Benefits Of Social Networking Sites Research Articles

Positive Orientation and Social Capital: The Insignificance of the Mediating Effects of Social Network Sites Usages

This research examined the relationships among positive orientation, types of social network sites (SNS) usage, and social capital. 235 private university students in Malaysia, aged from 18 to 30 (M = 19.64, SD = 1.50), participated in this research. They completed items that reflect on self-esteem, life satisfaction, optimism, the intensity of SNS use, the three connection strategies employed on SNS, and the bridging and bonding aspects of social capital. Factor analysis supported that self-esteem, life satisfaction, and optimism formed a single construct that was interpreted as positive orientation or positivity. Analyses revealed that the specific indirect effects of active use of SNS and the enacted SNS connection strategies on the relationship between positive orientation and social capital were not significant. Results revealed that the inclination to use SNS to seek relevant social information facilitated both weak and strong ties. Despite the benefits of SNS on the development of social capital, individuals with high positivity were able to form weak and strong ties that are beneficial without relying on these online platforms. The implications of the results and directions for future research are discussed.

The educational use of social networking sites among medical and health sciences students: a cross campus interventional study

BackgroundIn recent years, social networking sites (SNSs) have evolved beyond connection and networking to become a powerful instructional tool. There is still a dearth of knowledge on the professional use of SNSs for education particularly among students from diverse backgrounds. This study examined the extent and pattern of SNSs usage for education across six institutions and then conducted an interventional workshop to fortify and regulate the educational use of SNSs.MethodsThis multicenter study was done in two phases. In the first phase, an online cross-sectional survey using a validated inventory was administered to determine the prevalence, extent, and preferences of SNSs usage by undergraduate students in medicine, health sciences and dentistry across five centers. Later, the second phase of the study was undertaken in a 75-min guided live workshop about the appropriate use of SNSs in academia. Additionally, pre- and post-test surveys were conducted to assess the impact and outcome of workshop.ResultsOf the 1722 respondents, 1553 (90%) reported using SNSs with the frequency of once a month to three to five times per day for education and to stay in touch with others. Most students agreed with the benefits of SNSs for education mainly in terms of information gathering, networking and collaboration. Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest were noted as the most preferred SNSs for education. Nevertheless, 63% perceived that proper instruction was required for the efficient use of SNSs. Following the guided workshop, there was a significant improvement in web technology understanding, digital professionalism, skills and knowledge on the productive use of SNSs. Students rated the efficient for conceptual learning, connection to community practice, e-portfolio, and collaborative learning as the top four major teaching and learning strategies, respectively, in the post-workshop survey.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that SNSs can be used as learning tools in medical education. However, SNSs usage should be regulated and guided for a more collegial and coherent learning climate in the digital realm. We urge medical educators to integrate SNSs into their courses for a technologically advanced and impactful curriculum.

Social network sites as a means to support personal social capital and well-being in older age: An association study

This study aims to gain a better understanding of the potential benefits of social network sites (SNS) as a means to help support personal social capital and well-being of older adults. Results are reported of a cross-sectional study in which a sample of Dutch older adults (n ​= ​410) with a social network site account and varying in age from 50 to 93 (M=64.6, SD ​= ​8.2) filled out a questionnaire including validated scales measuring SNS use, personal bonding and bridging social capital and psychological, social and emotional well-being. Regression analyses including relevant covariates supported our hypotheses that; (1) SNS use is positively associated with personal bonding social capital; (2) SNS use is positively associated with personal bridging social capital; (3) SNS use is positively associated with psychological well-being and (4) SNS use is positively associated with social well-being. No significant association was found between SNS use and emotional well-being. Although no conclusions of causality can be drawn, these results support the assumed potential of SNS as a means to help preserve personal social capital and well-being at an older age and add to the, still limited, research literature on this topic. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Dampak Penggunaan Facebook Terhadap Kepribadian Anak

<em><span>The development of existing technologies, parents should immediately find the best way out so that the children are not too late in the advancement of existing technology. The benefits of social networking sites now have positive and negative impacts, which can build human resources development and can inhibit the development of a HUMAN resource, depending on who uses it and what it is used for. The family environment is the main environment in child personality formation. Parents ' role is very important for a child, so that children do not fall into the negative things that are inflicted</span></em>

A mapping of the factors related to self-disclosure on social network sites

Privacy is a critical concern in the big data era. Users share their personal data to informal communities such as social media. Despite the evident benefits of social network sites and users concerns about privacy, people disclose personal information. Albeit users know the conceivable risks of sharing personal information, more users are doing so. It is important to identify the factors affecting self-disclosure on social network sites. In this paper, the audience is informed about these factors. Using a systematic approach, models/theories used in self-disclosure researches on social network sites were identified. It was observed that the convenience of building and maintaining relationships, social ties and norms, and expected outcomes are positively affecting while privacy concerns are negatively affecting. It was also found that the level of trust, perceived control and perceived similarity can affect online behaviour towards self-disclosure. The paper closes by proposing future line of inquiries.

