Media richness, uncertainty reduction, and anticipated future interaction on social media sites

This study explores the relationship between media richness and uncertainty within the context of the social media environment, and examines the effect of uncertainty reduction within social media sites (SMS) on anticipated future interaction (AFI). Using Facebook for this project, two static mock-up profiles varying in media-richness were created. A questionnaire that determined whether uncertainty was reduced and whether anticipated future interaction increased as a result of the profile viewing followed the mock-ups. The profiles were randomly assigned to participants who had been randomly selected from University resources. Results indicate that media richness has a negative correlation on uncertainty reduction and a positive correlation on AFI. This research aims to contribute to uncertainty reduction theory.