “The Moderating Role of User Motivation in Internet Access and Individuals’ Responses to a Website,” Internet Research, 18.4 (2008): 393-404.
Keywords: Internet, Worldwide web
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a proposal for the Hierarchy of Effects – a model that has been widely applied in the study of persuasion in traditional communications media – to evaluate Website effectiveness. In particular, this contribution seeks to consider a more complete model in order to evaluate the responses of the individuals to the Websites, incorporating new variables to the traditional sequence; and to study the moderating effect of the specific characteristics of the audience – the individual user’s motivations in terms of Internet access in the basic structure of this model.
Design/methodology/approach – The multi-equations methodology is used to test the sequence of responses that produce the visit to an experimental Website: the perceived informative value and the perceived entertainment value of a Website, the attitude toward the Website, the attitude toward the brand and the intention to buy the brand for two different individual groups: the “information seekers” and “entertainment seekers”.
Findings – The results reveal two well differentiated positive models of behavior in the online context.
Practical implications – In their Website strategies, the organizations should not neglect those aspects which may arouse emotional reactions in the Internet users, but they should pay more attention to generated informative value to obtain more favorable users’ responses.
Originality/value – Previous studies had not tested empirically the moderating effects of the users’ motivations in terms of Internet access (search for information versus entertainment) over this original and more complete structure of individuals’ responses to the Website.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Echo Huang, “Use and Gratification in e-Consumers,” Internet Research, 18.4 (2008): 405-426.
Keywords: Consumer behavior, Taiwan
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model based on technology acceptance with extended antecedent variables (entertainment and irritation) to examine the impact of use and gratification on e-consumers’ acceptance of Business to Consumer (B2C) Websites.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a total of 238 EMBA and undergraduate students from three different Taiwan universities. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the conceptual model in terms of overall fit, explanatory powers and causal links.
Findings – The analytical results showed that entertainment gratification, irritation surfing experience (mass medium), perceived usefulness and ease of Web use (information systems) are important predictors of e-consumers’ use intention. The integrated model was then assessed for variance in explanatory power regarding consumer attitude and intention toward B2C Websites.
Practical implications – Intention to use the Web is the predictor of actual use, purchase and information-seeking behaviors in e-consumers. Creating entertaining content and reducing distracting processes can enhance acceptance of B2C Websites.
Originality/value – A theoretical model incorporating Uses and Gratification (U&G) constructs into a technology acceptance model was used to investigate e-consumer behavior in Taiwan. Although ease of use and usefulness are perceived as important issues in traditional IS environments, U&G provides managers with a different perspective. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shu-Hsun Ho and Ying-Yin Ko, “Effects of Self-service Technology on Customer Value and Customer Readiness: The Case of Internet Banking,” Internet Research, 18.4 (2008): 427-446.
Keywords: Self-service, Customer relations, Virtual banking
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether self-service technology (SST) can enhance customer value (CV) and customer readiness (CR). In addition, it is proposed to inspect the effects of CV and CR in customers’ continued use of Internet banking.
Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was used with a sample of 771 respondents. Structural equation models (SEM) were used to examine 11 hypotheses in the theoretical framework.
Findings – SST characteristics (i.e. ease of use, usefulness, costs saved, and self-control) demonstrated positive effects on CV and CR. CR is positively related to CV. Furthermore, customers are willing to use Internet banking when CV and CR are high.
Research limitations/implications – The study examines the factors contributing to positive effects on customers’ continued use of Internet banking. Further research is recommended to investigate the effects of negative factors, such as risk and complexity. In addition, the same methods should be used to reproduce the survey in other industries to support generalizability.
Practical implications – Managers should reinforce SST in order to increase CV and CR, which would influence customers’ willingness to continue using Internet banking.
Originality/value – Unlike previous research, the study focuses on consumers’ continued use of Internet banking as opposed to initial use. It concentrates on customer retention rather than customer acquisition. It is the first study to conclude that CV and CR significantly affect continued use of SST.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Julie Fisher, Frada Burstein, Kathy Lynch, and Kate Lazarenko, “Usability + Usefulness = Trust: an Exploratory Study of Australian Health Web Sites,” Internet Research, 18.5 (2008): 477-498.
Keywords: Health services, Information retrieval, Trust, Australia, Online operations
Abstract: Purpose – The aim is to explore users’ reactions to health information web sites from the perspective of trust, retrieval of relevant information and ease-of-use, and to establish the link between perceived quality, trust, and usability.
Design/methodology/approach – An analysis of three Australian health web sites was undertaken. A usability test was conducted on those three web sites resulting in 207 completed user evaluations. The evaluations included both quantitative and qualitative data.
Findings – The three investigated health information web sites do not meet the needs of health consumers. More details such as how information is selected to engender greater trust need to be provided. The retrieval of relevant information could be improved through the implementation of functionality such as spell checking and information differentiation. Finally, ensuring web sites are easy to use contributes to the level of trust users have in a web site.
Research limitations/implications – This was a relatively small study investigating only three generic Australian health web sites; the results however suggest that a larger study looking at other health web sites is needed.
Practical implications – For government agencies developing health information web sites more attention needs to be paid to the design of these web sites if users are to be encouraged to use the web site and return. The research suggests that effective health information web sites must be perceived to be of reliable quality, be trustworthy, have some level of intelligence to assist in the retrieval of relevant information, and be easy to use.
Originality/value – Although there is much research relating to the relationship between web site design and trust for e-commerce transactional web sites, this work has not been undertaken for web sites designed for information retrieval, in particular little work has been done of health information web sites. This paper fills in some of the gaps.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Hsi-Peng Lu and Shu-ming Wang, “The Role of Internet Addiction in Online Game Loyalty: an Exploratory Study,” Internet Research, 18.5 (2008): 520-540.
Keywords: Indoor games, Internet, Addiction, Customer satisfaction, Customer loyalty
Abstract: Purpose – The paper’s aim is to explore the factors that affect the online game addiction and the role that online game addiction plays in the relationship between online satisfaction and loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach – A web survey of online game players was conducted, with 1,186 valid responses collected. Structure equation modeling – specifically partial least squares – was used to assess the relationships in the proposed research framework.
Findings – The results indicate that perceived playfulness and descriptive norms influence online game addiction. Furthermore, descriptive norms indirectly affect online game addiction through perceived playfulness. Addiction also directly contributes to loyalty and attenuates the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. This finding partially explains why people remain loyal to an online game despite being dissatisfied.
Practical implications – Online gaming vendors should strive to create amusing game content and to maintain their online game communities in order to enhance players’ perceptions of playfulness and the effects of social influences. Also, because satisfaction is the most significant indicator of loyalty, vendors can enhance loyalty by providing better services, such as fraud prevention and the detection of cheating behaviors.
Originality/value – The value of this study is that it reveals the moderating influences of addiction on the satisfaction-loyalty relationship and factors that contribute to the online game addiction. Moreover, while many past studies focused on addiction’s negative effects and on groups considered particularly vulnerable to Internet addiction, this paper extends previous work by investigating the relationship of addiction to other marketing variables and by using a more general population, mostly young adults, as research subjects.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Rudy Prabowo, Mike Thelwall, Iina Hellsten and Andrea Scharnhorst, “Evolving Debates in Online Communication: a Graph Analytical Approach,” Internet Research, 18.5 (2008): 520-540.
Keywords: Group discussion, Internet, Communication, Social dynamics
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this paper is to analyze the structure of evolving debates in online discussion forums to see how science-related debates evolve over time.
Design/methodology/approach – A graph-based approach is applied to analyze the structure of graphs of connected terms in online debates. A number of different graph properties, such as the Densification Power Law (DPL), diameter (g) and effective diameter (d), are used to observe the properties of the graphs over time.
Findings – The graphs of connected terms obey the DPL and the effective diameters (d) of the graphs tend to shrink as the debates progress. Slight fluctuations can occur, however, when new terms are integrated into the graphs. These two properties suggest that a graph of connected terms can be modeled through a number of blocks of terms, each of which becomes densely connected over time as indicated by d and DPL plots.
Originality/value – This paper proposes observing the dynamic changes of evolving debates by using graphs of connected terms. The structures and properties of these graphs may be useful for understanding the evolution of public debates about controversial science-related topics, such as embryonic stem cell research, and to track debates that can potentially explode into major issues.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study

Theory: Social Interaction

Hsiu-Chia Ko, Chun-Po Yin and Feng-Yang Kuo, “Exploring Individual Communication Power in the Blogosphere,” Internet Research, 18.5 (2008): 541-561.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Communication, Social networks 
Abstract: Purpose – Viewing the blog technology as an integral part of the current social-technical environment, this research aims to investigate whether the main influences on message diffusion within a blog community originate from external mass media channels or internal interpersonal communication channels.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed the innovation-diffusion model and the OLS estimating method to study message diffusion of two documentary films on the Wretch, the largest blog community in Taiwan.
Findings – The results indicate that the mass media are the main sources of message diffusion and that the internal communication power may increase as the opinion leader promotes these messages.
Research limitations/implications – Other factors that may influence message diffusion such as topic, design characteristics, and the existing social network have not been included. 
Practical implications – For practice, the result indicates that the mass media and the blog might complement each other. 
Originality/value – This research is one of the first that attempts to apply the innovation-diffusion model to analyze message diffusion within the blog community.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Richard Boateng, Richard Heeks, Alemayehu Molla and Robert Hinson, “E-Commerce and Socio-economic Development: Conceptualizing the Link,” Internet Research, 18.5 (2008): 562-594.
Keywords: Electronic commerce, Economic development, Developing countries
Abstract: Purpose – E-commerce is diffusing into developing countries (DCs), and is assumed to help deliver the international development agenda. But how can the connection between e-commerce and socio-economic development be conceptualised? The aim of this paper is to analyze that connection by drawing from the development studies discipline to take a broader perspective on e-commerce than that so far provided by firm-level research.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopt a literature survey approach, drawing their conceptual foundations from development studies, and supplementing this from the e-commerce literature.
Findings – The paper develops a new, integrated model that explains the way in which e-commerce can contribute to socio-economic development.
Research limitations/implications – This new model can help provide a foundation for future research on e-commerce in DCs; research on e-commerce policy as well as impact assessment research. 
Practical implications – The discussion and model provide development agencies, governments, consultants and business people working in DCs with a clearer sense of the contribution e-commerce can make; assisting them in prioritization, planning, and evaluation of e-commerce projects.
Originality/value – The paper provides the first integrated perspective on the broader contribution of e-commerce to the growth and development of DCs.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Social Interaction

Juran Kim and Sally J. McMillan, “Evaluation of Internet Advertising: A Bibliometric Analysis of Citations from Key Sources,” Journal of Advertising, 37. 1 (Spring 2008): 99–112.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: How has scholarly research shaped the Internet advertising field since the mid 1990s? This study addresses that broad question with a bibliometric analysis of academic literature on Internet advertising. By examining most-cited authors and papers, as well as co-citation patterns, a general picture of the field can be drawn. This analysis sets a baseline that will enable future scholars to see where the field of Internet advertising research began and trace its shift over time.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Idil Yaveroglu and Naveen Donthu, “Advertising Repetition and Placement in On-Line Environments,” Journal of Advertising, 37.2 (Summer 2008): 31-43. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study investigates the ways of improving banner advertising effectiveness by suggesting alternative advertising repetition strategies in varying on-line environments. Specifically, we investigate the effectiveness of repeating varied executions versus repeating single executions of a banner ad on brand recall and intention to click in different competitive and content-relevant on-line environments. The results of our experiment show that (1) banner advertising repetition leads to greater brand name memory and intention to click in on-line environments; (2) in a noncompetitive Internet environment, an ad variation strategy leads to higher brand name recall and intention to click than an ad repetition strategy; (3) in a competitive Internet environment, a single ad repetition strategy leads to higher brand name recall than a varied ad repetition strategy; (4) brand name recall is higher when the ad is presented in a content-relevant Web site; (5) a single ad repetition strategy generates marginally greater recall in a content-relevant Web site; and (6) a varied ad repetition strategy generates marginally greater recall in a content nonrelevant Web site. The effects of repeating varied versus same executions of an ad on intention to click in content-relevant Web sites did not generate any significant findings.
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Nitish Singh, Daniel W. Baack, Arun Pereira and Donald Baack, “Culturally Customizing Websites for U.S. Hispanic Online Consumers,” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.2 (June 2008): 224-235.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The U.S. Hispanic online market consists of the most affluent and educated members of the U.S. Hispanic population. The segment is large, increasing in size, and its members prefer culturally-adapted marketing messages. Currently, no frameworks are available to help marketers culturally customize websites for U.S. Hispanics. The objective of this study is to address this gap. The goals are to identify the ways in which Hispanic preferences for web design elements differ, and to explore how these preferences vary based on acculturation. The results indicate that Hispanics have culturally-rooted preferences for web content and that acculturation levels are important segmentation variables.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Felicitas Morhart, Sven Henkel and Walter Herzog, “Collecting Hidden Consumer Data Online: Research on Homosexuals,” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.2 (June 2008): 249-256.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Collecting highly private data from consumers with nonapparent or even hidden characteristics, such as homosexuals, is difficult for two reasons: First, the resulting data sets are rather small and nonrepresentative due to reachability and nonresponse problems. Second, data quality is often unsatisfying, for example, due to social desirability problems. To handle these problems, the author recommend an online research strategy. The author makes the case by reporting on a Germany-wide online study on homosexuals by using a three-step procedure for recruiting participants. We were successful in generating a sample of considerable size (n = 6,274) and heterogeneity, and in obtaining high-quality responses. Implications for marketing researchers and advertising professionals are provided.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Scott McDonald, “The Long Tail and Its Implications for Media Audience Measurement,” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.3 (September 2008): 313-320.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Chris Anderson caused something of a sensation with the 2006 publication of his book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More. An expansion of his influential October 2004 article in Wired, the Anderson book provoked controversy throughout the media business. After all, media companies have always worshipped hits. Media executives and researchers bend every effort to find the next breakout television series, the next platinum album, the next blockbuster movie. What sense could one possibly make of Anderson’s claim that the future of the media business was likely to be dominated, not by blockbuster hits, but by increasingly microscopic niches? This article considers the questions raised by Anderson in relation to media and its increasingly complicated measurement.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Mark Loughney, Martin Eichholtz and Michelle Hagger, “Exploring the Effectiveness of Advertising in the ABC.com Full Episode Player,” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.3 (September 2008): 320-329.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The ABC Television Network has undertaken a series of research projects to understand the effectiveness of advertising in online streaming of TV episodes on ABC.com. The results of the current study suggested that the single sponsorship model of the ABC Full Episode Player yielded a level of advertising effectiveness that exceeded historical benchmarks for TV. Average unaided sponsorship recall was nearly two and a half times that of typical advertising recall on TV. In addition, pretest and posttest comparisons showed substantial increases in top of mind brand awareness and positive effects on brand attributes. The results of the study will be discussed with regard to implications for online video advertising generally, with suggestions for future research to clarify issues not specifically addressed in this study.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Verolien Cauberghe and Patrick De Pelsmacker, “The Advertising Impact of an Interactive TV Program on the Recall of an Embedded Commercial,” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.3 (September 2008): 352-363.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The impact of two dimensions of television program induced interactivity on advertisement and brand recall of an embedded commercial was examined with 246 respondents. Program-induced two-way communication (playing along with a quiz) had a strong negative impact on advertisement and brand recall. The negative effect of user control (amount of available clicks in the program) was also noticeable, but less prominent. There also appeared to be an interaction effect of two-way communication and user control on advertisement and brand recall. A moderate level of user control results in better recall when the respondent had no play along possibilities, but leads to less recall when he/she could play along with the quiz. Managerial implications and future research options are suggested.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification
 
Robert Davis and Laszlo Sajtos, “Measuring Consumer Interactivity in Response to Campaigns Coupling Mobile and Television Media,” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.3 (September 2008): 375-392. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Consumers are increasingly using the mobile channel to be interactive with television programming and advertisements. To understand this emerging phenomena, we develop a model (the LOOP), conceptualizing the consumers interactivity when using their mobile phone to interact with television content. This model proposes new thinking regarding the role of the mobile channel in the consumer’s experience of the interactive television content. We define the consumer’s interactivity in terms of four characteristics: synchronicity, two-way dialogue, contingency and user control. Based upon these characteristics, we use New Zealand and U.S. interactive television content related campaign data to develop five measures of campaign response effectiveness—Potential Audience Dialogue {PAD), Active Audience Dialogue (AAD), Interactive Audience Dialogue (IAD), Contingent Audience Loyalty (CAL) and Contingent Audience Wearout (CAW) We found similar response patterns across the tested New Zealand and U.S, campaigns, with more significant relationships emerging from interactive consumers who are loyal across campaigns.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Brigitte Muller, Laurent Flores, Meriem Agrebi and Jean Louis Chandon, “The Branding Impact of Brand Websites: Do Newsletters and Consumer Magazines Have a Moderating Role?” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.3 (September 2008): 465-473.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The internet offers both growth and loyalty opportunities for brands. To this end, in recent years, companies have accelerated the development of their websites, including richer and more interactive content as we;; as relationship tools such as email newsletter and consumer magazines. Using the example of a leading French manufacturer’s website, the present research demonstrates that visitors satisfied with their overall website experience are more inclined to revisit and recommend the site and in turn develop more positive attitudes toward the brand as well as higher purchase intent. These relations are stronger for consumers that are members of the website email newsletter program and those that receive the brand consumer magazine.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Other (Branding)

Cate Riegner, “Wired China: The Power of the World’s Largest Internet Population” Journal of Advertising Research, 48.4 (December 2008): 496-506.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: China has the largest internet population in the world—76 percent with high-speed broadband connection. Based on online research of more than 8,000 U.S. and Chinese broadband users age 13 and older, this report summarizes key features for global marketers to consider by comparing the similarities and differences between the Chinese and American online populations. The impact of user generated content among those under 35 in both countries is a major focus.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jacob Groshek, “Homogenous Agendas, Disparate Frames: CNN and CNN International Coverage Online,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52.1 (March 2008): 52-68.
Keywords: Content analysis, agenda setting theory, information resources, broadcast journalism, audiences, Internet users, news audiences, press, Cable News Network, news syndicates
Abstract: Although CNN and CNN International represent just a fraction of global news coverage, the networks are widely viewed, crucial agenda-setting agents the world over. This study found that the online versions of these 2 networks were remarkably consistent in telling audiences in America and abroad what to think about. However, American and non-American online audiences received disparate amounts of coverage and were cued how to think about issues in unique ways. These findings and the high level of news homogenization in this content analysis are evidence of the influence that American news values have in global media culture.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Kevin Wise, Paul D. Bolls and Samantha R. Schaefer, “Choosing and Reading Online News: How Available Choice Affects Cognitive Processing,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52.1 (March 2008): 69-85.
Keywords: News Web sites, electronic newspapers hypertext systems, web sites, information processing, web site development, Internet publishing and broadcasting and web search portals, online information service, hyperlinks, heart beat
Abstract: Giving people the ability to choose from a wide variety of content when they want to see it is a hallmark of today’s interactive media landscape. News/information portals, blogs, video-on-demand, and file-sharing galleries all give computer users the freedom to choose content from vast arrays of options, then acquire and view that content with the click of a mouse. To date, researchers have not thoroughly examined the mental processes that occur when people choose and receive information from Web sites that offer varying amounts of options. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Joseph Graf and Sean Aday, “Selective Attention to Online Political Information,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52.1 (March 2008): 86-100.
Keywords: Communication, content analysis, discourse analysis, selective exposure
Abstract: Selective attention is a key concept in communication research despite equivocal supporting evidence. This study focuses on methodological concerns in the study of selective attention. Using unobtrusive measures of selective attention to online political content this study found consistent support for the selective attention hypothesis. Three within-subjects quasi experiments were conducted (n = 29, n = 36, and n = 75) that measured subjects’ attention to information consistent with and counter to their beliefs. Two other measures of selective attention were also used: (1) whether subjects turned first to consistent or counter information, and (2) how deeply into the material they read.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shaojing Sun, Alan M. Rubin and Paul M. Haridakis, “The Role of Motivation and Media Involvement in Explaining Internet Dependency,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52.3 (September 2008): 408-431.
Keywords: Internet users, psychology, computer users. dependency, motivation, demographic research
Abstract: Links among demographics, motivation for using the Internet, cognitive and affective involvement, and Internet dependency were investigated. By integrating uses and gratifications theory and media dependency research, motivation was found to play a more important antecedent role in explaining Internet dependency than demographics, and cognitive and affective involvement mediated the relationship between motivation and Internet dependency. This finding supported the uses and gratifications argument that certain factors intervene in the media uses and effects process between motivation to communicate and outcomes of communication behavior such as media use.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sonia Livingston and Ellen Helsper, “Parental Mediation of Children’s Internet Use,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 52.4 (December 2008): 581-599.
Keywords: Internet and children, Internet law and legislation, online chat groups, virtual communities. Security measures, filtering software, Internet censorship
Abstract: This article examines parental regulation of children and teenagers’ online activities. A national survey of 1511 children and 906 parents found that 12-17-year-olds encounter a range of online risks. Parents implement a range of strategies, favoring active co-use and interaction rules over technical restrictions using filters or monitoring software, but these were not necessarily effective in reducing risk. Parental restriction of online peer-to-peer interactions was associated with reduced risk but other mediation strategies, including the widely practiced active co-use, were not. These findings challenge researchers to identify effective strategies without impeding teenagers’ freedom to interact with their peers online.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Artemio Ramirez, Jr., and Zuoming Wang, “When Online Meets Offline: An Expectancy Violations Theory Perspective on Modality Switching,” Journal of Communication, 58.1 (2008): 20–39. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The present study examines the occurrence and timing of modality switching (MS) from the perspective of expectancy violations theory. The results indicate that, relative to continuing to interact through computer-mediated communication, participants rated the social information (partner behavior and physical appearance/attractiveness) acquired by MS as an expectancy violation, although their evaluations varied as a function of the timing of the switch. Participants evaluated the social information more positively and uncertainty-reducing following short-term online associations but more negatively and uncertainty-provoking following long-term ones compared to remaining online. Moreover, social information acquired through MS, irrespective of the timing, was rated as more relationally important. Implications and limitations of the results as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

