Use Of Social Networking Sites Research Articles

Widening the net: Use of social media data in personal injury and disability evaluations.

A central tenet of forensic mental health assessment is the use of multiple sources of data. Traditionally, these sources have included clinical interviews with and observations of the examinee, written records review, psychological test data, and interviews with collateral sources. Data from social media and social networking sites (SNS) is now widely used in civil litigation. However, existing professional practice standards and guidelines do not specifically address the use of SNS data. This leaves forensic mental health evaluators with little guidance as to why, when and how to incorporate SNS data into their evaluations. We review the extant literature on the use of SNS and other social media data in personal injury and disability cases, including legal, ethical, and practical considerations, with the goal of providing forensic mental health practitioners with a framework for making decisions about when and how to incorporate these data into their evaluations and opinions. We advocate caution in conducting independent searches of social media and the Internet, and in making inferences about internal states based on SNS postings. To illustrate these points, we include a case study.

Associations of Depression/Anxiety with Technology Use, Discontinued Use, and Nonuse in Older Adults

ABSTRACT Objectives To examine correlates of the changes in technology use among older adults and the associations of depression/anxiety symptoms with technology use changes. Methods We used the 2019–2021 U.S. National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 3,063; age 70+). We fitted multinomial logistic regression models to examine: (1) correlates of never use and discontinued use versus use of email/texting and the internet during the 3-year study period; and (2) associations of past-month depression/anxiety symptoms in 2021 with use and discontinued use versus never use of email/texting and social network site (SNS). Results The findings show age, socioeconomic, and health barriers to technology use. Email/texting and SNS use in 2021, compared to never use in all 3 years, was associated with a lower likelihood of moderate/severe depression/anxiety symptoms in 2021 (RRR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.37–0.81 for email/texting use; RRR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.33–0.97 for SNS use). Video calls with family/friends were not associated with depression/anxiety symptoms. Conclusions The findings expand the existing knowledge base regarding potential impact of technology use on mental health beyond the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical implications More concerted efforts are warranted to help older adults’ technology uptake and continued use and to promote mental health benefits of technology use.

SNSS USE IN GENERATION Z, EMOTIONAL STIMULI PROCESSING, AND ITS NEURAL CORRELATES. EVIDENCE FROM THE FUNCTIONAL NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

The paper aims to examine the relationship between three factors among Generation Z members: time spent on SNSs (Social Network Sites) activities, visual vs. linguistic emotional stimuli processing, and neural activation during the performance of visual vs. verbal tasks. Although gene ra tion Z is described as having worse emotional linguistic competence than it does a visual competence, there is a lack of experimental research doc- umenting these dissimilarities. The study in volved a group of 57 adults born between 1995-2000, i.e. representatives of Generation Z.The experiment consisted of two parts: the first devoted to the testing of emotion recognition from images (The Scale of Emotional Intelligence – Faces), and the second performing linguistic emotional tasks (The Emotion Understanding Test). During the tests a neuroimaging technique (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) was applied to examine and register neural cortical activity in the frontal, temporal, and occipital areas. The Social Network Sites Scale was used to assess the level of social network site use.Results showed that individuals representing Generation Z perform better in visual emotional task than in linguistic tasks. There is an association between SNSs use and brain activation.Gen Z who overuse SNSs present greater activation of the brain regions responsible for a greater cognitive effort such as frontal and prefrontal areas. The activation differences in the frontal and temporal cortical regions between high users of SNSs and low users document the impact of SNSs utilization on brain functioning and confirm that SNSs overuse can have a negative impact on linguistic emotional stimuli processing.

