Cross Cultural Study of Multimedia Effects on First Impression Bias

The body of knowledge about the relationship between multimedia and first impression bias, which has been mainly accumulated in North America, may not be generalizable in other countries because theories ground on one culture may not necessarily apply in other cultures. To better understand how multimedia can be applied successfully in various cultures for reducing first impression bias, researchers need to compare multimedia effects systematically across different cultures. This paper discusses the importance and necessity of considering the culture dimensions, such as collectivistic cultures versus individualistic cultures, in studying multimedia’s impact on firs impression bias. It arrives at several propositions for future empirical investigations. These propositions delineate the relationships between first impression, media type (text based versus multimedia based), and culture.