Facebook use depending on age: The influence of social comparisons

Facebook use is analyzed depending on age and occurrence of social comparisons. The hypotheses state that age is negatively associated with Facebook use and that this association is mediated by social comparison orientation. Data collection was realized via the Internet. The online-questionnaire included information on Facebook use on the basis of a behavioral report (cf., McAndrew & Jeong, 2012), an inventory for measuring social comparison orientation by Gibbons and Buunk (1999), and demographic questions. Results are based on 335 participants. They confirm both the negative association between age and frequency of Facebook activities and the mediation of this association by comparison orientation. These results are interpreted on the basis of evolutionary theory. This study offers new insights on the mediating role of social comparisons in the relationship between age and Facebook use. In the discussion suggestions for further routes of research on the link between age, comparison orientation, and Facebook use are outlined.     

Facebook as a toolkit: A uses and gratification approach to unbundling feature use

Research on social network sites (SNSs) typically employ measures that treat SNS use as homogenous although the user-base, user practices, and feature sets of these tools are increasingly diverse. Using a uses and gratifications approach, we address this problem by reconceptualizing SNSs as collections of features. Survey data collected from undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university (n = 267) revealed that users’ motivations for using Facebook predict their use of different features, such as status updates and Wall posts, but features that share similar capabilities do not necessarily share underlying motivations for use. When these results are contrasted against models employing a more unidimensional measure of Facebook use, we find differences between motivations for both general Facebook use and use of specific features of the site. This suggests that unidimensional measures of SNS use obfuscate motivations for using specific features. Theoretical and methodological implications of these findings and this approach are discussed.     

A mixed method approach to examining Facebook use and its relationship to self-esteem

The current study examined the relationship between self-esteem and Facebook use in sample of college-age participants (N = 201). Online methods were used to collect data. Consistent with the social compensation hypothesis, results indicate that self-esteem level was related to engaging in different on-line behaviors. For example, lower self-esteem was associated with feelings of connectedness to Facebook, more frequently untagging oneself in photos, and accepting friend requests from individuals that one does not know well. Qualitative analyses indicated that individuals with higher self-esteem were more likely to report that a positive aspect of Facebook was the ability to share pictures, thoughts, and ideas, and to report that other posts could become annoying or bothersome.     

A tale of two sites: Twitter vs. Facebook and the personality predictors of social media usage

Social networking sites (SNS) are quickly becoming one of the most popular tools for social interaction and information exchange. Previous research has shown a relationship between users’ personality and SNS use. Using a general population sample (N = 300), this study furthers such investigations by examining the personality correlates (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness-to-Experience, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Sociability and Need-for-Cognition) of social and informational use of the two largest SNS: Facebook and Twitter. Age and Gender were also examined. Results showed that personality was related to online socialising and information seeking/exchange, though not as influential as some previous research has suggested. In addition, a preference for Facebook or Twitter was associated with differences in personality. The results reveal differential relationships between personality and Facebook and Twitter usage.     

The links that bind: Uncovering novel motivations for linking on Facebook

Given the increasing uptake of the social network site Facebook, mass communication researchers have begun focusing on what drives people to use the site and what kinds of information they interact with. Perhaps because of the relative novelty of Facebook, little research has scratched beneath the surface to explore why people engage in certain functions the site offers. Attention to these engagements and the motivations behind them could help improve current mass communication approaches, especially in critical industries such as news media, where traditional models are struggling to evolve. This study explored user motivations for engaging in link-sharing through Facebook, uncovering motives that extend beyond those of previous research. The findings also consider the influence of those motivations on linking frequency, and link content, introducing motivations that add to current viewpoints of social network sites as information hubs. It also provides new media researchers and practitioners with novel insight into an increasingly important Facebook behavior.     

