Media multiplexity theory

Media multiplexity theory was a concept developed by Caroline Haythornthwaite, based on her observations in organizational and educational settings. The theory posits that the more communication channels one uses with another person, the stronger the bond with that person. The theory is noted for its simplicity. Critics, however, believe that the theory lacks predictability and explanation of data.[1]

Communication scholars have since taken the theory and used it to further their communication research, such as to examine media use in romantic relationships.[2] The theory has also been used to examine media use expectancy violations, and impacts to these changes, within extended families.[3] The theory has more recently been used by psychology scholars to further examine how one's enjoyment of the communication medium in use will affect relational ties, and to examine predictability patterns of media use.[4]

The five propositions of media multiplexity theory

This theory is composed of five propositions.

  1. The first proposition is that media multiplexity and tie strength are positively associated with each other, where tie strength refers to the strength of the relational bond. Tie strengths can be broken down in to two categories, weak tie (not a lot of time invested into the relationship) and strong tie (large amount of time invested in the relationship).
  2. The next proposition is that the content of communication will be different depending on the tie strength, rather than by the channels of communication used.
  3. The next proposition is that media use and tie strength have a cause-relationship, meaning that over time they will cause the other.
  4. The next proposition is that changes in the media layout will influence weak bond (or ties).
  5. The last proposition is that groups hold a hierarchical order of expectational media use. This means that the group will come up expectations of what communication mediums to use depending on the tie strengths.

References

  1. ^ Griffin, Em. A First Look at Communication Theory (11th ed.). McGraw Hill. pp. 166–177. ISBN 978-1-264-29610-1.
  2. ^ "Revisiting Media Multiplexity: A Longitudinal Analysis of Media Use in Romantic Relationships". academic.oup.com. December 2018. doi:10.1093/joc/jqy055. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  3. ^ Taylor, Samuel Hardman; Ledbetter, Andrew M (2017). "Extending media multiplexity theory to the extended family: Communication satisfaction and tie strength as moderators of violations of media use expectations". New Media & Society. 19 (9): 1369–1387. doi:10.1177/1461444816638458. ISSN 1461-4448.
  4. ^ Ledbetter, Andrew M.; Taylor, Samuel Hardman; Mazer, Joseph P. (2016-01-01). "Enjoyment fosters media use frequency and determines its relational outcomes: Toward a synthesis of uses and gratifications theory and media multiplexity theory". Computers in Human Behavior. 54: 149–157. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.053. ISSN 0747-5632.