Communicating Art, Virtually! Psychological Effects of Technological Affordances in a Virtual Museum

Abstract

Museums lean heavily on recent developments in communication technologies to create an authentic experience for online visitors of its galleries. This study examines whether three specific affordances of communication technology—customization, interactivity, and navigability—can provide the personal, social, and physical contexts, respectively, that are necessary for ensuring an enjoyable museum experience. A 2 (presence vs. absence of customizable gallery) × 2 (presence vs. absence of live-chat with others) × 2 (presence vs. absence of 3D navigational tool) between-subjects factorial experiment (N = 126) found that although each affordance is associated with distinct psychological benefits (customization with sense of agency and control, interactivity with reciprocity, and navigability with perceived reality), combining them on the same interface tends to undermine these benefits. In addition, power usage moderates the effectiveness of each affordance on the interface. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S. Shyam Sundar

S. Shyam Sundar (Ph.D., Stanford University) is distinguished professor and founding director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory (http://www.psu.edu/dept/medialab) in the College of Communications at Penn State University. His research investigates social-psychological effects of technological features such as modality, interactivity, and navigability in digital media interfaces (http://comm.psu.edu/people/individual/s.-shyam-sundar).

Eun Go

Eun Go is an assistant professor in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University. Her research focuses primarily on the psychological effects of new media technologies, as well as strategic communication management between organizations and their publics in the digital era.

Hyang-Sook Kim

Hyang-Sook Kim (Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University) is an assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies at Towson University. Her current work focuses on the effects of new media technology on online users’ perceptions, particularly as they inform individuals’ tendency to share knowledge and social support online (http://www.iamwisesoil.com/research.html).

Bo Zhang

Bo Zhang is a doctoral student in the College of Communications at Penn State University. Prior to joining Penn State, she was a science journalist. Her research interests lie in psychological effects of communication technologies and human–computer interaction, with a focus on technological issues associated with information privacy.