David H. Gustafson, Robert Hawkins, Fiona McTavish, Suzanne Pingree, Wei Chih Chen, Kanittha Volrathongchai, William Stengle, James A. Stewart and Ronald C. Serlin, “Internet-Based Interactive Support for Cancer Patients: Are Integrated Systems Better?” Journal of Communication, 58.2 (2008): 238-257.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To compare the benefits of the Internet generally versus a focused system of services, 257 breast cancer patients were randomly assigned to a control group, access to the Internet with links to high-quality breast cancer sites, or access to an eHealth system (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System, CHESS) that integrated information, support, and decision and analysis tools. The intervention lasted five months, and self-report data on quality of life, health-care competence, and social support were collected at pretest and at two-, four-, and nine-month posttests. CHESS subjects logged on more overall than Internet subjects and accessed more health resources, but the latter used non health-related sites more. Subjects with access to the Internet alone experienced no better outcomes than controls at any of the three time points, compared to pretest levels. Subjects with CHESS experienced greater social support during the intervention period and had higher scores on all 3 outcomes at 9 months, 4 months after the intervention ended. CHESS subjects also scored higher than those with Internet access during the intervention period but not significantly after the intervention ended. Thus, CHESS (with one simple interface and integrated information, communication, and skills services) helped newly diagnosed breast cancer patients even after computers were removed. In contrast, patients received little benefit from Internet access, despite having links to a variety of high-quality sites.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Xigen Li, “Third-Person Effect, Optimistic Bias, and Sufficiency Resource in Internet Use,” Journal of Communication, 58.3 (2008): 268-287.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the third-person effect and the optimistic bias in Internet communication and to what degree sufficiency resource affected the third-person effect and the optimistic bias. Findings demonstrated the third-person effect and the optimistic bias prevalent in traditional media use were also apparent in Internet communication, but vary in their relationships with sufficiency resources and other predicting factors. There was a positive relationship between the third-person effect and the optimistic bias involving others. Two indicators of sufficiency resource, computer skill and computer knowledge, and perceived protection ability were significant predictors of the optimistic bias but not that of the third-person effect. Activeness in Internet use was positively predicted by computer knowledge and perceived benefit.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Rahul Mitra and Radhika Gajjala, “Queer Blogging in Indian Digital Diasporas: A Dialogic Encounter,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 32.4 (2008): 400-424.
Keywords: queer blogs; GLBT; gay Indian movement; queer new media 
Abstract: Queering and transgendering practices have been visible across the Internet since the time of multi-user domains (MUDs), MUD object oriented domains (MOOs), e-mail lists, and Web bulletins. This article maps some themes of queering in the Indian digital diaspora through an intergenerational lens, produced in the acts of online and offline coauthoring, weblogging, and reading of instances of such online queering relationally. By way of a dialogic encounter on their own blogs and employing performative writing that simulates the blogsphere, the authors look at the interplay of codes of identity through the employment of themes, language, symbols and cultural influences in their writing. Examining the themes emerging from the specific blogs they study, the authors ask how power is shifted and re-layered in these articulations and what the inviting interactional features of their writer-audience communities are that allow for certain kinds of self-expression while also shaping their performance of sexuality in these spaces.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Lisa J. Servon and Robert Kaestner, “Consumer financial literacy and the impact of online banking on the financial behavior of lower-income bank customers,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 42.2 (Summer 2008): 271- 305.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article analyzes a demonstration program mounted by a major bank to understand whether access to information and communications technologies, combined with financial literacy training and training on how to use the Internet, can help low- and moderate-income individuals in inner-city neighborhoods be more effective financial actors. While quantitative analysis turns up few significant program effects, qualitative work implies that implementation issues likely compromised the effectiveness of the program. There was evidence of a potential link between information and communications technologies and financial literacy. Overall, urban low- and moderate-income individuals are interested in becoming technologically and financially literate and an intensive intervention may enable these goals.
Method: Survey – Interviews/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Seounmi Youn, “Parental Influence and Teens’ Attitude Toward Online Privacy Protection,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 42.3 (Fall 2008): 362- 88.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the impact of parental influence on teens’ attitude toward privacy protection. Survey data show that teens high in concept-oriented family communication tend to engage in discussion mediation, which, in turn, affects their level of privacy concern. In contrast, teens high in socio-oriented communication tend to have more family rules and surf the Internet with parents. Rulemaking mediation is not directly related to teens’ level of privacy concern, while co-surfing mediation is related to their level of concern. This study also finds that parental mediation and teens’ concern level explain their attitude toward privacy protection measures. Implications for policymakers and educators are discussed. With teens increasingly becoming an influential online retail demographic (Business Wire 2006; Greenspan 2004), e-marketers are targeting them through new interactive marketing platforms such as gamevertising, viral video and social networking site (Chester and Montgomery 2007; Howard 2006). These marketing practices may open opportunities for communication, product learning, and e-commerce to teens; however, they also raise public concerns about online risks resulting from teen privacy loss (Donnerstein 2002; Lenhart 2005; Willard 2006).
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Kiseol Yang and Laura D. Jolly, “Age Cohort Analysis in Adoption of Mobile Data Services: Gen Xers Versus Baby Boomers,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 25.5 (2008): 272–280.
Keywords: Mobile communication systems, Data communication systems, Consumer behaviour, Age groups
Abstract: Purpose – This study aims to examine the differences in adoption of mobile data services between two age cohorts (gen Xers and baby boomers). Three elements in the extended Technology Acceptance Model – perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived fun – were used to identify the differences in adoption of mobile data services for the two age cohorts. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 200 mobile services users drawn from a purchased consumer panel participated in an online survey. Of this sample, 67 gen Xers and 86 baby boomers were used for the analysis (n 1/4 153). Multigroup structural equation modeling analysis was used to examine the differences in adoption of mobile data services between the two age cohorts. 
Findings – This study found that baby boomers perceived mobile data services as more difficult to use than gen Xers. However, the perception of usefulness of mobile data services was stronger for the baby boomers than gen Xers. Usefulness of mobile data services may be a critical motivator for baby boomers to adopt mobile data services. Mobile data service marketers should focus on mobile data service usefulness when they are targeting the baby boomer cohort. 
Originality/value – The results of this study provide insights to assist marketers in developing and positioning appropriate mobile data services to targeted age cohorts during the adoption stage.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Robert V. Kozinets, “Technology/Ideology: How Ideological Fields Influence Consumers’ Technology Narratives,” Journal of Communication Research, 34.6 (2008): 865-881.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Through a systematic study of consumer narratives, this article models how technology ideologies influence consumer-level thought, speech and action. Applying critical discourse analysis and articulation theory approaches, a semiotic square model represents the relations between Techtopian, Green Luddite, Work Machine and Techspressive ideological elements in an ideological field. The narratives of individual consumers move between ideological elements in ways suggested by the model’s semantic relations. The results reveal novel aspects of consumers’ dynamic relations to technology ideology and invite further investigations of technology and consumption ideology.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Louisa Ha, “Online Advertising Research in Advertising Journals: A Review,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 30.1 (Spring 2008): 31-49.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Along with the rapid increase in the number of Internet users around the world, the World Wide Web has become the fastest growing advertising medium in this decade. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (2007) reported US online advertising revenue’s growth from 1998’s US $l .8 billion to $20 billion in 2007. The 10-fold increase not only signifies the importance of online advertising to the advertising and media industry, but also the rapid advancement of technology in online advertising delivery and display formats that requires researchers to help the media and advertisers to capitalize on the new medium and the society in understanding the increasing impact of the medium. Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Harsha Gangadharbatla, “Facebook Me: Collective Self-Esteem, Need to Belong, and Internet Self-Efficacy as Predictors of the iGeneration’s Attitudes toward Social Networking Sites,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 8.2 (2008).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Within the user-generated content sites, the role and growth of social networking sites has been undeniably overwhelming. Social networking sites (SNS) generate millions of dollars in revenue and advertising, yet little is known about why college students join and participate in these sites, which allow users to create their own content or space. This study adopts survey methodology to investigate the influence of college students’ level of Internet self-efficacy, need to belong, need for cognition, and collective self-esteem on their attitude toward SNS. Internet self-efficacy, need to belong, and collective self-esteem all have positive effects on attitudes toward SNS. Furthermore, attitude toward SNS mediates the relationship between willingness to join SNS and (1) Internet self-efficacy and (2) need to belong, and the mediation is only partial between willingness to join and collective self-esteem. The author also draws managerial implications.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Terry Daugherty, Matthew S. Eastin and Laura Bright, “Exploring Consumer Motivations for Creating User-Generated Content,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 8.2 (2008). 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The advent of Web 2.0 technologies has enabled the efficient creation and distribution of user-generated content (UGC), resulting in vast changes in the online media landscape. For instance, the proliferation of UGC has made a strong impact on consumers, media suppliers, and marketing professionals while necessitating research in order to understand both the short and long-term implications of this media content. This exploratory study (n = 325) seeks to investigate consumer consumption and creation of UGC and the attitudinal factors that contribute to these actions. The data confirm the established relationship between attitude and behavior and indicate attitude serves as a mediating factor between the use and creation of UGC. With regard to the creation of UGC, the ego-defensive and social functions of attitude were found to have the most explanatory power.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shu-Chuan Chu and Sara Kamal, “The Effect of Perceived Blogger Credibility and Argument Quality on Message Elaboration and Brand Attitudes: An Exploratory Study,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 8.2 (2008). 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To understand information processing on blogs, this study investigates how perceived blogger trustworthiness affects blog readers’ elaboration of brand-related messages and its interaction effects with argument quality. The results reveal that the degree of perceived blogger trustworthiness affects the extent of message elaboration, and findings from a 2 X 2 (perceived blogger trustworthiness X argument quality) factorial experiment suggest a significant interaction effect on brand attitudes. This interaction reveals that when perceived blogger trustworthiness is high, argument quality has a greater impact on brand attitudes than when perceived blogger trustworthiness is low. The authors discuss some implications and suggestions for further research.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Hyuk Jun Cheong and Margaret A. Morrison, “Consumers’ Reliance on Product Information and Recommendations Found in UGC,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 8.2 (2008). 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In the time since the advent of the Internet, the influence of online recommendations on consumer decision making has attracted great attention. YouTube and sites with blogging capabilities, such as MySpace and Facebook, are growing rapidly and frequently feature comments about brands and products. These comments, whether positive or negative, represent a form of user-generated content (UGC). Although recent research on peer recommendations considers electronic word of mouth, few studies focus on UGC. Using interviews with 17 participants, this study examines consumers’ opinions of online recommendations embedded in UGC compared with those of producer-generated content.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Lan Xia and Nada Nasr Bechwati, “Word of Mouse: The Role of Cognitive Personalization in Online Consumer Reviews,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.1 (2008).
Keywords: Word of mouse, online reviews, personalization.
Abstract: This research attempts to understand the mechanisms underlying the differential impacts of online consumer reviews, using the concept of cognitive personalization. In two experiments, the authors show that the level of cognitive personalization developed while reading an online review influences consumers’ purchase intentions. The level of cognitive personalization is a function of the reader’s affect intensity, the nature of the product reviewed (experience vs. search), and the content of the review (experiential vs. factual); in addition, the effect of cognitive personalization on purchase intention is moderated by valence (positive vs. negative).
Method: Experiment   
Theory: Social Interaction

Anca Cristina Micu and Esther Thorson, “Leveraging News and Advertising to Introduce New Brands on the Web,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.1 (2008).
Keywords: Integrated marketing communications, Internet advertising, news.
Abstract: Previous studies using the integrated marketing communications framework have examined the increased effectiveness of combining either multiple media or different tactics when promoting a brand. This study considers integrating advertising and publicity to promote an unknown brand on the Internet. Experiment results indicate that when exposure to advertising combines with exposure to objective news about a new brand, effectiveness increases in terms of both brand attitudes and behavioral intentions. For sequencing exposures for technical brands, the news-then-advertising condition offers more effectiveness than the reverse sequence. When introducing non-technical brands on the Web though, using advertising first is more effective in terms of brand attitudes. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Branding)

Kevin Wise, Paul D. Bolls, Hyo Kim, Arun Venkataraman and Ryan Meyer, “Enjoyment of Advergames and Brand Attitudes: The Impact of Thematic Relevance,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.1 (2008).
Keywords: Advergames, Brand Attitude, and Relevance.
Abstract: Campaigns increasingly implement advergames to engage consumers with a brand through interactive, entertaining media content. However, little research tests the effects of specific features of advergames on desired advertising outcomes. This article reports the results of an experiment designed to examine how variation in the thematic connection between the game associated with an advergame and the brand affects the relationship between attitude toward the game (equated with attitude toward the ad) and attitude toward the brand. The analysis reveals a stronger positive relationship between attitude toward the advergame and attitude toward the brand when participants play games with a high thematic connection to the brand’s product. Therefore, designing advergames that relate thematically to the product of the sponsoring brand should increase the likelihood of positive conditioning of brand attitudes evoked by playing an advergame.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Branding)

Seunghee Im, Doo-Hee Lee, Charles R. Taylor and Catherine D’Orazio, “The
Influence of Consumer Self-Disclosure on Web Sites on Advertising Response,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9:1 (2008). 
Key Words: Transference effect, online self-disclosure, Internet advertising
Abstract: This article assesses the consequences of consumer self-disclosure by examining the disclosure-liking effect in the context of advertising. Of particular interest is whether self-disclosure by visitors to a Web site leads to more positive reactions to subsequent advertising for the products/services offered on that site. Brand relationship theory and social response theory provide the theoretical basis for predictions about the potential influence of the disclosure-liking effect in the non-interpersonal context of the World Wide Web. Specifically, this research posits a transference effect of self-disclosure in three hypotheses, tested with two experiments that identify some moderating and mediating variables. The results demonstrate that the positive attitude that self-disclosure can elicit favorably influences subsequent attitudes toward ads and behavior toward the target of the disclosure.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Bernard J. Jansen, Karen Hudson, Lee Hunter, Fang Liu and Jamie Murphy, “The Google Online Marketing Challenge: Classroom Learning with Real Clients, Real Money, and Real Advertising Campaigns,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.1 (2008).
Keywords: Sponsored search, online marketing, online advertising
Abstract: The advent of keyword advertising has had a tremendous effect on online advertising, Internet marketing, search engines, and Web sites that earn advertising revenue. Pay-per-click advertising therefore provides a critical topic for educators who hope to prepare students for professional careers in advertising and related areas. The Google Online Marketing Challenge offers an innovative way to achieve this goal in a unique hands-on context. With more than 8,000 participating students from 47 countries, the 2008 Challenge is, as far as the authors know, the largest in-class academic competition ever undertaken. The Challenge is also unique in its linkages among students, businesses, and the classroom. This article briefly reviews online marketing and Google’s advertising platform.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Michael Hanley, Jennifer George-Palilonis and Vinayak Tanksale, “Research-Informed Development for Interactive Media: Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students with Users,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.1 (2008).
Keywords: Interactive, media, pedagogy
Abstract: This case study investigates how the research-informed development model affects the pedagogical learning outcomes and design solutions of university students responsible for creating interactive advertising and news content for television and the iPhone mobile device. An interdisciplinary group of three professors and 31 undergraduates from advertising, computer science, journalism graphics and telecommunications employed a research-informed development process to create interactive design products and collect feedback from target users about the interactive advertising, news content, and interface designs and functionality. Students used the feedback from user focus groups to revise and improve the design work before each of three rounds of usability tests. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Marci Troutman and Steve Timpson, “Effective Optimization of Web Sites for Mobile Access: The Transition from eCommerce to mCommerce,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.1 (2008).
Keywords: Mobile site optimization, WAP, e-commerce
Abstract: As the number of mobile phone users exceeds that of PC users in many countries, how to optimize PC-based web sites for mobile phone users becomes an important issue. This article reviews several popular approaches and introduces a method that the authors’ firm has developed. Major advantages of this method are that firms can use the same URL for both PC-based and mobile phone-based Web sites and both groups of users can get the layout and content that best fit their devices. The article presents examples to illustrate the features of the optimization process.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kaye D. Sweetser, Lance V. Porter, Deborah Soun Chung and Eunseong Kim, “Credibility and the Use of Blogs Among Professionals in the Communication Industry,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85.1 (Spring 2008): 169-185.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examines use, credibility, and impact on the communication industry of blogs as seen by professional journalists and public relations practitioners. Informed by the uses and gratifications perspective and using an online survey, the study used factor analysis to reveal simplistic blog use categorizations as being either interactive or non-interactive. Results also indicate that those who are labeled “high users” in both factors assign more credibility to the medium. Differences between journalism and public relations professionals were examined.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Sriram Kalyanaraman and S. Shyam Sundar, “Portrait of the Portal as a Metaphor: Explicating Web Portals for Communication Research,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85.2 (Summer 2008): 239-256.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Web portals are increasing in their presence as well as importance, yet suffer from lack of conceptual clarity. In explicating the concept of “portal” from a number of disciplinary frameworks, this article uncovers five different but inter-related metaphorical conceptions—gateways, billboards, networks, niches and brands—which, in turn, suggest five dominant features of portal sites—customization, content, control, community and commerce—for empirical examination as variables in future research on uses and effects of portals.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Zvi Reich, “The Roles of Communication Technology in Obtaining News: Staying Close to Distant Sources,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85.3 (Autumn 2008): 625-646.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study proposes a framework for a theory of epistemological technologies in news sourcing, based on research on communication channels (technology-mediated and non-mediated) used to acquire information for stories published or aired by nine Israeli news organizations, employing face-to-face reconstruction interviews with reporters. Findings reveal only marginal differences among media in use of various channels. Technology enables distant coverage while keeping close contact with human sources. Nearly all news information is technology-mediated, transmitted primarily via oral channels. Although reporters use the Internet extensively, their reliance on the World Wide Web as a news source is negligible, even among online reporters.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Ester de Waal and Klaus Schoenbach, “Presentation Style and Beyond: How Print Newspapers and Online News Expand Awareness of Public Affairs Issues,” Mass Communication and Society, 11:2 (2008): 161-176.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Traditional newspapers have been shown to improve knowledge about politics and other societal issues and to widen the perceived public agenda, but what of their online counterparts and other news sites on the Internet? The consequences of differences in presentation style are addressed. A large survey representative of the Dutch adult population is used to examine how much print newspapers and online news expand the perceived public agenda, both in terms of its extent in general and within politics in particular. Our results show that printed newspapers are more effective than online newspapers in increasing the overall number of perceived topics and the number of political topics, but only if readers are interested and rely on newspapers. Non-paper news sites, however, seem to widen the overall and the political public agenda even without specific interest and reliance of their users.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kaye D. Sweetser, Guy J. Golan and Wayne Wanta, “Intermedia Agenda Setting in Television, Advertising, and Blogs During the 2004 Election,” Mass Communication and Society, 11.2 (2008): 197-216.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined whether the candidate-controlled public relations tools of political ads and candidate blogs were successful in influencing the issue and news agenda of the major television news networks during the 2004 presidential election. Data showed strong correlations between blogs and the media agenda. Advertisements did not correlate with the media agenda. Cross-lag analyses showed that the media set the candidates’ agenda. The authors suggest intermedia agenda setting occurred as the media transferred their agenda to campaign blogs.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Joshua D. Atkinson, “Towards a Model of Interactivity in Alternative Media: A Multilevel Analysis of Audiences and Producers in a New Social Movement Network,” Mass Communication and Society, 11.2 (2008): 227-247.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This research utilized multilevel analysis to explore interactive alternative media production in a new social movement network. Interviews with audiences, local producers, and global producers provide evidence of interactivity between local audiences and local producers and between local producers and global producers. The local audiences provided encouragement to local producers through face-to-face interactions that aided in the establishment of organizational support for the local producers but acted as a discursive closure that blinded local producers to potential problems with their alternative media. The global producers revealed that they received content-oriented interactions from audiences via e-mail, which corresponded with data collected from the local producers who claimed to interact with global producers via e-mail. The findings establish a preliminary model of interactivity in alternative media production that links research concerning new social movement networks and alternative media and builds on research concerning the decentralized structure of new social movement networks.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Deborah S. Chung and Chan Yun Yoo, “Audience Motivations for Using Interactive Features: Distinguishing Use of Different Types of Interactivity on an Online Newspaper,” Mass Communication and Society, 11.4 (2008): 375-397.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examines audience uses of three types of interactivity, user motivations for visiting an online newspaper, and the relationship between user motivations and use of the different types of interactive features. There are three types of interactivity on a continuum: medium, human=medium, and human interactivity. In an online survey of 542 respondents, results indicate that medium interactive features were used most frequently and human interactive features used the least. Three motivations for using online newspapers emerged—information seeking=surveillance, socialization, and entertainment. In addition, further analysis found that although all three motivations were predictors of use of medium interactive features, the information seeking= surveillance motivation was not a significant predictor of use of human= medium and human interactive features.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Xiaoquan Zhao and Xiaomei Cai, “From Self-Enhancement to Supporting Censorship: The Third-Person Effect Process in the Case of Internet Pornography,” Mass Communication and Society, 11:4 (2008): 437-462.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the relationship between self-enhancement and third-person perception. It also investigated the behavioral consequences of third-person perception within a theory of reasoned action framework. A survey on the issue of Internet pornography was administered to 462 undergraduate students. A positive relationship was found between self-enhancement and third-person perception. Behavioral attitude emerged as a key mediator in the relationship between third-person perception and intention to support Internet censorship. Subjective norm overall was not an important factor in the perception–intention relationship. The lack of impact for subjective norm, however, had causes that varied across gender.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Amy L. Gonzales and Jeffrey T. Hancock, “Identity Shift in Computer-Mediated Environments,” Media Psychology, 11.2 (2008): 167-185.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The present study uses a public commitment framework to examine how computer-mediated self-presentations can alter identities. Participants were asked to present with one of two traits, extroversion or introversion, in public or private computer-mediated communication. Public presentations were online, whereas private presentations took place in a text document. Only participants that presented themselves publicly internalized the trait presentation, suggesting that identity shift took place. Public self-presentations also contained more certain and definite forms of language than private self-presentations, suggesting that audiences evoke a more committed form of self-presentation. The findings in this research have important implications for the self-construction of identity online, particularly for individuals that use the Internet as a tool for public self-presentation, such as dating sites, social network sites, or blogs. Also, the findings highlight opportunities for theoretical development on identity construction as a function of computer-mediated communication. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Jochen Peter and Patti M. Valkenburg, “Adolescents’ Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material and Sexual Preoccupancy: A Three-Wave Panel Study,” Media Psychology, 11.2 (2008): 207-234.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The main aim of this study was to investigate whether adolescents’ use of sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) increased their sexual preoccupancy (i.e., a strong cognitive engagement in sexual issues). Further, authors wanted to know (a) whether subjective sexual arousal mediated a potential influence of exposure to SEIM on sexual preoccupancy and (b) whether this process differed between male and female adolescents. Over the course of one year, authors surveyed 962 Dutch adolescents aged 13–20 years three times. Structural equation modeling showed that exposure to SEIM stimulated sexual preoccupancy. This influence was fully mediated by subjective sexual arousal from SEIM. The effect of exposure to SEIM on subjective sexual arousal did not differ between male and female adolescents. The findings suggest that a sexualized media environment may affect adolescents’ sexual development beyond traditionally studied variables, such as sexual attitudes and sexual behavior.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Social Interaction

Eliane M. Boucher, Jeffrey T. Hancock and Philip J. Dunham, “Interpersonal Sensitivity in Computer-Mediated and Face-to-Face Conversations,” Media Psychology, 11.2 (2008): 235-258.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: Two studies were designed to assess the impact of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on the development of dominant/subordinate status roles and on the accuracy of interpersonal perceptions during dyadic, text-based conversations. Results comparing face-to-face (FtF) and synchronous CMC interactions indicated: (a) that dyads established dominant/subordinate roles in both communicative environments, although these roles were more clearly differentiated in the CMC interactions; and (b) that the accuracy of interpersonal perceptions did not differ substantially during CMC and FtF interactions. Considered together, these data pose problems for theoretical accounts of CMC suggesting that the impoverished social cues in this form of text-based communication tend to equalize hierarchical differences in the status of participants and undermine the accuracy of interpersonal perceptions.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Yong Cao and John D.H. Downing, “The Realities of Virtual Play: Video Games and Their Industry in China,” Media ,Culture and Society, 30.4 (2008): 515-529.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In this study, ‘video game’ is an umbrella term for arcade games, console games, single PC games and online games. Video games have a 20-year history in China and continually impress us with their impressive statistics. With over 20 million online gamers and the largest game population in the world, China was predicted to be the largest online game market in 2007 (Game Trust and Diffusion Group, 2004). In 2005 alone, video games generated 6.7 billion RMB (US $0.8 billion) of revenue in China (Popsoft, 2006).
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

François Bar and Christian Sandvig, “US Communication Policy After Convergence,” Media, Culture and Society, 30.4 (2008): 531-550.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The laws and policies that govern communication in the US have evolved over time to treat different media with distinct doctrines. The press, the post, broadcasting and the telephone each abide by different rules, defining who can build and operate the underlying communication systems, who can use them, along what patterns, to convey what information. As these regimes evolved, they adjusted to reflect social, political, economic and technological change. Occasionally over the past century, the advent of a major new communication technology – radio, television, cable, microwave – changed the system of incentives and thus the equilibrium of the policy environment. This prompted more than a marginal adjustment to the rules, resulting in new rules within existing categories, or the creation of new categories to encompass the new technology.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Marcel Machill, Markus Beiler and Martin Zenker, “Search-engine Research: a European-American Overview and Systematization of an Interdisciplinary and International Research Field,” Media, Culture and Society, 30.4 (2008): 591-608. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: It is no longer possible to imagine the internet without search engines. The growth of net contents, helped by the low communicative access barriers, makes the selection of relevant contents necessary. Search engines assume this selection and mediation function at the interface between public and individual communication. Their ability to reduce the complexity of the web and extend the horizon of the purely human search in many cases enables certain information to be accessed at all (Rieder, 2005: 29f.). They therefore perform a function similar to that of the classical gatekeepers (Machill et al., 2004: 322). In line with the key role that they play, search engines are regularly called upon, in the US for example by 84 percent of internet users; 56 percent of internet users even access them on a daily basis (Fallows, 2005). In contrast to the considerable social importance of search engines and the power that they wield, large gaps in research are evident. These gaps must be closed. This contribution aims to elaborate the central dimensions of search-engine research, gather together existing insights and make suggestions for future research.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Shahira Fahmy, “How Online Journalists Rank Importance of News Skills,” Newspaper Research Journal, 29.2 (Spring 2008): 23-42.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: While students should focus on traditional journalism skills, a new survey of online editors shows digital skills rise in importance when these editors are asked what kind of training they want new employees to have five years from now. The technology of the news industry has dramatically changed in the last decade, and the question of whether there are implications for journalism skills required to face these new challenges has developed in a number of empirical studies. With the expansion of the Web, traditional mass media encountered a new mediated world with specific features, different contents and diverse audiences. As a consequence of this emerging technology, and with the news industry looking at cross-platform newsrooms as the future, this study focuses on current trends in online news operations and projects into the future by specifically assessing the importance of traditional journalism skills, digital journalism skills and Web-coding skills as perceived by online editors today.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Stephen Siff, “Attitudes Differ for Online Reporting Versus Editorials,” Newspaper Research Journal, 29.4 (Fall 2008): 18-35.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: As blogs have become increasingly popular, newspapers have attempted to adapt by incorporating the casual, amateur-appearing blogs into their online products. In 2007, the Gannett Company announced it planned to redesign operations at its 90 American newspapers in order to involve readers in newsgathering and use more reader-created citizen journalism in their online newspapers. Many both within and outside the newspaper industry have raised questions about the credibility of journalistic products created by non-professionals. […] the study used students in communications classes, many of whom may be inclined to be more knowledgeable about the issues being studied than would students in classes in a variety of subjects.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Larry Dailey, Lori Demo and Mary Spillman, “Newspaper Political Blogs Generate Little Interaction,” Newspaper Research Journal, 29.4 (Fall 2008): 53-65.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The literature offers some support for the notion that blogs may foster the civic discussion that is so important to a democratic society. Of particular interest to those who study communication and journalism is the notion that blogs shift control of information from traditional authorities to individuals who now have unprecedented opportunities for personal expression. Citizen- produced blogs are beginning to enjoy audience numbers that rival those of traditional newspaper Web sites-especially among the treasured younger demographics. Research suggests Internet use in general and participation in online political discussion in particular are strong predictors of political participation. Blogs’ power at the grassroots level and their potential to reshape the political landscape caught the eye of people pursuing more mainstream activities. Howard Dean’s use of blogs and other interactive Web features to create excitement and bring attention to his campaign during the 2004 presidential primary season is credited with his early popularity. His efforts and the fact that candidates for the 2008 elections are already building and using blogs suggests the new technologies likely will play a key role in future elections.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Michael L. Kent, “Critical Analysis of Blogging in Public Relations,” Public Relations Review, 34.1 (2008): 32–40.
Keywords: Blog; Blogging; Public relations; News technology; RSS; Critical
Abstract: This essay conducts an analysis of blogs as public relations tools. Following an overview of blogs, attention is given to how blogs can be used more effectively by public relations professionals, and how blogs are favored by communication firms and consultants as essential public relations tools. The essay concludes that while blogs have incredible potential as research, framing and persuasion tools, their utility as a public relations tool is currently limited.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