Social Networks and Mobile Applications Use in Young Patients With Kidney Disease.

Objective: To evaluate the use and benefits of social networking sites (SNS) and mobile applications (MA) in young patients with kidney disease (KD).Background: Pediatric KD is prevalent. The Internet is increasingly being used to communicate rapid healthcare information to children about acute and chronic diseases with greater medical care satisfaction. There is a lack of data on social media (SM) utility in pediatric KD.Materials and Methods: A descriptive, observational, and cross-sectional study was conducted on a national level. Data were collected from 4 different centers through a reviewed questionnaire.Results: 83.9% of the 428 participants were Lebanese. The average age was 11.4 years (±7.1). 69.9% had chronic KD out of which 17.4% had undergone a kidney transplant while 9% were on dialysis. 69.6% of the participants affirmed the need of SM for the health of the sick child while only 9.8% are participating in a scientific forum and 4.7% used SM to find a potential organ donor. Some study variables were statistically associated with the participants' age, nationality, and stage of KD.Conclusions: SM is important for the support and management of pediatric KD. We believe that SNS and MA will play a leading role in the lives of our patients in the upcoming future and will push the physician to be an active participant in the evolution of communication networks. To identify the efficacy of SM in enhancing communication between patients and health professionals, further stratified studies are needed.

A meta-analysis of Social Network Site use and social support

Current scholarship knows little about what forms of social support are the major benefits of Social Network Sites (SNSs) use. To solve this problem, this study examined the association of SNSs use and social support by meta-analyzing 73 effects from 31 studies. We also examined several important moderators such as age, gender, and culture. The findings revealed that generic SNS use may be helpful for informational and emotional support, but not for tangible and esteem support. Further moderation analysis demonstrated that SNSs are better set up for online social support, but it also provides offline support benefits. The analyses also showed differences between users who engage in active SNS activities and those who passive consume online content. Moreover, Asians were found to receive more social support via SNS presentation than Europeans and Americans. Older and female students were found to be able to acquire more social support from SNS use.

Connected in the street: the relation between online social networks, self-esteem and satisfaction with life among individuals experiencing homelessness

The universalisation of Social Networking Sites has prompted a debate about whether contact with relatives and friends online has a positive effect on psychological well-being, as it has on direct relationships with primary groups. The aim of this study is to analyze the use of social network sites in a sample of 164 individuals experiencing homelessness (IEH), and to establish the relationship between this usage and their levels of self-esteem and satisfaction with life, using a multiple linear regression model for each dependent variable. The main results show a high prevalence of Internet and social network sites usage amongst IEH, even slightly higher than in the population overall.The variables predicting a higher degree of well-being are related to the use of social network sites, especially keeping in touch with friends. The chronicity associated with length of time on the street is also a key factor. A debate exists regarding the benefits of social network sites on health, and the importance which education may have in improving access to specialized services.

"An Exploratory Study of the Usage, Drawbacks, and Career Benefits of Social Networking Sites"

With the advent of social networking sites, networking behavior has expanded from the use of traditional face-to-face methods to technology-based methods. Given the increasing use of social network...

Building customer equity through trust in social networking sites

Purpose – This study aims to propose and empirically test a cognitive-behavioral model of the perceived benefits of social networking sites (SNSs), trust in SNSs, brand trust, brand loyalty and customer equity in the context of fast fashion brand communities in Thailand. Using a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, a proposed model was successfully established. Importantly, this research delineates the mediating role of the relationship between the perceived benefits of SNSs and brand trust, as well as emphasizes the importance of trust in generating customer equity. In addition to its theoretical contribution, this study also provides practical implications for brand managers to develop customer equity through their brand pages on SNSs. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The online surveys were administered to Thai consumers. An email invitation with an embedded link was sent by the researchers asking receivers to participate or forward the survey to others who were interested in participating in the study. As the purpose of this study is to investigate interrelationships among SNSs benefit, trust and customer equity in fast fashion retail domains, only responses from those who were current SNS users and had visited fast fashion SNS brand communities in the past three months were considered for analysis. A total of 227 participants completed the survey; however, eight of those responses were incomplete. Thus, 207 usable responses were analyzed by using SEM. Findings – Thai SNS users who believe they receive practical and social benefits from engaging in SNSs were likely to trust the sites instead of directly forming trust toward the brand. However, perceived entertainment benefits did not influence trust in SNS. This study found that brand trustworthiness is not directly predicted by practical benefit from SNSs. Instead, brand trustworthiness is formed through consumers’ trust toward SNSs. Brand trust induces a high degree of brand loyalty for fast fashion brands, and those individuals with higher brand loyalty were likely to purchase the brand’s products more frequently as well as in a higher volume. Research limitations/implications – Although the research included general fashion SNSs brand communities users, the samples are not fully representative. Particularly, the majority of respondents of this study could be college students; as such, this may have influenced the results. Thus, to enhance generalizability of the findings, the model should be examined using non-student samples. In addition, a greater number of samples will better reflect the actual demographic profile of SNS users. Second, although the study results generally support the proposed model, the results are necessarily limited to the study’s context, which is Thailand. Likewise, the study needs to be replicated with consumers in other countries, particularly in countries with the fastest increase of SNS users such as India, Indonesia, Mexico, China and Brazil. Practical implications – The results provide practical implications to apparel brands for establishing customer equity through their brand pages on SNSs. As discussed, consumer trust toward the SNSs is favorably strengthened by SNSs benefits (i.e., practical and social). Consumer trust in SNSs can impact how they perceive the brands and their purchase behaviors. This study encourages companies to strengthen consumers’ trust in SNSs by enhancing perceived practical and social benefits. In addition, companies need to closely monitor information/conversations about the product/brand being presented on their SNS brand community because the quality of information and conversation available in the SNS can affect consumer trust in that SNS. Originality/value – This study contributes to the existing literature in the area of social media, trust, brand loyalty and customer equity in the context of the apparel industry. Importantly, this study uncovered the mediating role of trust in SNSs in a practical benefit-brand trust relationship, indicating that brand trustworthiness is not directly predicted by practical benefit from SNSs, but is formed through consumers’ trust toward SNSs. Brand trust induces a high degree of brand loyalty for fast fashion brands, which in turn, led to customer equity relative to number of purchases and purchase volume.

