媒介豐富度，社會性影響，和臨界大眾：組織中電子郵件之使用

Media Richness, Social Influence, and Critical Mass: The Use of Electronic Mail in Organizations

對於組織中電子郵件系統使用模式的研究，大致有三個方向：媒介特徵取向、社會性影響模式、及臨界大眾理論。但研究的結果尚無定論，甚且紛歧。本研究同時探討這三個模式，試圖對E-mail的使用，提供較完整的解釋。研究對象是新竹科學園區旺宏電子公司的E-mail使用者，研究者於1995年七月間進行問卷調查，總共回收有效問卷141份。結果顯示，媒介豐富度、社會性影響和臨界大眾對於個人的E-mail使用，分別呈現不同的影響。整體而言，媒介豐富度的影響層面最廣，而社會性影響對工作性使用最具影響力。此外，社會性資訊對於使用者態度的影響，大於對其行為的影響。而且在社會性資訊中，來自於同事的影響遠大於來自上司的影響。至於在非工作性使用上，只有媒介特徵是決定性的因素，而來自於上司的社會性資訊並不會影響個人的E-mail寄送量。

This study focuses on factors influencing the use of electronic mail in an organizational setting. Scholars try to explain media choice by using media richness, social influence, and critical mass perspectives, but empirical evidence is limited and sometimes contradictory. This study attempts to better explain the use of electronic mail by examining the three models concurrently. A questionnaire was distributed in June, 1995, to randomly selected e-mail users in MXIC, a semiconductor manufacturer at Science-Based Industrial Park in Hsinchu. The response rate was approximately 25%. The research results showed that media richness, social influence, and critical mass influenced the use of electronic mail in various degrees. Social influence had a greater impact on users' attitudes toward electronic mail than on their behavior. Information from colleagues had a much greater impact on users than that from supervisors. Electronic mail co-exists with other newer and traditional communication media in organizations. To better understand media choice-making, future research should examine various media simultaneously.