E-mail: Its effect on relational maintenance and communication satisfaction

Using social presence theory, this study examined the effects of e-mail on relational maintenance and communication satisfaction within friendships. An experimental methodology was employed to obtain data on the communication interactions between pairs of friends during one week. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to communicate through e-mail for one week, while the remaining participants were randomly assigned to communicate face-to-face. Relational maintenance strategies and communication satisfaction were measured daily through a questionnaire. Results indicated there was no significant difference between e-mail and face-to-face communication, in terms of friends' relational maintenance strategies and communication satisfaction. However, inconsistencies in the data suggested social presence theory needs to be updated to reflect the evolution of media. Moreover, media equation theory clearly illustrates the inconsistencies in the data. Therefore, future CMC research should test media equation theory rather than social presence theory.