ChangWanWooa,, Seon-Kyoung Ana, and Seung Ho Chob, “Sports PR in Message Boards on Major League Baseball Websites,” Public Relations Review, 34.2 (2008): 169-175.
Keywords: Sports PR, Message board, Online community, Interactivity, Two-way symmetrical, Major League Baseball, Uses and gratifications, Content analysis
Abstract: Message boards are possible places for sports fans to actively express and exchange their opinions. The purpose of this study is to explore the typology of message board uses on sports websites. The analysis of 1350 topics on eight Major League Baseball teams’ websites for 10 days revealed that: (1) the cognitive need of using message boards in a sports organization’s website was an outstanding motivation; (2) sharing opinions was a new motivation category (compared to traditional uses and gratifications) that was found to be dominant; and (3) winning teams and losing teams’ message boards were significantly different in terms of number of topics, number of users, and optimism score; however, messages seemed to be optimistic. Implications for public relations practitioners suggest that the message board is an excellent monitoring tool for them as well as a fine communication tool between sports organizations and fans.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jordi Xifra and Assumpcio Huertas, “Blogging PR: An Exploratory Analysis of Public Relations Weblogs,” Public Relations Review, 34.3 (2008): 269-275.
Keywords: Weblog, Public relations, Interactivity, Usability
Abstract: Although there are ever more weblogs on the Internet, this is an area that has been little researched in public relations, and where they have been analyzed it has been as a tool for communication rather than a primary information source in the public relations body of knowledge. This paper provides an exploratory study of the structure and content of 67 blogs on public relations to determine what issues they deal with and whether they are a tool for the theoretical development of the field. In addition to their content we have looked at the structure, usability and interactivity of the blogs.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Lynn M. Zoch, Erik L. Collins, Hilary Fussell Sisco, and Dustin H. Supa, “Empowering the Activist: Using Framing Devices on Activist Organizations’ Web Sites,” Public Relations Review, 34.4 (2008): 351-358.
Keywords: Activist organizations, Framing, Web sites
Abstract: The researchers analyzed activist organization web sites to determine the framing techniques employed in their public relations messages. The macro framework for this study was based on the work of sociologists David Snow and Robert Benford, who focus on how social activist organizations frame their messages. At the micro level, the researchers examined the web sites for the presence or absence of five devices identified by Gamson and Modigliani (American Journal of Sociology 1989;95:1–37) as commonly used when framing issues. The findings suggest that public relations practitioners working for activist groups are not making use of most of these message-framing devices in their issue-related messages on their web sites. Based on Gamson and Modigliani’s work, it would seem that practitioners incorporating these devices would only add to the persuasive power of their messages.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hyojung Park and Bryan H. Reber, “Relationship Building and the Use of Web Sites: How Fortune 500 Corporations Use Their Web Sites to Build Relationships,” Public Relations Review, 34.4 (2008): 409-411. 
Keywords: Dialogic Web sites, Relationship management, Corporate public relations
Abstract: This study examines the dialogic features of corporate Web sites in order to determine the Web site practices of the corporations for building relationships with their publics. Content analysis of 100 Fortune 500 companies’ Web sites revealed that the corporations designed their Web sites to serve important publics and foster dialogic communication. The corporate Web sites appear to promote control mutuality, trust, satisfaction, openness, and intimacy. However, the corporations need to maintain repetitive interactions with their publics to enhance trust, commitment, and exchange relationship.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Daniel Riffe, Stephen Lacy and Miron Varouhakis, “Media System Dependency Theory and Using the Internet for In-depth, Specialized Information,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 11 (January 2008).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This national survey found that a notable percentage of people depend on the Internet as a valued source of in-depth information about health, science, and business. Between 31% and 50% of the respondents said they use the Internet weekly for in-depth information in one of the three areas. These respondents valued the Internet more than magazines, books, or friends and families as a source of in-depth information. In-depth information is useful to people who depend on media for understanding and orientation about issues and topics. Individual background variables were better predictors of whether people use the Internet for such information than they were of people’s evaluation of that information’s quality.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Nanette Hogg, Carol S. Lomicky and Syed A. Hossain, “Blogs in the Media Conversation: A Content Analysis of the Knowledge Stage in the Diffusion of an Innovation,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 12 (December 2008)
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examined the media’s role in the spread of information about the innovation of blogging in the context of Rogers’ first step in the innovation-diffusion process. This content analysis of 994 stories in national media found the first mention of blogs in 2000 with increases every year thereafter through 2004 when the rate of increase slowed. This study found that media coverage about blogs changed over time. Initially media focused on background information about the innovation, although attention soon shifted to coverage about how people were using blogs. The media did not begin to produce stories about the impact of the blogging phenomenon until 2003. Consistent with previous research, this study found the media discussion to be non-critical about the innovation.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

2009

Joseph B. Walther, Brandon Van Der Heide, Lauren M. Hamel and Hillary C. Shulman, “Self-Generated Versus Other-Generated Statements and Impressions in Computer-Mediated Communication: A Test of Warranting Theory Using Facebook,” Communication Research, 26.2 (2009): 229-253.
Keywords: computer-mediated communication, warranting, Facebook, negativity, impression formation
Abstract: The warranting principle pertains to impression formation in Internet communication. It posits that perceivers’ judgments about a target rely more heavily on information that the targets themselves cannot manipulate than on self-descriptions. Two experiments employed mock-up profiles resembling the Internet site, Facebook, to display self-generated clues and to display other-generated clues about a Facebook user. The first experiment (N = 115) tested perceptions of extraversion. Although warranting was supported, rival explanations (negativity and additivity) also pertained. The second experiment (N = 125) tested perceptions of physical attractiveness. Friends’ comments overrode self-comments, supporting warranting theory exclusively. Implications concern boundary-setting research for warranting and potential effects of social comments on a variety of new information forms.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Young Mie Kim, “Issue Publics in the New Information Environment: Selectivity, Domain Specificity, and Extremity,” Communication Research, 26.2 (2009): 254-284.
Keywords: issue publics, Internet, selectivity, domain specificity, extremity, citizen competence
Abstract: The present research revisits citizen competence in the changing political and information environment, considering citizens as pluralistic issue publics. Using 2000 and 2004 American National Election Study data, Study 1 explores the conceptual premises of issue uses a unique data set combining an innovative direct measure of users’ Web behavior records with survey responses from those users in the context of the 2004 U.S. general election. The results shed light on issue publics’ information acquisition on the Web. This complementary data set provides a more complete picture of how issue publics develop unique patterns of information acquisition and make voting decisions. The findings indicate that issue publics enhanced their domain-specific knowledge by using information highly selectively. In addition, their selective information use contributed to increases in extremity and issue voting patterns. Implications for the functioning of democracy are discussed.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Policy

Edward Castronova, James J. Cummings, Will Emigh, Michael Fatten, Nathan Mishler, Travis  Ross and William Ryan, “Case Study: The Economics of Arden,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 26.2 (2009): 165-179.
Keywords: Virtual Worlds, Economics, Game Design
Abstract: A synthetic world is a computer-generated Earth-like environment that is accessible online to hundreds or thousands of people on a persistent basis. Due to the genuine human interactions that are cultivated in these environments, this technology may stand to offer much as a social science research tool. In this paper we describe a synthetic world, Arden, which has been designed and constructed for use in macroeconomic experiments. We detail the basis of the Arden economy, the resources and production technologies involved, the game structures that will entice players to make use of them, and the monetary and fiscal policy tools available for regulating the virtual market. The paper concludes with a description of example experiments that could be conducted, as well as a review of key principles and practical considerations to keep in mind when employing this new research tool.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Aaron Hess, “Resistance Up in Smoke: Analyzing the Limitations of Deliberation on YouTube,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 26.5 (2009): 411-434.
Keywords: YouTube, War on Drugs, Deliberation, Democracy; Vernacular Discourse
Abstract: In September of 2006, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) appeared on the popular video website, YouTube, posting eight of its television commercials. YouTube members responded with a variety of video posts and comments that challenged both the content and structure of the message offered by the ONDCP. Using this controversy as a focal point, this essay is a dual analysis of the discursive content and structural features of YouTube. The response from the YouTube community is characterized in terms of vernacular and outlaw discourse, following Sloop and Ono (1997). Through strategies of re-posting and parodying the original videos and discussions on comment boards between members, select YouTubers dispute the logic of prohibition in America’s war on drugs, resisting the ONDCP message. However, the structural limitations of the medium of YouTube and the overwhelming use of YouTube for entertainment diminish the response. Ultimately, YouTube’s dismissive and playful atmosphere does not prove to be a viable location for democratic deliberation about serious political issues.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Other (Critical Rhetorical)

Nathan Crick, “The Search for a Purveyor of News: The Dewey/Lippmann Debate in an Internet Age,” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 26.5 (2009): 480-497.
Keywords: Art, Science, Democracy, Public Sphere, Public Journalism
Abstract: The rise of the critical blogosphere has challenged the authority of the mainstream media while sparking discussion concerning the proper relationship between news production and popular democracy in an Internet Age. All too often, however, this discussion is framed as a stark tension between aristocratic defenders of Old Media professionalism and democratic proponents of New Media egalitarianism. Lost in this framing is the tacit agreement, by both sides, that a solution must be found within the constraints of a corporate liberal media structure. This essay argues that if we are to make full use of the opportunities presented to us by new technologies, we must move beyond the discourse of corporate liberalism. Toward this end, I return to the philosophical debate between John Dewey and Walter Lippmann that occurred in the early part of the twentieth century. Based both on their shared principles and their points of departure, I argue that any productive discussion about democratic media reform must begin on the premise that we must supplement the current communication practices of corporate liberalism with noncommercial agencies of cooperative social inquiry and artistic news production. For both Dewey and Lippmann, only through creative investment of public resources can we facilitate intelligent and sympathetic collective judgment in a complex global environment. Their debate concerned only how and where to invest them.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Pradip Thomas, “Selling God/Saving Souls: Religious Commodities, Spiritual Markets and the Media,” Global Media and Communication, 5.1 (2009): 57-76.
Keywords: Christian fundamentalism, commodities, market, media, Pentecostalism, religion
Abstract: The relationship between the religious commodity market, popular culture and political economy remains under-theorized. The globalization of religion has led to a massive global trade in on-line and off-line religious commodities. This article explores the mobile Christian commodity form and its specific politics of use. Using examples from India and the US, it explores the ways in which Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal groups use multi-media products and platforms for evangelization. The profit potential in religious fare has not gone unnoticed in corporate circles, and synergistic relationships have developed between media corporations and Christian production houses involved in creating commodities for segmented audiences. The article argues that in the context of the global expansion and export of Christian fundamentalism, the increasingly close relationship between mediated Christianity and the commodity form facilitates the extension of specific, conservative, forms of values-based capitalism.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Serge Proulx, “Can the Use of Digital Media Favor Citizen Involvement?” Global Media and Communication, 5.3 (2009): 293-302.
Keywords: community politics, information technologies, knowledge-sharing society, politicization, technological structures, technology activist groups
Abstract: We present here the results of recent studies on the emergence in Quebec of associations of a new kind, which we call technology activist groups. These groups consist of individuals who, on the basis of their own expertise in computer programming or in establishing specialist technological structures (WiFi hotspots), are developing social practices involving information technologies (ICTs). We try to give some elements of a response to some specific questions such as: What effects are these technology activists having on the dynamics of community activism in Quebec? In a broader context, at the level of political imagination in today’s societies, how far can these technical activist groups act politically to help redefine the project of the coming ‘information society’? And conversely, can the project of a ‘knowledge-sharing society’ – as formulated by the representatives of civil society organizations at the WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) in Tunis – help to redefine the aims and actions of actors in community politics?
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Tristan Mattelart, “Audio-Visual Piracy: Towards a Study of the Underground Networks of Cultural Globalization,” Global Media and Communication, 5.3 (2009): 308-326.
Keywords: audio-visual products, cultural globalization, developing countries, digital
Piracy, Motion Picture Association of America
Abstract: With the availability of increasingly powerful means of digital reproduction, an extensive literature has developed on the pirating of audio-visual products, films, music and software, which discusses the threat this represents to Western cultural industries. This article seeks to move on from the context within which piracy has mostly been considered since the end of the 1990s – that of illicit downloading in developed countries – and to describe the phenomenon in all its many manifestations, especially in countries of the South and the East. We try here to understand to what extent pirated goods constitute, for millions of consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and also in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia, a major means of access to the products of local, regional and international cultural industries. By doing this, we will shed light on some of the underground channels through which cultural globalization is operating.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy
 
Zuoming Wang, Joseph B. Walther and Jeffrey T. Hancock, “Social Identification and Interpersonal Communication in Computer-Mediated Communication: What You Do Versus Who You Are in Virtual Groups,” Human Communication Research, 35.1 (2009): 59–85.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study investigates the influence of interpersonal communication and intergroup identification on members’ evaluations of computer-mediated groups. Participants (N = 256) in 64 four-person groups interacted through synchronous computer chat. Subgroup assignments to minimal groups instilled significantly greater in-group versus out-group identification. One member in each group was instructed to exhibit interpersonally likable or dislikable behavior. Analysis revealed that confederates acting likably were more attractive than those acting dislikably regardless of their in-group or out-group status. Further results indicated that interpersonal behavior interacted with subgroup membership on identification shifts following online discussions. Interpersonal dynamics generally provided stronger effects on members in virtual groups than did intergroup dynamics, in contrast to predictions from previous applications of social identification to computer-mediated communication.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Jochen Peter and Patti M. Valkenburg, “Adolescents’ Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material and Sexual Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study,” Human Communication Research, 35.2 (2009): 171–194.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate, within a social comparison framework, the causal relationship between adolescents’ use of sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) and their sexual satisfaction. In addition, we tested which adolescents were most susceptible to a potential influence of SEIM on sexual satisfaction. Between May 2006 and May 2007, we conducted a three-wave panel survey among 1,052 Dutch adolescents aged 13–20. Structural equation modeling revealed that exposure to SEIM consistently reduced adolescents’ sexual satisfaction. Lower sexual satisfaction (in Wave 2) also increased the use of SEIM (in Wave 3). Moderator analyses showed that the negative effect of SEIM on sexual satisfaction was stronger for adolescents who had no or limited sexual experience as well as for adolescents who perceived the majority of their peers to be sexually inexperienced. The effect of exposure to SEIM on sexual satisfaction did not differ among male and female adolescents.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Paul M. Leonardi, “Why Do People Reject New Technologies and Stymie Organizational Changes of Which They Are in Favor? Exploring Misalignments Between Social Interactions and Materiality,” Human Communication Research, 35.3 (2009): 407–441
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article explores the relationship between users’ interpretations of a new technology and failure of organizational change. Author suggests that people form interpretations of a new technology not only based on their conversations with others, but also through their use of technology’s material features directly. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis of ethnographic data on the implementation and use of a computer simulation technology at a major automotive firm, Author shows that engineers’ communication with managers, coworkers, and customers led them to develop an interpretation about what the technology was supposed to do while their interactions with the material features of complementary technologies led them to develop an interpretation that the new simulation technology was not an efficient tool for that specific purpose. Author shows how the interpretations developed from people’s material interactions moderate the effects of the interpretations developed through social interactions on willingness to use the technology in the future. Author then demonstrates that, in this particular setting, engineers inadvertently stymied an organizational change of which they were very much in favor by reducing their use of the new technology. Author concludes by discussing how misalignments between the information generated in users’ interactions with others and with technologies’ material features can lead to the failure of planned organizational change.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Other (Structuration)

Shintaro Okazaki and Morikazu Hirose, “Effects of Displacement–Reinforcement Between Traditional Media, PC Internet and Mobile Internet: A Quasi-Experiment in Japan,” International Journal of Advertising, 28.1 (2009): 77–104.
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: The purpose of this investigation is to examine media displacement–reinforcement effects between traditional media, PC internet and mobile internet. The theoretical foundations draw on niche theory and enduring involvement, and adopt the satisfaction– attitude–loyalty chain as a core model. The surveys were conducted in Japan and resulted in 992 responses from a general consumer sample. Two scenarios (dining out and travel planning) were created to manipulate the level of enduring involvement. Our data fit the proposed model reasonably well, supporting 12 out of 14 hypotheses. The findings indicate that the more satisfied consumers are with traditional media and mobile internet, the more likely they are to perceive PC internet unfavorably as an alternative information source in both involvement situations. However, a favorable attitude towards mobile internet could act as a reinforcement motivator to use PC internet in high-involvement situations. Therefore, our findings support cross-media campaigns in high-involvement situations. In closing, significant limitations are recognized, and future research directions suggested.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Hairong Li, Ang Li, and Shuguang Zhao, “Internet Advertising Strategy of Multinationals in China: A Cross-Cultural Analysis,” International Journal of Advertising, 28.1 (2009): 125-146.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the creative, placement and budget strategy of Internet advertising by Eastern and Western multinationals in China. A content analysis of 47,131 online ads indicates that both Eastern and Western companies dominantly use individualist appeals for Internet advertising in China, a collectivist country. However, Eastern multinationals also rely on emotional appeals, whereas Western companies generally adopt rational appeals. This study offers several theoretical and managerial implications, including that multinationals appear to recognize the changing culture of internet users and especially the younger generation, as well as some future research directions for internet advertising.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shintaro Okazaki, “Social Influence Model and Electronic Word of Mouth: PC Versus Mobile Internet,” International Journal of Advertising, 28.3 (2009): 439-472.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Compared with laptop or desktop computers, mobile devices offer greater flexibility in time and space, thus enabling consumers to be connected online more continually. In addition, their small size, portability and ease of use with location-based capabilities facilitate sending and receiving timely information in the right place. Drawing upon asocial influence model proposed by Dholakia et al. (2004), this paper proposes a causal model for consumer participation in electronic word of mouth (eWOM), and compares the effects of PC-based and mobile-based eWOM (hereafter pcWOM and mWOM, respectively). The paper posits social identity, motivations (purposive value, social enhancement and intrinsic enjoyment), inherent novelty seeking and opinion leadership as antecedents affecting desire (individual-level driver) and social intention (group level driver) to engage in eWOM. A total of 271 survey responses was collected from consumers in Japan. The proposed model fits the data reasonably well; all hypotheses are supported. The results reveal that desire only partially mediates the effects on social intention of social identity. Compared with pcWOM participants, mWOM participants exhibit significantly higher perceptions on social intention, intrinsic enjoyment and cognitive social identity. After recognizing important limitations, theoretical implications are discussed and future research directions suggested.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Mira Lee and Seounmi Youn, “Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM): How eWOM Platforms Influence Consumer Product Judgment,” International Journal of Advertising, 28.3 (2009): 473-499.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study explores whether and how different online platforms to which electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication is posted influence consumers’ judgments of reviewed products. Additionally, this study examines the moderating role of the valence of eWOM on the platforms–consumer product judgment relationship. Our findings indicated that, other things being equal, participants exposed to the review posted on the personal blog were more likely to attribute the review to circumstances and less likely to recommend the product to friends than those who were exposed to the review either on the independent review website or the brand’s website. The effect of the eWOM platforms on consumer willingness to recommend the product to friends was found only when the review was positive. When the review was negative, however, there were detrimental effects on consumer willingness to recommend the product to friends regardless of the eWOM platform. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings were discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Other (Attribution)

Julian Ming-Sung Cheng, Charles Blankson, Edward Shih-Tse Wang and Lily Shui-Lien Chen, “Consumer Attitudes and Interactive Digital Advertising,” International Journal of Advertising, 28.3 (2009): 501-525.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This research examines consumer attitudes towards four sub-types of interactive digital advertising: internet-based e- and email advertising, and mobile-phone-based SMS- and MMS-type advertising. The differences in attitudes among these four sub-types of interactive digital advertising are also compared. Data are collected from three universities in Taiwan. Data analysis extracts three attitudinal forms (common factors) towards interactive digital advertising, namely, ‘informative’, ‘entertaining’ and ‘irritating’. Consumer attitudinal forms towards e-advertising and MMS-type m-advertising are both similar and positive (i.e. informative and less irritating and entertaining). Their attitudinal forms towards email advertising and SMS-type m-advertising are less positive (more irritating and less informative and entertaining). Furthermore, the three attitudinal forms towards the four sub-types of interactive digital advertising are compared. Consumer ‘informative’ and ‘entertaining’ attitudinal forms towards e-advertising and MMS-type m-advertising are similar, while their attitudinal forms towards email advertising and SMS-type m-advertising are equal and lower than towards the previous two sub-types of interactive digital advertising. As for the ‘irritating’ attitudinal form, consumers feel more ‘irritated’ towards email advertising and SMS-type m-advertising, while their attitudinal forms towards e-advertising and MMS-type m-advertising are equal and less irritated.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Lou Ying, Tor Korneliussen and Kjell Gronhaug, “The Effect of Ad Value, Ad Placement and Ad Execution on the Perceived Intrusiveness of Web Advertisements,” International Journal of Advertising, 28.4 (2009): 623-638.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study addresses factors in advertising that lead to interstitial ads being perceived as intrusive. Eight theory-driven hypotheses were derived and tested. The results indicate that the perception of intrusiveness of ads can be controlled by aspects of ad value, ad placement and ad execution.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Cheryl B. Preston, “All Knowledge is Not Equal: Facilitating Children’s Access to Knowledge by Making the Internet Safer,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 13 (Winter 2009): 114-132.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Access to Internet knowledge is a worthy goal, especially for the children who will populate the information society; however, access must be considered in the context of imposing Western pornography on every culture and family. This Article suggests an Internet port zoning approach to segregating Internet content. Zoning with the Ports Concept is practical, technologically feasible, and conducive to appropriate legal formulations. The Ports Concept accommodates those who want to speak and hear adult speech, while recognizing the equally legitimate interests of those who do not want pornography in their homes and businesses, eroding their cultural values. This article briefly discusses the risks facing children online and the implications of cultural imperialism in Internet expansion. It then describes the Ports Concept and a legislative framework for facilitating and maintaining ports zoning, the Internet Community Ports Act (ICPA). Such a zoning scheme can work with an Internet governance structure relying on a specialized central global authority, or with governance seated in individual national authorities. It suggests various options for trans-national implementation and enforcement if the Ports Concept is applied in a national, rather than centralized, governance approach. The Article also addresses the limitations and risks of this approach. Finally, this Article links the possibilities of Internet port zoning and principles of cultural self-determination. Nations, communities, and parents must be given the opportunity to access the Internet without drowning in sexually explicit content. Dividing content types on ports permits a simple, electronically-enabled choice about what “wonders” of the Internet must be welcomed into homes in Western and non-Western cultures.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis         
Theory: Policy

Konstantinos Komaitis, “Internet Governance: Why Plato Is Still Relevant,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 13 (Winter 2009): 133-152. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In December 2008, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has successfully completed its third installment on issues pertaining to Internet governance. The IGF promotes a multi-stakeholder environment, where protagonists engage in an extensive debate to discuss how the Internet should look in the future; with these discussions in place issues of cultural diversity and cultural relativism become more relevant than ever before. However, culture is normally followed by zeal; zeal to preserve it and to adhere to its historical significance. This is like a Damocles sword, since tradition and its relative – custom – can potentially prohibit progress and pose threats to social structures; more precisely, in international environments, like the Internet, certain traditions can be mistakenly considered as more valuable and exhibited thereon as more ‘exclusive’ than others. This being the case, it is undeniable that custom not only will play a significant role in the governance of the Internet, but this role will, in turn, be able to determine the dynamics within its structure. This paper discusses the influential role of custom and its effects within the society of Internet Governance; it then proceeds to discuss an interpretation of justice, which demonstrates the way custom might be enforced and imposed upon various subjects. Finally, this paper shows that these conflicting customs should not necessarily annihilate multi-participatory governance structures, but rather should assist in their progress.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis         
Theory: Policy

Rolf H. Weber, “Accountability in Internet Governance,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 13 (Winter 2009): 152-167.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Internet governance and Internet-related decision-making processes are gaining importance due to the increased use of new technological possibilities. Since a fundamental change of the present self-regulatory regime with ICANN as main organizational body is not likely to be realized in the near future, means of improvement of the present mechanisms need to be tackled. A key issue is accountability, apart from transparency. Accountability is the assumption of responsibility for actions, decisions, and policies within the scope of the designated role. So far, accountability, helping to improve the governance regime of ICANN in order to enhance its legitimacy, has become a discussion topic within ICANN and a certain progress in its implementation can be observed. A further enhancement of accountability in Internet governance, however, is needed: On the organizational level, the introduction of specific standards designing accountability requirements should be introduced. Information has to be made more easily available to accountability-holders. Furthermore, sanctions attaching costs to the failure to meet the standards are worthwhile to consider in order to give respective incentives to comply with accountability standards.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis         
Theory: Policy

