Social Networking Sites: Their Users and Social Implications — A Longitudinal Study

The rapid adoption of social networking sites (SNSs) raises important questions about the social implications of such usage. Drawing on unique longitudinal data, surveying a representative sample of Norwegian online users (N = 2,000, age 15–75 years) in 3 annual waves (2008, 2009, and 2010), this study found a significantly higher score among SNS users in comparison to nonusers in 3 out of 4 social capital dimensions: face‐to‐face interactions, number of acquaintances, and bridging capital. However, SNS‐users, and in particular males, reported more loneliness than nonusers. Furthermore, cluster analyses identified 5 distinct types of SNS users: Sporadics, Lurkers, Socializers, Debaters, and Advanced. Results indicate that Socializers report higher levels of social capital compared to other user types.     

Exploring the Impact of Social Networking on Communication in Organizations

ABSTRACT

Social networking technology has the potential to transform how organizations communicate, cooperate, and connect with key stakeholders. Our research explores how social networking technologies are deployed within organizations and how the use of these technologies is related to effectiveness in organizational communication and promotion. We also identify the facilitating factors and constraints around the use of social networking tools for communication. To examine these questions, we conducted interviews with 131 senior level executives across a broad range of organizations and employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis. The executives were asked to rate numerically and then discuss in narrative form a series of questions about IT strategy and issues affecting social networking in their organization. We find important differences both in the types of tools used as well as how they are used and discuss the implications of our findings for companies seeking to more effectively harness social networking technologies.     

社交网站监管法律问题研究

本文着重分析了社交网站常见的法律问题,并通过比较研究各国的做法,试图总结出我国加强社交网站管理的监管措施。     

An Empirical Study Evaluating Social Networking Continuance and Success

Social networking site (SNS) use decisions have led to major economic and social transformations worldwide. While many organizations seek to use SNSs from a strategic perspective to reach their customer, it is important to understand what makes SNSs successful in order to use them for competitive purposes. The current research evaluates the influence of the social capital theory on SNS success measures. A model was developed and empirically tested using two data samples to ensure valid and reliable results for success of SNSs. The results display the importance of social capital in SNS success followed by practitioner and academic implications.     

Association of demographics,motives and intensity of using Social Networking Sites with the formation of bonding and bridging social capital in Pakistan

The objectives of this confirmatory study were to investigate the association of socio-economic demographics (age, education of respondent, gender, monthly family income, parentage education), motives (communication and information, self-actualization and outward looking) of using Social Networking Sites (SNSs) and attitudinal and behavior variable (intensity of using SNS, self-esteem, gratification with university life, duration of use, and number of ties) with the formation of bonding and bridging social capital. Total 461 students, aged 18–35 years filled the questionnaire, from randomly selected departments of University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. Regression analysis was used to assess the association among variables. The study indicated that Facebook is the most popular SNS among university students in Pakistan. Intensity of using SNS, duration of using SNSs, and motives of using SNSs were found to be positively associated with formation of bonding and bridging social capital. Self-esteem and gratifications with university life were found to be significant predictors in formation of bonding social capital only. The demographics variables (education, parentage education, monthly family income) had no influence on formation of both bonding and bridging social capital.     

Cultivating Social Resources on Social Network Sites: Facebook Relationship Maintenance Behaviors and Their Role in Social Capital Processes

This study explores the relationship between perceived bridging social capital and specific Facebook‐enabled communication behaviors using survey data from a sample of U.S. adults (N=614). We explore the role of a specific set of Facebook behaviors that support relationship maintenance and assess the extent to which demographic variables, time on site, total and “actual” Facebook Friends, and this new measure (Facebook Relationship Maintenance Behaviors) predict bridging social capital. Drawing upon scholarship on social capital and relationship maintenance, we discuss the role of social grooming and attention‐signaling activities in shaping perceived access to resources in one's network as measured by bridging social capital.     

