Who wants to be “friend-rich”? Social compensatory friending on Facebook and the moderating role of public self-consciousness

The present research aims to provide insight into social compensatory friending on social network sites by investigating the effects of self-esteem and self-consciousness on number of friends in the context of Facebook use. It was hypothesized that Facebook users low in self-esteem, when compared with high-self-esteem individuals, would engage in friending more actively and thereby accumulate a large number of friends as a way to compensate for the deficiency in self-esteem. We also hypothesized that the relationship between self-esteem and number of Facebook friends would vary depending on the levels of public self-consciousness. Data were collected from a college student sample in the United States (N = 234) based on an online cross-sectional survey. The results supported the hypothesis on social compensatory friending, demonstrating a negative association between self-esteem and number of Facebook friends. Furthermore, the data yielded support for the hypothesized moderating role of public self-consciousness in social compensatory friending: the negative association between self-esteem and number of Facebook friends was significant only for Facebook users who are high in public self-consciousness but not for those who are low in public self-consciousness. Implications for understanding social network site users’ friending behavior in light of social compensation motives are discussed.     

The impact of Arab cultural values on online social networking: The case of Facebook

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of cultural values on motivations and attitudes toward Social Networking Sites (SNSs) in the Arab world, and the factors affecting the continuity of membership value. Online questionnaire was used to collect data from the Arab Facebook members. Structural Equation Modeling, using EQS was conducted to analyze the data. The results indicated to a disparity in cultural impact on motivations and attitudes. At the time that Arab youth seek to liberate from all the kinds of restrictions to satisfy their human needs through joining SNSs, their attitudes are still influenced by the cultural values of Arab nation. The results also revealed a significant effect of members’ motivations, attitudes, and usage on the continuity of Facebook membership value. The present study contributes to the continuing discussion about why and how people engage in SNSs from different nations’ cultures, especially after the critical roles of SNSs in so-called Arab Spring.     

Cultural difference in motivations for using social network sites: A comparative study of American and Korean college students

While the explosive growth of social network sites is a common phenomenon across many countries, the ways people use them and their reasons for doing so may differ depending on their social and cultural milieu, for fundamental values are divergent from culture to culture. This study is an attempt to examine how cultural contexts shape the use of communication technology by examining the motives for and patterns of using social network sites among college students in the US and Korea. The findings of this study suggest that the major motives for using social network sites - seeking friends, social support, entertainment, information, and convenience - are similar between the two countries, though the weights placed on these motives are different. Reflecting the unique social nature of the medium, Korean college students put more weight on obtaining social support from existing social relationships, while American students place relatively greater emphasis on seeking entertainment. Additionally, American college students’ networks in an online social venue are far larger than their Korean counterparts, which may reflect the cultural difference between the two countries regarding developing and managing social relationships.     

The stress-buffering effect of self-disclosure on Facebook: An examination of stressful life events,social support,and mental health among college students

Stressful life events are viewed as the leading cause of psychological distress. Self-disclosure, however, could buffer the deleterious impact of stress on mental health. Recent studies show that college students are likely to engage in self-disclosure on social network sites (SNSs), but it is unclear to what extent they benefit from doing that. This study examined the effect of self-disclosure on SNSs on young adults’ mental health. Survey data were collected from a probability sample of 560 university students. The results show that people tend to open up on Facebook when in times of stress and that self-disclosure on Facebook moderates the relationship between stressful life events and mental health. Facebook disclosure was also positively associated with enacted social support on Facebook, which led to increased perceived social support, enhanced life satisfaction, and reduced depression. SNSs, therefore, serve as a promising avenue for delivering health care and intervention.     

