IS Scales

Interactivity Overview

Interactivity can be classified as user-user interaction, user-machine interaction, and user-user interaction (Cho and Leckenby 1997). Machine to machine interactivity is not yet well established in the literature. Although some technical evidence is being investigated in the computer science arena, no empirical study and measurement on machine-to-machine interactivity has been found. This represents the potential research opportunity for IS researchers to refine and measure machine- to-machine interactivity in the future in order to fully grasp its nature and consequence.

Interactivity has been given divergent meanings according to the unique focus various disciplines, such as communication, marketing, and information systems. Communication research primarily focused on interpersonal interactivity, while marketing literature exhibits many studies on how customers interact with the advertising intermediary. The emergence of information system added an additional dimension to the other discipline’s views.

Technology-mediated communication has caught substantial attention from the communication area, and web-based interactive retailing has occupied the marketing researcher’s agenda for almost a decade. In spite of the abundance of related findings from other discipline, information system research has not adequately addressed the concept of interactivity. Thus, the primary focus of my attempt is to synthesize information systems related studies on the concept of interactivity. Relevant measures/scales will be presented.

This document begins with the introduction of relevant theories on interactivity. It then proceeds to a definition section, wherein the Webster’s dictionary definition is proposed. The document then moves into the human-computer interaction arena, and then delves further into technology-mediated communication and the IS literature. The descriptions of interactivity items are included in the scales section. Finally, the reference section contains the selected bibliography.


		Lin Chai
	Construct: Interactivity



Interactivity Overview Interactivity can be classified as user-user interaction, user-machine interaction, and user-user interaction (Cho and Leckenby 1997). Machine to machine interactivity is not yet well established in the literature. Although some technical evidence is being investigated in the computer science arena, no empirical study and measurement on machine-to-machine interactivity has been found. This represents the potential research opportunity for IS researchers to refine and measure machine- to-machine interactivity in the future in order to fully grasp its nature and consequence. Interactivity has been given divergent meanings according to the unique focus various disciplines, such as communication, marketing, and information systems. Communication research primarily focused on interpersonal interactivity, while marketing literature exhibits many studies on how customers interact with the advertising intermediary. The emergence of information system added an additional dimension to the other discipline’s views. Technology-mediated communication has caught substantial attention from the communication area, and web-based interactive retailing has occupied the marketing researcher’s agenda for almost a decade. In spite of the abundance of related findings from other discipline, information system research has not adequately addressed the concept of interactivity. Thus, the primary focus of my attempt is to synthesize information systems related studies on the concept of interactivity. Relevant measures/scales will be presented. This document begins with the introduction of relevant theories on interactivity. It then proceeds to a definition section, wherein the Webster’s dictionary definition is proposed. The document then moves into the human-computer interaction arena, and then delves further into technology-mediated communication and the IS literature. The descriptions of interactivity items are included in the scales section. Finally, the reference section contains the selected bibliography.