| Chapter : | Introduction |
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Advertising academics have agreed that the enhanced possibility of two-way interaction, which is captured by the concept “interactivity” (Leckenby & Li, 2000), makes the computer-mediated environment (CME) different from the traditional mass media environment. Communication in the mass media environment is largely unidirectional in the sense that a few dominating media corporations deliver standardized information and contents to passive mass audiences. The CME, however, creates an environment in which individuals are provided with a far more diverse set of choices and are enabled to interact virtually with an object or person (Schlosser, 2003) and to express their ideas and preferences directly to the companies. Stimulated by this technological change, most previous studies related to interactive advertising and electronic commerce have concentrated on understanding how the computer-mediated communication (CMC) environment influences the way consumers interact with companies (Kuk & Yeung, 2002; Rodgers & Thorson, 2000; Rust & Lemon, 2001).
Despite the impressive number of theoretical and empirical studies conducted to date, a cursory review of the existing literature of interactive advertising reveals that the single most important element has virtually been missed—people. In the previous studies, consumers are depicted as individuals who search for, acquire, and consume information, but not as proactive players who create and transmit information to others. Focuses have been placed on how consumers react to the stimuli associated with interactive features (Stewart & Pavlou, 2002), not on how they actively participate in communication with others in the CME. Forgotten is the role of people behind the dramatic transformation of the communication environment.