Laura DeNardis, “Open Standards and Global Politics,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 13 (Winter 2009): 168-184. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A central purview of Internet governance is the development of Internet technical protocols, the standards that enable interoperability between diverse technologies and cultures. Standards are a form of technological rulemaking with public interest implications in areas such as public safety, national security, electronic medical records, eGovernment, individual privacy, and political and artistic expression. From an economic standpoint, the openness and intellectual property arrangements of technical standards can determine the extent of competition, trade, and innovation in technology markets. Universal and open technical standards have been identified as a precursor to the affordable and equitable diffusion of information and communication technologies around the globe. However, the institutional processes, technical and legal infrastructures, and underlying intellectual property arrangements of standards do not always create an opening to reflect the interests of developing countries. This paper examines ways in which the degree of openness in standards has pronounced implications for developing countries and beyond and concludes with recommendations for promoting open standards through institutional processes, intellectual property arrangements, and government procurement policies.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis         
Theory: Policy

Y. J. Park, “The National CCTLD Disputes: Between State Actors and Non-State Actors,” International Journal of Communication Law and Policy, 13 (Winter 2009): 185-206. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Since 1985, non-state actors under Jon Postel’s leadership have experimented creating virtual national spaces on the Internet through so-called “country code top level domain names” (ccTLDs). There are 251 ccTLDs on the Internet. In 1998, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – the newly established coordination body for Internet addresses including ccTLDs – stressed out the principle of private sector leadership instead of public sector administration of Internet identifiers. ICANN’s coordination of ccTLDs required state actors to comply with the principle of private sector leadership in a top-down manner. As of 2009, the question of how to govern ccTLDs is still disputed at the national level between state actors and non-state actors, with state actors starting to reassert their power over ccTLDs, ignoring the principle of private sector leadership recommended by ICANN. This study presents five different national ccTLDs dispute cases, to investigate why national ccTLDs disputes have increased after the establishment of ICANN and how are state actors trying to regain control over ccTLDs.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis         
Theory: Policy

Guosong Shao, “Understanding the Appeal of User-Generated Media: a Uses and Gratification Perspective,” Internet Research, 19.1 (2009): 7-25.
Keywords: Electronic media, Internet, User studies, Customer satisfaction
Abstract: Purpose – User-generated media (UGM) like YouTube, MySpace, and Wikipedia have become tremendously popular over the last few years. The purpose of this paper is to present an analytical framework for explaining the appeal of UGM. 
Design/methodology/approach – This paper is mainly theoretical due to a relative lack of empirical evidence. After an introduction on the emergence of UGM, this paper investigates in detail how and why people use UGM, and what factors make UGM particularly appealing, through a uses and gratifications perspective. Finally, the key elements of this study are summarized and the future research directions about UGM are discussed.
Findings – This paper argues that individuals take with UGM in different ways for different purposes: they consume contents for fulfilling their information, entertainment, and mood management needs; they participate through interacting with the content as well as with other users for enhancing social connections and virtual communities; and they produce their own contents for self-expression and self-actualization. These three usages are separate analytically but interdependent in reality. This paper proposes a model to describe such interdependence. Furthermore, it argues that two usability attributes of UGM, “easy to use” and “let users control,” enable people to perform the aforementioned activities efficiently so that people can derive greater gratification from their UGM use.
Originality/value – UGM are an extremely important topic in new media scholarship, and this study represents the first step toward understanding the appeal of UGM in an integrated way.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Efthimios Bothos, Dimitris Apostolou and Gregoris Mentzas, “Collective Intelligence for Idea Management with Internet-Based Information Aggregation Markets,” Internet Research, 19.1 (2009): 26-41.
Keywords: Innovation, Information exchange, Internet marketing, Stock markets, Ideas generation
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of information aggregation markets (IAMs) for community-based idea management and to present IDeM, a novel Internet-based software tool that can be used for generating and evaluating new ideas utilizing the concept of IAMs.
Design/methodology/approach – Starting with a review of existing methods for collective intelligence, IAMs are identified as a prominent method for collective intelligence. Specific requirements for exploring IAMs for idea management are derived. Based on these requirements, a software tool for implementing IAMs in the context of idea management is developed (IDeM). IDeM has been evaluated and evaluation results are used to identify IDeM’s benefits and limitations. A review of related work points out the innovative characteristics of IDeM.
Findings – Evaluation results indicate that IAMs is an efficient method for idea generation and evaluation. Moreover IDeM is perceived both as easy to use and efficient in supporting idea generation and evaluation.
Practical implications – IDeM can be used by commercial or other organizations for supporting generation and evaluation of new ideas.
Originality/value – IDeM’s innovative aspects are: in addition to trading, it allows users involvement by means of new idea submission, rating of ideas and commenting on ideas; it confronts the uncertainty of new idea related events by offering an expert based valuation mechanism; and it extends the typical output of IAM tools – which is price of idea-stocks – by calculating the volume weighted average price.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study        
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Erin M. Steffes and Lawrence E. Burgee, “Social Ties and Online Word of Mouth,” Internet Research, 19.1 (2009): 42-59.
Keywords: Interpersonal communications, Electronic commerce, Internet, Consumer behaviour
Abstract: Purpose – The power of word of mouth (WOM) communication and its influence on consumer decision making is well established in academic literature. The recent adoption of online communication by many consumers has facilitated a fundamental change to the structure of many WOM interactions by exposing consumers to electronic WOM (eWOM) from virtual strangers. The current study seeks to uncover whether traditional findings on social ties and WOM communication hold for eWOM information.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 482 college students with varying levels of expertise with eWOM forums, specifically RateMyProfessors.com in the USA. Participants completed a 20-question survey related to university professor and class choice.
Findings – The study finds that students seeking information on which professor to take weight the information they obtain from eWOM forums to be equally influential in their decision as their own primary experience with the professor. Furthermore, the information gained from the eWOM forum is more influential in their decision than speaking with friends in person (WOM). While existing research suggests that strong tie referral sources are more influential than weak tie information sources on decision making, this research finds that some weak tie information sources are rated as more influential.
Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the study is the focus on one eWOM forum, RateMyProfessors.com. Future research would benefit from expanding the number and type of eWOM forums.
Originality/value – While the emergence of the Internet and social networking has spawned an interest in the overall study of eWOM, this study is the first to evaluate eWOM in the context of tie strength, homophily and decision making. The study also investigates whether existing theories of interpersonal communication hold in an online context.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Rami Puzis, Dana Yagil, Yuval Elovici and Dan Braha, “Collaborative Attack on Internet Users’ Anonymity,” Internet Research, 19.1 (2009): 60-77.
Keywords: Internet, User studies, Data security
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to model and study the effectiveness of an attack on the anonymity of Internet users by a group of collaborating eavesdroppers.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an analysis of the Internet topology. The study is based on two methods for choosing nodes that contribute the most to the detection of as many communicating Internet users as possible.
Findings – The paper illustrates that it is possible to compromise the anonymity of many Internet users when eavesdropping on a relatively small number of nodes, even when the most central ones are protected from eavesdropping.
Research limitations/implications – It is assumed that the Internet users under attack are not using any anonymity enhancing technologies, but nodes can be protected from eavesdropping. It proposes a measure of the success of an attack on Internet users’ anonymity, for a given deployment of collaborating eavesdroppers in the Internet.
Practical implications – The paper shows that several, and not necessarily the most prominent, collaborating nodes can compromise the anonymity of a considerable portion of Internet users. This study also emphasizes that when trying to completely compromise the anonymity of Internet users, an eavesdroppers’ deployment strategy that considers eavesdroppers’ collaboration can result in substantial resource saving compared to choosing a set of the most prominent nodes.
Originality/value – The paper proposes a new measure of anonymity level in the network, based on the linkability of the Internet users. This paper is the first to present results of a non-trivial Group Betweenness optimization strategy in large complex networks.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Stephanie Hackett and Bambang Parmanto, “Homepage Not Enough When Evaluating Web Site Accessibility,” Internet Research, 19.1 (2009): 78-87.
Keywords: Worldwide web, User studies, Disabilities
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine if the homepage of a web site is representative of the whole site with respect to accessibility.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents an intra-class correlation (ICC) between homepage web accessibility barrier (WAB) scores and the WAB scores of web site levels 1 through 3 for 33 popular web sites.
Findings – The paper finds that the homepage is not sufficient to detect the accessibility of the web site. ICC of the homepage and average of levels 1-3 is 0.250 (p 1/4 0:062) and ICC of levels 1, 2, and 3 is 0.784 (p , 0:0001). Evaluating the homepage and first-level pages gives more accurate results of entire site accessibility.
Originality/value – This is first study correlating homepage accessibility with web site accessibility.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Access

So Won Jeong, Ann Marie Fiore, Linda S. Niehm and Frederick O. Lorenz, “The Role of Experiential Value in Online Shopping: The Impacts of Product Presentation on Consumer Responses Towards an Apparel Web Site,” Internet Research, 19.1 (2009): 105-124.
Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Electronic commerce, Experience, Internet shopping, Product design
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Pine and Gilmore’s four experience realms (4Es) are affected by web site features; the 4Es affect consumer emotional components of pleasure and arousal; and pleasure and arousal lead to enhanced web site patronage intention.
Design/methodology/approach – For the main experiment, two stimulus web sites reflecting high experiential value and low experiential value were developed. Data were collected in a laboratory setting from 196 participants. An analysis of the causal model was conducted using the maximum-likelihood estimation procedure of Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) for hypotheses testing.
Findings – Using AMOS, the results indicated that web site features affected the 4Es and three of the 4Es (entertainment, escapist and esthetic experiences) influenced pleasure and/or arousal. Pleasure, arousal, entertainment, and esthetic experiences had direct effects on web site patronage intention.
Practical implications – The results present an effective way to offer experiential value, which enhances web site patronage intention, to online retailers.
Originality/value – This is the first empirical research to investigate the holistic process of the effects of product presentation on consumer responses towards an apparel web site that there is a clear need for further study.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Yuan-Chu Hwang and Soe-Tsyr Yuan, “Ubiquitous Proximity e-Service for Trust Collaboration,” Internet Research, 19.2 (2009): 174-193. 
Keywords: Trust, Social networks, Communication technologies, Computer networks
Abstract: Purpose – The authors seek to propose the notion of ubiquitous proximity e-service for exploring collective wisdom in the ubiquitous environment. Ubiquitous proximity e-service highlights the collective effort focused on collecting the user group’s power as the reference for ubiquitous trust decisions.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides some theoretical utility support for ubiquitous proximity e-service. The “homophily” describes the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others. By highlighting the “homophily” of e-service participants, these isolated individuals can be treated as a group with proximity. The main value of ubiquitous proximity e-service utilizes the network effect from the collective effort of interpersonal social network.
Findings – In order to leap the trust barrier for users to embrace these ubiquitous e-services, ubiquitous proximity e-service makes it possible for users to collaborate with their nearby user groups to establish a reliable and trustworthy interaction environment. The simulation outcomes for trust decision quality enhancement show a significant improvement in a variety of environment settings. 
Practical implications – A significant value of ubiquitous proximity e-service lies in the increased possibility of establishing innovative social network relationships. From the interpersonal perspective, unfamiliar strangers can make connections with individuals who are proximal and homoplastic to them. The strength of proximity gives people better chances to make interpersonal connections, including both weak ties and strong ties. By combining those interpersonal tie relationships, ubiquitous proximity e-service can easily cause information diffusion and effectively encourage collective wisdom.
Originality/value – The paper advocates the utility of ubiquitous proximity e-service that can be realized in the e-commerce environment and which enables information diffusion effectively.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Maria Karyda, Stefanos Gritzalis, Jong Hyuk Park and Spyros Kokolakis, “Privacy and Fair Information Practices in Ubiquitous Environments: Research Challenges and Future Directions,” Internet Research, 19.2 (2009): 194-208.
Keywords: Intelligence, Privacy, Data security, Computer networks
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse about the nature of privacy and its role in ubiquitous environments and provide insights for future research.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses the privacy implications of particular characteristics of ubiquitous applications and discusses the fundamental principles and information practices used in digital environments for protecting individuals’ private data.
Findings – A significant trend towards shifting privacy protection responsibility from government to the individuals is identified. Also, specific directions for future research are provided with a focus on interdisciplinary research.
Research limitations/implications – This paper identifies key research issues and provides directions for future research. 
Originality/value – This study contributes by identifying major challenges that should be addressed, so that a set of “fair information principles” can be applied in the context of ubiquitous environments. It also discusses the limitations of these principles and provides recommendations for future research.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Daphne R. Raban and Eyal Rabin, “Statistical Inference from Power Law Distributed Web-based Social Interactions,” Internet Research, 19.3 (2009): 266-278.
Keywords: Knowledge sharing, Polynomials, Statistical analysis, Social interaction, Internet
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for statistical inference on data from power law distributions in order to explain behavior and social phenomena associated with web-based social spaces such as discussion forums, question-and-answer sites, web 2.0 applications and the like.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper starts by highlighting the importance of explaining behavior in social networks. Next, the power law nature of social interactions is described and a hypothetical example is used to explain why analyzing sub-sets of data might misrepresent the relationship between variables having power law distributions. Analysis requires the use of the complete distribution. The paper proposes logarithmic transformation prior to correlation and regression analysis and shows why it works using the hypothetical example and field data retrieved from Microsoft’s Netscan project.
Findings – The hypothetical example emphasizes the importance of analyzing complete datasets harvested from social spaces. The Netscan example shows the importance of the logarithmic transformation for enabling the development of a predictive regression model based on the power law distributed data. Specifically, it shows that the number of new and returning participants are the main predictors of discussion forum activity.
Originality/value – This paper offers a useful analysis tool for anyone interested in social aspects of the Internet as well as corporate intra-net systems, knowledge management systems or other systems that support social interaction such as cellular phones and mobile devices. It also explains how to avoid errors by paying attention to assumptions and range restriction issues.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Social Interaction

Kuo-Ming Chu, “A Study of Members’ Helping Behaviors in Online Community,” Internet Research, 19.3 (2009): 279-292.
Keywords: Online operations, Community behaviour, Taiwan
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this paper is to develop a theoretical model that enables us to examine the antecedents and consequences effects of members’ helping behavior in online communities. It also aims to develop a complete model for empirical testing.
Design/methodology/approach – The sample is 425 participants including nine online communities in Taiwan, including Yahoo! Kimo, CPB, Sony music, etc.. who were contacted and asked to participate in the study. Data were collected between August and December 2007 via the web for Internet users using a standardized questionnaire. Excluding those surveys that were undeliverable and those who believed that it was inappropriate to respond, the overall effective response rate was 84 percent (355 of 425).
Findings – The empirical results suggested that online communities’ members’ helping behavior represents a large pool of product know-how. They seem to be a promising source of innovation capabilities for new product development.
Research limitations/implications – The research only aims to experimentally investigate complete model of helping behavior in online communities. But this research has not dealt with a double role of online communities’ members so far, linking innovation with commercialization. They seem to be a promising source of innovation capabilities for new product development.
Practical implications – The phenomenon of helping behavior among members may become a major source and channel for information in the decision making process for the purchase of products. Therefore, a major finding derived from the empirical application is that community members are capable and willing to contribute to virtual co-development.
Originality/value – Many variables have been evaluated for their influences on the helping behaviors of the members of the online communities. However, none of the previous studies have integrated these variables into a more comprehensive framework
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Antonio Ruiz-Martınez, Oscar Canovas and Antonio F. Gomez-Skarmeta, “Design and Implementation of a Generic Per-Fee-Link Framework,” Internet Research, 19.3 (2009): 293-312.
Keywords: Payments, Electronic funds transfer systems, Internet, Electronic commerce
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to present a viable approach for designing and implementing a generic per-fee-link framework. It also aims to design this framework to be used with any payment protocol and test it with two existing ones.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a per-fee-link framework based on several generic components. These components have been developed and tested in order to prove the viability of the proposed framework.
Findings – The results show that is possible to establish a per-fee-link framework. Four core components are defined: first, the different modules needed for browsers and web servers, second, an extended payment protocol (EPP), which negotiates the payment protocol to use and encapsulates its related messages, third, an API for e-wallets, which is independent of the payment protocol, to incorporate the protocols to use with EPP and finally, the definition of a per-fee-link that associates payment information to a link.
Practical implications – The framework presented shows a uniform way of using payment protocols that can increase the trust of end users. Furthermore, it has been developed and tested.
Originality/value – The contribution describes the components needed for supporting the framework. Its feasibility has been checked through an implementation and it facilitates the payment for content on the web. Thus, content providers can obtain an alternative revenue source to advertisement or subscription. Furthermore, developers, vendors and customers can see that the incorporation of payment protocols to the system is facilitated. Finally, the users obtain a uniform way to make payments that increases the perception of trust.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Paulina Papastathopoulou and George J. Avlonitis, “Classifying Enterprises on the Basis of WWW Use: a Behavioral Approach,” Internet Research, 19.3 (2009): 332-347.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Electronic commerce, Classification, Organizations
Abstract: Purpose – Research studies have started to appear in recent years about the use of world wide web (WWW) by organizations. In an attempt to shed more light into this issue, this study seeks to take a behavioral approach for classifying enterprises on the basis of WWW use. It aims to address two research questions: Can different organizational profiles reveal as a result of a classification scheme/taxonomy of enterprises based on WWW use? And If such a classification is possible, to what extent are the WWW usage profiles related to specific market, organizational and demographic characteristics?
Design/methodology/approach – The sampling frame of the study consisted of the largest 1,250 firms in Greece in terms of sales turnover that had already adopted information and communication technologies. After three follow-up contacts by telephone, e-mail and fax the cooperation of 500 companies was secured (40 percent response rate). Data collection was carried out by a professional market research firm by means of computer-aided personal interviewing (CAPI) system. The research instrument was a structured questionnaire. Findings – Five distinct WWW usage profiles of enterprises were identified, namely “E-merchants”, “Information seekers”, “E-purchasers”, “E-transaction adopters” and “WWW experimentalists”. These profiles are found to be associated with different market, organizational and demographic characteristics.
Practical implications – This classification scheme can be viewed as a behavioral segmentation exercise based on the application/use criterion that is used for segmenting B2B markets by web service providers. The present classification may also help suppliers of networking infrastructure and e-business software. E-commerce policy makers can also benefit from the results of this study. The different types of WWW adopters that have been uncovered in the present study practically map the extent of combined WWW uses by various types of enterprises. Such information is important for future WWW promotions and the design of funding projects to further promote WWW.
Originality/value – The paper is important because, despite its acknowledged importance, only limited research has been conducted on the commercial use of the WWW, mainly, through examining the use of WWW home pages of various organizations and their effect in marketing. Similarly, despite the fact that various European Union-sponsored studies are conducted regularly by the National Statistical Offices of the member states and the European E-Business Market W@tch, these studies limit their analysis to descriptive statistics.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jennifer Rowley, “Online Branding Strategies of UK Fashion Retailers,” Internet Research, 19.3 (2009): 348-367.
Keywords: Online operations, Brands, Fashion industry, Retailing, Brand management, United Kingdom
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on exploratory research that aims to contribute to knowledge on online branding, and the way in which the online channel is being used to support brands. The focus of this research is the top multi-channel UK fashion retailers.
Design/methodology/approach – Content analyses were performed on the web sites of a number of top fashion and clothing retailers, plus three supermarket chains with a strong presence in clothes retailing. An analysis of the extent to which the retailers were using their web site to provide online services and information provided a context for a more detailed analysis of online branding strategies, including communicating brand identity and presence, and building brand relationships.
Findings – Most top “non-value” fashion retailers offer transactions through their web site, offering extended opportunities for brand engagement and experience. While all fashion retailers achieve consistency of visual identity between the online and other channels, their use of the online channel to communicate brand values, and to promote brand relationships is underdeveloped. There is evidence of some innovative practice, but also scope for considerable further development of the notion of online branding. Research into online and multi-channel branding has a role to play in supporting this process.
Originality/value – This study makes an important contribution to the under-researched area of online branding, through a study of the online branding activities of top multi-channel UK fashion retailers. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sergio L. Toral, M. Rocıo Martınez-Torres, Federico Barrero and Francisco Cortes, “An Empirical Study of the Driving Forces Behind Online Communities,” Internet Research, 19.4 (2009): 378-392.
Keywords: Communities, Internet, Social networks, Mathematical modeling
Abstract: Purpose – A large variety of online communities have emerged during the last years as a result of the challenges faced by both the business and scientific worlds. This trend has also been promoted by the development of Internet and new Web 2.0 technologies. In this context, this paper is focused on the determinants of success of online communities. But, as a difference from other studies, these determinants are analyzed from the social network analysis perspective. Several constructs related to the community organization as a social network are proposed and their interrelations are hypothesized in a general research framework. The obtained results test the proposed model providing the most relevant antecedents of the project success.
Design/methodology/approach – A case study based on Linux ports to non-conventional processor and environments is used to test the proposed model. Structural equation modeling analysis is used to validate the structural proposed model.
Findings – The main antecedents of online communities’ success, quantifying the strength of the relation through the standardized path coefficients.
Research limitations/implications – The research is limited to a particular set of online communities engaged with the development of the non-conventional Linux ports. However, they constitute a representative set of communities in the field of the open source projects (OSS) development, which are typically developed using a community of support.
Originality/value – This paper fulfils the main antecedents causing the successful development of Internet virtual communities. Instead of using sources of data coming from users’ surveys, this study employs community interactions as a source of data. Results have important implications over the development of online communities, like software business models based on virtual communities and open source software.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Social Interaction