Fake Instagram Account Detection using ML Algorithms

Abstract—Nowadays, the majority of people utilise social networking sites on a daily basis. Numerous people create profiles on social networking websites every day and connect with others there, regardless of their location or time. False identities are used in additional malicious operations in addition to playing a significant part in advanced persistent threats. Users of social networking sites can benefit from them, but they also have to worry about the security of their personal information. We must first determine the user's social network accounts before we can determine who is endorsing threats in these platforms. Social media usage has dramatically increased in recent years, according to statistics. Social networking sites have made things easier as they allow us to connect to people effortlessly and converse with them without the requirement for physical meetups. One of the major issues with Online Social Networks (OSNs) is fake interaction, which is used to artificially boost an account's popularity. Because phoney involvement causes businesses to lose money, inaccurate audience targeting in advertising, inaccurate product prediction systems, and an undesirable social network atmosphere, its detection is essential. Based on the classification, it is required to distinguish between real and phoney profiles on social media.Several categorization techniques have traditionally been used to identify phoney social media accounts. However, there are ways to improve social media's ability to detect phoney profiles. The suggested effort uses technology and machine learning to boost the percentage of predicted phoney profiles. Chi-square technique is used in feature selection models to find the best data. The several machine learning methods, including the Logistic Regression and Random Forest algorithms, are used in the classification approach. The classification outcome based on recall, sensitivity, specificity, f1-score, accuracy, and precision. Keywords—Machine learning, online social networks, Instagram, Social media, Natural language process.

‘They Know What It’s Like’: Exploring Facebook Groups for Digital Coping

Informed by the Digital Coping Model, this article explores the use of social network sites among chronically ill patients and caregivers. In particular, it focuses on the use of Facebook (FB) groups among patients diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their caregivers in the Philippines. Situated in a country with a high prevalence of CVD, it explores the communication technology affordances and digital coping activities of members belonging to a private FB group for CVD. Using in-depth interviews with members, this article found that digital coping engages with polymedia, that is, patients and caregivers use the private FB group together with other platforms. Members likewise engaged with praying as an emergent digital coping activity. Moreover, they characterised the private FB group as an epistemic community critical for creating, sharing and challenging CVD-related information. Taken together, the results extend the conversations about the ways patients and caregivers continue to repurpose communication and technology for managing their chronic illness in the larger backdrop of polymedia, limited access to healthcare, and the ongoing pandemic. Implications to moderators of health groups, healthcare professionals and health associations are discussed.

Exploring discontinuous intentions of social media users: a cognition-affect-conation perspective.

Drawing on the cognition-affect-conation (C-A-C) framework, this study investigates how perceived information and social and system feature overload induce depression and anxiety, which leads to affect discontinuous intentions of the social media users. The data collected from 570 social networking site users in China are analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings show that perceived information overload, perceived social overload, and perceived system feature overload directly affect depression and anxiety among social networking site users, which directly leads to discontinuous intentions. This study fulfills the identified need for an in-depth investigation of discontinuous behavior in social networking sites. The findings provide social networking site providers with guidelines on how to actively manage social networking site user's behavior to reduce the effects of negative emotions on social networking sites.

Communication in Social Networking Sites on Offline and Online Social Support and Life Satisfaction Among University Students: Tie Strength Matters

PurposeUse of social networking sites (SNS) is highly prevalent among college and university students. Conflicting findings were found on the effects of SNS use on well-being, and very few studies examined the effects of social interaction with strong ties and weak ties on SNS on online and offline social support. The present study examined the association between social interaction with weak ties and strong ties on SNS and life satisfaction among Chinese college and university students. The mediating role of online social support and offline social support was also examined. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 26,547 students from 30 colleges/universities in Shanxi province, China. ResultsSocial interaction with strong ties on SNS was associated with increased offline social support but had no significant association with online support. Social interaction with weak ties on SNS was associated with higher level of online support, but lower level of offline social support. Both offline and online social support were associated with life satisfaction. The direct effects of social interaction with strong ties and weak ties on life satisfaction were not significant. Mediation analyses supported the full mediating effect of offline social support in the relationship between social interaction with strong ties and life satisfaction, while online and offline support mediated the relationship between social interaction with weak ties and life satisfaction. DiscussionSocial interaction with strong ties and weak ties on the SNS was associated with life satisfaction through different pathways. Interventions to maximize the benefits of SNS use are warranted.

