Dominant Communication Dimensions in Internet use and their Potential for Modelling Persuasive Strategies for Positive Behaviour Change

Abstract

The last few years have seen many technological changes, especially in the field of communication. But possibly the greatest technological change in the last half of the twentieth century was witnessed with the discovery and growth of the Internet. This study investigates the dimensions of the internet as a medium and especially whether such dimensions can be utilized to bring deeply-rooted behaviour change. An understanding of the dimensions of this technology is vital to influencing the various domains of peoples' lives. The data gathering instruments included a self-administered questionnaire, focus group interviews and in-depth personal interviews. A total of 106 questionnaires were issued in six different cyber cafes with a 96.2% response rate. A factor analysis was carried out using the data collected from the questionnaires. The focus group data was analyzed by annotating the scripts. The personal interviews were analyzed thematically in light of the research questions. The research revealed that most of the respondents used the internet to interact. Many people also used the internet for research and educational purposes. The internet has a vast multi-sensory appeal that includes text, graphics and pictures that help the users to have greater understanding and retention of information. Another important finding about the internet is the dimension of disembedding. This has to do with the lifting out of social relations from local context of interaction and their restructuring across indefinite span of time. Thus communication is not limited by time and distance, which means messages, can be posted and read anywhere and at any time. Change is, however, a process that goes through pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and finally maintenance. This research suggests a model of bringing change by making use of the Internet dimensions.