Chung-Chi Shen and Jyh-Shen Chiou, “The Effect of Community Identification on Attitude and Intention Toward a Blogging Community,” Internet Research, 19.4 (2009): 393-407.
Keywords Communities, Social capital, Worldwide web, Internet, Taiwan
Abstract: Purpose – Internet portals have long been providing free services (e.g. e-mail, blog) to attract new users and retain existing customers. However, it is uncertain whether the users will continue to use the present free service over time. Blog enables people to interact with others extensively and the population of blog users has been skyrocketing in recent years. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of virtual community on a user’s attitude and intention to continually use the current blog service.
Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual empirical model has been developed on the foundation of social psychology, relationship marketing, and transaction cost analysis (TCA). Users of blogging communities who have frequent experience of interacting with other members were the objects for this study. In total, 243 valid samples were obtained for empirical testing by employing structural equation model.
Findings – Results show that asset specificity and community pressure play mediating roles in the relationship between community identification and attitude toward using blog services, which in turn affects intention to stay with a blogging community. Perceived usefulness is successful in determining the attitude of using blogging community.
Originality/value – This paper is believed to be the first that uses a sociology view of community and asset specificity to investigate its impacts on online consumer loyalty. The study advances the relationship marketing literature in explaining user’s new service adoption behavior by adding community identity and community pressure generated through the process of using web-based services. The paper concludes with implications for web-based service providers, and additional extended research relevant to the study of virtual community and asset specificity is also provided. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Anssi Tarkiainen, Hanna-Kaisa Ellonen, and Olli Kuivalainen, “Complementing Consumer Magazine Brands with Internet Extensions,” Internet Research, 19.4 (2009): 408-424.
Keywords: Brands, Internet, Magazines
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the effects of web site extension on the parent-magazine brand in the context of experiential goods, and to identify factors that are related to success.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper focuses on the relationship between consumers’ experiences on magazine web sites and their loyalty towards the print magazine.
Findings – There are different ways in which the web site can complement the print version. The first mechanism is related to engaging in more frequent communication with the magazine’s readers, and the second is related to consumer-initiated interaction between other readers. In both cases something is offered that cannot be obtained from the print magazine, but is assumed to complement it.
Originality/value – The paper increases understanding of brand extensions with regard to experiential goods, but more research is needed on the factors that are related to extension success.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Francisco Javier Miranda, Ramon Sanguino and Tomas M. Banegil, “Quantitative Assessment of European Municipal Web Sites: Development and Use of an Evaluation Tool,” Internet Research, 19.4 (2009): 425-441. 
Keywords: Worldwide web, Internet, Local government, Europe
Abstract: Purpose – The internet is becoming increasingly important in the communication between local governments and citizens, which makes the usability of municipal web sites a critical factor in government-citizen communication. The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a model for evaluating the potential of municipal web sites.
Design/methodology/approach – In this work an objective investigation of the issue has been conducted by manually accessing and evaluating 84 European municipal web sites. Quality of web home pages was determined using an original Web Assessment Index, which focuses on four categories: accessibility, speed, navigability and content.
Findings – A detailed report of the results arising from this investigation is presented and systematically analyzed.
Originality/value – The most valuable output from this paper is not the ability to identify the best sites, but to see how each municipal site is compared to related sites and to spot ideas and practices that can improve city sites. These findings will be useful for both researchers and practitioners who seek to understand the issues relevant to municipal e-government.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Hsi-Peng Lu and Philip Yu-Jen Su, “Factors Affecting Purchase Intention on Mobile Shopping Web Sites,” Internet Research, 19.4 (2009): 442-458.
Keywords: Mobile communication systems, Internet shopping, Consumer behaviour
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore a conceptual model for analyzing customers’ perceptions of using mobile commerce services for online shopping. This paper provides insights into consumer behavior, and the results have important implications for designers, managers, marketers, and system providers of mobile shopping (m-shopping) web sites.
Design/methodology/approach – An empirical investigation was carried out to test the hypotheses. The samples include 369 professional participants. For testing the relationships of the model, structural equation modeling (SEM) is used.
Findings – The results demonstrate that anxiety, which is an affective barrier against using innovative systems, is a key negative predictor of a customer’s intentions to use mobile phones. Also, the consumer’s self-perception of mobile skillfulness significantly affects anxiety, enjoyment, and usefulness. Furthermore, enjoyment, usefulness, and compatibility have an impact on a customer’s behavioral intentions.
Practical implications – The findings of this study help to understand what hinders or encourages the m-shopping intention of online customers.
Originality/value – The results not only help develop a sophisticated understanding of mobile commerce theories for researchers, but they also offer useful knowledge to those involved in promoting m-shopping to potential purchasers. The value of the paper is that the results could be applied to other portable information technology service adoptions, such as personal digital assistants (PDA), smart phones, advanced mobile phones, and portable global positioning systems (GPS).
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Yu-Jen Chou, Ching-I Teng and Shao-Kang Lo, “Mutual Self-Disclosure Online in the B2C Context,” Internet Research, 19.5 (2009): 466-478.
Keywords: Disclosure, Communication, Trust, Corporate identity, Internet
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the relationship between company identity information disclosure, trust, and consumer self-disclosure intentions during the first visit to a company website.
Design/methodology/approach – This study conducts one-factor (company identity information disclosure) between-subject experiment design. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups: company identity information disclosure – high vs. low. Furthermore, this study also uses LISREL to analyse the model.
Findings – The analytical results indicate that when a company website discloses much of its identity information, consumers trust the company more, and exhibit greater intentions to provide their personal information. Specifically, this study’s results show that consumer’s trust mediates the relationship between company identity information disclosure and consumer self-disclosure intentions.
Practical implications – Companies often invite consumers to disclose personal information on websites, and then use this information to build and maintain relationships with these customers. This study suggests that a company can disclose their information more on their website. Consequently, consumers trust more toward the company and then have higher disclosure intentions.
Originality/value – Traditionally, most interpersonal communication research indicates when someone discloses more, the other communication participant also discloses more. Although previous research investigates the impact of online information disclosure on trust and consumer self-disclosure, there are no studies that address the potential impact of a company disclosing information about its identity. This study examines the influence of company identity information disclosure and emphasizes the important role of trust during the first visit to a website.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Ching-Jui Keng and Hui-Ying Ting, “The Acceptance of Blogs: Using a Customer Experiential Value Perspective,” Internet Research, 19.5 (2009): 479-495.
Keywords: Customers, Internet, Communication
Abstract: Purpose – This study is based on the interactivity and perceived similarity between blog readers and the others, and incorporates the concepts from customer experiential value. This paper aims to examine emotional experiences that internet users gain while reading blogs, that is, assesses the attitude of blog readers through their subjective experiences within the communication process.
Design/methodology/approach – An empirical survey is used to test the hypotheses. The sample is 349 users who browse blogs frequently. Data are analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to understand the cause and effect of the entire model and to determine the goodness of fit of the conceptual model.
Findings – Empirical results demonstrate that: interpersonal interaction enhances browsers, aesthetic experiences as well as playfulness; machine interaction generates high aesthetics value which comprises visual and entertainment effects, service excellence, and CROI; perceived similarity by readers positively influences the four components of customer experiential value; and a positive correlation exists between user attitudes toward reading blogs and their experiential value in aesthetics, playfulness and service excellence.
Practical implications – The findings will help bloggers understand the factors key to success and allocate the appropriate resources to operate a blog and achieve success.
Originality/value – The value of this study is to establish the importance of customer experiential value theory. Previous research on customer experiential value primarily focuses on analyzing consumer shopping behaviors and mostly on the utilitarian value of products. This research focuses on inner pleasure gained through reading blogs, such as aesthetic experiences and emotional reactions.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Social Interaction

Hilde A.M. Voorveld, Peter C. Neijens and Edith G. Smit, “Consumers’ Responses to Brand Websites: an Interdisciplinary Review,” Internet Research, 19.5 (2009): 535-565.
Keywords: Consumers, Brands, Internet
Abstract: Purpose – The aims of this paper are to provide an integrated literature review of factors influencing consumers’ responses to brand websites; to describe the state of research in the past ten years; and to give an overview of the theories used in brand website studies.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a vote-counting procedure, 736 findings from 50 empirical studies are synthesized. In a vote-counting analysis the number of positive and negative significant relations between the same two variables is compared to the number of non-significant relationships.
Findings – The analysis reveals which person-related factors (e.g. involvement or flow) and website-related factors (e.g. usability or interactivity) influence responses to websites and brands. To explain such responses many studies integrate new theoretical concepts (e.g. interactivity or telepresence) into traditional theories. Furthermore, the review shows that the current state of research is limited by the use of forced exposure, student samples and the measurement of affective responses.
Practical implications – The present study investigates an increasingly popular approach to promote brands at the Internet: the use of brand websites. The study gives insight into factors influencing the effectiveness of these websites. Marketers can use this knowledge to improve the effectiveness of their websites.
Originality/value – The paper provides a valuable contribution to the literature on brand websites. The paper can form the basis for future research on this topic.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Hye-Jin Paek, Jay (Hyunjae) Yu and Beom Jun Bae, “Is On-Line Health Promotion Culture-Bound? Cultural Characteristics Manifested in U.S. and South Korean Antismoking Web Sites,” Journal of Advertising, 38.1 (Spring 2009): 35-48.
Keywords: Web sites, health promotion, computer network resources, anti-smoking movement, cross-cultural studies
Abstract: Our study examined three aspects of cultural characteristics manifested in U.S. and South Korean antismoking Web sites: cultural values (i.e., Hofstede’s [1980] individualism/collectivism), cultural contexts (Hall’s [1976] high/low cultural context), and culture-bound health promotion strategies drawn from existing theories in other disciplines. Our findings seem to partially support Hall’s cultural context framework, but not Hofstede’s cultural value framework. They also indicate that on-line health promotion is indeed culture bound in the sense that health promotion strategies—that is, subjective norm, social support and modeling–are used more frequently in South Korean antismoking Web sites than in their U.S. counterparts. Managerial and academic research implications for global advertising researchers and marketers, as well as health promotion practitioners, are provided.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Yuping Liu and L. J. Shrum, “A Dual-Process Model of Interactivity Effects,” Journal of Advertising, 38.2 (Summer 2009), 53-68.
Keywords: Persuasion, Web site usability, Attitude, Interactive marketing, Web sites, Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals, Human-computer interaction
Abstract: Interactivity is generally considered to enhance persuasion. However, there are circumstances in which interactivity may serve as an inhibiting factor. This paper proposes and tests a dual-process model of interactivity effects that posits differential effects of interactivity on persuasion depending on person and situation factors. Results of an experiment that manipulated level of website interactivity and task involvement and measured user ability (Internet usage experience) show that under low-involvement conditions, the mere presence of interactivity served as a peripheral cue that led to more positive attitudes regardless of ability (experience). However, under high-involvement conditions, interactivity elicited more positive attitudes for experienced users but less positive attitudes for inexperienced users. Implications for the use of interactivity in advertising and promotions are discussed.  
Method: Model Building
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Justine Rapp, Ronald Paul Hill, Jeannie Gaines and R Mark Wilson, “Advertising and Consumer Privacy: Old Practices and New Challenges,” Journal of Advertising, 38.4 (Winter 2009): 51-61. 
Keywords: Consumer behavior, Internet marketing, Advertising, Consumers, United  States, Purchasing, Moral and ethical aspects, Attitudes
Abstract: It is every company’s goal to gain the most from investments in advertising. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that sustained spending in advertising is needed to maintain high levels of sales, the concept of marketing persistence suggests that short-term advertising campaigns can have long-lasting impacts on sales. This study offers a first glimpse of the long-term effect of television advertising on sales in China through the use of a marketing-persistence model. Significant marketing persistence was found in sales of consumer durables, whereas there were mixed results in sales of non-durables. Based on the findings, implications for long-term marketing resource deployment are suggested.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Anthony D. Miyazaki, Andrea J. S. Stanaland and May O. Lwin, “Self-Regulatory Safeguards and the Online Privacy of Preteen Children,” Journal of Advertising, 38.4 (Winter2009): 79-91.
Keywords:  Internet advertising, Internet and children, Privacy, Advertising laws, Disclosure of information, personal information management
Abstract: Online advertisers are increasingly enjoying the ability to target messages to specific segments based on information collected at Web sites. Information collection, particularly from children, has been an ongoing concern of regulators, consumer advocates, and advertising industry organizations. Although the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has advocated the implementation of safeguards (such as warnings, threats, and barriers) designed to limit children’s online disclosure of sensitive information, little research to date has examined the effectiveness of these safeguards. We address this issue by first examining the current state of online safeguards for Web sites that target preteen children, a group shown to be particularly vulnerable to the persuasive efforts of marketers. We then present a quasi-experimental investigation of online safeguard types and how their effectiveness in limiting preteen information disclosure is moderated by the mediation strategies of parents. Implications for advertisers, policymakers, parents, and educators are discussed. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Policy

George R. Milne, Andrew Rohm and Shalini Bahl, “If It’s Legal, Is It Acceptable? Consumer Reaction to Online Covert Marketing,” Journal of Advertising, 38.4 (Winter 2009): 107-122.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The authors examine the impact on consumers’ purchase likelihood after learning about online covert marketing practices. The findings suggest that while learning of online covert marketing practice lowers purchase likelihood, it is moderated by contextual factors including prior purchase experience, whether the company is well known or a start-up, and whether covert marketing involved information gathering or promotions. Consumer background variables were also found to moderate the negative impact on purchase likelihood resulting from consumers learning about online covert marketing activities. Conjoint scenarios were examined and a segmentation study was conducted based on a national survey of U.S. consumers. Implications for advertisers and regulatory action are discussed. 
Method: Meta-Analysis 
Theory: Policy

Shintaro Okazaki, “The Tactical Use of Mobile Marketing: How Adolescents’ Social Networking Can Best Shape Brand Extensions,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.1 (March 2009): 12-26.
Keywords: Consumers, Internet marketing, Wireless communication systems, Internet  advertising, Interactive marketing, Direct marketing, Attitudes, Research, Evaluation, Management science
Abstract: The accelerating growth in mobile Internet communications is giving rise to a new form of interactive marketing. This research identifies the factors that affect youth consumer participation in a mobile-based word-of-mouth (WOM) campaign. The study used a “real” brand promotion—a new men’s hairstyling wax launched in the adolescent market—to stimulate interest and participation. Specifically, consumers were encouraged to spread the information via WOM and participate in a hairstyle photo contest. A core attitudinal model consisted of interpersonal connectivity, self-identification with the mobile device, affective commitment to the promoted brand, attitude toward the campaign, and willingness to make referrals. The data—based on the responses from 1,705 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 years—fit the model well and provided empirical support for all the hypothesized relationships. The model was further analyzed in terms of latent mean structures, which revealed that face-to-face WOM elicited stronger affective brand commitment and attitude toward the campaign than mobile-based WOM. This pattern is reversed, however, in the willingness to make referrals, suggesting that mobile-based WOM may be persuasive even when adolescents are less interested in the campaign content.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Joe Laszlo, “The New Unwired World: An IAB Status Report on Mobile Advertising,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.1 (March 2009): 27-43.
Keywords: Internet marketing, Internet advertising, Market penetration, Telecommunications, Wireless Application Protocol (Computer network protocol), Interactive marketing, Research, Technological innovations, Internet industry
Abstract: Mobile advertising is one of the most exciting new frontiers in interactive advertising in the United States. As the internet is reinvented on mobile devices–smaller, more personal and personalized, ubiquitously accessible–established forms of interactive advertising will also evolve as they migrate from PCs to mobile devices. This study offers a guide to this emerging platform in the United States. It was compiled by the author with input from the Interactive Advertising Bureau Mobile Advertising Committee, a group including more than 100 agencies, advertisers, and media companies committed to making mobile a more efficient and effective platform. 
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Sheena Leek and George Christodoulides, “Next-Generation Mobile Marketing: How Young Consumers React to Bluetooth-Enabled Advertising,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.1 (March 2009): 44-53.
Keywords: Bluetooth technology, Wireless communication systems, Marketing, Internet marketing, Advertising, Management, Research, Customer services 
Abstract: Mobile devices are attractive media for directly communicating with consumers who have become busier and more difficult to reach. While SMS (short message service) advertising has received some attention in the literature, Bluetooth-enabled advertising is still unexplored. This research aims to investigate younger consumers’ acceptance of Bluetooth-delivered advertising. Although the majority of the respondents were willing to accept this form of advertising, they needed both to be in control of the frequency with which they receive messages and also to be reassured that the medium could ensure privacy and security. The research further indicated that peers influence the acceptance of Bluetooth-driven advertising. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Roman Friedrich, Florian Gröne, Klaus Hölbling and Michael Peterson, “The March of Mobile Marketing: New Chances for Consumer Companies, New Opportunities for Mobile Operators,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.1 (March 2009): 54-61.
Keywords: Marketing, Consumer satisfaction, Consumer relations, Cell phone advertising, Advertising, Customer services, Customer lifetime value  
Abstract: The mobile channel offers an exciting opportunity for marketers–one that most have yet to fully embrace. One avenue to pursue is the creation of a branded mobile offering, in which the marketer creates a portal dedicated to its product, service, or brand. With constant access to each customer, branded mobile portals can build interactive relationships by identifying consumers not only in terms of personal identity, but also in terms of commercial behavior, geographic location, and social and communication patterns. When consumers sign up for a branded mobile channel, they get access to a variety of distinct offerings that can include exclusive content as well as applications, games, special opportunities, incentives, and emotional experiences–all of which reinforce the value of the sponsoring m brand far beyond its standard uses. The rewards for companies that capitalize on these possibilities–deeper engagement with consumers, increased brand loyalty, and enhanced customer lifetime value–are not to be missed.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Dinaz Kachhi and Michael W. Link, “Too Much Information: Does the Internet Dig Too Deep?” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.1 (March 2009): 74-81.
Keywords: Consumers, Marketing, Management, Right of Privacy, Privacy, Internet, Marketing Research, Evaluation, Social aspects
Abstract: A lot of attention has been focused on the array of digital measurement tools; relatively less consideration has been given to people’s acceptance of these devices. There is no limitation in developing sophisticated measurement tools. However, the challenge is overcoming the perception of these devices as a privacy threat. Therefore, a set of questions was designed to determine people’s attitudes and behaviors toward privacy issues linked to participation in television and internet measurement by recruiting 2,900 respondents using the Intercept methodology. The data analysis indicated distinct demographic patterns of attitudes and behaviors toward privacy issues. These findings are discussed in terms of determining strategies to improve participation in research efforts. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Gian M. Fulgoni and Marie Pauline Morn, “Whither the Click? How Online Advertising Works” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.2 (June 2009): 134-142.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Online advertising spending In the United States exceeds $20 billion annually.  However, click rates on display advertisements average only 0.1 percent. Are low click rates evidence that display advertisements have no impact on consumer behavior? Or, does display advertising work in a manner similar to traditional “branding” advertising, with multiple exposures being required to effect a change in consumer behavior? This article shows that the click is not an accurate indicator of the effectiveness of online display advertisements. Even when click rates are minimal, display advertisements can generate meaningful increases in site visitation, trademark search, and both online and offline sales. 
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jenni Romaniuk, “The Efficacy of Brand-Execution Tactics in TV Advertising, Brand Placements, and Internet Advertising” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.2 (June 2009): 143-150.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This article examines brand-execution tactics in television, internet video advertising, and in brand placement within TV programs. Multiple studies provide evidence that showing the brand early and often—and having at least one verbal mention enhances brand recall. By contrast, the evidence is mixed for verbal frequency, and there is not support for the brand simply being present for a long time. A review of current practice across a variety of media finds considerable scope for improvement in brand execution.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Alan Wurtzel, “Now. Or Never: An Urgent Call to Action for Consensus on New Media Metrics,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.3 (September 2009): 263-266.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: As we all wait for the upfront season to begin— presumably before the first snowfall—we are still in the middle of an economic crisis that is rocking the media industry: whether you are a content provider, a buying agency, a creative agency or a client who needs to market and advertise through the media, you are facing some serious challenges. Moreover, there is another looming crisis that, if not addressed now, could have a profoundly detrimental effect on the media business long after the end of the current recession. It’s the crisis in measurement. You can’t sell what you can’t measure, and, unfortunately, our measurement systems are not keeping up with either technology or consumer behavior.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Leah Spalding, Sally Cole and Amy Fayer, “How Rich-Media Video Technology Boosts Branding Goals: Different Online Advertising Formats Drive Different Brand-Performance Metrics,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.3 (September 2009): 285-292.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Why use rich media in brand campaigns? More than 4,000 online campaigns in Dynamic Logic’s MarketNorms® database were compared to identify the brand impact of those campaigns that used rich media as compared to those that used “simple” Flash and image formats. Delta scores for the campaigns were compared across five branding metrics. Results indicated that campaigns using rich-media formats generally had stronger branding effects compared to campaigns using GiF/JPG and “simple- Flash formats. Campaigns using rich-media advertisements with video features showed the strongest performance. The results suggest new strategies for improving brand campaign performance based on advertising format choice. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Caleb J. Siefert, Ravi Kothuri, Devra B. Jacobs, Brian Levine, Joseph Plummer and Carl D. Marci, “Winning the Super ‘Buzz’ Bowl: How Biometrically-Based Emotional Engagement Correlates with Online Views and Comments for Super Bowl Advertisements,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.3 (September 2009): 293-303.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Super Bowl advertisements have become almost as famous as the game itself. Between production costs and the price of air time, companies who advertise in the Super Bowl do so at considerable expense. Return on investment for Super Bowl advertisements is strengthened by wide viewership, pre-game media chatter, and post-game buzz among consumers. Not all advertisements, however, generate the same degree of buzz. Recent models of advertising effectiveness have emphasized the importance of emotions, suggesting that advertisements that engage consumers on emotional levels will be most effective. This study examines how emotional engagement with Super Bowl advertisements relates to an important area of consumer response: online buzz. A biologically-based measure of audience engagement was used to monitor a sample of adults {N = 30) as they viewed Super Bowl XLII live. Advertising scores derived from biometric response ratings for Super Bowl advertisements were highly correlated with online buzz (i.e., the number of times an advertisement was commented on and the number of times it was viewed online). Results of the study are discussed with regard to the role of emotions in advertising and the utility of biometric measures for assessing consumers’ emotional engagement with advertising content.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Lea M. Wakolbinger, Michaela Denk and Kuus Oberecker, “The Effectiveness of Combining Online and Print Advertisements: Is the Whole Better than the Individual Parts?” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.3 (September 2009): 360-372.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract:  Cross-media advertising has received wide attention from practitioners over the last years, but there are only few experimental studies that analyze the effectiveness of integrating online and print advertising. Contributing to this relevant research field, this article analyzes advertising effectiveness of print and online media as well as the impact of combining these two media forms on overall advertising effectiveness. This study supports existing findings that print and online advertising feature the same advertising effectiveness. The experimental data, however, also indicate advantages of cross-media advertising. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kartik Pashupati, “Beavers, Bubbles, Bees, and Moths: An Examination of Animated Spokescharacters in DTC Prescription-Drug Advertisements and Websites,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.3 (September 2009): 373-393.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Several prescription drug brands use animated characters in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. This article draws on the literature on spokescharacters to address four research questions:
• What different types of animated spokescharacters are used in DTC advertising?
• How are prescription drug marketers using spokescharacters in DTC advertising?
• To what extent are these characters integrated into the websites for these brands?
• Is there any evidence that the use of animated spokescharacters enhances advertising effectiveness?
Animated characters are used in various ways, such as the symbol of a disease, a victim, or as the mechanism of action. Brands vary greatly in their integration of spokescharacters into DTC websites. Evidence from secondary data indicates that brands using spokescharacters perform better than average in recall and in brand-association tests. 
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Robert Walker, Raymond Pettit and Joel Rubinson, “The Foundations of Quality Initiative: A Five-Part Immersion into the Quality of Online Research,” Journal of Advertising Research, 49.4 (December 2009): 463-485.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In the pages that follow, the Journal of Advertising Research presents the preliminary results of a quality-of-research initiative—a Foundations of Quality (FoQ) collaboration that includes the likes of Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft, Microsoft, Bayer, Capital One, General Motors, and ESPN. It’s a program driven by the research community with contributions from 17 sample providers who account for an estimated 75 percent of all online research conducted in the United States.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Maria Elizabeth Grabe, Rasha Kamhawi and Narine Yegiyan, “Informing Citizens: How People with Different Levels of Education Process Television, Newspaper, and Web News,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.1 (March 2009): 90-111.
Keywords: Mass media and culture, Mass media, Press, Memory, Television broadcasting of news, News web sites, Newspapers, News syndicates, Television broadcasting, Internet publishing and broadcasting and web search portals 
Abstract: This experiment tested the interaction of media channels (television, newspaper, and the Web), time delay, and the education level of audience members, using three memory measures. The lower education group encoded, stored and retrieved television news information best while they showed less memory capacity for newspaper and Web news. For the higher education group, the opposite pattern emerged. They had better memory for newspaper and Web versions of news, compared to television. With time delay, these patterns persisted. They were also robust when controlling for participant evaluations of the news stories in terms of interest, informativeness, and understandability. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jeong Yeob Han, Robert P. Hawkins, Bret R. Shaw, Suzanne Pingree, Fiona McTavish and David H. Gustafson, “Unraveling Uses and Effects of an Interactive Health Communication System,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.1 (March 2009): 112-133.
Keywords: Communication in medicine, Content analysis, Health education, Computer network resources, Quality of life, Health insurance, Health attitudes
Abstract: By developing a number of measures distinguishing amount, type of content, and when and how that content is used, the current study revealed effective patterns of use that are associated with quality of life benefits during an eHealth intervention. Results generally suggest that the benefits depend on how a patient uses the system, far more than on sheer amount of exposure or even what type of content is chosen. The next generation of eHealth system should focus on providing new and varying content over time, but even more on encouraging intensity of use and long-term commitment to the system.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Paul Haridakis and Gary Hanson, “Social Interaction and Co-Viewing with YouTube: Blending Mass Communication Reception and Social Connection,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.2 (April 2009): 317-335.
Keywords: Social networks, Television viewers, Social psychology, Exchange theory (Sociology), Mass media social aspects, YouTube LLC, Other Individual and Family Services
Abstract: This study examined whether motives and individual differences (social activity, interpersonal interaction, locus of control, sensation-seeking, innovativeness and YouTube affinity) predicted viewing videos on YouTube and sharing videos with others. Consistent with uses and gratifications assumptions, motives and individual differences differentially predicted viewing and sharing behaviors. Participants viewed videos for information seeking, and viewed and shared videos for entertainment, co-viewing and social interaction. Results suggest that while people watch videos on YouTube for some of the same reasons identified in studies of television viewing, there is a distinctly social aspect to YouTube use that reflects its social networking characteristics.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Chul-Joo Lee, “The Role of Internet Engagement in the Health-Knowledge Gap,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.3 (July 2009): 365-382.
Keywords: Internet users, Knowledge gap theory, Research, Medical care, Computer network resources, Poor and medical care Rich and medical care, Socioeconomic factors, Information behavior  
Abstract: The current research posits that education leads to differential levels of Internet engagement, which moderate the association between Internet use for health information and general health knowledge. Using a nationally representative survey that covers adults between the ages of 40 and 70 in the United States, study found that education is positively related to Internet engagement. Also, Internet use has stronger associations with health knowledge for people exhibiting high Internet engagement than for people exhibiting low Internet engagement. The implications of these findings for research on both Internet use and knowledge gaps are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Edward Ted M. Kian, Michael Mondello and John Vincent, “ESPN—The Women’s Sports Network? A Content Analysis of Internet Coverage of March Madness,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.3 (July 2009): 477-495.
Keywords: Content analysis, News web sites, Sports journalism, Hegemony, ESPN (Television network), Internet publishing and broadcasting and web search portals, Internet and women, NCAA Basketball Tournament, College basketball
Abstract: The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if gender-specific descriptors regularly found in television and newspaper sport coverage were present in two popular online sites from the emerging medium of Internet sport journalism. Descriptors given to players and coaches during the 2006 NCAA Division I women’s and men’s basketball tournaments by ESPN Internet and CBS SportsLine were examined. Results contradicted gender-specific descriptors found in previous studies on sport media coverage that scholars have argued help uphold hegemonic masculinity in sport.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kevin Wise, Paul Bolls, Justin Myers and Sternadori Miglena, “When Words Collide Online: How Writing Style and Video Intensity Affect Cognitive Processing of Online News,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.4 (October 2009): 532-546.
Keywords: Online journalism, Journalism authorship, Journalism editing, Cognition and internet videos, video recordings, Mass media audiences, Mass media research, research, social aspects, Psychological  aspects
Abstract: This experiment explored how the writing style of online news, defined as inverted pyramid versus narrative, affects the cognitive processing of accompanying video clips. Forty seven participants read 4 online news stories and viewed the accompanying video clips. Results suggested that reading inverted pyramid stories may require allocation of more cognitive resources to encoding a related video clip. Recognition for story details was more accurate for stories in narrative than inverted pyramid style. Results are discussed in terms of a distinction between cognitive processing involved in “getting there” versus “being there” during exposure to online news. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Wilson Lowrey and Kyun Soo Kim, “Online News Media and Advanced Learning: A Test of Cognitive Flexibility Theory,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.4 (October 2009): 547-566.
Keywords: Educational psychology, Online journalism, Journalism, Mass media audiences, Mass media research, Mass media social aspects, Research, Learning, Psychology of research, Cognitive learning theory 
Abstract: This study looks at how audiences of online news media could benefit from an application of cognitive flexibility theory (CFT), a constructivist theory from the field of education psychology. CFT posits that when case examples from a complex, “ill-structured” knowledge area are interwoven with conceptual perspectives, individuals can better apply learning across diverse settings. Researchers propose that news stories on complex issues lend themselves to CFT. Results suggest that the CFT format offers greater efficiency and some advantages for more knowledgeable and involved audiences, and for frequent Web users. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Monica Ancu and Raluca Cozma, “MySpace Politics: Uses and Gratifications of Befriending Candidates,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53.4 (October 2009): 567-583.
Keywords: Exchange theory (Sociology), Political candidates, Internet, Internet users, Mass Media, MySpace Inc., Online social networks, Political aspects, political activity 
Abstract: This study examines the uses and gratifications (U&G) of accessing political candidate profiles on social network Web sites. An online survey of visitors to the MySpace profiles of 2008 primary candidates revealed that voters are drawn to this source of political information mainly by the desire for social interaction with other like-minded supporters, followed by information-seeking, and entertainment. While information seeking and entertainment are common U&G of consuming online political content, they were weaker factors compared to the social interaction factor that seems to distinguish MySpace, possibly SNSs in general, from other online sources of political content. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Magdalena E. Wojcieszak and Diana C. Mutz, “Online Groups and Political Discourse: Do Online Discussion Spaces Facilitate Exposure to Political Disagreement?” Journal of Communication, 59.1 (2009): 40-59.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To what extent do online discussion spaces expose participants to political talk and to cross-cutting political views in particular? Drawing on a representative national sample of over 1000 Americans reporting participation in chat rooms or message boards, we examine the types of online discussion spaces that create opportunities for cross-cutting political exchanges. Our findings suggest that the potential for deliberation occurs primarily in online groups where politics comes up only incidentally, but is not the central purpose of the discussion space. We discuss the implications of our findings for the contributions of the Internet to cross-cutting political discourse.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Patti M. Valkenburg and Jochen Peter, “The Effects of Instant Messaging on the Quality of Adolescents’ Existing Friendships: A Longitudinal Study,” Journal of Communication, 59.1 (2009): 79-97.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Recent studies suggest that instant messaging (IM) is positively related to the quality of adolescents’ existing friendships. However, most of these studies were based on cross-sectional correlational data. In addition, most studies have focused on direct effects of IM on the quality of friendships without exploring mediating variables that may explain these effects. The aim of this study was to fill these two lacunae in the literature. We hypothesized that IM, which is mostly used to communicate with existing friends, stimulates the quality of friendships, via its potential to stimulate intimate online self-disclosure. A sample of 812 Dutch adolescents between 10 and 17 years of age were surveyed twice within a 6-month interval. IM had a positive longitudinal effect on the quality of adolescents’ existing friendships. This direct positive effect could be explained entirely by adolescents’ tendency to disclose intimate information online.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Tom Kelleher, “Conversational Voice, Communicated Commitment, and Public Relations Outcomes in Interactive Online Communication,” Journal of Communication, 59.1 (2009): 172–188.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Organizations face unique challenges in communicating interactively online with publics that comprise dauntingly large numbers of individuals. This online survey examined the perceptions of people who had experienced interactive communication with a large consumer-tech-industry company via organizational blogs. Those reporting the greatest exposure to the blogs in this study were more likely to perceive the organization as communicating with a conversational voice. Conversational human voice and communicated relational commitment (relational maintenance strategies) correlated positively with trust, satisfaction, commitment and control mutuality (relational outcomes). Building on prior research, this survey supports a model of distributed public relations—one in which key outcomes of public relations are fostered by a wide range of people communicating interactively while representing an organization. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Jeffrey T. Hancock and Catalina L. Toma, “Putting Your Best Face Forward: The Accuracy of Online Dating Photographs,” Journal of Communication, 59.2 (2009): 367-386.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study examines the accuracy of 54 online dating photographs posted by heterosexual daters. We report data on (a1) online daters’ self-reported accuracy, (b) independent judges’ perceptions of accuracy, and (c) inconsistencies in the profile photograph identified by trained coders. While online daters rated their photos as relatively accurate, independent judges rated approximately 1/3 of the photographs as not accurate. Female photographs were judged as less accurate than male photographs, and were more likely to be older, to be retouched or taken by a professional photographer, and to contain inconsistencies, including changes in hair style and skin quality. The findings are discussed in terms of the tensions experienced by online daters to (a) enhance their physical attractiveness and (b) present a photograph that would not be judged deceptive in subsequent face-to-face meetings. The paper extends the theoretical concept of selective self-presentation to online photographs, and discusses issues of self-deception and social desirability bias.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Jochen Peter and Patti M. Valkenburg “Adolescents’ Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material and Notions of Women as Sex Objects: Assessing Causality and Underlying Processes,” Journal of Communication, 59.3 (2009): 407-433.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The aim of this study was to clarify causality in the previously established link between adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) and notions of women as sex objects. Furthermore, the study investigated which psychological processes underlie this link and whether the various influences varied by gender. On the basis of data from a three-wave panel survey among 962 Dutch adolescents, structural equation modeling initially showed that exposure to SEIM and notions of women as sex objects had a reciprocal direct influence on each other. The direct impact of SEIM on notions of women as sex objects did not vary by gender. However, the direct influence of notions of women as sex objects on exposure to SEIM was only significant for male adolescents. Further analyses showed that, regardless of adolescents’ gender, liking of SEIM mediated the influence of exposure to SEIM on their beliefs that women are sex objects, as well as the impact of these beliefs on exposure to SEIM.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Magdalena Wojcieszak, “‘Carrying Online Participation Offline’—Mobilization by Radical Online Groups and Politically Dissimilar Offline Ties,” Journal of Communication, 59.3 (2009): 564-586.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study analyzes survey data obtained from members in neo-Nazi and environmentalist discussion forums. It assesses the links between participation in radical and ideologically homogeneous online groups and two forms of political engagement (Movement Support and Movement Promotion). This study also tests whether perceived political dissimilarity of offline friends and family (core ties) and of more distant interpersonal associates (significant ties) encourages or thwarts political engagement and whether it moderates the influence exerted by online groups. As expected, political engagement among the analyzed respondents increases with online participation, also controlling for extremism, political discussion and news media use. Although dissimilar core ties neither encourage nor discourage political engagement, they moderate the mobilizing influence from neo-Nazi and radical environmentalist online groups. Dissimilar significant ties, in turn, do not directly affect political engagement and do not interact with online participation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Dmitri Williams, Mia Consalvo, Scott Caplan and Nick Yee, “Looking for Gender: Gender Roles and Behaviors among Online Gamers,” Journal of Communication, 59.4 (2009): 700-725.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Several hypotheses regarding the importance of gender and relationships were tested by combining a large survey dataset with unobtrusive behavioral data from one year of play. Consistent with expectations, males played for achievement-oriented reasons and were more aggressive, especially within romantic relationships where both partners played. Female players in such relationships had higher general happiness than their male counterparts. Contrary to stereotypes and current hypotheses, it was the female players who played the most. Female players were also healthier than male players or females in the general population. The findings have implications for gender theory and communication-oriented methods in games and online research—most notably for the use of self-reported time spent, which was systematically incorrect and different by gender.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

