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This chapter explores communication processes within online support groups. Online support group researchers have drawn upon a variety of theories in the decades of empirical research that has been conducted within this context. The chapter focuses on motivations for using online support groups, key theoretical frameworks that have been applied to the study of online support groups, supportive messages and communication processes within these groups, and the relationship between social support and health outcomes for online support group participants. The chapter concludes with several key limitations of previous work as well as a number of areas for theory development and future research studies.

Chatbot users’ communication experience with disembodied conversational agents was compared with instant messaging (IM) users’ communication experience with human conversational agents. The purpose of this paper is to identify what affects users’ intention to reuse and whether they perceive any difference between the two.

A conceptual model was developed based on computer-mediated communication (CMC) and interpersonal communication theories. Data were collected online from four different continents (North America, Europe, Asia and Australia). Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to examine the research model.

The findings mainly reveal that media richness and social presence positively influence trust and reuse intention through task attraction and social attraction; IM users reported significantly higher scores in terms of communication experience, perceived attractiveness of the conversational agent, and trust than chatbot users; users’ trust in the conversational agents is mainly determined by perceived task attraction.

Customers’ evaluation of the communication environment is positively related to their perceived competence of the conversational agent which ultimately affect their intention to reuse chatbot/IM. The findings reveal determinants of chatbot/IM adoption which have rarely been mentioned by previous work.

Practitioners should note that consumers in general still prefer to interact with human conversational agents. Practitioners should contemplate how to combine chatbot and human resources effectively to deliver the best customer service.

This study goes beyond the Computer as Social Actor paradigm and Technology Acceptance Model to understand chatbot and IM adoption. It is among one of the first studies that compare chatbot and IM use experience in the tourism and hospitality literature.

For student reference supervisors and trainers, it is crucial to understand the characteristics of the millennial worker and how we can effectively train student reference employees in virtual reference. The purpose of this paper is to present best practices for training the millennial generation of reference workers on virtual reference.

This paper is a combination of a case study and theoretical approach including a literature review of “computer mediated communication” (CMC) theory as well as Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) best practices. This paper describes the creation of a training manual for the millennial student who works in reference and are the primary respondents to instant messaging.

This project describes why it is necessary to train millennial student reference employees differently than librarians or paraprofessionals when dealing with virtual reference.

This paper presents practical training techniques that are grounded in two major communication theories: politeness theory and CMC theory and applies these theories to the practical training of the millennial student.

The library atmosphere is a very social one with several different types of communication methods. Many academic libraries use student employees to staff some of the high traffic public service points. In order to better treat our patrons and maintain a professional atmosphere, it is critical that we train students to leave behind their student mentality when working and to become more professional. It is a question of re‐conditioning the student employee from their more comfortable social methods of communication to that of what patrons expect.

This paper presents the benefits of having a specific training approach when supervising the millennial student reference worker, particularly when it comes to training for instant messaging/chat reference services.

This paper investigates the use of process redesign tools and techniques in education. We argue that process thinking is an important strategy for improving education. An adaptation of business process redesign to learning is presented by integrating together concepts from educational theory, computer mediated communication, and business process redesign. Three conventional educational processes ‐ questioning, discussion, and document exchange ‐ are analyzed and redesigned with electronic mail, bulletin board, and World Wide Web technologies. The characteristics of each technology and its potential for process redesign are outlined. The results of an exploratory case study show that learning process redesign is viable and can impact ON educational outcomes. We conclude with suggestions for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of satisfaction from romantic relationships on social media usage, with computer-mediated communication (CMC) motives and self-disclosure dimensions acting as mediators of the relationship.

The data were collected from 420 individuals active on social media. Data were analysed with confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, hierarchical multiple regression and mediation analysis based on Baron and Kenny’s (1986) conditions.

The result from a cross-sectional survey of 420 individuals reveals how relationship satisfaction leads to the use of six social media channels directly and indirectly through five dimensions of CMC motives and four dimensions of self-disclosure. Out of 54 possible mediations, 17 were found to be significant.

The present study fulfils the need to identify how satisfaction in a romantic relationship impacts self-disclosure and social media selection and usage.

The proliferation of social networking sites (SNSs) has drawn attention to different parties in realising their goals. Advertisers utilise SNSs to promote new products and services; politics optimise SNSs to gather support from the public, while ordinary users use SNSs as a unique platform to practice self-disclosure, develop networks, and sustain relationships. This study explores how social anxiety affects self-disclosure on SNSs and well-being. It also examines the moderating effects of two contextual factors, namely, online disinhibition and psychological stress. Two hundred and thirty-four valid responses were collected via an online survey. A positive relationship between social anxiety and self-disclosure, and self-disclosure and well-being was found. Furthermore, a positive moderation effect among social anxiety, online disinhibition, and self-disclosure was revealed. This research contributes to the development of social networking literature. It also enhances the understanding of disclosure patterns on SNSs among socially anxious individuals, thereby providing important insights for practitioners, educators, and clinicians.

The key purposes of the paper are: firstly, to identify what kind of new media tools are used by managers in communication with foreign business partners for professional purposes and which, in their opinion, are the most effective, secondly, to identify the relationships between the usage of new media tools and factors that can impact such communication.

The method used in the research was IDI (Individual Depth Interview). Interviews were conducted in 334 companies that operate on the Polish market and which are active internationally (e.g. Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America), the managers responsible for international relations were the main respondents.

The most popular and most used new media tools are Skype and instant messengers, which were evaluated as good devices for international personal communication. Additionally the results of the research emphasize the significance of cultural and economic factors when taking into account the usage of new media tools in personal communication between business partners from different companies and countries.

The results of the research can be useful for managers doing business internationally and communicating with business partners from different markets and cultures.

The research presented in the paper covers the gap in the literature because it relates to the environmental factors that impact upon the use of new media tools in personal business communication between partners in the international marketplace.