Social network site use and materialistic values: the roles of self-control and self-acceptance

BackgroundWhile prior studies have established a close association between the use of social network sites (SNSs) and materialistic values, there is limited understanding of the mediating and moderating mechanisms related to important self-related processes, such as self-control and self-acceptance. This paper explores whether and how these factors play a role in comprehending online behavior. One could state that frequent SNS use may pose a risk of virtual addiction, may be related to decreased self-control capacity, and may increase attention to material information on SNS, thereby making it more likely that users affiliate with behaviors associated with materialistic values. In contrast, self-acceptance, as a stable self-process indicating a genuine alignment with one’s true self and the ability to make decisions based on inner needs, may be related with reduced engagement in complex information on SNSs. Consequently, this could serve as a buffer against excessive SNS use and its potential associations with issues of self-control and materialistic values.MethodsA total of 706 Chinese college students were surveyed in a cross-sectional study. They completed self-report questionnaires including the WeChat use intensity scale, the Material Value Scale, the Trait Self-control Scale, and the Self-acceptance Questionnaire. A moderated mediation model was examined to test predictions.ResultsSNS use intensity was positively associated with materialistic values, and self-control partially mediated this association. That is, higher intensity SNS users are more likely lower in self-control, which relates to stronger materialistic values. In addition, the indirect effect through self-control was moderated by self-acceptance, such that this indirect effect was significant only for individuals with low levels of self-acceptance.ConclusionsThis study reveals that self-acceptance may be a protective factor that helps to mitigate excessive SNS use and its potential effects on self-control and materialistic values. It further suggests that psychological interventions targeting the enhancement of self-acceptance and self-control could hold promise in alleviating the negative association between SNS use and materialistic values.

The use of social networking sites for knowledge and information exchange by postgraduates in Tanzania

The use of social networking sites for knowledge and information exchange by postgraduates in Tanzania

Examining household effects on individual Twitter adoption: A multilevel analysis based on U.K. household survey data.

Previous studies mainly focused on individual-level factors that influence the adoption and usage of mobile technology and social networking sites, with little emphasis paid to the influences of household situations. Using multilevel modelling approach, this study merges household- (n1 = 1,455) and individual-level (n2 = 2,570) data in the U.K. context to investigate (a) whether a household economic capital (HEC) can affect its members' Twitter adoption, (b) whether the influences are mediated by the member's activity variety and self-reported efficacy with mobile technology, and (c) whether the members' traits, including educational level, gross income and residential area, moderate the relationship between HEC and Twitter adoption. Significant direct and indirect associations were discovered between HEC and its members' Twitter adoption. The educational level and gross income of household members moderated the influence of HEC on individuals' Twitter adoption.

The role of online identity orientation and socializing for information search: a case of ethnic minority guests’ hospitality experiences

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the impact of online identity orientation and online friendship homophily on online socializing, online information search and ethnic guests’ hospitality experiences.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses structural equation modeling to test a conceptual model developed after reviewing hospitality literature. Data is collected from a sample of 514 Turkish-Dutch ethnic guests living in the Netherlands using a self-administered questionnaire.FindingsThe results show that online identity orientations aligned with minority and majority cultures impact online friendship homophily and online socializing, which subsequently impact online information search and hospitality experiences of ethnic guests.Practical implicationsOn the whole, ethnic communities have considerable spending power. The findings point to heritage and mainstream cultural socialization accounting for travel and hospitality experiences within an ethnic minority group. The findings supply relevant information for hospitality sectors on services to endorse or promote to guests from ethnic communities.Originality/valueThe study examines the simultaneous effects of online identity orientations and online friendship homophily on online socialization and hospitality experiences of ethnic guests. It highlights the role of culture in explaining the use of social networking sites and its potential impact on hospitality-related behaviors and experiences of ethnic guest consumers.