J.A. McArthur, “Digital Subculture: A Geek Meaning of Style,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 33.1 (2009): 58-70.
Keywords: subculture; cultural studies; geek; computer-mediated communication;
virtual communities
Abstract: Recent scholarship in critical/cultural studies and ethnography has suggested studies of youth subculture can no longer be solely centered around musical preference, and that the Internet may be a new resource for the affiliation and expression of sub-cultural identity. This study furthers this scholarship through the analysis of one such group: the “geeks.” Through examination of Internet sites devoted to the subculture, this analysis argues that geeks who affiliate in self-assigned Web-based chat rooms demonstrate the characteristics, community, and style common to the expanding conceptualizations of Internet-based subculture. This study adds strength to the argument that the Internet can simultaneously be a gathering site for sub-culturalists and a medium for expression of sub-cultural identity.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Mark Cenite, Michelle Wanzheng Wang, Chong Peiwen and Germaine Shimin Chan, “More Than Just Free Content: Motivations of Peer-to-Peer File Sharers,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 33.3 (2009): 206-222.
Keywords: copyright; file sharing; peer to peer
Abstract: This study explores file sharers’ reported motivations for downloading and uploading content on peer-to-peer networks, including ethical obligations guiding file sharing. Drawing on Lessig’s classification of purposes of file sharing and Giesler’s theoretical framework of gifting systems, 40 in-depth interviews were conducted with file sharers in Singapore using a standard protocol, then transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Downloading is perceived as an alternative through which users satisfy desires that existing markets do not meet. Respondents reported downloading to avoid long waits for content to arrive in Singapore; to access difficult-to-find and censored content; to sample content, including content outside their usual tastes; and because downloading is convenient and free. Respondents reported a norm of reciprocity and sense of community that motivated them to upload and an obligation to purchase content they liked. Implications for understanding and combating file sharing during the inevitable transition to other business models are discussed. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Andrea Hoplight Tapia, Alison Powell and Julio Angel Ortiz, “Reforming Policy to Promote Local Broadband Networks,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 33.4 (2009): 354-375.
Keywords:  broadband policy; digital inclusion; community and municipal Wi-Fi; case studies
Abstract: Most existing assessments of local Wi-Fi projects have concentrated on either top-down, government-driven endeavors, or bottom-up projects developed by volunteers or community organizations. In both Canada and the United States, existing local Wi-Fi projects—both top down and bottom up—have failed to fulfill expectations that they could increase digital inclusion. Current policy frameworks may play some role in these failures. This article argues for a policy approach that favors hybrid public broadband that is neither completely bottom up nor top down, and for the development of policy frameworks that support hybrid public broadband.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy

Kate Milberry and Steve Anderson, “Open Sourcing Our Way to an Online Commons: Contesting Corporate Impermeability in the New Media Ecology,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 33.4 (2009): 392-412.
Keywords: Information society; Code; Computer-mediated-communication; Corporate colonization of cyberspace; Critical communication studies
Abstract: Understanding the social dynamics shaping the Internet is vital as media power takes on new dimensions in the digital realm. The Internet is increasingly necessary for participation in social life yet corporations continue to shape the online architecture to suit their own narrow commercial interests. In their drive to enclose the Internet, online media companies create synergistic membranes with prescribed circuits that constrain user freedoms. Taken together, these synergistic membranes form a new layer of the internet – the Google layer, which constrains and commodifies users’ range of motion within a narrow, privatized slice of the world wide web. This jeopardizes the creation of a commons-based communications system with a public service orientation, something that is essential to participatory and democratic dialogue. The open architecture of the Internet, characterized and supported by free and open source software (FOSS), defends the digital commons against cyber-enclosure. Social practices and values that distinguish FOSS comprise a libratory praxis as well as an alternative vision of social organization offline that prefigures a more democratic media system, and broadly construed, a more democratic society.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Seounmi Youn, “Determinants of Online Privacy Concern and Its Influence on Privacy Protection Behaviors Among Young Adolescents,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43.3 (Fall 2009): 389-418.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: With Rogers’ protection motivation theory as the theoretical framework, this study identified determinants of young adolescents’ level of privacy concerns, which, in turn, affects their resultant coping behaviors to protect privacy. Survey data from 144 middle school students revealed that perceived risks of information disclosure increased privacy concerns, whereas perceived benefits offered by information exchange decreased privacy concerns. Subsequently, privacy concerns had an impact on risk-coping behaviors such as seeking out interpersonal advice or additional information (e.g., privacy statement) or refraining from using Web sites that ask for personal information. Counter to our expectation, privacy self-efficacy did not appear to be related to privacy concerns. Implications of privacy education to protect online privacy among young adolescents were discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Amit Poddar, Jill Mosteller and Pam Scholder Ellen, “Consumers’ Rules of Engagement in Online Information Exchanges,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43.3 (Fall 2009): 419-448.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This research reveals three perceptual themes or “rules of engagement” used by consumers when personal information is requested in online exchanges. The themes-the criticality of the exchange, felt invasion, and fair play-underlie the choice of responses from compliance to blatant falsification of information to company requests. Identified from consumers’ in-depth interviews, these themes, along with the range and variations of response behaviors, reveal that consumers’ motivations vary from very simple rules to more customized rules. Our findings may help firms understand consumers’ interpretation of online informational requests better and identify factors that influence how consumers respond.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

George R. Milne, Lauren I. Labrecque and Cory Cromer, “Toward an Understanding of the Online Consumer’s Risky Behavior and Protection Practices,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43.3 (Fall 2009): 449-473.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This research draws upon protection motivation theory and social cognitive theory to investigate the extent to which the level of perceived threat and likelihood of threat along with online self-efficacy affect online behaviors. This article contributes to the literature by investigating a wide range of risky and protective behaviors and examining the role of online self-efficacy with a national online survey of 449 non-student respondents. Results show that both self-efficacy and demographic factors such as age have a differential impact on the type of behaviors taken online.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Andrea J. S. Stanaland, May O. Lwin and Susanna Leong, “Providing Parents with Online Privacy Information: Approaches in the US and the UK,” Journal of Consumer Affairs, 43.3 (Fall 2009): 474-494.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Policy makers are faced with the task of ensuring that parents are offered information on children’s Web sites to help them reduce their children’s online privacy risks. This exploratory research compares the approaches of two countries with different regulatory philosophies regarding children’s privacy: the United States, with a limited and sectoral approach to general privacy but a formalized approach to children’s online privacy, and the United Kingdom, with a comprehensive overarching approach to privacy, but no formal stipulations for children’s privacy. Researchers examined privacy statements on 100 children’s Web sites from each country in order to compare the products of each regulatory environment.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Michelle Hough and Andrzej Kobylanski, “Increasing Elder Consumer Interactions with Information Technology,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26.1 (2009): 39-48.
Keywords: Communication technologies, older consumers, Marketing mix
Abstract: Purpose – Advances in health care are enabling individuals to live longer, healthier lives. Although the use of information technology can improve the quality of life for the elderly, many older consumers choose to limit their interactions with information technology and so may be denied its potential benefits for enhancing quality of life. This paper seeks to explore factors impacting the engagement of consumers aged 65 and older with higher forms of IT, primarily PCs and the internet, and to examine the potential effectiveness of marketing methods toward improving diffusion and increasing engagement.
Design/methodology/approach – Citing published research and using previously known models (TAM and Trocchia and Janda’s interaction themes) the study highlights possible ways of using marketing tools to increase elder consumer interaction with IT.
Findings – Marketers should focus efforts on reference group affiliation, nature of social relations, perception of reality, and physical dexterity as the interaction themes on which to focus marketing efforts, because they seem to be a most effective mechanism for influencing engagement. 
Research limitations/implications – The paper represents an initial attempt to identify potential influences toward increasing the IT adoption by elder consumers. It presents a theoretical framework for the future investigation of the diagnosed problem: what are the ways of successfully influencing the adoption of information technology by older consumers by using traditional components of marketing mix (product, price, promotion, and place)?
Originality/value – In the fast pace of technology advancement and the potential for assistance for elder members of society, the paper discusses how to market the use of IT to consumers aged 65 and older and considers the factors that could be related to product, price, place, and promotion in this context.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Policy

Carlos Flavian and Raquel Gurrea, “Users’ Motivations and Attitude Towards the Online Press,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26.3 (2009): 164-174.
Keywords: Internet, Newspapers, Motivation (psychology), Customer satisfaction, Attitudes
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how the advent of the Internet not only affects the way in which newspapers work, but also has an impact on readers’ behavior. This research seeks to identify the readers’ motivations as the key determinants of the attitude towards digital newspapers, and to analyse their impact on that attitude.
Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative studies are used to identify the motivations and establish the hypotheses, and a survey is applied to a representative sample of users. The scales are validated and refined, after which the hypotheses are tested by way of a structural equation model.
Findings – The results confirm the existence of positive significant relationships between motivations related to the knowledge of current news, search for specific information and search for updated news, with the favorable attitude to digital newspapers. However, entertainment as a motivation for reading impacts negatively on the readers’ attitude. Also, habit as a motivation is more and more positively associated with the attitude towards the digital press.
Research limitations/implications – The main motivations that influence the attitude to the new electronic dailies should be considered by the management with the aim of differentiating the digital channel. Thus, it could be possible to calm some fears re the cannibalism between digital and traditional channels in the journalistic sector. Accordingly this research points out that the knowledge of readers’ needs and motivations could be a starting-point for developing marketing strategies.
Originality/value – The research is one of the first studies that analyses Internet user behavior on the part of press readership and employs the uses and gratifications theory for the journalistic business.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Alex Gofman, Howard R. Moskowitz and Tonis Mets, “Integrating Science into Web Design: Consumer-driven Web Site Optimization,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26.4 (2009): 286-298.
Keywords: Worldwide web, Regression analysis, Experimental design, Consumer research
Abstract: Purpose – This paper sets out to explore different approaches to optimizing web sites based on consumer preferences, introducing the most advanced form of landing page optimization, multivariate landing page optimization, and its variations. The approach aims to allow for the testing of a large number of web page prototypes with consumers and find real optimal solutions on an aggregated, segmented and individual basis. The latter aims to paving the road to individually optimized pages and one-on-one marketing in the near future.
Design/methodology/approach – The approach described employs a new variation of multivariate landing page optimization to improve customer experiences with web sites through optimal design of the landing pages. The approach uses consumer insights-driven rule-developing experimentation (RDE) introduced by the authors and developed in cooperation with Wharton School of Business.
Findings – A disciplined experimentation based on statistically sound experimental designs produces much better web page designs. The resulting web pages have increased consumer acceptability, improved conversion rates and general customer experience.
Practical implications – Consumer research should be a central part in planning how to optimize web site experiences. The steps of fitting it into the web design are shown. There are already several readily available tools for effecting this.
Originality/value – The approach could help marketers create better web sites that consumers like and which will help marketers to differentiate their respective web sites from their competitors.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Calin Gurau and Ashok Ranchhod, “Consumer Privacy Issues in Mobile Commerce: a Comparative Study of British, French and Romanian Consumers,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26.7 (2009): 496-507.
Keywords: Consumers, Privacy, Mobile communication systems, Europe
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims on one hand to provide a comparison of mobile consumers’ perceptions regarding privacy issues in three different national and cultural contexts (England, France and Romania), and on the other hand, to investigate the strategic approach taken by respondents for protecting their privacy.
Design/methodology/approach – Both secondary and primary data are collected and analysed. Secondary data collection focuses on the topic of consumer privacy issues in mobile commerce. Primary data collection was realised between March-June 2008, when 300 mobile device users answered to a face-to-face questionnaire, in each of the three investigated countries.
Findings – Both the country of origin and the personal profile of users, are influencing their perception regarding privacy threats in the mobile commerce environment, as well as the privacy protection strategy they adopt.
Research limitations/implications – This study has an exploratory approach, the results being mostly descriptive. The findings can provide a useful insight for marketers, legislators and consumers regarding the privacy related concerns and behaviors in the mobile commerce environment.
Originality/value – This study realizes a multi-country comparative analysis regarding the perceptions of mobile device users, and investigates the influence of their profile on the personal privacy protection strategy adopted in the mobile commerce environment. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Anne Laure Sellier and Amitava Chattopadhyay, “Valuing Time: Moderate Download Times Can Improve Online Goal Pursuit,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19.2 (2009): 236–245. 
Keywords: Time perception; Motivation; E-commerce; Information search; Self regulation; Regulatory fit
Abstract: This research examines how the length of time for which a goal is interrupted affects goal pursuit, in an online context. Goal interruption duration in the form of long download time duration has been identified as a significant impediment to electronic commerce. It is believed that a faster download time is always better to motivate web users to keep surfing. We challenge this belief. In three studies, we find that, under certain circumstances, longer rather than shorter download times motivate web users to keep surfing longer. The counterintuitive pattern of effects can be explained by web users’ fit experiences (Higgins, 2000) while surfing. In particular, our findings suggest that when online surfing “feels right”, web users think that online information is right.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ann E. Schlosser, “The Effect of Computer-mediated Communication on Conformity vs. Nonconformity: An Impression Management Perspective,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19.3 (2009): 374-388.
Keywords: N/A
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.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Cathy Yi Chen, “Who I Am and How I Think: The Impact of Self-Construal on the Roles of Internal and External Reference Prices in Price Evaluations,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19.3 (2009): 416-426.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Drawing from self-construal studies on cognitive styles as well as reference price literature, this research investigates the impact of independent versus interdependent self-construal on consumers’ use of internal reference prices (IRPs) and external reference prices (ERPs) during price evaluations. Three experiments reveal that IRPs have a larger impact on price evaluations for participants who are primed with an independent (vs. interdependent) self-construal, whereas ERPs have a larger impact for participants who are primed with an interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal. The differential impact of self-construal on the use of IRPs and ERPs seems to be mediated by a generalized, perceived sense of connectedness/separateness. Implications on reference price research, self-construal and cognitive styles are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Eun-Ju Lee and David W. Schumann, “Proposing and Testing the Contextual Gender Influence Theory: An Examination of Gender Influence Types on Trust of Computer Agents,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19.3 (2009): 450-460.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The purpose of this research is to examine gender-based determinants of consumer trust towards computer agents. Employing multiple literatures, authors propose a contextual gender influence theory (CGIT) that has direct bearing on trust in online exchange relationships. A set of studies is presented that begin to demonstrate how the effects of gender identity on human-to-computer interaction are not the same for person-to-person interaction. Indeed, employing both gaming and shopping exchange environments, the results reveal that while biological gender identity appears in a person-to-person interaction as concerns trust, psychological gender identity (specifically femininity) and not biological gender identity, influences relationship trust online.
Method: Model Building
Theory: Social Interaction

Annamma Joy, John Sherry Jr., Alladi Venkatesh and Jonathan Deschenes, “Perceiving Images and Telling Tales: A Visual and Verbal Analysis of the Meaning of the Internet,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19.3 (2009): 556-566.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper uses visual and verbal analysis to delve into the multi-faceted ways in which individuals construct their own meanings and shape their own experiences with the Internet. Study builds on the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique, and the principles of visual rhetoric to show how perceptual processes affect picture choices, and how these choices contribute to the narrative imagination. Numerous perceptual principles [abstraction, concept formation, perceptual problem solving, constancy, closure, symmetry and balance] are identified in the choice and organization of visual images. The argument made is that images and words (visual and textual processes) provide deeper insights into our understanding of consumer online experiences. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