Cultural differences in social comparison on Facebook

Delving into motivations for and the impact of social comparison among students in the U.S. and South Korea, the present study examined cross-cultural differences in social comparison on Facebook. Following Helgeson and Mickelson [1995. “Motives for social comparison.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 21 (11): 1200–1209. doi:10.1177/01461672952111008.]’s framework, social comparison was studied both offline and online based on a range of motivations rather than targets of social comparison. Results suggested an insignificant effect of culture on orientation toward social comparison. However, significant cultural differences were observed in motivations for social comparison. The U.S. participants, compared to their South Korean counterparts, demonstrated a greater propensity both offline and online to engage in social comparison motivations of self-enhancement and altruism. On Facebook, South Korean participants’ social comparison motivations for self-improvement, common bond, and self-destruction were higher than those of the U.S. participants. The U.S. participants generally felt more positive and less fatigued after making comparisons on Facebook. Factors influencing post-comparison affect were also investigated between the two countries.     

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.     

Association between Facebook addiction,self-esteem and life satisfaction: A cross-sectional study

In recent years, many research efforts have been focused on investigation of potential connection between social networking and mental health issues. Particularly important and controversial remains the association between Facebook use, self-esteem and life satisfaction. In our cross-sectional study, on a sample of 381 Facebook users, we tested the existence and strength of this relationship using Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), Facebook Intensity Scale (FBI), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). With k-means cluster analysis, we divided the sample into 3 groups: ordinary, intensive, and addicted Facebook users. The results of our study show that ordinary Facebook users differ statistically in self-esteem and life satisfaction from both addicted and intensive users. Facebook addiction was in relation with lower self-esteem. Facebook addiction was also negatively related to life satisfaction. These results are in accordance with the previously published findings of other authors in the fields of social networking psychology and psychiatry.     

Managing privacy boundaries together: Exploring individual and group privacy management strategies in Facebook

Most research on privacy management within the context of social network sites (SNSs) treats users as individual owners of private information. Privacy, however, is beyond individual control and is also managed on a group level. This study applies the Communication Privacy Management theory (CPM) to explore the individual and group privacy management strategies in Facebook. We present a survey completed by 900 members of a youth organization regarding their online behaviors and membership. We found that women are more likely to employ individual privacy management strategies, while men are more likely to employ group privacy management strategies. For group privacy management, we found common bond and the role an individual is attributed within the youth organization to be the strongest predictors. The results generated from this study are a first but important step to illustrate the differences and similarities between individual and group privacy management. We argue that it is necessary to further study and understand group privacy to better approach users’ privacy needs.     

The Janus face of Facebook: Positive and negative sides of social networking site use

There is an increasing awareness that social networking site (SNS) use includes a socio-psychologically positive and a negative side. However, research remains largely silent on which side dominates in driving SNS use. To address this gap and to better understand the nature of SNSs we examine the positive and negative drivers of SNS use in parallel. We draw on the uses and gratifications theory and place social enhancement and interpersonal connectivity as the socio-psychologically positive gratifications and exhibitionism and voyeurism as the adverse gratifications predicting SNS use. We further link these gratifications to two key psychological needs, namely self-presentation and the need to belong. We conceptualize our dependent variable, SNS use, as a multi-dimensional second-order construct that consists of content production, content consumption, amount of usage, and comprehensiveness of one's profile information. We use longitudinal data from Facebook users to test our research model. The results show that exhibitionism, voyeurism and interpersonal connectivity predict SNS use. Furthermore, the number of friends in the SNS decreases the effect of exhibitionism and increases the effect of social enhancement. Altogether, the role of exhibitionism and voyeurism in predicting SNS use underscores the need for increased awareness of the socio-psychologically dark side of SNSs.     

