[c]

During the 1980s and 90s a popular theory regarding the selection of appropriate technologies was media richness theory, which suggested that the closer a medium came to face-to-face, the more effective it was (Daft and Lengel 1986’ cited in Jakobsson, 2002).

This has been largely discredited, since as users have become more familiar in their day-to-day lives with technologies, they have found it easier to use these for effective communication.

While it has become evident that some technologies are appropriate in some capacities, others are more appropriate in others. In fact some users find communicating online preferable to offline (Walther, 1994 quoted in Rourke et al, 1999). On the other hand, some users find the use of technology alienating, and cannot feel a sense of connectedness to others if the communication is being mediated through a technology (Heeter, 1995).

Advice that says that using face-to-face is always the best option is wrong. A blend is necessary, but experimentation is required to identify the correct blend (Dennis et al, 1998).

 

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