Are quicker replies better? A verification of the “reciprocity hypothesis” in mobile e-mail messages and LINE

Abstract

The act of sending mobile e-mail and LINE messages can be regarded as a form of social exchange. Therefore, assuming a general duty to reply as soon as possible exists, if a user perceives an imbalance between themself and a partner, they may adjust the speed with which they replies to their partner’s messages as a way of signaling their intentions toward the partner. Hence, even when users reply quickly when interacting with rapidly-replying partners, it is expected that they will impose a degree of balance when interacting with slow partners (the reciprocity hypothesis). This hypothesis was tested with respect to mobile e-mail and LINE messaging using surveys. We found a high correlation between reply speed and the number of characters exchanged between participants and their partners. We also found that participants’ reply speed depended on the speed of their partners’ own replies.