A series of studies, published in Marketing Science, including over 2,500 participants from the United States and China, was conducted to investigate the impact of a person's medium in making a decision. The choices were based on moral considerations, such as whether to make a charitable donation or order a healthy or unhealthy entrée at a restaurant.
Decision-Making Research on Paper vs. Digital Devices
Researchers asked participants to make a variety of choices on a paper form or a digital tablet, despite controlling for all other variables. They discovered that people who used paper made more virtuous decisions than those who used digital devices. For example, participants who read their options and made a decision on paper were significantly more likely to donate money to charity, choose a healthy entrée, and choose an educational book over something more entertaining.
Why Is a Decision Made on Paper More Powerful Than on a Device?
According to the research, the key mechanism driving this effect is how real the decision feels. The researchers asked participants in two of their studies to describe how real or tangible a decision felt.
They were also asked how much they perceived the decision to represent who they were as people. They consistently indicated that deciding on paper felt more real and representative than making the same decision on a digital device.
Follow-up analyses supported the finding that when a choice felt more real, participants were more likely to think it reflected who they were as individuals and were, therefore, more likely to select the moral or responsible course of action. Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that this effect does not occur when people make decisions on behalf of others.
In another experiment, participants were asked to choose an entrée for themselves or a friend on paper or a tablet. Participants were much more likely to choose a healthy option on paper than on a tablet when selecting for themselves.
However, the medium did not affect their choice when choosing a choice for a friend. This supports the idea that people are more likely to choose the virtuous option when the decision feels like it reflects who they are as a person. In contrast, when the decision isn't related to themselves, the medium's authenticity matters less.
Researchers' Conclusion on the Study About Using Paper on Decision-Making
According to the researchers' post in Harvard Business Review, the experiment's outcome may appear to be a minor detail. Their research, however, shows that the medium through which your customers, employees, or community members make a decision can have a significant impact on the choices they make.
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This has implications for marketers, policymakers, and anyone attempting to promote virtuous behavior. Restaurants, for example, might consider using paper menus rather than digital menus to encourage customers to choose healthier options.
Similarly, parents and educators may give students paper book order forms rather than online book order forms to increase the likelihood that they will select educational reading materials.
Paper pledge forms and volunteer sign-up sheets may also benefit charities and political organizations rather than relying on websites or apps to solicit support.
Paper vs. Digital Environment
It is still necessary to consider the environmental impact of paper products. Paper carbon dioxide emissions, according to Holmen, are divided into different toes.
This means that they consider not only the burning of the paper but also the process of creating it. For example, emissions from forest management, planting, and harvesting. Carbon dioxide emissions per ton of paper average 27-29 kg.
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