Facebook Profiles Research Articles

Whither the Aborigine

Whither the Aborigine

Social Networks and Politics: The Use of Facebook in the Costa Rican 2014 Presidential Election

New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed the way how people interact in the new virtual spaces. Politics, as an expression of such interaction, is no exception to this. This study focuses on the contraposition of the mobilizing and normalizing theses, in its aim to demonstrate that social networks are a valid source for electoral political processes analyses. Therefore, the research focuses on the online dynamics generated by the five major presidential candidates in Costa Rica, during the 2013-2014 electoral campaign, in their official Facebook profiles. The study assess each candidate’s communication, interaction and, finally, mobilization capabilities as from these virtual spaces. Such data are complemented and contrasted with national opinion polls results, as well as the final election results, finally showing Facebook’s political value.

Sexual Selection and Humor in Courtship : A Case for Warmth and Extroversion.

This investigation examines a sexual selection-based argument regarding humor's role in courtship (i.e., humor production signals intelligence/creativity). Lens model (n =100) analyses suggest that humor production on Facebook profiles were self-reported and perceived to be associated with extroversion, not intelligence. Study 2 (n = 289) found that extroversion was associated humor production, but high school and college grade point average and American College Test (ACT) scores were not. In Study 3, pairs of opposite-sex strangers (n = 102) interacted for 10-12 min. Males' humor production and females' responsive laughter were both associated with females' dating interest. Both partners' dating interest was associated with simultaneous laughter. Without support for the sexual selection argument, three alternative explanations of humor's role in courtship are discussed.

How We Speak When We Say Things about Ourselves in Social Media: A Semiotic Analysis of Content Curation

How We Speak When We Say Things about Ourselves in Social Media: A Semiotic Analysis of Content Curation

Facebook is Linked to Body Dissatisfaction: Comparing Users and Non-Users

Growing media consumption and emerging forms of social media such as Facebook allow for unprecedented appearance-based social comparison with peers, family, and the wider media. We hypothesise that, for adult men and women, body dissatisfaction is related to peer-based media just as it is to traditional media forms. We expect that middle-aged women in particular are a vulnerable population, due to increasing pressure to conform to youthful beauty standards. In a national sample of New Zealand adults collected in 2012 (N = 11,017), we test the cross-sectional links between being a Facebook user and body satisfaction for men and women across age cohorts. Using a Bayesian regression model testing curvilinear effects of age, we show that having and using a Facebook profile is associated with poorer body satisfaction for both men and women, and across all ages. For women who use Facebook, a U-shaped curvilinear relationship was found between age and body satisfaction; thus the gap between non-users and users in body satisfaction was exacerbated among middle-aged women. A possible cohort effect also indicated that young women tend to be lower in body satisfaction overall. These findings add to the extant literature by suggesting that new media exposure may be associated with lower body satisfaction for some populations more than others, and emphasise the importance of examining body satisfaction in older populations.

Sharing feelings online: studying emotional well-being via automated text analysis of Facebook posts.

Digital traces of activity on social network sites represent a vast source of ecological data with potential connections with individual behavioral and psychological characteristics. The present study investigates the relationship between user-generated textual content shared on Facebook and emotional well-being. Self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and stress were collected from 201 adult Facebook users from North Italy. Emotion-related textual indicators, including emoticon use, were extracted form users’ Facebook posts via automated text analysis. Correlation analyses revealed that individuals with higher levels of depression, anxiety expressed negative emotions on Facebook more frequently. In addition, use of emoticons expressing positive emotions correlated negatively with stress level. When comparing age groups, younger users reported higher frequency of both emotion-related words and emoticon use in their posts. Also, the relationship between online emotional expression and self-report emotional well-being was generally stronger in the younger group. Overall, findings support the feasibility and validity of studying individual emotional well-being by means of examination of Facebook profiles. Implications for online screening purposes and future research directions are discussed.

Library Facebook practices for creating and promoting a professional profile

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth insight on librarians’ use of the social networking site Facebook as a way to connect and promote interaction with library users. A series of common practices for building and maintaining a Facebook page for information professionals are thoroughly and critically presented. Design/methodology/approach – Two methods were employed for the purposes of this study. Specifically, a systematic review was adopted to identify all the relevant literature concerning librarian’s use of Facebook, and a content analysis of the literature to identify the specific Facebook features used, the way these were employed by librarians, and the reasons these specific features were chosen. Findings – In total, 12 Facebook features used by librarians in the literature were identified through content analysis. The creation of the librarian’s Facebook Profile was the most important featured employed followed by Groups Messages, Wall Posts, Events and Friends. Research limitations/implications – This study extents a literature review paper (Vassilakaki and Garoufallou, 2014). Therefore, only papers published between 2005 and 2012 and assigned to categories “librarians creating profiles on Facebook”, “Librarians personal experiences on Facebook” and “exploring librarians’ perspectives” were considered with the view to focus on librarians’ views and the way they use Facebook to connect with users. Originality/value – This study contributes in providing the baseline for creating a series of best practices for librarians use of Facebook for professional purposes. Furthermore, it provides a valuable insight on the specific ways information professionals use Facebook successfully.

Defining the Occupy Movement: Visual Analysis of Facebook Profile Images Posted by Local Occupy Movement Groups

This visual study analyzes a total of 188 profile images posted on local Occupy group Facebook pages in order to identify how images adopted by local movement groups reflect the characteristics of the movements. By analyzing text, image, and color components of profile images, this study finds that certain design concepts and components are widely shared by local Occupy groups, which reflects the representational characteristic of the Occupy movement as a networked movement. Also, the Occupy Movement can be seen as an extension of traditional social movements because of a wide adoption of design components that are historically symbolic images and colors of social movements.

Use of Facebook for Corporate Reporting

From the last decade, the Internet has become a new way of communication. Business firms use the internet for communicating with their stakeholder and expanding their business. Nowadays, in the complex environment of competition, companies just don't want to communicate the information rather they require feedback and response for the particular information. This kind of problem is resolved by the use of social media. Disclosing business information through social media companies get to know about the behavior of investors towards their particular information. Thus, the present paper aims to examine the extent of corporate reporting on Facebook. The results show that 64% companies have Facebook profile. Further, it was found that most of the companies cultivate relationship by presenting information on disclosure and involvement. It was revealed that, mostly companies presented the information on marketing and ignored the financial, social and governance components.

The Voice of Russia and the Romanian new media consumers

Kremlin’s mean of propaganda, since 1929, The Voice of Russia has been the trumpet of the Soviet Union’s interests in the entire world. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, The Voice of Russia adapted to the new realities. Today, it is a public multimedia company. The Voice of Russia passed into the digital era, building a site, appealing to social networks in order to advance its visions. The policy of the company consists in aggressive promotion of the Russian interests abroad. The Voice of Russia’s Facebook profile makes no exception. We will analyze the online media consumers’ reaction to Moscow’s posts.

Lonely Together: The Psychological Divide Due to Social Networking Sites

We live in a world full of judgment and competition, inescapably comparing ourselves and being compared to those around us. The types of actions users take and the kinds of information they are adding to their Facebook walls and profiles are a reflection of their identities. You are your Facebook, basically, and despite all its socialness, Facebook is a deeply personal medium. The time spent earlier during a car ride to a daydream, or building fantasies during lunchtime at work, or those small breaks one took to gaze outside the window are now all time to connect with technology, reply to a text, log on to websites and check email or notifications. I feel robbed on my aloneness, to be rather a buzz of constant communication, that hinders my every moment, and there is always someone to reply to. I finalized this topic because I wanted to explore the need of projection of an online identity of one‟s self and if it is the performance and the constant simulation that keeps us stimulated and addicted or is it the reflection of the real onto our screens, because some of us project and consume, idealized images through Facebook, and researchers have been trying to figure out how all this flawlessness affects us in the real world.

The Valence of Self-Generated (Status Updates) and Other-Generated (Wall-Posts) Information Determines Impression Formation on Facebook.

We examined whether self-generated (status updates) or other-generated (wall-posts) information on Facebook influenced the impression formed of the target individual. Along with examining reliance on particular types of information, we explored the valence (positive/ neutral/ negative) of the information, as reliance on self-generated or other-generated information may depend on whether self-presentation is perceived (i.e., presenting oneself positively / not negatively). Self-presentation may be perceived if the targets have positive/ neutral statuses, while negative statuses would indicate a lack of self-presentation. In line with previous research, participants should rely on other-generated information (wall-posts) to form an impression when participants are viewed to have self-presented (positive / neutral status updates), as this information could be viewed as unreliable. Forty participants rated nine Facebook profiles where statuses and wall-posts portrayed personality traits varying in valence. Each profile consisted of a neutral profile photo, three status updates (all positive, negative, or neutral) and three wall-posts (all positive, negative, or neutral). Materials were established in two pilots. Impression formation was measured as perceived social, task, and physical attractiveness of the target individual. Participants also ranked the profiles for likeability. Supporting our expectations, other-generated information (wall-posts) dominated impression formation for social attractiveness when self-generated information (status updates) was positive/ neutral. Task attractiveness was affected by information valence, regardless of source (self or other). Despite the inclusion of neutral photos, physical attractiveness was affected by self-generated information, with negative statuses lowering physical attractiveness. We suggest that these findings have implications for impression formation beyond the Facebook setting. The 557 traits analyzed in Pilot 1 are available as supporting information (S1 Dataset) and may be useful for other impression formation researchers.

A celebridade política Romário: análise das interações propostas no seu perfil oficial do Facebook

As redes sociais digitais têm se revelado um importante instrumento de comunicação política. Este artigo versa sobre espaçopúblico digital e a proposta de Ângela C. Salgueiro Marques (2011) sobre o debate político na web. Nesse sentido, elencamoso perfil oficial do senador Romário Faria no Facebook, no período da primeira semana após as eleições de 2014, investigandoa tentativa de debate projetada através de suas publicações. Verificamos uma real possibilidade de empoderamento atravésda rede social digital. No entanto, os processos de deliberação são uma escolha individua e não necessariamente se atrelamàs publicações do perfil. Por fim, foi possível observar que o grande número de interações não garantiu o debate, pois,quanto maior era o número de interações, menor era a força política do debate.

A influência da rede social Facebook no comportamento de compra do consumidor

O objetivo do presente artigo é analisar o impacto da rede social Facebook no comportamento de compra do consumidor curitibano. Especificamente, a pesquisa procurou entender como o público-alvo busca o produto e até que ponto informações nas redes sociais tem influência sobre seus comportamentos, ou sejam se compram mais ou se têm lembrança da marca em momentos decisivos. Os dados foram coletados por meio de uma amostra de 100 consumidores em Curitiba/PR e analisados a partir da interpretação da descrição estatística dos dados. Concluiu-se, a partir dos dados, que as marcas que mantém seus perfis ativos no Facebook não influenciam o comportamento do consumidor e não estimulam diretamente a compra, porque os consumidores buscam lazer, informação e conteúdos relevantes no Facebook, mas têm oportunidades de estabelecer e estreitar relacionamento com seus consumidores.

Intersected ruralities: "Campeiro" youth and narratives of self and other in social media

This article presents current research on gender and identity among youth who take part in the campeiro cultural circuit in the Curitiba metropolitan area. We look specifically at the narratives that these youth formulate through use of social media, focusing on how they represent masculinity and femininity, sexuality and the body, consumption, cultural identities and leisure interests. Based on a study of young men and women and their Facebook profiles, linked to a broader project of ethnographic research, we argue that social media facilitate their participation in wider fields of discourse circulation, offering an opportunity and perhaps even encouraging them to express themselves in ways that partially disrupt conventional "traditionalist" patterns and ideals.

Individuals’ perception of others’ self-esteem, psychological well-being and attractiveness: Role of body size and peers’ comments among Japanese and Americans

From a cross-cultural perspective, this study investigates how individuals form impressions of others’ self-esteem, psychological well-being, and physical attractiveness as a function of others’ body size as well as messages these others receive from their peers. Mock-up Facebook profile pages in which the body size of the profile owner (thin vs. overweight) and peer-generated messages (accepting vs. thin-encouraging) were manipulated in the study. After viewing a Facebook profile page online, American and Japanese females completed a questionnaire. Japanese, but not Americans, (a) believed a profile owner who received thin-promoting messages to have higher psychological well-being than a profile owner who received accepting messages, (b) assumed an overweight profile owner to have lower self-esteem than a thin profile owner, and (c) perceived a thin profile owner as more physically attractive than an overweight profile owner.

Punjabi at heart: Language, legitimacy, and authenticity on social media

In this paper we contribute to discussions on the relation between language, place and legitimacy in contemporary globalization, including considerations of mobility, social media, and authenticity. Our empirical case is the Danish born performing artist Anita Lerche. Lerche sings in Punjabi, and in addition to language she deploys other semiotic elements which index India and Punjab. This triggers both negative and positive evaluations from her audience. In some cases, it even triggers (self) criticism of the deficient Punjabiness of Diaspora Punjabis. The overwhelming majority of the responses are based on an ideology of an inherent and natural relation between language and ethnic or geographical belonging. Lerche clearly does not conform to that as she explores her possibilities of identification and professional success beyond traditional borders and territories. The data analyzed consist of discussions on social media, and mainly responses to one of Lerche׳s Facebook posts. Despite the non-local character of the medium, and the different places of residence of the audience, a particular geographical location (Punjab) remains central in the construction of belonging, legitimacy, obligation and authenticity. In addition to data on Lerche׳s Facebook profile, we also draw on interviews with Lerche and some fieldwork.

Ethical, legal and professional issues arising from social media coverage by UK Helicopter Emergency Medical Services

ObjectiveSocial media (SoMe) are gaining increasing acceptance among, and use by, healthcare service deliverers and workers. UK Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) use SoMe to deliver service information and to...

Apparel brands’ use of Facebook: an exploratory content analysis of branded entertainment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine features of branded entertainment in apparel brands’ Facebook pages based on the conceptual framework of play themes (Zhang, 2010). Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis was performed for 1,443 posts present on 50 apparel brands’ Facebook profile pages in the time period from November 28, 2011 to December 25, 2011. Findings – The findings provide meaningful insights into apparel brands’ use of Facebook as a social media strategy. The most dominant branded entertainment consisted of photos and advertisements and was directed toward promoting specific products and sales without using a particular play theme. Among the play themes used, play as frivolity, which includes simple and fun activities, was predominant. Overall, apparel brands utilized limited types of branded entertainment on their Facebook pages. Research limitations/implications – By integrating play themes into branded entertainment, apparel brands can optimize their branded contents on Facebook to connect with consumers and increase consumer motivation to interact with the brand. More specifically, apparel brands that adopt additional play themes other than play as frivolity for their branded entertainment will stand out and cut through the clutter of competitors’ Facebook pages. Originality/value – No previous research investigated apparel brands’ use of Facebook pages. This study fills the void in the literature by addressing how apparel brands utilize types of branded entertainment on their Facebook profile pages.

Faculty and Facebook friending: Instructor–student online social communication from the professor's perspective

U.S. college faculty with Facebook profiles (N=308) were surveyed about their expectations of students' perceptions of their credibility, professionalism, and approachability in the classroom, as well as mutual connectedness with their instructors, resulting from out-of-classroom socializing with them and teacher self-disclosure on Facebook. Consistent with uses and gratifications theory, these teacher attributes made up the Professors' Expected Relationship Compensation scale (PERC), which was correlated to professors' frequency of Facebook interaction with students (r=0.41, p<0.001). Multiple regression confirmed the persistence of this large-sized effect after accounting for the influence of six other variables, including instructors' level of self-disclosure. These characteristics have been shown to relate positively to student-reported enhancements of academic outcomes and satisfaction. Faculty participation in non-academic, online interaction through Facebook shows great promise for augmenting student perceptions of their college experience and academic performance because it aligns professors' uses with students' expectations.