ABSTRACT
The web’s capability to encompass such myriad activities as information seeking (e.g., search engines), information dissemination (e.g., blogs), interpersonal communication (e.g., chat rooms), mass communication (e.g., a political candidate’s website), relationship formation (e.g., dating sites), and shopping (e.g., e-commerce), among others, makes it uniquely positioned for the study of impressions. That is, compared to “traditional” media environments, new media environments provide several different venues that facilitate the process of communication-both mass and interpersonal. In addition, these new technologies also offer several unique tools that enhance communication processes. Such tools can be content-based (e.g., sexual overtures in online dating sites; use of flattering pictures of oneself on a social networking site) or technology-based (e.g., personalized recommendations in customized portals, interactive elements in political websites, emoticons in online chat rooms). not surprisingly, given the numerous types of venues as well as the various tools that can be employed in these venues, new media environments provide unprecedented options for self-presentation and self-expression, with profound implications for creation and formation of impressions.
