Talking green: how chatbot interactivity and transparency foster user receptivity to chatbot recommendations in environmental communication

This study examines how chatbot interactivity and limitation transparency shape users’ receptiveness to chatbot recommendations in environmental communication. Drawing on the theory of interactive media effects, we conceptualize these two chatbot features as distinct design cues that influence message acceptance through different psychological mechanisms. Across three experimental studies with Taiwanese participants, the findings show that chatbot interactivity primarily increases receptiveness by strengthening perceived integrity, whereas limitation transparency enhances receptiveness by reducing skepticism. A factorial experiment further demonstrates that the combination of high interactivity and high limitation transparency produces the strongest effects by simultaneously increasing perceived integrity and reducing skepticism. These findings extend interactive media research by showing that, in environmental communication, responsiveness and transparent disclosure operate as complementary trust-relevant cues. The study also offers practical guidance for designing chatbots for sustainability communication by highlighting the importance of combining engaging interaction with explicit acknowledgment of system limitations.