Use of Social Networking Sites by Academic Librarians in Six Selected States of Nigeria

The attractiveness of social networking sites (SNSs) has extended to almost all professionals in numerous human organizations including the library. Librarians as a result of this development are now making use of these sites to connect to other libraries and librarians both within and outside their environment. However, it is observed that the use and benefits derived from social networking sites by Nigerian librarians, generally, and those in academic libraries, particularly, has not been well documented. It is against this backdrop that this study examined the use of social networking sites to both the libraries and the librarians in selected academic libraries in six Nigerian States. A survey research design approach was adopted. The simple random study drew upon 200 academic librarians from academic libraries across six selected States in Nigeria. Five research questions were raised and answered by the study. The results demonstrate that Facebook and Twitter are mostly use by academic librarians. Academic librarians are making use of SNSs on a weekly basis and partially on a daily basis. Many potential benefits of SNSs were indicated both to the librarians and their libraries such as creating opportunity to connect with people across the globe, which includes those that have never been seen and those that one is not sure of coming in contact with. It was also found that SNSs give opportunity for academic libraries to incorporate SNSs as a means of creating more interactive user centered library and information services. Examples of the defects identified associated with SNSs include sexual harassment, cybercrime, fraud, and spreading of spam. It is expected that the outcomes of this study will serve as pioneer data upon which future related studies will be anchored.

Affording to Exchange: Social Capital and Online Information Sharing

The potential harm and benefit associated with sharing personal information online is a topic of debate and discussion. Using survey methods (n=872), we explore whether attainment of social capital online relates to greater comfort with sharing personal information. We found that perceptions of bridging and bonding social capital earned from using Facebook are significant predictors of overall comfort levels with sharing personal information. This research raises timely questions about how the perceived benefits of social networking sites influence how personal information is shared online.

Social network intervention for the enhancement of students' social presence in relation to satisfaction and perceived learning

The emergence of social network sites (SNS) creates communication tools to facilitate many processes that can be applied in teaching and learning. Although SNS provide great learning applications, the advantages of this kind of websites are oftentimes ignored. There is currently little research regarding the educational benefits of SNS dedicated to teaching and learning. In order to investigate the largely unexplored benefits of educational SNS, the researchers estimated social network intervention as a support of learning management system for the enhancement of social presence in relation to perceived learning and satisfaction with the instructor in blended learning. Findings of this research study show there was a significant difference between before and after social network intervention. However, the highest enhancement was for the social interaction and satisfaction with the instructor due to creating an online community. The results also showed a significant correlation between social presence and perceived learning, social presence and satisfaction with instructor, and satisfaction with instructor and perceived learning after social network intervention.

There’s an App for that: The Uses and Gratifications of Online Social Networks for Gay Men

This essay is an exploratory study of the uses and gratifications of social networking applications and sites widely utilized by gay men. Based on findings from six different focus groups and intercept interviews with gay and bisexual men, this essay explores the motivations and perceived benefits of social networking sites that allow for the creation of a virtual community of sexual minorities. This paper also considers these technological developments as part of a larger history of gay men communicating with other gay men within a culture where talk about homosexuality is closely policed and often restricted. Through a uses and gratifications approach, this essay discusses the needs and motivations that bring gay men online to social network sites, how they manage multiple identities online and the resulting gratifications of their online activity.