Delineating the dimensions of social support on social networking sites and their effects: A comparative model

Social networking sites (SNSs) allow users to connect with each other by overcoming geographical and temporal boundaries and thus empower people to search for social support from online. Social support has been considered a key social value that online users can obtain from SNSs. However, few studies have systematically investigated social support in such a context. Motivated to address this gap, we have developed an advanced and theoretical framework to delineate social support on SNSs by clearly revealing the dimensions of online social support on SNSs and examining their effects on users' commitment and SNS continuance. Further, we introduce gender as a key moderator and explain in theory how differently men and women perceive the importance of the dimensions in evaluating online social support over SNSs. Our research results indicate that the identified three dimensions (informational support, emotional support, and network management) are important components of the online social support on SNSs, which is positively associated with commitment and continuance. In addition, the weight of each dimension in the evaluation of online social support varies by gender. This study is among the very first to explore online social support in the context of SNS and its effects, and has rich theoretical and practical implications.     

Online maintenance of life domains: Uses of social network sites during graduate education among the US and international students

Students who pursue graduate degrees often do so under the burden of great geographic displacement. This study takes a uses and gratifications approach to examining the usage of Social Networking Sites (SNS) by both American and international graduate students studying at an American university. Specifically, it examines how SNS are used in relationship maintenance with friends and family, news consumption from one’s home state or country, political expression, and social and political transition to one’s new home. Our findings suggest that geographic and physical displacements do not always influence students in maintaining relationships via social media.     

The contribution of social network sites to exposure to political difference: The relationships among SNSs, online political messaging, and exposure to cross-cutting perspectives

The increasing popularity of social network sites (SNSs) has raised questions about the role of social network media in the democratic process. This study explores how use of SNSs influences individuals’ exposure to political difference. The findings show a positive and significant relationship between SNSs and exposure to challenging viewpoints, supporting the idea that SNSs contribute to individuals’ exposure to cross-cutting political points of view. Partisanship was not found to interact with SNS use, suggesting that SNSs contribute to expanding exposure to dissimilar political views across individuals’ partisanship. Online political messaging also has a direct effect on exposure to dissimilar viewpoints, and it mediates the association between SNSs and exposure to cross-cutting political views.     

The function of self-disclosure on social network sites: Not only intimate,but also positive and entertaining self-disclosures increase the feeling of connection

How can social network sites (SNS) foster relationships when most status updates on SNS are mainly entertaining and not very intimate? This finding cannot be explained by classical social psychological theories such as social penetration theory which regard disclosure intimacy as the main driver of relational outcomes. By building on literature on the role of capitalization and humor in relationship formation and maintenance, this paper suggests two alternative paths from public self-disclosure to relational outcomes. Respondents judged the content and relational effects of own and friends’ status updates as well as private conversations. In general, all types of messages were mainly positive and entertaining. The more intimate communication took place in private conversations; here, the classical link between disclosure intimacy and feeling connected still held. However, positive and entertaining self-disclosures also increased the feeling of connection, especially when reading friends’ updates. Interestingly, interaction partners’ responsiveness did not play a significant role, indicating that results from dyadic face-to-face interactions do not hold for public communication on social media. The study contributes to the development of a more differentiated model on the role of self-disclosure on SNS.     

Authenticity and well-being on social network sites: A two-wave longitudinal study on the effects of online authenticity and the positivity bias in SNS communication

In offline settings, authentic behavior has frequently been linked to increased well-being. Social network sites (SNSs) provide a new venue for authenticity, yet the effects of online authenticity are largely unknown. The present study investigated the reciprocal effects of authenticity on SNSs and the psychological well-being of SNS users in a two-wave longitudinal study (N = 374). The results demonstrate that online authenticity had a positive longitudinal effect on three indicators of subjective well-being. The data further illustrate that this beneficial effect of SNS use is not equally accessible to all users: participants with low levels of well-being were less likely to feel authentic on SNSs and to benefit from authenticity. We propose that the results can be explained in light of a “positivity bias in SNS communication” that favors positive forms of authenticity over negative ones.     

Effects of social and technology overload on psychological well-being in young South Korean adults: The mediatory role of social network service addiction

This study examined the effects of social and information technology overload on psychological well-being. It also explored the mediating role of social network service (SNS) addiction in the hypothesized relationships between these variables. A sample of 419 college students and employees in their 20s and 30s, who were SNS users in South Korea, participated in the study. The results showed that social and information technology overload did not exert a direct impact on psychological well-being. SNS addiction served as a mediator in the relationships between these variables. The theoretical contributions and useful managerial implications of the study, with respect to reducing SNS users' addiction and improving their psychological well-being, were described.     

