{"id":1438,"slug":"sundar-time-modality-vs-message-interactivity","title":"Sundar TIME (Theory of Interactive Media Effects, 2015) — modality interactivity (slide/drag/zoom) vs message interactivity (system responds contingently to user input — defining feature of calculators/quizzes)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["customer-facing-tools","interactive-tool-mechanisms","active-learning-icap"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** **S. Shyam Sundar's Theory of Interactive Media Effects (TIME, Sundar et al. 2015)** distinguishes **modality interactivity** (slide / drag / zoom) from **message interactivity** (system responds contingently to user input — **the defining feature of calculators and quizzes**).\n\n**Source:** Sundar et al. (2015) TIME framework.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified for framework.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** Gives Candid the precise term — **message interactivity** — for what makes a tool different from a video or carousel. When making the engagement case, the *contingent* response is the structurally distinct feature.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"chi-wylie-2014-icap-framework-interactive-constructive-active-passive","title":"Chi & Wylie (2014), Educational Psychologist 49(4) — ICAP framework: Interactive > Constructive > Active > Passive engagement; ~8-10% learning improvement per step","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-engagement-mechanisms-top-up-smb-june-2026","title":"Research notes (capture-layer top-up): why interactive online tools are psychologically engaging — six additional mechanisms (June 2026)","kind":"research-notes","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"oh-sundar-2015-modality-interactivity-cognitive-absorption-167-factorial","title":"Oh & Sundar (2015), Journal of Communication 65(2) — N=167 factorial experiment: modality interactivity (slider) produced more positive interface assessment, greater cognitive absorption, more favourable attitudes","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-pair-interactivity-with-restraint","title":"R5 — Pair interactivity with restraint: add interactive features ONLY where they let the user do something they need to; \"too much interactivity\" reduces deep elaboration","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-20T19:24:15.974Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T19:24:15.974Z"}