Social presence and communication quality in videoconferencing

Abstract

Three-dimensional videoconferencing tools are thought to be less artificial than conventional videoconferencing tools and therefore have the potential to support more complex business tasks.

Social Presence serves as a measure of the naturalness of communication. However, a communications media that supports high Social Presence does not imply that the communication process within the media is of a high quality.

This research evaluates Social Presence within two videoconferencing setups, a traditional `two-dimensional' interface and a newly emerging `threedimensional' virtual one. An initial study compares these with a face-to-face setup using two existing Social Presence measures and finds one to be sensitive enough to find variations in the Social Presence levels emitted This questionnaire is used in a second study along with items constructed from an extensive literature review to explore communication quality within each interface. A significant difference in the supported Social Presence was found. Initial thoughts on communication quality are also discussed.