Excessive use of Twitter among college students in the UK: Validation of the Microblog Excessive Use Scale and relationship to social interaction and loneliness

Microblogging on sites like Twitter is a growing and popular trend among young people. Apparently, some users of these microblogs exhibit addiction-like symptoms. Until recently, there was no psychometric scale to measure the excessive use of Twitter. The development of the Microblog Excessive Use Scale (MEUS) in 2014 proved a positive step in assessing this phenomenon. In the current study, we employed the MEUS to assess excessive use of Twitter in a sample of 256 college students (53.1% female; mean age 21.4 years) in the UK. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), calculation of criterion-related and concurrent validity and reliability were performed to assess the scale's psychometric properties. The MEUS was found to be a valid instrument for assessing excessive use of Twitter among UK college students. In addition, we found that real life social interaction was negatively associated with excessive use of Twitter and this relationship was mediated by loneliness. We compared our results with results from a previous study in which the MEUS was developed and noted some interesting differences, which might be explained by cultural differences between samples in the two studies.     

Herd behavior in social media: The role of Facebook likes,strength of ties,and expertise

When do social media users click on sponsored content or intend to visit the website at a later time? A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) using arguments based on herd theory, strength of ties, and social distance shows that only “likes” from socially close and knowledgeable users can consistently generate click-through or view-through intentions. Considering social tie strength in a herd behavior context, the analysis of sufficient configurations for click- and view-through intentions provides a nuanced perspective on social media user behavior and social influence. For instance, click-through intention requires observing a “like” from a close person, while view-through intentions can also develop after observing “likes” from less close acquaintances, yet in the last case only if the user assumes the acquaintance is better informed regarding the sponsored content. In addition, a “like” from a close friend deemed better informed can even make a user click on a sponsored content that was not considered valuable before.     

The effect of role conflict on self‐disclosure in social network sites: An integrated perspective of boundary regulation and dual process model

As people increasingly integrate social network sites (SNSs) into their daily lives, their social connections on SNSs become more diverse, including their friends, co‐workers, and relatives. In such a context, users may receive different role expectations from their various social circles and experience role conflict in their usage of SNSs. Furthermore, previous literature suggests that people may not always make privacy‐related decisions through effortful and deliberate information processing. Drawing on the perspective of boundary regulation and dual process theories, this study clarifies the consequences of role conflict on SNSs. A theoretical model is developed to examine the effect of role conflict regarding privacy risk and perceived control, which, in turn, impact self‐disclosure behaviour, as well as how this process is moderated by high‐ versus low‐effort processing. The results of 4 experiments provide strong support for our model. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

The effects of helping,self-expression,and enjoyment on social capital in social media: the moderating effect of avoidance attachment in the tourism context

ABSTRACT

A majority of senior Internet users maintains persistent social connections with others through social media (SM), such as Facebook and Twitter. This research explores the impacts of helping, self-expression, and enjoyment on bonding social capital and bridging social capital which in turn influence SM involvement; it also explores the moderating effect of avoidance attachment among senior SM users. The results show that helping, self-expression, and enjoyment have significant impacts on bonding social capital and bridging social capital. Also, bonding social capital and bridging social capital have significant effects on SM involvement. Furthermore, relationships between helping and bonding social capital, between self-expression and bonding social capital, and between self-expression and bridging social capital are stronger for seniors with high avoidance attachment. Conversely, the relationships between enjoyment and bonding social capital as well as between enjoyment and bridging social capital are stronger for seniors with low avoidance attachment. Accordingly, the results of this study provide theoretical contributions to the literature of behaviour and information technology. In addition, some implications of the research and various strategies for practitioners and marketers that can be used to better increase users’ involvement in SM for tourism-related activities are discussed.