Computer-Mediated Communication and Cooperation in Social Dilemmas: An Experimental Analysis
Azi Lev-on, University of Pennsylvania
Cristina Bicchieri, University of Pennsylvania
Abstract
One of the consistent findings in the experimental study of social dilemmas is the influence of face-to-face (FtF) communication on cooperation. This ‘communication effect’ has been studied primarily in FtF settings. We show that the communication effect exists when communication is computer-mediated as well. We explore the computer-mediated communication effect, and show that cooperation in social dilemmas is more difficult to establish and maintain in computer-mediated environments.
We claim that the discrepancy between the FtF and the CMC (computer-mediated communication) effects is a consequence of the varying capabilities of different media to focus agents on pro-social norms (particularly the norm of promise-keeping), and to develop mutual expectation about future behaviors