June Cotte and Kathryn A. Latour, “Blackjack in the Kitchen: Understanding Online versus Casino Gambling,” Journal of Consumer Research, 35.5 (2009): 742-758.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: About $10 billion a year is spent by consumers worldwide on online gambling, and that number continues to grow. We present a qualitative, image-based study of 30 Las Vegas online and casino gamblers. By examining online gambling as a consumption experience, stud examines what happens to consumption meaning as gambling moves away from a regulated physical space to an unregulated online space, one accessed from home.  Study explores the meaning of online gambling consumption to consumers and flesh out the social welfare implications of our findings. 
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mariko Morimoto and Susan Chang, “Psychological Factors Affecting Perceptions of Unsolicited Commercial E-mail,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 31.1 (Spring 2009): 63-73.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Using the online survey method, this study investigates how consumers regard unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam) and their possible responses. Specifically, the study closely examines the relationships among five key indicators: (a) perceived intrusiveness, (b) perceived irritation, (c) attitudes toward the advertising medium, (d) ad skepticism, and (e) ad avoidance. Also examined is the process of attitude formation concerning unsolicited commercial e-mail. The results indicate that while perceived intrusiveness increases the likelihood of avoiding unsolicited commercial e-mail, perceived irritation tends to raise the degree of ad skepticism.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mira Lee, Shelly Rodgers, and Mikyoung Kim, “Effects of Valence and Extremity of eWOM on Attitude toward the Brand and Website,” Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 31.2 (Summer 2009): 1-12.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Two studies were conducted to examine the influence of valence and extremity of consumer product reviews on attitude toward the brand and attitude toward the website. Each experiment was a one factor (valence/extremity: extremely negative, moderately negative, extremely positive) between subjects design with a control group. Results in both studies showed that although extremely positive reviews increased attitude toward the brand, even a moderate amount of negativity negated this effect. Moreover, extremely negative reviews had a stronger influence on attitude toward the brand than either moderately negative reviews or extremely positive product reviews, thus supporting both negativity and extremity effect. Findings also show that varying degrees of brand review valence and extremity influenced attitude toward the website depending on website type (i.e., retailer vs. brand).
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sara Steffes Hansen, “Brands Inspiring Creativity and Transpiring Meaning: An Ethnographic Exploration of Virtual World Play,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.2 (Spring 2009). 
Keywords: Avatar, Brands, Games, Internet, Self-Presentation, Symbolic Interactionism, Virtual Worlds
Abstract: This study uses participant observation to undertake an ethnographic exploration of the meanings of brands and objects in an online virtual world. Through the perspective of symbolic interactionism and the theory of self-presentation, the meanings of brands and objects emerge in relation to status in game play. Players create user-generated content with brands to gain status within and outside of the game. Game advertisers encourage players to create branded objects related to their avatars through clothing, accessories, pictures, and machinima. Similarly, players use non-advertised brands to create avatar names, clothing designs, advertisements, and other communications. The process of social interaction influences status meanings in the multifaceted communication among players, the game, and advertisers, with impacts on self-presentation.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Ginger Rosenkrans, “The Creativeness and Effectiveness of Online Interactive Rich Media Advertising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.2 (Spring 2009). 
Keywords: rich media, interactivity, online advertising, creativity, effectiveness, rollovers, click-throughs
Abstract: This field experiment attempts to determine whether online, interactive, rich media advertising garners more user interactivity, measured as click-throughs, than non-interactive, rich media ads run during the same time frame on a major regional newspaper’s Web site. The interactive rich media ad may generate more interactivity with regard to its click-through rates compared with mouse rollovers. Various interactivity theories, creativity literature and distinctiveness theory provide a framework. The online, interactive, rich media ad designed for this study appeared on a major regional newspaper’s host site for two weeks to obtain comparative data with non-interactive, rich media ads. The analysis of the comparative data used descriptive and inferential statistics. The interactive, rich media ad earned significantly higher click-through rates than the non-interactive, rich media ads. It also garnered more user engagement and encouraged more user interactivity. The interactive ad exhibits higher levels of interactivity, which increase user involvement, as indicated by the mouse rollover findings.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Shintaro Okazaki, “Mobile Finds Girls’ Taste: Knorr’s New Product Development,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.2 (Spring 2009). 
Keywords: Blogging, Events and experiences, Mobile-based campaign, New product development
Abstract: This paper describes one case pertaining to Knorr’s mobile-based new product development projects in Japan. Knorr Foods, a subsidiary of Ajinomoto Inc., has tried to involve younger female consumers in the development of a new Soup Pasta, announcing the project at a popular fashion event, the Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC), whose star models became official project members. Knorr created a mobile campaign site, on which star model members maintain their blogs and report their participation in the product development process. The discussion threads serve as input for the idea generation and screening. Through this project, Knorr developed a new Soup Pasta that embodies the key attributes identified in the mobile blogs. The new product was introduced at the following year’s TGC venue, during which sampling took place through catering trailers.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Kim Bartel Sheehan and Deborah K. Morrison, “The Creativity Challenge: Media Confluence and Its Effects on the Evolving Advertising Industry,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.2 (Spring 2009). 
Keywords: Creative, new media, Internet, collaboration
Abstract: The advertising landscape has experienced dramatic change over the past several years, as consumers spend more time online, have more control over traditional advertising vehicles, and chose to create and share their own content. As a result, some advertisers are evolving to a confluence culture where traditional methods of work must adapt to embrace the new reality of interactive content, emerging media, and production/consumption methods. In this essay, we show how agencies like 22squared and advertisers like CNN are finding new ways to connect with consumers and build their brands. Implications for professionals and educators are provided.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Martha G. Russell,  “A Call for Creativity in New Metrics for Liquid Media,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9.2 (Spring 2009). 
Keywords: N/A 
Abstract: This paper presents a call for creativity, within adaptive structures, to develop new metrics for new media.  It first reviews recent innovations in audience metrics for online media, including some evolving metrics for the Web 2.0 media ecosystem.  It then describes the disciplinary roots of academic research on which the current understanding of audience engagement and persuasion are based.  It further describes current software and hardware developments that are driving a new era of liquid media.  A framework for conceptualizing layers of media delivery and audience engagement that will be enabled by these new technologies is described.  Recommendations are made for collaboration between academics and practitioners in order to rapidly pursue an understanding of advertising effectiveness in this new environment and to develop metrics that can be harnessed to monetize audience engagement, rationalize media expenditures, and create reporting structures for sharing insights. 
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Policy

Fue Zeng, Li Huang and Wenyu Dou, “Social Factors in User Perceptions and Responses to Advertising in Online Social Networking Communities,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 10.1 (Fall 2009). 
Keywords: Online social networking communities, advertising responses, social factors
Abstract: With the advent of popular Web destinations such as MySpace and Facebook, online social networking communities now occupy the center stage of e-commerce. Yet these online social networking communities must balance the trade-off between advertising revenue and user experience. Drawing on the sociology and advertising literature, this study investigates the impacts of social identity and group norms on community users’ group intentions to accept advertising in online social networking communities. By outlining how this type of group intention could influence community members’ perceptions and value judgments of such advertising, this study delineates possible mechanisms by which community members may respond positively to community advertising. The authors test the proposed theoretical framework on a sample of 327 popular online community users in China and obtain general support. Implications for the prospect of advertising in online social networking communities are discussed. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis  
Theory: Social Interaction

Steven M. Edwards, Jin Kyun Lee and Carrie La Ferle,  “Does Place Matter When Shopping Online? Perceptions of Similarity and Familiarity as Indicators of Psychological Distance,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 10.1 (Fall 2009).  
Keywords: Distance, Psychological Distance, Trust, Store Location 
Abstract : This research investigates the role of physical location in online consumer purchases, as demonstrated through the concept of distance. Distance conveys a sense of not only space between objects in the physical world but also psychological distance between people and others. This study tests various combinations of both physical and psychological distance between subjects and companies, brands, and cities in which the companies are located. The findings affirm the power of relationships to reduce feelings of mistrust and suggests a new avenue for research into the role of similarity and familiarity as important variables in purchase decisions online. 
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Seung-A Annie Jin and Justin Bolebruch, “Avatar-Based Advertising in Second Life: The Role of Presence and Attractiveness of Virtual Spokespersons,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 10.1 (Fall 2009). 
Keywords: avatars, advergames, multimodal interaction, virtual shopping, e-commerce  
Abstract : Avatar-based, three-dimensional, virtual environments such as Second Life, the most popular and fastest growing environment, offer a promising corporate communication channel for brand marketing, advergaming and interactive advertising. Drawing on presence literature, this study examines the effects of the presence (versus absence) of spokes-avatars that provide product information and consumers’ multimodal interactions with these spokes-avatars on improvements in the consumers’ product involvement, attitude toward the product, and enjoyment of the online shopping experience. In addition, this study investigates the effects of spokes-avatars’ physical characteristics in terms of humanness (versus non-humanness) on consumers’ evaluation of their physical attractiveness and the information value of the advertisement message. A path analysis reveals a mediating role of spokes-avatars’ physical attractiveness.  
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Carolynn McMahan, Roxanne Hovland and Sally McMillan, “Online Marketing Communications: Exploring Online Consumer Behavior by Examining Gender Differences and Interactivity within Internet Advertising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 10.1 (Fall 2009). 
Keywords: Internet advertising, interactivity, online consumer behavior and gender
Abstract: To explore gender differences in Internet advertising, this study analyzes gender in relation to interactivity. Specifically, assessments of commercial Web sites help clarify the role of gender for online consumer behavior, its effect on interactivity and advertising effectiveness, and the implications for online marketing communications. This exploration relies on dimensions of consumers’ online behavior and consumers’ beliefs about the interactive communication environment in relation to three types of features: human-to-human, human-to-computer, and human-to-content. The investigation of gender differences in Internet advertising uses both computer observations with screen-capturing software and a survey. The study subjects are college-aged students, or Generation Y, a group of consumers who tend to go online in great numbers, have considerable spending power, and are computer savvy.  
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jiyoung Cha, “Shopping on Social Networking Web Sites: Attitudes toward Real versus Virtual Items,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 10.1 (Fall 2009). 
Keywords: Social networking Web sites, online shopping, virtual, real, technology acceptance model
Abstract: Assuming that shopping is a business area into which U.S. social networks can expand, this study explores whether and how factors affecting shopping attitudes on social networking sites may differ according to product type. This study focuses on two types of items that social networking sites carry: real and virtual. It reveals that shopping services have different target consumers and factors according to product type. Age, usefulness, ease of use, security and fit are critical in establishing favorable attitudes toward shopping for real items. For virtual items, gender, social networking site experience, ease of use, and fit influence the attitudes.  
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Yoonhyeung Choi and Ying-Hsuan Lin, “Consumer Responses to Mattel Product Recalls Posted on Online Bulletin Boards: Exploring Two Types of Emotion,” Journal of Public Relations Research, 21.2 (2009): 198-207.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Drawn from attribution theory, this article introduces two types of emotion (i.e., attribution independent and attribution dependent emotion) and explores their role in the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) model. A content analysis of consumer responses to the Mattel product recalls posted on online bulletin boards revealed that consumers experience a range of emotions from a crisis. A regression analysis suggests that crisis responsibility is a significant predictor of anger, fear, surprise, worry, contempt and relief, and indicates that these are attribution dependent emotions. Alert and confusion were the most frequently expressed attribution independent emotions identified in this study. In testing a revised SCCT model, a significant negative relationship was found between alert, anger, and organizational reputation. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Keri K. Stephens and Patty C. Malone, “If the Organizations Won’t Give Us Information…: The Use of Multiple New Media for Crisis Technical Translation and Dialogue,” Journal of Public Relations Research, 21.2 (2009): 229-239.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study expands crisis message strategies to include those used to communicate technical details and examines them across multiple new media. A content analysis of blogs, Web sites, news articles and press releases from the 2007 pet food recall crisis reveals that when stakeholders affected by the crisis desire emotional support—most frequently found in blogs—they do not include any types of technical explanations in their messages. Yet when they want rectification—assurance that the crisis will not happen again—they use more elaborate forms of technical translation explanations. Organizational use of technical translation explanations differ between media with Web sites and news articles containing more elaborate technical translation than press releases. When technical translation details are used, dialogic links, such as Web site links, are included.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sung-Un Yang and Joon Soo Lim, “The Effects of Blog-Mediated Public Relations (BMPR) on Relational Trust,” Journal of Public Relations Research, 21.3 (2009): 341-359.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Key features of blog-mediated public relations are conducive to initiating and nurturing relationships with publics. As a result, blogs have emerged as a new venue for public relations in recent years. Many public relations practitioners have come to realize that blogging is not just a fad and have recognized a growing trend of blogging adoption in the industry—suggesting a need for common principles of successful public relations blogging practices. This study selected the following critical features of effective blog-mediated public relations: salience of narrative structure, dialogical self, blogger credibility and interactivity. Using these concepts, the researchers proposed a theoretical model in explaining relational trust as a central outcome of effective blog-mediated public relations. Findings showed that dialogical self in blog posts enhanced interactivity, which, in turn, led to an increase in relational trust. Additionally, this study found that blogger credibility played a positive role in relational trust.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Matthew W. Ragas and Marilyn S. Roberts, “Agenda Setting and Agenda Melding in an Age of Horizontal and Vertical Media: A New Theoretical Lens for Virtual Brand Communities,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86.1 (Spring 2009): 45-64.
Keywords:  Agenda setting theory, Mass media, Hierarchy of needs theory, Cognitive dissonance theory, Spiral of silence theory, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., Brand name products, Competition, Product attributes, Data analysis, Branding, Literature reviews
Abstract: This study tests agenda-setting theory and the agenda-melding hypothesis in the context of brand actors and virtual brand communities. The aggregate attribute agendas of brand-controlled communications, news media content, and a virtual brand community are analyzed. The results indicate a positive relationship between the brand agenda and brand community agenda, and an unexpected negative relationship between the media agenda and brand community agenda. In terms of agenda melding, the data indicate that the brand community, when divided by various demographic measures into subgroups, reflects attribute agendas that remain similar to the aggregate brand community agenda.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Agenda Building/Setting

Leslie-Jean Thornton and Susan M. Keith, “From Convergence to Webvergence: Tracking the Evolution of Broadcast-Print Partnership Through the Lens of Change Theory,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86.2 (Summer 2009): 257-276.
Keywords: Mass media, Newspapers, Television stations, Online journalism, Mass media, Management, Mass media and technology, Digital media, Multimedia systems, Web sites, Television broadcasting of news, Partnerships, Strategic Alliances, Economic aspects 
Abstract: This study, based on a 2008 survey of news directors in the top 100 U.S. markets and editors at U.S. newspapers with circulations greater than 25,000, found evidence of a decline in the print-broadcast convergence model. Only about half the responding newsrooms had convergence partners, and notable percentages had ended collaborations. Among the remaining partners, convergence was often practiced at a low level of integration that did not include online collaboration. Instead, most TV stations and newspapers were following what the authors call a “Webvergence” model, producing multimedia independently for their own Web sites. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kirsten A. Johnson and Susan Wiedenbeck, “Enhancing Perceived Credibility of Citizen Journalism Web Sites,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86.2 (Summer 2009): 332-348.
Keywords:  Citizen journalism, Online journalism, Digital media, Journalism, Hypertext systems, World Wide Web, Web sites, News audiences, Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals, Hyperlinks, Research, Objectivity, Social aspects, Amateur journalism, Evaluation 
Abstract: This study examined whether information about a writer and hyperlinks on a citizen journalism Web site affected the perceived credibility of stories. Participants read stories from a popular citizen journalism Web site and rated the stories in terms of perceived credibility. Results show that hyperlinks and information about the writer do enhance perceived story credibility. Credibility is enhanced most greatly when both hyperlink and writer information are included and, to a lesser extent, when just hyperlink or writer information is present.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Chan Yun Yoo, “The Effects of Persuasion Knowledge on Click-Through of Keyword Search Ads: Moderating Role of Search Task and Perceived Fairness,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86.2 (Summer 2009): 401-418.
Keywords:  Internet advertising, Internet searching, Persuasion, Internet users, Mass media, Communication—Psychological aspects, Advertising, Research, Information-seeking strategies, Keyword spam, Psychological aspects, Keywords 
Abstract: This study examines the effects of persuasion knowledge and conditions that influence its impact in the context of keyword search ads. Students participated in an experiment featuring a 2 (persuasion knowledge: primed vs. not primed) x 2 (search tasks: complex vs. less complex) between-subjects design with a covariate (perceived fairness). Results reveal online users are less likely to click through keyword search ads when they are aware that advertisers’ persuasion attempts are at work. However, this negative impact is attenuated when the search task is complex and level of perceived fairness of the ad practice is high.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mark Leccese, “Online Information Sources of Political Blogs,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86.3 (Fall 2009): 578-593.
Keywords: Blogs, Internet, Communication—Political aspects, Journalism—Political aspects, Citizen journalists, Mass media and education, Mass media and public opinion, Mass media and technology, Political aspects
Abstract: Bloggers claim to be crucial providers of information in American elections and -policy debates, usurping the role of mainstream media. This study coded more than 2,000 hypertext links to different sources on six widely read political blogs during seven consecutive days. Less than 15% of hyperlinks were to primary sources. Almost half were to mainstream media reports. Thus, political blogs may be comparable to a newspaper comprised of only op-ed pages and opinion columnists. The findings call into question the role of political blogging and raise concerns about how blog readers are learning about public policy and political debates. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Hsiang Iris Chyi and Mengchieh Jacie Yang, “Is Online News an Inferior Good? Examining the Economic Nature of Online News Among Users,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86.3 (Fall 2009): 594-612.
Keywords: Newspapers, Newspapers—Circulation, Web publishing, Internet users, News audiences, Press, PEW Research Center, News Syndicates; Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals, Economic aspects 
Abstract: The U.S. newspaper industry is transitioning from print to online, but users’ response to online news has fallen short of expectations and thus raised questions about the economic viability of the new medium. This study explores the economic concept of “inferior goods” and its applicability to online news consumption. Analysis of Pew Research Center survey data shows that as income increases, consumption of online news decreases, other things being equal. Therefore, online news is an inferior good among users. 
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

L. Marvin Overby and Jay Barth, “The Media, the Medium, and Malaise: Assessing the Effects of Campaign Media Exposure with Panel Data,” Mass Communication and Society, 12.3 (2009): 271-290.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In this article we extend recent work on exposure to campaign advertisements, comparing the effects of television ads, radio ads, and campaign-related e-mails using an unusual panel data set that provides information on multiple media sources. Our findings, which control for the endogeneity problem that has plagued much work in political communications, confirm that media exposure does affect citizen attitudes. We also find additional evidence that the medium matters, with exposure to television ads tending to undermine system-supporting attitudes, whereas exposure to radio ads has an overall positive effect; contrary to expectations, the ‘‘new medium’’ of campaign e-mails had no discernible effect.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sue Robinson, “The Cyber-Newsroom: A Case Study of the Journalistic Paradigm in a News Narrative’s Journey from a Newspaper to Cyberspace,” Mass Communication and Society, 12.4 (2009): 403-422.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This narrative and discourse analysis documents the multi-year news coverage of a scandalous mayoral investigation in The Spokesman-Review as it moved from a printed version to an online one. The article sought to determine how multimedia and interactivity changed the essential news’ web of facticity (a Gaye Tuchman term). A traditional understanding of the news paradigm informed this case analysis. The most significant finding was that the news story of Spokane, Washington, Mayor Jim West in the newspaper transformed into a story about the process of newsgathering on the Internet. A new, second-order newsroom – a cyber-newsroom – was created where readers and journalists jointly disseminated and repaired the news. In the process, the traditional journalistic paradigm shifted, and a new more layered, more complex news narrative resulted. A new model, called the ‘‘Cyber-Newsroom,’’ is proposed.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Kristine L. Nowak, Mark A. Hamilton and Chelsea C. Hammond, “The Effect of Image Features on Judgments of Homophily, Credibility, and Intention to Use as Avatars in Future Interactions,” Media Psychology, 12.1 (2009): 50-76.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Avatar characteristics influence the perception of the people they represent in a process that is remarkably similar to the way physical bodies influence person perception offline. This is consistent with the Social Responses to Computer Technologies model, which argues that people respond similarly to computers and people as long as sources are perceived to be intelligent. Similarly, Information Processing Theory suggests that the viewers apply the same evaluation sequences to nearly all sources and that more processing resources are allocated to perceiving an entity with social potential. To address the extent to which static avatars are perceived to be intelligent and human like, or have social potential, participants (N = 261) each evaluated a random set of 10 images as potential avatars. The avatars varied with respect to level of computer manipulation, visible indicators of masculinity, and anthropomorphism (having human characteristics). Results confirm that even static avatars are anthropomorphized and that visual characteristics influence perceptions of the avatars. Level of computer manipulation, masculinity, and anthropomorphism all influence perceived levels of realism, competence, and the sense of homophily with the avatar. The implications of these results for theory, future research, and for users and designers of communication systems are discussed.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Joachim Schroer and Guido Hertel, “Voluntary Engagement in an Open Web-Based
Encyclopedia: Wikipedians and Why They Do It,” Media Psychology, 12.1 (2009): 96-120.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The online encyclopedia Wikipedia is a highly successful ‘‘open content’’ project, written and maintained completely by volunteers. Little is known, however, about the motivation of these volunteers. Results from an online survey among 106 contributors to the Ger- man Wikipedia project are presented. Both motives derived from social sciences (perceived benefits, identification with Wikipedia, etc.) as well as perceived task characteristics (autonomy, skill vari- ety, etc.) were assessed as potential predictors of contributors’ sat- isfaction and self-reported engagement. Satisfaction ratings were particularly determined by perceived benefits, identification with the Wikipedia community, and task characteristics. Engagement was particularly determined by high tolerance for opportunity costs and by task characteristics, the latter effect being partially mediated by intrinsic motivation. Relevant task characteristics for contributors’ engagement and satisfaction were perceived auton- omy, task significance, skill variety, and feedback. Models from social sciences and work psychology complemented each other by suggesting that favorable task experiences might counter perceived opportunity costs in Wikipedia contributors. Moreover, additional data reported by Wikipedia authors indicate the importance of generativity motives.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Jesse Chandler, Sara Konrath and Norbert Schwarz, “Online and On My Mind: Temporary and Chronic Accessibility Moderate the Influence of Media Figures,” Media Psychology, 12.2 (2009): 210-226.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To investigate the influence of media figures on self-perception, on-line gamers reported how central their main videogame character (avatar) is to their own identity and answered questions about their avatar’s body size either before or after questions about their own body size. When the avatar was not central to the gamer’s identity, the avatar’s body size influenced gamer’s own body judgments only when the avatar was brought to mind by preceding questions. When the avatar was central to the gamer’s identity, it influenced gamers’ own body judgments independent of question order. In both cases, accessible avatars elicited assimilation effects on self-judgment. Study  concludez that media figures exert a chronic influence on self-judgment when they are central to the self.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Sriram Kalyanaraman and James D. Ivory, “Enhanced Information Scent, Selective Discounting, or Consummate Breakdown: The Psychological Effects of Web-Based Search Results,” Media Psychology, 12.3 (2009): 295-319.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Article reports results from three experiments that broadly examined Web users’ psychological responses to search results featured on a mock search engine. Study 1 examined the interplay between search result relevance and ad relevance and showed that the former is the critical variable in affecting user attitudes toward both the search engine and the ad. Study 2 offered further evidence regarding the overwhelming influence of search relevance, with study results suggesting that neither individual motivations nor ad relevance played a significant role in affecting user attitudes. Finally, Study 3 supported the proposition that the persuasiveness of a relevant text-based ad appearing with relevant search results can be enhanced by adding a visual image to the ad. We point out the implications of the findings and recommend future directions for media effects research in the domain of search engines.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

José van Dijck, “Users Like You? Theorizing Agency in User-generated Content,” Media Culture and Society, 31.1 (2009): 41-58.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: When Time designated ‘you’ as Person of the Year 2006, the editors paid tribute to the millions of anonymous web users who dedicate their creative energy to a booming web culture. The cover story heralded the many volunteers filling so-called user-generated content (UGC) platforms. After decades of vilifying the passive coach potato, the press now venerates the active participant in digital culture. But just who is this participant? Who is the ‘you’ in YouTube and what kind of agency can we attribute to this new class of media users? Are users indeed, as Time wants us to believe, the ‘many wresting power from the few’ – a collective power that will ‘change the way the world changes’? 
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Carlos Pereira, “Inequalities on the Web: Strengths and Weaknesses of a Political Economy Analysis,” Media Culture and Society, 31.2 (2009): 325-330.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Political economy has significantly contributed to media research by revealing how social processes and institutional pressures have operated and contributed to make the communication process accessible and tradable for larger audiences. However, the applicability of this theoretical tradition has been subjected to critiques with the advent and widespread use of the Internet and other quasi-synchronic means of communications. The reason for this is related to the potential empowerment of people to shape their own modes of production, distribution and consumption of content as they become able to navigate on the Internet and select what information they want to share/receive, in what format and at what moment in time. This article supports the view that the political economy tradition is still relevant in the study of present-day media and communications, particularly due to its ability to reveal social values and regimes of control that lie beyond people’s apparent autonomy in interacting with the material and symbolic aspects of the new media. This kind of research is precisely pertinent as inequality continues to exist in the digital environment, where a great number of worldwide web prime content providers still belong to a few media conglomerates.
Method: Interpretive – Policy Analysis
Theory: Policy

Dimitra L. Milioni, “Probing the Online Counterpublic Sphere: the Case of Indymedia Athens,” Media Culture and Society, 31.3 (2009): 409-432.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Although more than 40 years have gone by since Jürgen Habermas originally narrated the birth and the decline of the bourgeois public sphere (Habermas, 1989/1962), this ideal still holds a strong grip on our attempts to either critically examine or re-invent the idea of modern democracy. Since the mid- 1990s the work of Jürgen Habermas has become once again relevant, this time regarding the political impact of new information and communication technologies, and in particular the internet. Acknowledging the legitimation and steering crisis of the modern democratic state and the corrosion of the critical role of the current mass media system, many scholars turned to the new medium attempting to re-invent, on a normative as well as on an empirical basis, a politically functioning public sphere (Connery, 1997; Dahlberg, 2001; Knapp, 1997; Poster, 1997).
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Libby Lester and Brett Hutchins, “Power Games: Environmental Protest, News Media and the Internet,” Media Culture and Society, 31.4 (2009): 579-596.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Print and electronic news media have played a central role in environmental politics for 30 years: negotiating access, shaping meanings, circulating symbols. Environmentalists have responded with strategies and tactics created for and communicated through the news media. Protest action is one such strategy that has become ‘reflexively conditioned’ to an unprecedented level in its pursuit of media attention (Cottle, 2008: 853). It is for this reason that the internet and the worldwide web have been a tantalizing source of hope for activists over the past decade, offering the potential for independent information distribution devoid of the mediating effect of news journalists and the established news media industries. This article investigates and analyses how the recursive relationship between online digital ‘new media’ and print and electronic news media – or ‘old media’ – has unfolded (Jenkins, 2006), which is an important task if the precise dimensions of the power struggle occurring between environmental activists and news media sources are to be understood.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy

