Interactivity

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The article, "How Do Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants Respond Differently to Interactivity Online? A Model for Predicting Consumer Attitudes and Intentions to Use Digital Information Product"  provides a fascinating look at internet interactivity, its rise and impact on advertising, and how digital natives and digital immigrants interact differently with technology. 

Interactivity is becoming increasing more prevalent. People like when technology is interactive, thus it generally leads to more positive responses. Advertisers try utilize this by making their ads more interactive in hopes of increasing the likelihood of positive responses (i.e. buy their product). This article cites various studies that shed light on the process by which interactivity impacts attitudes and adoption intentions and the differences in the influence of interactivity across digital native and digital immigrant. 

This article contends that  interactivity generally is conceptualized to include three distinct dimensions: active control, two-way communication, and synchronicity (or responsiveness). This article elaborates extensively on each dimension and its role and importance in interactivity. Also, this article states that interactivity can be measured simply by whether the user views it as so or not. However, interactivity in web design can also be measured using the dimensions listed above by analyzing the quality and degree at which a web site executes each. Does it provide customers greater control over the information search process? Does it give the ability to communicate with a system and have it respond back? Does it provide quick responses? If the answer is yes to all of these questions then a website is designed well and has an excellent amount of interactivity. 

This theory for testing interactivity does not work the same for all people. Digital natives have different level responses to interactive stimuli. In particular, perceptions of active control and two-way communication have a positive impact on digital natives, but less so with older digital immigrants.

Internet interactivity is a complex and robust topic with several varying understandings and theories. However, I think this article provides an interesting and comprehensive look at interactivity and it nature.