A study of Facebook Groups members’ knowledge sharing

There have been many studies focusing on individuals’ knowledge sharing behavior in the organizational setting. With the rapid prevalence of social networking sites, many people began to express their thoughts or share their knowledge via Facebook website. Facebook is an open environment which does not provide any immediate monetary benefits to its users. Its Groups members’ knowledge sharing behavior could be different from the ones in organizations. We proposed a research model to examine factors which promote the Facebook Groups users’ willingness to share knowledge. The factors in the study include extrinsic motivation, social and psychological forces, and social networking sharing culture. We used PLS to test our proposed hypotheses based on 271 responses collected through an online survey. Our results indicated that reputation would affect knowledge sharing attitude of Groups members and sense of self-worth would directly and indirectly (through subjective norm) affect the attitude. In addition, social networking sharing culture (fairness, identification, and openness) is the most significant factor, not only directly affecting knowledge sharing intention, but also indirectly influencing the sharing intention through subjective norm and knowledge sharing attitude.     

Identity construction on Facebook: Digital empowerment in anchored relationships

Early research on online self-presentation mostly focused on identity constructions in anonymous online environments. Such studies found that individuals tended to engage in role-play games and anti-normative behaviors in the online world. More recent studies have examined identity performance in less anonymous online settings such as Internet dating sites and reported different findings. The present study investigates identity construction on Facebook, a newly emerged nonymous online environment. Based on content analysis of 63 Facebook accounts, we find that the identities produced in this nonymous environment differ from those constructed in the anonymous online environments previously reported. Facebook users predominantly claim their identities implicitly rather than explicitly; they “show rather than tell” and stress group and consumer identities over personally narrated ones. The characteristics of such identities are described and the implications of this finding are discussed.     

Using Facebook out of habit

This article investigates the uses and gratifications of the popular social networking site Facebook. In the exploratory stage, 70 users generated phrases to describe the manner they used Facebook. Interestingly, some users not only described the uses, but also mentioned how they perceive these uses. These phrases were coded into 14 items and clustered into four factors. The principal component analysis that was conducted in the third stage of the study, which was addressed to 222 Facebook users, verified the validity of the four factors: Social Connection, Social Network Surfing, Wasting Time and Using Applications. Previous user studies on Facebook have examined the immediate social effects of this popular social networking site, but they have not regarded emerging uses of the platform, such as gaming and applications, which do have a social component as a feature and not as a core principle. The ‘Wasting Time’ factor and the growth of ‘Using Applications’ factor indicate that Facebook has already become an integral part of daily computing routine, alongside with the rest of the entertainment desktop and web applications.     

The perspective of a revised TRAM on social capital building: The case of Facebook usage

The author explored the factors that affect user's acceptance of Facebook by analyzing data provided in a survey of Facebook users (n = 346) using hypotheses based on the Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM). In addition, he investigated the role of a revised TRAM on social capital building.     

Identification and characterisation of Facebook user profiles considering interaction aspects

ABSTRACT

The great number of social network users and the expansion of this kind of tool in the last years demand the storage of a great volume of information regarding user behaviour. In this article, we utilise interaction records from Facebook users and metrics from complex networks study, to identify different user behaviours using clustering techniques. We found three different user profiles regarding interactions performed in the social network: viewer, participant and content producer. Moreover, the groups we found were characterised by the C4.5 decision-tree algorithm. The 'viewer' mainly observes what happens in the network. The ‘participant’ interacts more often with the content, getting a higher value of closeness centrality. Therefore, users with a participant profile are responsible, for example, for the faster transmission of information in the virtual environment, a crucial function for the Facebook social network. We noted too that ‘content producer’ users had a greater quantity of publications in their pages, leading to a superior degree of input interactions than the other two profiles. Finally, we also verify that the profiles are not mutually exclusive, that is, the user of a profile can at determined moment perform the behaviour of another profile.     

Going Private in Public: A study on shift in behavioral trend using Facebook

The growth of social media has open a new dimension of research in the domain of human Psychology. The data generated by virtue of various available social media platforms is enormous, dynamic, unstructured, imprecise and most of the time uncertain. Facebook has emerged as one of the most successful media of social interaction and thus, contributing a lot to understand various aspects of human behavior. In this paper, a specific and crucial aspect of human nature is being explored- “Going Private in Public”. This aspect deals with some unexploited trend of human psychology and the research work presented in this paper is planned such as to investigate the data that eventually helps to understand this aspect to a great extent. A questionnaire to capture some behavioral trends of Facebook user was designed and filled up using both online and offline mode. The questionnaire included sets of non-identifying demographic questions, Facebook Intensity scale, Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adult, Perceived Stress Scale and NEO-PI-R model. Filling of the forms was made voluntarily and anonymously to avoid any biasing. A total of 312 responses were received and analyzed using Independent-Sample t-test, Cronbach's alpha test, Exploratory factor analysis, and MANOVA etc.     

