Media Richness Theory

Media richness theory proposes to help communicators match the most appropriate media to a communication task in business communication. This is particularly important for complex and equivocal tasks. When the appropriate media is chosen, managers can communicate the information clearly and the audience can process the information efficiently. A media’s level of richness has traditionally been evaluated based on these factors: feedback capability, multiplicity of cues, personalization, and language variety. However, studies have shown that social factors within the organization, including competency, satisfaction, accessibility, cost, and accuracy of the media also factor strongly in communicators’ media choice. With remote work being predominant during the Covid 19 pandemic, media richness theory informs communicators’ media choice to facilitate the conveyance and convergence of information and knowledge in an organization.