Complementary Channel Use and the Role of Social Competence

This study focused on channel complementarity among various interpersonal communication channels (face-to-face, telephone, e-mail, text messaging, and Facebook). We looked at daily channel use among 136 participants and demonstrated complementary channel use among most combinations of channels, excluding face-to-face. We also extended channel complementarity theory by examining social competence as a moderator of channel complementarity. Results indicated that telephone and text messaging exhibited complementarity at high but not low levels of social competence, whereas e-mail and text messaging exhibited complementarity at low but not high levels of social competence. Face-to-face communication and Facebook exhibited a displacement relationship at high but not low levels of social competence. Implications for channel complementarity theory and the role of individual characteristics are discussed.