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Communication Research
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When Are Strong Arguments Stronger Than Weak Arguments?

Deindividuation Effects on Message Elaboration in Computer-Mediated Communication

Eun-Ju Lee

Seoul National University

The present experiment examined how the lack of individuating information affects message elaboration and conformity to group norms in text-based computer-mediated communication. Participants made decisions about choice dilemma scenarios and exchanged their arguments with three ostensible partners via computer. Consistent with the social identity model of deindividuation effects, those who had exchanged personal profiles with their partners prior to the discussion were better able to differentiate between strong and weak arguments and were more likely to make conformity decisions based on the message content than those who had not. On the other hand, those who had no identity cues were more likely to factor in group identification for their conformity decisions. Results suggest that less systematic message processing and greater reliance on normative considerations account for how deindividuation moderates the effects of argument strength on group conformity.

Key Words: argument strength • computer-mediated communication (CMC) • multiple-source effect • social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE)

This version was published on October 1, 2008

Communication Research, Vol. 35, No. 5, 646-665 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0093650208321784
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