Measurement of Cyber Communication Behavior based on Lasswell's Paradigm

This study was based on the communication theory of Lasswell's Five "W" and defined cyber communication behavior as the initiator conveys the contents to the recipient through online communication. It aims to develop a Measurement of Cyber Communication Behavior (MCCB). The instrument is comprised of 18 items related to cyber communication behaviors, and they are Social Interaction (4 items), Public Communication (4 items), Resource Sharing (3 items), Attention Appealing (3 items), Social Support (2 items), and Complaints Report (2 items). Data Analysis of reliability and validity was based on a sample of 929 adolescents in China (NMale=430; NFemale=499; Mage=19.23±1.25). The overall internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) of the MCCB was .88. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the construct validity of its six-factor structure. The factor of Social Interaction was .75; Public Communication was .84; Resource Sharing was .68; Attention Appealing was .61; Social Support was .50; Complaints Report was .77. The criterion validity was tested by the variable of "the number of online friends", which was significantly correlated with all the six dimensions. In general, all the results were acceptable, and the Measurement of Cyber Communication Behavior could be used in the future cyber psychological and behavior study.