Features Of Social Networking Sites Research Articles

INTERACTIVITY AND IDENTIFICATION INFLUENCES ON VIRTUAL SHOPPING

The rapid development of virtual shopping through social networking sites raises important research questions. Social networking site features can shape members’ behavioral intentions toward virtual shopping. In this study, the S-O-R model is used to examine the effects of online stimuli on members’ emotional states and responses. The structural equation model (SEM) tests the conceptual model and hypotheses. The findings show that both interactivity and identification factors shape members’ trust, flow and purchase intention. To cite this document: Echo Huang and Yu-Ting Huang, "Interactivity and identification influences on virtual shopping", International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, Vol.4, No.2, pp. 305-312, 2013. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/ijecs.1123

Unıversity Students' Purposes in Using Social Networking Sites, and Their Opinions on Using These Sites In Education

In this study, the status of using social networking sites by university students and their purposes of using these sites, and the student opinions on negative and positive effects of social networking sites on university students, on integrating social networking sites into university education and on using social networking sites in educational context were investigated. Survey method has been used in this descriptive research. The research has been conducted with 659 university students. Data have been collected by using four different scales. Data have been analyzed using percentage, frequency and chi-square test. Results of the study indicate that students use social networking sites intensively, mostly ranging from one to three hours, that their aim in using these sites is generally related to sharing photographs, video and messaging , that a great majority of the students has more than 200 friends in social networking sites, that they use these sites to continue already existing friendships rather than making new friends. The university students consider social networking sites unreliable in terms of safety of private information. They have stated that positive features of social networking sites are expressing one's self comfortably and easing communication, while the negative ones are taking too much time, possibility of information theft, and decrease in the efficiency of self-studying. The results of the study reveal that student are ready to use the social networking sites in university education and they expect to benefit from these sites in terms of information-source sharing, group work, and sharing instructional materials.

HARMONY AND TENSION ON SOCIAL NETWORK SITES

The need to maintain harmony among one's social contacts is proposed in this paper to impose constraints on the interconnectivity between users of social network sites (SNS). A particular focus is on the connectivity between different social spheres. It is hypothesized that the type and number of social spheres and technological features of SNS interact such that increased levels of social tension result. These ideas are supported by the findings from a survey study among Facebook users. Social diversity of the Facebook network predicted online tension as did the number of family members on Facebook, in contrast to work and social contacts. Furthermore, evidence was found to support the idea that tension might impose an upper limit on network size. Follow-up interview data also showed that online tension was predominantly about unwanted connectivity between the spheres. All the technological features that users reported as problematic focused on the easy access to and broadcast of text and pictures. Findings are discussed in light of unintended, negative side-effects of SNS and social media in general.

The relationships among the Big Five Personality factors, self-esteem, narcissism, and sensation-seeking to Chinese University students’ uses of social networking sites (SNSs)

It has been suggested that personality factors are related to an individuals’ use of social networking sites (SNSs). The present research explores the relationships between the Big Five Personality factors, narcissism, self-esteem, and sensation seeking and individuals’ use of specific features of SNS. Self-reports were collected from 265 SNS users from a university in China. Regression analyses revealed that personality factors play an important role in how SNS are used. Specifically, extraverts are more likely to use the communicative function of SNS including status update, comment, and adding more friends. Neurotic are more likely to use the feature of status update as a way of self-expression. Agreeable individuals tend to make more comments on others’ profiles. Individuals with high self-esteem are more likely to comment on others’ profiles. Users scoring high on openness and sensation seeking are more likely to play online games on SNS. Narcissistic users are more likely to upload their attractive photos on SNS and tend to use update status more frequently for self-presentation. Gender also played an important role in predicting types of SNS use. Males reported more SNS friends and were more likely to play online games than were females, who were more likely to upload self-photos and update their status.

Make new friends or keep the old: Gender and personality differences in social networking use

The present study examined the influence of gender and personality on individuals’ use of online social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace. Participants were 238 undergraduate students who reported being members of Facebook, MySpace, or both. Based on prior research examining online behavior, we expected that gender and scores on the Big Five personality scale would moderate online social networking behavior. The results supported our predictions. Specifically, men reported using social networking sites for forming new relationships while women reported using them more for relationship maintenance. Furthermore, women low in agreeableness reported using instant messaging features of social networking sites more often than women high in agreeableness, whereas men low in openness reported playing more games on social networking sites compared to men high in openness. Overall, these results indicate the importance of examining individual differences in online behavior.

The (Potential) Benefits of Campaigning via Social Network Sites

Social network sites (SNS) have become very popular, especially among adolescents and young adults. Consequently, politicians started to use them for their campaigns. This paper examines how this personalized soft campaigning strategy worked in the 2006 Dutch elections and how interaction with potential voters can influence the evaluation of the candidates. The first question is answered by a web survey among active users of Hyves, the largest Dutch SNS. The second question is answered by a web experiment on a fictive candidate. The survey showed that SNS provide an opportunity to reach individuals less interested in politics. Viewing a candidate's profile further strengthened existing attitudes. However, the politicians did not fully use the interactive features of SNS during the 2006 campaign. The web experiment showed that politicians who react on the comments of users were perceived more favorable. This effect was stronger for right-wing politicians and left-wing voters.