Seeing is not Believing: The Emotional Impact of Video-Based Messages

Little research has investigated the emotional reactions to computer-mediated communication (CMC) messages. Since much of the emotional content of a message is conveyed through non-verbal cues (e.g., visual, tactile, kinesthetic), video-mediated communication promises a similar level of emotion-related communication as in face-to-face (F2F) interactions. In this study, the authors compared video chat, F2F communication, and e-mail in eliciting emotional reactions. Participants retrospectively rated their emotional reactions to four emotion-laden events that occurred through one of the three media. Data from 804 participants were collected through an anonymous online questionnaire and the participants were divided into experience groups based on their prior use of each communication medium. F2F communication elicited the strongest emotional reactions and video-mediated communication elicited reactions that were no stronger than in e-mail in the number of emotions experienced and weaker than e-mail with an emotion intensity rating. High Experience users elicited stronger reactions to emotional events than did Low Experience users. Therefore, the addition of visual cues to a medium did not improve one’s emotional reactions to events which suggests that the inclusion of non-verbal cues to a message may not be sufficient to change the “social presence” achieved through a medium.