中国社交类应用用户行为研究

"社交类应用"泛指具有社交功能的互联网应用,包括社交网站、微博、即时通信工具、博客、论坛等,本文重点研究社交网站、微博以及即时通信工具。在社交类应用用户特征及重叠情况、社交类应用用户变化以及各社交类应用用户使用行为差异的研究基础上,分析了社交类应用对新闻资讯类网站、网络购物、手机在线游戏等相关产业的影响,并对社交类应用的发展提出了相关建议。     

The Impact of Social Media in Review

Today, the impact of social media (SM) and social network services are undeniable. Social web applications are particularly so pervasive that finding innovative ways to incorporate them into our everyday lives for profit or educational use is a constant activity for some. The purpose of this study is to identify best practices acknowledged through scholarly literature for professionals and to highlight the common ways to improve the use of social web tools. Through a comprehensive literature review, this study illustrates how an effective communication synergy can be developed through the use of various social mediums for sustainable user engagement online.     

社交网络相关机制应用于搜索引擎的研究综述

首先对社交网络相关机制应用于搜索引擎的研究背景做简单陈述,然后对现有社交化搜索算法按照应用环境的不同进行分类综述与分析,总结其优势、不足以及影响因素。进而提出限制社交化搜索研究发展的主要原因,展望未来开展社交化搜索的相关研究时应当重点关注的方向,着重讨论利用个性化推荐系统连结社交网络与搜索引擎的思想,以及搜索引擎合法获取社交数据的可行的模式。     

Users' Satisfaction with Social Network Sites: A Self-Determination Perspective

When the online social networking market is no longer a “blue ocean,” retaining existing users and maintaining their satisfaction with the current social network site (SNS) become SNS providers' most important tasks. This study applies Self-Determination Theory and examines the relationship between trust, relatedness need, and users' satisfaction with SNSs. Using Facebook as the context, we tested our hypotheses with the student sample from a large state university in U.S. The results show that competence and benevolence trust beliefs positively influence relatedness need satisfaction; relatedness need satisfaction and relatedness need level significantly influence uses' satisfaction with SNSs. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are also discussed.     

Credibility of Social Network Sites for Political Information Among Politically Interested Internet Users

Scholars have confirmed that political candidates are increasingly turning to social network sites (SNS) to persuade voters to vote for them, and that these sites have become prominent sources of political information. But a fundamental question arises about the sustainability of social networks as a campaign tool: How much do users trust the information they find there? This study employed an online survey to examine the degree to which politically interested online users view SNS as credible. SNS were ranked the least credible among the nine traditional and online sources examined. Reliance on social networks proved the strongest predictor of SNS credibility.     

Young Bilinguals' Language Behaviour in Social Networking Sites: The Use of Welsh on Facebook

Social networking sites feature significantly in the lives of many young people. Where these young people are bilingual, social networking sites may have an important role to play in terms of minority language use and in shaping perceptions of that language. Through a quantitative and qualitative study, this paper investigates the use of language in social networking sites by young Welsh speakers, focussing particularly on Facebook. Language choice and behaviour, factors influencing that behaviour, and attitudes towards use of the Welsh language in Information Technology are explored. The data suggests that there are a number of different factors at play, and that it is necessary to consider language behaviour in social networking sites in the context of offline language behaviour.     

The Effects of Other‐Generated and System‐Generated Cues on Adolescents' Perceived Attractiveness on Social Network Sites

The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent other‐generated and system‐generated cues on social network sites (SNS) influence the popularity and attractiveness of adolescents. In a 2 (friends' physical attractiveness: attractive, unattractive) ×2 (friends' wall postings: positive, negative) ×3 (number of friends: low, average, high) factorial experiment, 497 high school students between 12 and 15 years of age were randomly assigned to one of the twelve experimental conditions. Results revealed that the profile owner of a SNS was perceived as being more attractive when the profile includes attractive friends and positive wall postings. The profile owners' number of friends did not affect the perceived attractiveness of the profile‐owner, only the perceived extraversion.     

The role of self-construal in consumers’ electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites: A social cognitive approach

The current study reconceptualized self-construal as a social cognitive indicator of self-observation that individuals employ for developing and maintaining social relationship with others. From the social cognitive perspective, this study investigated how consumers’ self-construal can affect consumers’ electronic word of mouth (eWOM) behavior through two cognitive factors (online community engagement self-efficacy and social outcome expectations) in the context of a social networking site. This study conducted an online experiment that directed 160 participants to visit a newly created online community. The results demonstrated that consumers’ relational view became salient when the consumers’ self-construal was primed to be interdependent rather than independent. Further, the results showed that such interdependent self-construal positively influenced consumers’ eWOM behavioral intentions through their community engagement self-efficacy and their social outcome expectations.     