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.

Cultural Differences in the Perception of (Self-)sexualizing Instagram Content and Their Associations with Sexism and Self-sexualization Tendencies: Evidence from Six Countries

The use of social networking sites is associated with objectification tendencies of the self and others. However, only few studies investigate how users actually perceive sexualizing content on Instagram. In a recent study, we showed that perceiving sexy Instagram posts as appropriate and less revealing goes along with self-sexualization in German participants and that Instagram users tend to be more sexist than non-users. The present study aimed to replicate these findings in a cross-nations study to test for cultural differences. We asked N = 2055 persons from six different countries (Germany, Spain, United States, Italy, Turkey, and South Africa) to rate sexy Instagram posts with respect to revealing clothing, appropriateness, and attractiveness and collected self-report data on sexism, enjoyment of sexualization, and Instagram usage behavior. Our results show associations between the perception of the presented posts as appropriate, sexism, and self-sexualizing tendencies in all countries. Strength of the associations are mainly the same across all countries. Participants from Spain, the U.S., and Italy reported the lowest sexism scores and the most liberal ratings for the presented photos. We find no substantial main effect of mere Instagram use on sexism or photo ratings. The results suggest that Instagram use does not necessarily alter the perception of sexualized stimuli, but that greater appreciation of self-sexualizing others goes along with self-sexualization. This effect seems to be culturally invariant. The found mean differences between countries are plausible, but future studies should aim to obtain representative samples to allow serious assumptions about cultural effects.

Social Networks as Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments for Second Language Teaching in Higher Education

In the post-pandemic era, the Digital 2023 Report highlights a rapid expansion in the global user base of social networking sites (SNSs). Despite the lack of formal integration of SNSs in second language (L2) education, which could enhance real-time creation, collaboration, and communication in the target language and culture, L2 learners still actively use these technologies outside of educational settings. This exploratory study utilizes a descriptive survey research design with a purposefully selected sample of 239 undergraduate and graduate students in their first and second years of language studies. These students pursue commonly taught languages, such as Spanish, as well as less commonly taught ones, such as Arabic, Persian, Slavic (Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Russian, and Polish), Turkic (Turkish and Uyghur), and Uralic (Estonian, Finnish, and Hungarian), in addition to others, such as Mongolian. The diverse range of languages enables a thorough investigation of the use of SNSs among college-level L2 learners in the United States, including both widely taught and less commonly taught languages. The findings of this study show that the target age group exhibits distinct preferences in their choice of social platforms for personal use compared to those used in L2 classrooms. Furthermore, the outcomes underscore the significant impact of age, gender, and the method of course delivery on the usage patterns of social networking sites.

How Peer Privacy Concerns Affect Active and Passive Uses of Social Networking Sites: A Dual Peer Privacy Calculus Model

Social networking sites (SNSs) have emerged as parallel societies, providing individuals with a platform to interact with peers and construct their desired self-identities. However, maintaining a positive image and safeguarding oneself from social judgment often necessitate self-censorship in self-identity expression. Drawing upon the privacy calculus theory, this study investigates how SNS users engage in a rational cost–benefit analysis between peer privacy concerns and self-presentation when deciding whether to actively or passively use SNSs. Findings from a variance-based analysis—partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)—to a sample of 394 Facebook users revealed that active use was primarily driven by perceived benefits, while passive use was triggered by perceived privacy costs. However, employing a case-based analysis—fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the present study uncovered that while some SNS users do not conform to the privacy calculus, many others do, thereby confirming the proposed dual privacy calculus model for SNS use. These findings resolve the contradictory findings from previous research on the privacy calculus model. This study extends the literature on the privacy calculus theory by developing a dual peer privacy calculus model to understand SNS users’ passive and active uses and validate the significance of peer privacy concerns on these behavioral patterns. This study underscores critical factors influencing SNS usage patterns, empowering platform developers to provide users with effective tools to combat privacy violations by peers, thereby promoting increased active engagement.

