Abstract

Main goal of this study was to investigate the influence of communication environments with different levels of virtuality on the use of personal pronouns during seductive interaction. The research analyzed 192 dyadic interactions carried out in four different communication environments: face-to-face, telephone, textual chat and graphic chat. Results showed that chats were characterized by higher use of pronouns I and You, by lower use of impersonal forms, and more focus on the partner as compared to traditional media (face-to-face and telephone). The graphic chat was also characterized by higher presence of couple dimension, indicated by the use of the pronoun We. As a whole, data did not support the model of Sproull e Kiesler (1986) about a reduction of social cues and colder and more impersonal communication in online interactions. Conversely, they turned out to be consistent with the model of Walther (1992) on the opportunities provided by new communication media in establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships.