Laugh It up: Perceptions of Social Presence and Intentions to Use Humour in Face‐to‐Face and Technology‐Mediated Interviews

ABSTRACT Humour in interviews can increase the affiliation between interviewees and interviewers. Technology‐mediated interviews may limit the perceived opportunities and effectiveness of humour attempts. A total of 271 participants (from Prolific) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions describing either a face‐to‐face, videoconference, or asynchronous video interview scenario. The effects on perceived effectiveness and intentions to use humour for reasons that could be described as self‐focused or other‐focused were assessed. Perceptions of effectiveness were not significantly different across interview media. The likelihood of using self‐focused humour did not differ, but the likelihood of using humour for other‐focused reasons was lower in asynchronous video interviews. Social presence was identified as a mediator of the relationship between interview media and likelihood of humour use. This study offers insight into the antecedents of social dynamics in different interview formats.