Cultural persistence and change in university students' social networking motives and problematic use

This cross-cultural study assessed the problematic use and motivations of social networking sites (SNS) among university students in China, Malawi, and the UK. A sample of 975 students completed the 10-item WeChat Excessive Use Scale and 20-item measure of SNS motivations across friendship, convenience, social support, information, and entertainment dimensions. Results showed that SNS problematic use was significantly lower in the individualistic UK compared to collectivistic China and Malawi. Critical cultural differences also emerged in usage motivations. Chinese and Malawian youth scored higher on social motivations like friendship and support compared to the UK. However, the entertainment motive was associated with the problematic use of SNS across all groups, reflecting the globalised digital culture. While Malawi's collectivism ordinarily emphasises social cohesion, this sample showed weaker associations between problematic SNS use and social support motivations. Material constraints limiting access may reduce online social reliance compared to China. Findings reveal both persisting and evolving cultural dynamics as new technologies spread globally. Uses and gratification theory helps explain these nuances. Ultimately, universal and culturally specific facets of social networking motivations must be considered in addressing the global problematic use of social media.

The use of social networking sites by students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Social networking sites (SNSs), are vital tools of getting information, and most students are availing themselves of the much opportunities to exploit them for academic output. The study therefore examined the use of social networking sites by students of The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was adopted and the study population consisted of 2156 students. The stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 255. Questionnaire was the instrument used for the data collection. Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation for the five research questions in the study. Respondents indicated that they used social networking sites for personal development (mean = 3.11), group discussion (mean = 3.07), and group presentation (mean = 2.70), and affirmed that social networking sites helped to meet the challenges of academic activities (mean = 3.01). Challenges such as battery life power outages (mean 3.08), accidental loss of data or damage of equipment (mean 3.02), and poor internet connectivity (mean = 2.63), were the major constraints faced in the use of social networking sites for their academic activities. It was concluded in the study that the respondents expressed social networking use helped to meet the challenges of academic output, by assisting in getting solutions to their academic tasks such as classwork/ projects/ group work, and others. The study recommended that students should be encouraged to use social networking sites in ways that could be beneficial to them, specifically for academic tasks.

The relationship between self-control and internet gaming disorder and problematic social networking site use: the mediation effects of internet use motives.

This study aimed to explore the relationships between problematic social networking site use (PSNSU), Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), internet use motives, and self-control among university students in China and Japan. Specifically, it investigated the indirect effects of self-control on IGD and PSNSU through various internet use motives, considering gender differences. A sample of 697 university students (465 females; 397 Chinese) was surveyed. Path analysis was conducted separately for male and female users to examine the relationships between self-control, internet use motives, IGD, and PSNSU. The results indicated that self-control had significant indirect effects on IGD through enhancement (β = 0.096**, p = 0.005), social (β = -0.090**, p = 0.007), and conformity (β = -0.117**, p = 0.001) motives, but these effects were observed only in the male group. Self-control also exhibited indirect effects on PSNSU through enhancement, social, coping, and conformity motives, with a greater impact observed on PSNSU than on IGD. Gender differences in mediating effects were identified, with males and females showing distinct patterns. The findings highlight the importance of understanding gender differences and motivational factors in problematic internet use. These insights contribute to a better understanding of how internet use motives influence IGD and PSNSU in different contexts.

Study on Use of Social Networking Sites by Students in Selected Engineering Colleges in Tiruchirappalli

Study on Use of Social Networking Sites by Students in Selected Engineering Colleges in Tiruchirappalli

Adolescents' Use of Social Networking Sites and Its Impact on Family and Social Relations from Their Viewpoint in Jordanian Society

Adolescents' Use of Social Networking Sites and Its Impact on Family and Social Relations from Their Viewpoint in Jordanian Society