Attachment style,social skills,and Facebook use amongst adults

Research suggests that online communication may benefit those high in social anxiety. The current study examined Facebook use from the perspective of adult attachment theory, exploring relationships between attachment anxiety and avoidance and Facebook use. Social skills have been found to be related to attachment style and internet use thus we also examined the role of these skills. A diverse sample of adult participants (N = 617; 50.1% female) completed a self report questionnaire measuring attachment dimensions, social skills, and Facebook use and experience. In line with predictions grounded in attachment theory, we found that individuals with high attachment anxiety used Facebook more frequently, were more likely to use it when feeling negative emotions and were more concerned about how others perceived them on Facebook. High attachment avoidance was related to less Facebook use, less openness and less positive attitudes towards Facebook. These relationships remained when social skills were controlled. These results suggest that Facebook may serve attachment functions and provide a basis for understanding how online communication may be related to attachment styles.     

Self-disclosure and student satisfaction with Facebook

The purpose of the current study was to extend existing research examining the specific motives for creating and maintaining Facebook, and to connect these motives to users’ levels of self-disclosure and satisfaction with Facebook. Undergraduate students identified their reasons for using Facebook, privacy and self-disclosure settings, and satisfaction with Facebook’s ability to meet these motivational needs. Results indicated that the most common motives for using Facebook were relationship maintenance, passing time, and entertainment, although gender differences in motives for creating a Facebook page were observed. Males and females also differed in the overall level of self-disclosure as well as the type of information presented on their Facebook pages. Levels of self-disclosure, but not privacy levels, were associated with greater levels of satisfaction with Facebook to meet certain motivational goals.     

Modeling educational usage of Facebook

The purpose of this study is to design a structural model explaining how users could utilize Facebook for educational purposes. In order to shed light on the educational usage of Facebook, in constructing the model, the relationship between users' Facebook adoption processes and their educational use of Facebook were included indirectly while the relationship between users' purposes in using Facebook and the educational usage of Facebook was included directly. In this study, data is collected from Facebook users with an online survey developed by the researchers. The study group consists of 606 Facebook users whose answers were examined by using a structural equation model. The analyses of the 11 observed and 3 latent variables provided by the model showed that 50% of educational usage of Facebook could be explained by user purposes along with the adoption processes of Facebook. It was also found that Facebook adoption processes could explain 86% of all user purposes. Finally, while Facebook adoption processes explained 45% of its educational usage, it could explain 50% of variance in educational usage of Facebook when the user purposes were added into the analyses.     

A study of traffic, user behavior and pricing policies in a large campus network

Tsinghua University campus network is a large campus network in China, providing volume-based and flat-rate Internet access service for more than 31,000 students and staff. In order to better understand its traffic, user behavior and pricing policies to facilitate network planning and management, we collect a one-year-long flow-based traffic log and a 10-year-long user-based log at the boundary of this campus network, and then conduct an analysis study on these two data sets. In this paper, we first present characteristics of inbound traffic flows from the aspects of traffic prediction and inference. Then we analyze the geographical origins of incoming flows, and the result reveals that USA, Japan and Korea are the most important source countries of international traffic. Our user-based investigation shows that the properties of users have important influence on their behavior, e.g., major has stronger influence on users’ online time, while occupation has stronger influence on users’ international traffic volume. We also find that there are more and more users choosing flat rate pricing scheme instead of volume based pricing scheme, and these users tend to over-provision when they subscribe from tiered pricing options.