Conceptualizing and Measuring Communication Interdependence: The Technology and Face-to-Face Integration Scale

Abstract

A distinguishing feature of contemporary relationships is the integration of technological mediation into routine social interaction. The communication interdependence perspective (CIP) explains how interpersonal technologies are interwoven with face-to-face relationships, but its conceptualization of integration is limited. To fill this gap, we expand the CIP by proposing a new measure to explicate and operationalize the ways multiple modalities are interconnected. We evaluated our scale using data from students at two universities (Study 1; N = 355) and confirmed it in a sample of romantic couples (Study 2; N = 280). The 37-item measure exhibited strong psychometric properties and contained two types of constructive integration (using technology to preserve continuity in the relationship and to facilitate togetherness) and three destructive forms (using technology to turn away from the relationship, to perpetuate conflict, and to create tension). Potential applications of the scale for studying multimodal relationships are discussed.