Dave Everitt and Simon Mills, “Cultural Anxiety 2.0,” Media Culture and Society, 31.5 (2009): 749-769.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Since the naming by Tim O’Reilly (2005) of ‘Web 2.0’ to signify a new phase in web development and user experience, the ‘2.0’ suffix has been applied in a number of disciplines to indicate a similarly new direction in that field. However, this borrowed branding can fail to transfer the culture of development and original intentions of the ‘Web 2.0’ label, and may therefore be applied without detailed knowledge of its origins. There is a case for examining the technical and cultural meaning of Web 2.0 in order to determine whether a deeper understanding of the history and original context of the label – and the technology behind it – have anything to offer toward a more intelligently informed ‘2.0’metaphor, or – fundamentally – whether its use in other contexts is meaningful in any case beyond the current phase of the web. To this end we explore the contrast between what may be termed ‘technology-independent’ applications of the metaphorical suffix and those that may be termed ‘technology-dependent’ with regard to how accurately they reflect the tenets behind the original concept. Additionally, we explore the drivers behind the rush to adopt the 2.0 suffix, and in particular its relation to contemporary discussion regarding how Media Studies needs to be ‘upgraded’ to Media Studies 2.0 in order to deal with new media.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Kari Andén-Papadopoulos, “Body Horror on the Internet: US Soldiers Recording the War in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Media Culture and Society, 31.6 (2009): 921-938.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Since the Kosovo conflict in 1999, attempts to manage the reporting of wars and conflicts, and specifically their visual representation, have accelerated. The global ‘information space’ is a key battlefront in the ongoing war against international terrorism, with all parties increasingly engaged in the production, distribution and mobilization of images to support their cause (Campbell, 2003; Keeble, 2004; Robinson, 2004; Webster, 2003; Taylor, 2003). The blurring of boundaries between those who are fighting and those who are documenting the war is critically manifested in the recent phenomenon of coalition soldiers logging on to the web from Iraq and Afghanistan, publicizing personal, at times shockingly brutal, photographs and video clips from the frontlines (Kennedy, 2008; Mortensen, 2007). The ability of global audiences to access the soldiers’ own images and stories directly through war blogs, mass emails and popular video-sharing sites such as YouTube and MySpace is opening up a new window on modern warfare that throws into sharp relief the ways in which mainstream media and governments cover the reality of war. The firsthand testimonials by soldiers actually living the war offer the public uncensored insights into the dark, violent and even depraved faces of warfare, thereby providing the basis for the kind of critical perspectives needed for a more open democratic debate. However, the soldiers’ visual recordings are at times so violent that they run the risk of severing the viewer’s emotional connection to what is represented. These hideous sights bring to a head the ongoing debates on the forms of witnessing called forth by the representations of distant suffering in the media (e.g. Boltanski, 1999; Chouliaraki, 2006; Hesford, 2004; Tait, 2008). If the moral justification for publicizing the death and agony of others lies in its potential for fostering an active public response,
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Policy

Deborah S. Chung, “How Readers Perceive Journalists’ Functions at Online Community Newspapers,” Newspaper Research Journal, 30.1 (Winter 2009): 72-81.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The exponential growth of online newspapers in the last decade may be considered a function of the Internet’s potential for interactivity, a key quality of new media. Such interactive qualities of the Internet provide unique opportunities for online news publications to engage their news audiences with increased control, multimedia storytelling experiences and interpersonal communication opportunities. Thus, online news publications allow their news audiences to have increased levels of experiences in their news consumption. The use of interactive features raises new questions about whether there are potentially transforming roles for journalists. In addition, the increasingly active news audiences have particular views about the news media that engage in different levels of interactivity through online news publications. This study examines an online community newspaper audience’s perceptions of current journalists’ roles, audience’s uses of interactive features and associations between the two, if any. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

John Russial, “Copy Editing Not Great Priority for Online Stories,” Newspaper Research Journal, 30.2 (Spring 2009): 6-16.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Responses from 155 U.S. newspapers revealed about half always copy edit their online stories. More than 15% reported they never copy edit, among them 25% with more than 100,000 circulation.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Brad Schultz and Mary Lou Sheffer,” Newspaper Managers Report Positive Attitudes about Blogs,” Newspaper Research Journal, 30.2 (Spring 2009): 30-43.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A survey showed that managers were positive about the role and value of blogging. More than 61% of the managers stated that their blog site contained advertising, yet only 39% reported profits.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Seungahn Nah and Deborah Chung, “Rating Citizen Journalists Versus Pros: Editors’ Views,” Newspaper Research Journal, 30.2 (Spring 2009): 71-84.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: A statewide survey of community newspaper editors found editors rated the importance of professional journalists’ roles higher than they rated citizen journalists’ roles. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

John Russial, “Growth of Multimedia Not Extensive at Newspapers,” Newspaper Research Journal, 30.3 (Summer 2009): 58-75.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Although the industry is moving in the direction of cross-platform work, this survey of U.S. newspapers found that it is not moving as quickly or completely as some observers indicate. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Hsiang Iris Chyi and Seth C. Lewis, “Use of Online Newspaper Sites Lags Behind Print Editions,” Newspaper Research Journal, 30.4 (Fall 2009): 38-53
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Analysis of newspaper market research data found that the newspaper’s print edition reaches far more local readers than does its online counterpart across each of the 68 metro dailies examined.
Method: Meta-Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Thomas Hargrove, Jerry Miller, Carl Stempel and Guido H. Stempel III, “Web Media Important Players in Spread of Knowledge About Issues,” Newspaper Research Journal, 30:4 (Fall 2009):98-101
Key Words: Campaign information source; Issue knowledge
Abstract: National survey of 1,015 randomly selected adults during presidential campaign asked respondents whether or not network TV, daily newspapers, blogs, TV news websites, newspaper websites and other news websites were useful sources of information about the campaigns.  Respondents also were asked to identify which candidate was associated with six issue positions.  While network TV newscasts and newspapers were most often mentioned as useful sources, those who said web media were useful sources knew more about the issues.
Method: Survey
Theory: Informing public

Jolene D. Smyth, Don A. Dillman, Leah Melani Christian and Mallory McBride, “Open-Ended Questions in Web Surveys: Can Increasing the Size of the Answer Boxes and Providing Extra Verbal Instructions Improve response Quality?” Public Opinion Quarterly, 73.2 (Summer 2009):  325-337.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Previous research has revealed techniques to improve response quality in open-ended questions in both paper and interviewer-administered survey modes. The purpose of this paper is to test the effectiveness of similar techniques in web surveys. Using data from a series of three random sample web surveys of Washington State University undergraduates, we examine the effects of visual and verbal answer-box manipulations (i.e., altering the size of the answer box and including an explanation that answers could exceed the size of the box) and the inclusion of clarifying and motivating introductions in the question stem. We gauge response quality by the amount and type of information contained in responses as well as response time and item non-response. The results indicate that increasing the size of the answer box has little effect on early responders to the survey but substantially improved response quality among late responders. Including any sort of explanation or introduction that made response quality and length salient also improved response quality for both early and late responders. In addition to discussing these techniques, we also address the potential of the web survey mode to revitalize the use of open-ended questions in self-administered surveys. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Mirta Galesic and Michael Bosnjak, “Effects of Questionnaire Length on Participation and Indicators of Response Quality in a Web Survey,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 73.2 (Summer 2009): 349–360.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper investigates how expected and actual questionnaire length affects cooperation rates and a variety of indicators of data quality in web surveys. We hypothesized that the expected length of a web-based questionnaire is negatively related to the initial willingness to participate. Moreover, the serial position of questions was predicted to influence four indicators of data quality. We hypothesized that questions asked later in a web-based questionnaire will, compared to those asked earlier, be associated with (a) shorter response times, (b) higher item-nonresponse rates, (c) shorter answers to open-ended questions, and (d) less variability to items arranged in grids. To test these assumptions, we manipulated the stated length (10, 20, and 30 minutes) and the position of questions in an online questionnaire consisting of randomly ordered blocks of thematically related questions. As expected, the longer the stated length, the fewer respondents started and completed the questionnaire. In addition, answers to questions positioned later in the questionnaire were faster, shorter and more uniform than answers to questions positioned near the beginning.  
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Diana C. Mutz, “Effects of Internet Commerce on Social Trust,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 73.3 (Fall 2009):  439-461.
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: As of the early 21st century, one of the most popular uses of the Internet is for online shopping.  This study examines how online purchasing affects levels of generalized social trust, a quality widely believed to be central to the health and well-being of contemporary societies. Drawing on two original studies, including an experiment embedded in a representative national survey, and a hybrid laboratory/field experiment, the study finds consistent evidence that positive e-commerce experiences promote generalized social trust. Author discusses the implications of these findings for the role of business in helping to maintain attitudes supportive of democracy.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Linchiat Chang and Jon A. Krisnick, ” National Surveys Via RDD Telephone Interviewing Versus the Internet: Comparing Sample Representativeness and Response Quality,” Public Opinion Quarterly, 73.4 (Winter 2009):  641-678. 
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: In a national field experiment, the same questionnaires were administered simultaneously by RDD telephone interviewing, by the Internet with a probability sample, and by the Internet with a non-probability sample of people who volunteered to do surveys for money. The probability samples were more representative of the nation than the non-probability sample in terms of demographics and electoral participation, even after weighting. The non-probability sample was biased toward being highly engaged in and knowledgeable about the survey’s topic (politics). The telephone data manifested more random measurement error, more survey satisficing, and more social desirability response bias than did the Internet data, and the probability Internet sample manifested more random error and satisficing than did the volunteer Internet sample. Practice at completing surveys increased reporting accuracy among the probability Internet sample, and deciding only to do surveys on topics of personal interest enhanced reporting accuracy in the non-probability Internet sample. Thus, the non-probability Internet method yielded the most accurate self-reports from the most biased sample, while the probability Internet sample manifested the optimal combination of sample composition accuracy and self-report accuracy. These results suggest that Internet data collection from a probability sample yields more accurate results than do telephone interviewing and Internet data collection from non-probability samples.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Juyan Zhang and Brecken Chinn Swartz, “Toward a Model of NGO Media Diplomacy in the Internet Age: Case Study of Washington Profile,” Public Relations Review, 35.1 (2009): 47-55.
Keywords: NGO, Public diplomacy, Media diplomacy, Internet
Abstract: This qualitative study explores values, perceived effectiveness and factors that affect effectiveness of the public diplomacy-oriented international news services by a U.S.-based non-governmental, not-for-profit organization. In-depth, semi-structured interviews are conducted with the staff of the organization. Results show that the key values that guide the operations include independence from government, journalistic objectivity and balance as well as reader education. The perceived effectiveness of NGO international news service is much higher than government-sponsored news programs in terms of reaching audiences, affecting elite groups and return of investment. The factors that affect the effectiveness include use of local journalists and editors as decision-makers, the Internet, censorship by governments of the target region, vision of the NGO leaders, dialogue approach, nongovernmental funding, and target elite niche audience.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Diana Ingenhoff and A. Martina Koelling, “The Potential of Web Sites as a Relationship Building Tool for Charitable Fundraising NPOs,” Public Relations Review, 35.1 (2009): 66–73.
Keywords: Nonprofit, Online-communication, Internet, Charitable fundraising NPOs, Web 2.0, Relationship building, Dialogical communication
Abstract: The Internet and especially the new challenges within Web 2.0 provide organizations with the possibility of encouraging two-way communication and engaging publics in dialogue. Charitable fundraising nonprofit organizations (NPOs) can particularly benefit from the Web’s relationship building potential. This study aims to explore the potential of Web sites as an online-communication tool of Swiss NPOs. Via content analysis, the Web sites of 134 Swiss charitable fundraising NPOs were examined in order to point out how those organizations are using the Web to create dialogic relationships with their most important stakeholder groups, which are potential donors and the media. Results indicate that the potential of the Internet for dialogic communication is not used efficiently by most NPOs. Nevertheless, NPOs seem to be acknowledging the importance of engaging publics in dialogue, as most of them replied to information requests from potential donors and the media. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Richard D. Waters, Emily Burnett, Anna Lamm and Jessica Lucas, “Engaging stakeholders through social networking: How nonprofit organizations are using Facebook,” Public Relations Review, 35.2 (2009): 102-106.
Keywords: Social networking, Facebook, Nonprofit organizations, Social media
Abstract: Since social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, began allowing organizations to create profiles and become active members, organizations have started incorporating these strategies into their public relations programming. For-profit organizations have used these sites to help launch products and strengthen their existing brands; however, little is known about how nonprofit organizations are taking advantage of the social networking popularity. Through a content analysis of 275 nonprofit organization profiles on Facebook, this study examines how these new social networking sites are being used by the organizations to advance their organization’s mission and programs. Solely having a profile will not in itself increase awareness or trigger an influx of participation. Instead careful planning and research will greatly benefit nonprofits as they attempt to develop social networking relationships with their stakeholders.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Hyunjin Seo, Ji Young Kim and Sung-Un Yang, “Global activism and new media: A study of transnational NGOs’ online public relations,” Public Relations Review, 35.2 (2009): 123-126.
Keywords: Online public relations, Nongovernmental organizations, New media, Internet, Global activism
Abstract: This study examines how transnational nongovernmental organizations make use of new media tools in their public relation activities and what factors influence their online public relations. A survey of communication representatives at 75 transnational NGOs based in the United States found that promoting the organization’s image and fund-raising were the two most important functions of new media for the NGOs. Organizational capacity and main objective of the organization were significant predictors of NGOs’ new media use in their public relations. However, organizational efficiency and revenue did not significantly predict NGOs’ use of new media.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Sooyoung Cho and Youngshin Hong, “Netizens’ Evaluations of Corporate Social Responsibility: Content Analysis of CSR News Stories and Online Readers’ Comments,” Public Relations Review, 35.2 (2009): 147-149.
Keywords: Corporate social responsibility, News, Readers’ comments, Crisis
Abstract: Analyzing stories about corporate social responsibility (CSR) published in two online Korean newspapers and reader’s comments about them, this study investigated how the online readers interpreted the CSR activities, looking at the effect of CSR types, situations, and the degree of corporate fame. The study found that readers tend to be cynical toward CSR activities after a crisis and a monetary donation type of CSR. In addition, the more famous the company, the more likely there were cynical comments about its CSR activities.
Method:  Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Joye Gordon and Susan Berhow, “University Websites and Dialogic Features for Building Relationships with Potential Students,” Public Relations Review, 35.2 (2009): 150-152.
Keywords: Dialogue, University recruitment, Webpage, Relationship building, Content analysis 
Abstract: Using Kent and Taylor’s dialogic principles, a content analysis of 232 university websites was conducted. Results indicate that liberal arts institutions tend to use more dialogic web features than national doctoral universities. Tier 3 institutions have a more significant number of dialogic website features than Tier 4 institutions. Finally, a small correlation was found between the use of dialogic features on the websites and higher rates of student retention and alumni giving.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Po-Lin Pan and Jie Xu,  “Online Strategic Communication: A Cross-cultural Analysis of U.S. and Chinese Corporate Websites,” Public Relations Review, 35.3 (2009):  251-253.
Keywords: Cultural divergence, Online marketing interactivity, Corporate public image, Social responsibility
Abstract: This study applied a cultural divergence approach to examine online marketing interactivity and corporate public image on corporate websites. It analyzed different online strategic communication of corporate websites from two different nations—the United States and China. Results indicated that U.S. corporations were more likely to highlight online marketing interactivity and social responsibility, which integrated marketing and public relations as their online communication strategy. Chinese corporations provided more online spaces for the consumer–consumer interactions and emphasized corporation-oriented information.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Ruthann Weaver Lariscy, Elizabeth Johnson Avery, Kaye D. Sweetser and Pauline Howes, “An Examination of the Role of Online Social Media in Journalists’ Source Mix,” Public Relations Review, 35.3 (2009):  314-316.
Keywords: Social media, Public relations, Practitioner, Agenda building, Information subsidy, Journalist, Business
Abstract: Using telephone surveys of business/financial journalists in the United States (n = 200), this research investigates the agenda-building role of social media content in journalists’ work. Understanding that more non-public relations content from user-generated and social network sites, like YouTube and Twitter, are fast becoming resources for journalists to get story ideas, break scandals and find sources, the authors began this scholarly work to determine the frequency of such uses of social media. Overall, findings indicate very little use of social media by these business journalists. Results and implications for public relations practitioners are discussed in detail.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Social Interaction

Denise Sevick Bortree and Trent Seltzer, “Dialogic Strategies and Outcomes: An Analysis of Environmental Advocacy Groups’ Facebook profiles,” Public Relations Review, 35.3 (2009):  317-319.
Keywords: Social networking sites, Dialogic communication, Online relationship building, Environmental advocacy
Abstract: Previous studies of advocacy groups’ Web sites suggest that the use of dialogic strategies could lead to greater dialogic communication. This study examined whether dialogic strategies utilized by environmental advocacy groups via their social networking profiles lead to greater dialogic engagement between organizations and visitors. This study offers the first examination of the relationship between the creation of an online space for dialogue and actual dialogic engagement by identifying and measuring six dialogic outcomes. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Social Interaction

Sheila M. McAllister-Spooner, “Fulfilling the Dialogic Promise: A Ten Year Reflective Survey on Dialogic Internet Principles,” Public Relations Review, 35.3 (2009):  320-322.
Keywords: Dialogic theory of public relations, Dialogic Internet principles, Web-based public relations
Abstract: A decade ago, using the dialogic theory of public relations as the theoretical framework, Kent and Taylor [Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (1998).  Building a dialogic relationship through The World Wide Web. Public Relations Review, 24, 321–340; Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2002). Toward a dialogic theory of public relations. Public Relations Review, 28, 21–37] provided a strategic framework to facilitate relationships with publics though the World Wide Web. Based on a review of research exploring Web-based public relations practices drawing on Kent and Taylor’s theoretical framework, this essay offers a ten-year reflective survey on past, current, and future directions of Kent and Taylor’s Internet principles, as they relate to the dialogic theory of public relations.
Method: Interpretive Essay (including History)
Theory: Social Interaction

Sung-Un Yang and Minjeong Kang, “Measuring Blog Engagement: Testing a Four-Dimensional Scale,” Public Relations Review, 35.3 (2009):  323-324.
Keywords: Blog engagement, Interactivity, Self-company connection, Company attitude, Word-of-mouth intentions
Abstract: This study proposed and validated a measurement scale of blog engagement. The researchers explicated the concept of blog engagement as the likelihood and outcomes of interactive blog communication that encompass cognitive, attitudinal and behavioral attachment. Following this definition, a four-dimensional scale was tested. This study suggests that interactive blogs can enhance self-company connection, positive attitudes toward the company and supportive WOM intentions.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Social Interaction

Gang (Kevin) Han and Ai Zhang, “Starbucks is Forbidden in the Forbidden City: Blog, Circuit of Culture and Informal Public Relations Campaign in China,” Public Relations Review, 35.4 (2009):  395-401.
Keywords:
Keywords: International public relations, Circuit of culture model, Blog, Web-based activism, Starbucks China
Abstract: This study offers an in-depth analysis on the closedown of a Starbucks café inside the Forbidden City, one of the most recognized historic sites in Beijing, China, under the pressure of a Web-based activist campaign. Adopting the circuit of culture model, this study illustrates the intricate role of culture in international public relations within an Internet-based media context, as well as the tension surrounding the conflicting identities between Starbucks’ global presence and the local sensitivity attached to the cultural heritage—the Forbidden City. This study also highlights the role of new media (e.g., blogs) in China and its impact on international public relations practice.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy

Ruth Avidar, “Social Media, Societal Culture and Israeli Public Relations Practice,” Public Relations Review, 35.4 (2009):  437-439.
Keywords: Social Media, Societal culture, Public relations practice, Israel, Internet
Abstract: The aim of this study is to explore Israel’s societal culture as an environment with which public relations practice has to align. It asks whether Israeli public relations practitioners use social media elements, how do they perceive these elements and what do they think about their future? A web-based survey revealed that Israeli practitioners generally are willing to use and gain experience with social media elements although this usage is still in its initial stage.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy

Marichris Diga and Tom Kelleher, “Social Media Use, Perceptions of Decision-making Power, and Public Relations Roles,” Public Relations Review, 35.4 (2009):  440-442.
Keywords: Public relations, Social media, Public relations roles, Decision-making power, Social network sites
Abstract: Public relations practitioners in this study who were more frequent users of social network sites and social media tools reported greater perceptions of their own structural, expert and prestige power. Forty of 115 members of a PRSA chapter responded to the survey request. In terms of day-to-day practice, the sample matched national samples of practitioners, with manager and technician questionnaire items loading on the exact same factors as in prior studies. However, those enacting predominantly manager roles did not differ significantly from those enacting predominately technician roles in social media use. This study points to the need for future research to examine more closely the use of social media in the daily roles of public relations practitioners.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Policy

Tom Robinson, Mark Callister, Brad Clark and James Phillips, “Violence, Sexuality, and Gender Stereotyping: A Content Analysis of Official Video Game Web Sites,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 13 (February 2009).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: To promote video games, game manufacturers create official Web sites for their games that are designed to attract consumers’ attention and push them to purchase. This paper examines the messages that these Web sites send to the public regarding violence, sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and racial and gender representations. Results show that male characters outnumber female characters, that female characters are shown in a more stereotypical and sexualized manner, and that Hispanic characters are grossly underrepresented. The majority of game Web sites display violent acts that include actual shootings with blood and that no significant difference exists between the number of violent acts on the Web sites for games rated (T)een and games rated (M)ature. Given the violent depictions, stereotyping and sexualized portrayals on these Web sites, parents should be as vigilant in monitoring their children’s exposure to the Web sites as they are to the video games. Video gaming is a mainstay of American children’s leisure time. Today, video games have become a multibillion-dollar industry, with combined computer and video game sales topping $7.4 billion and selling more than 240.7 million computer and video game units in 2006. This amount nearly matches the $9.7 billion generated by the 2007 movie box office. As for gaming equipment, 85% of teens and 77% of preteens in the United States say they own a video game console. Moreover, teens play electronic games an average of 9 hours per week, with male teens playing 3.5 times more hours per week than female teens (14 hours compared to  hours). Children ages 6 to 11 are equally engaged, playing an average of 10 hours per week, with boys playing 13 hours and girls playing 5 hours. Clearly the video game industry has become a major force in the worlds of both business and entertainment. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Information Processing/Uses and Gratification

Thomas Gould, “A Baker’s Dozen of Issues Facing Online Academic Journal Start-ups,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 14 (April 2009).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The rapid upsurge in online academic journal creation, publishing, and management has challenged researchers and universities. Much of the recent flurry of activity has occurred in reaction to rapidly rising costs for journals produced by for-profit publishing houses. Few guidelines and protocols have been created to assist online journal editors and boards in this new world of university/not-for-profit web publishing. This article outlines the nature of the increased publication of these new journals, as well as offers advice in 13 areas these journal editors and boards will face. This article is based on the findings of academics in a wide variety of academic fields, including library science, as well as the author’s own experience as an online journal creator and editor.
Method: Survey – Interview/Case Study
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Stephen R. Lacy, Daniel Riffe, Esther Thorson and Margaret Duffy, “Examining the Features, Policies, and Resources of Citizen Journalism: Citizen News Sites and Blogs,”  Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 15 (June 2009).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This study used content analysis to explore the policies, citizen participation features, and means of financial support for 64 citizen journalism sites–both news sites and blogs–in 15 randomly selected U.S. cities. Community size was related to number of sites in a market, and nearly half of all sites–but three-fourths of news sites–featured home-page advertising, while six of 10 news sites actively sought the time and service of citizen volunteers. However, neither type of site took advantage of the interactivity possible with the Internet, and opportunities for citizen participation (via polls and forums, and uploading of content) were limited.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Mary Lou Sheffer and Brad Schultz, “Are Blogs Changing the News Values of Newspaper Reporters?”  Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 16 (July 2009).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: Traditional news outlets such as newspapers are incorporating blogs as part of their content in an effort to reach new audiences. Because blogs are typically opinionated and personal how newspapers present their blogs could indicate a shift from traditional journalism values. This content analysis sought to investigate several categories (news, sports, politics and entertainment) of newspaper blogs in terms of personal opinion/commentary, attribution and transparency. Results indicate that reporters have not yet abandoned traditional news values, but rather treat their blogs as a different news platform. 
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Brent M. Foster, “Media Reborn: Interactive Platforms and The Digital Ripple Effect on Media Dependency,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 17 (August 2009).
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: The goal of this study was to find out what part interactivity plays in the dependency relationship between media and individuals. This study sought to shed light on the issue by quantitatively measuring individual dependence on traditional and digital media. The focus was on the concept of reactivity, where messages sent between senders and receivers are contingent upon the messages immediately preceding them. Digital media are considered to be more reactive than traditional media. It was discovered that participants who viewed digital reactive media messages reported significantly higher levels of cognitive media dependence than those viewing digital non-interactive media messages. Those that viewed traditional reactive and non-interactive messages showed little difference in their media dependence. Reactivity proved to play a significant role in the level of media dependence in digital realms.
Method: Experiment
Theory: Adoption/Diffusion

Hsiang-Ann Liao, “Political Efficacy and Campaign News Attention as Catalysts of Discursive Democracy: The Case of the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election,” Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 18 (December 2009)
Keywords: N/A
Abstract: This paper argues that models of discursive democracy need to be contextual and domain specific, incorporating cognitive or psychological catalysts or other situational factors that prompt people to talk about politics. Different election campaigns might require different discursive democracy models to encapsulate how and why citizens talk about politics. Based on Kim et al.’s model of deliberative democracy, a contextual model of discursive democracy is proposed for the 2004 U.S. presidential election. Political efficacy and campaign news attention were examined as psychological and cognitive catalysts to the contextual model. It was found that both internal political efficacy and attention to campaign news coverage were relevant to a discursive democracy model for the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign. Two structural equation models were formulated to examine the direct and indirect effects between variables.
Method: Survey – Content Analysis
Theory: Policy

Thomas H.P. Gould is an associate professor at the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kansas State University where Aobo is a second year graduate student. Jacob Mauslein is a graduate student in security studies at Kansas State University.