Cultural Entrepreneurship: The Impact of Social Networking on Success

Because of the complex structures characteristic of the arts sector and creative industries, it is often thought that external network ties of leading managers are critical to the success of their cultural enterprises. Based on research into entrepreneurship and promoters' activity, this study examines the influence of social network relationships on the success of cultural establishments in Germany. The regression analysis of data from 121 private arts and culture ventures presented here clearly shows that founders as well as managers can overcome numerous barriers through their engagement and activity in social networks, and thereby exercise to a significant degree a positive influence on establishing their enterprise. As expected, this effect is even stronger in cases of low sponsorship of cultural activities on the part of cities and communities. Contrary to expectations, the positive effect of intensive networking activities is not increased by a high intensity of competition; it is worth noting that the effect is strongest in situations of low competitive pressure. The results of this study demonstrate that successful networking expertise, as postulated by research into promoters' activity, is of great importance for overcoming significant barriers in the cultural sector, but that its effectiveness also has limits.     

利用社交网络的影响力骨架探索信息传播

理解社交网络上的信息传播机制,通常包括对拓扑结构的分析和对用户行为的分析。由于社交网络上连边的强度具有异质性,只有一部分连边对于信息传播有实质作用,构成隐藏在社交网络中的影响力骨架。对影响力骨架的拓扑研究可帮助我们获得比直接研究社交网络拓扑结构更深入的认识。我们从连边正负性和个体节点角色分化入手,探讨了微观层面连边和节点在信息传播中的作用,进而从宏观层面分析信息传播所依赖的影响力骨架的连通性和扩散效率,发现信息传播具有一定程度的脆弱性,且其传播效率低于对社交网络本身研究的预期。     

社交网络用户谣言转发行为预测算法

社交网络谣言转发行为是指用户是否转发特定谣言.以往研究主要针对的是谣言在群体中的传播规律,鲜有针对个体传播行为的研究.基于信息传播理论,研究首次提出两类谣言个体转发影响因素的框架:谣言发布者以及谣言内容对个体的影响力.研究使用NLP相关技术和复杂网络分析算法等技术计算出相关特征;最后使用常见分类算法进行预测用户是否转发...     

Exploring Privacy Management on Facebook: Motivations and Perceived Consequences of Voluntary Disclosure

This study examined the perceived motivations and consequences of voluntary disclosure of Facebook active users using a survey administered to college students in a public‐speaking course. College‐age students who took the survey were motivated to use Facebook because they perceived their relationships improved with friends and family, although using Facebook could become negatively habit forming. The research suggests that users of Facebook use it more for disclosing to distant friends rather than to close friends, which is divergent from most early disclosure research that equates disclosure with intimacy. This research utilizes Communication Privacy Management Theory for the theoretical framework.     

Social Comparison,Goal Contagion,and Adoption of Innovative Information Technology

When adopting a new, innovative information technology (IT), most institutions tend to lack knowledge about it initially. However, they often adopt new ITs despite their illiteracy. This behavior is difficult to explain using rational IT adoption theories. Focusing on the organizational decision-making process behind adoption of innovative IT, we examine the strategy by which some companies compensate for their lack of knowledge: collection of information from other companies that have successfully adopted IT previously. We develop a new IT adoption model for which goal contagion theory and social comparison theory are combined to interpret the circumstances under which organizations tend to adopt new, innovative IT despite limited knowledge about it. Big data, cloud services, and smart mobile systems are considered as examples of innovative IT in the empirical study.     

A Framework for the E-Discovery of Social Media Content in the United States

People are using social networking sites (SNS) for day-to-day communications, outpacing email and texts. SNS are evidence gold mines subject to discovery in investigations, audits, and litigation. This paper examines the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), which specifically address electronically stored information (ESI), but not social content, as a unique form of evidence. A framework is presented to categorize legal cases according to the degree of e-discovery access granted. One conclusion is caveat usor.