Read. Click. Comment. Understanding the uses and effects of interactive features in digital magazines

Magazines are increasingly released and consumed on digital platforms such as laptops, tablet and smartphones. Most of these digital magazines replicate the appearance of well-established print magazine titles. Though, a vital difference between digital and print is that digital content can be enriched with interactive features, such as audiovisual content, hyperlinks, comment buttons, and search functions. This dissertation examines whether consumers actually use the interactive features placed in digital magazines, and the persuasive impact of these features on consumers’ attitudinal responses toward the magazine content. The four experiments in this dissertation lead to four important insights. First, this dissertation reveals that even though consumers do not use the interactive features in digital magazines very often, consumers still like the presence of the features in the magazine. Second, this dissertation demonstrates that consumers develop more positive attitudinal responses toward the magazine content (both editorial and advertising content) when it is enriched with interactive features. Third, the positive attitudinal responses can be explained by the activation of three psychological processes, namely perceived interactivity, social presence, and perceived surprise. These processes can be activated by the presence of an interactive feature; however, not every interactive feature activates the same underlying processes. Fourth, even though the mere presence of an interactive feature can already improve consumers’ attitudinal responses toward the magazine content, the strongest effects are realized when consumers have actually used the feature. It could therefore be profitable for magazine publishers to give consumers small incentives to stimulate use of the interactive features.