Interactivity and its Facets Revisited: Theory and Empirical Test

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.