Why people use social networking sites

Why people use social networking sites HCI’09 USA, San Diego Petter Bae Brandtzæg, SINTEF and UiO Jan Heim, SINTEF RECORD (Telenor, NRK, VIF, Opinion, AHO and SINTEF) CITIZEN MEDIA Social change, EC IST FP6

Background

Trend - Fast growing Social networking sites
Facebook : 200 000 million active users .
More than 100 million users log on at least once each day
Average user has 120 friends on the site
More than 900 million photos uploaded to the site each month
Source http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

Limited understanding
boyd and Ellison (2007), pinpoint the limited understanding of who uses SNSs and their purposes for doing so, especially outside the U.S.
Source: boyd, d., Ellison, N.E.: Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13 (2007)

Social networking sites - popular in Norway
Norway: 66 % of the internet population (15-75 years) use social networking sites (Brandtzæg, 2009)
US: 35% according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project's December 2008 tracking survey
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Adults-and-Social-Network-Websites.aspx

But..what is an social networking site?

SNSs is defined according to boyd and Ellison (2007) as a
“ web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system”
boyd, d., Ellison, N.E.: Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13 (2007)

SNSs is also an ”all-in-one-place-solution” SNSs typical examples of media convergence and ”mashup-solutions” that try to connect all media and services in to one single solution. Brandtzæg, P. B., & Heim, J. (2008). User loyalty and online communities: why members of online communities are not faithful. In Proceedings of the 2nd international Conference on intelligent Technologies For interactive Entertainment (Cancun, Mexico, January 08 - 10, 2008). ICST. Brussels, Belgium, 1-10. ACM digital library eMail Shopping News Mobile Photoalbum Chat/IM Blogging Gaming Video TV SNS

Different types of Social networking sites

Trends in Social networking sites Entertainment Young people 12-17 People Text based communities Purpose Technology Anonymous Policies/ norms Older people Real identity Education, work business, politics Trender 3D, mobile, rich media. Examples Brandtzæg, P. B., & Heim, J. (2008). User loyalty and online communities: why members of online communities are not faithful. In Proceedings of the 2nd international Conference on intelligent Technologies For interactive Entertainment, Cancun

Social networking sites - challenges
User motivation:
Participation
User Loyalty

In the US, MySpace, lost more than 1 million unique users to fall to 63.2 million in 2008

Reasons to stop using a SNS or using it less than before in % Brandtzæg, P. B., & Heim, J. (2008). User loyalty and online communities: why members of online communities are not faithful. In Proceedings of the 2nd international Conference on intelligent Technologies For interactive Entertainment (Cancun, Mexico, January 08 - 10, 2008). ICST. Brussels, Belgium, 1-10. ACM digital library

The Study

Why people use social networking sites

Open question to 1200 SNS users (March, 2007)
“ What is your most important reason for using social networking sites?”
Mean 16 years Mean 22 years Mean 17 years Mean 29 years

So…is everything about connections?

Or… is SNSs used for personal branding and narcissism?
Generation Xtrovert
"This generation wants to be known, they want to be famous," Chris DeWolfe, founder of MySpace.com (Vanity Fair 2006)

Overview over the user motivations in SNSs in % , number of counts = 1518 (N 1200)

Pew Internet (2008) findings differ
Online social network applications are mainly used for explaining and maintaining personal networks, and most adults, like teens, are using them to connect with people they already know .
89% use their online profiles to keep up with friends
57% use their profile to make plans with friends
49% use them to make new friends

(1) New relations (31%): These users reporting the motivation of seeking new relations and the opportunity to meet new people
Easy and cheap opportunities for contact with new people are seen as the main incentive
Aware of the danger of “risky contacts,” but more convenient and more exciting to meet new people online

“ I meet funnier people online than in my home district” (Boy, 18 years old) New relations Flirting Common interests Moving to a new district Lonely Living in rural area seeking likeminded

(2) Friends (21%): Users reporting contact with both close friends and acquaintances
Efficient tool to keep in contact with several friends at the same time
From “one-to-one” to “one-to-many”
Several “friend” motivations

“ It is difficult to keep in touch with friends when you live in a small rural area and are ‘shielded from the world.” (Female 16 years old). Friends Friends on the move Old school friends Friend contact on a new level Not seen often friends Long distance, rural friends

(3) Socializing (14%): sharing of experiences, reporting activities, small-talk and commenting in each others’ guest books, social support
verbal ping-pong,
chit-chat,
feeling of being a part of something, of a community.
I have contact with friends, write in friends’. guest books, comment on peoples’ pictures, send SMS, and submit pictures of myself and things.”
(14 years old, female).

(4) Information (10%): Fashion, music, literature, cultural events, current happenings in their neighborhood and people’s opinions related to everything from politics and to more tedious matters
“ I get informed about events, publications, and net experiences; at the same time I am making bonds and having discussions with other people. (Male 42 years)

(5) Debating (6.5%): Users highlighting debate and discussions inside the SNS. This category might be difficult to separate from “information”
The opportunity to discuss with people their contradictory viewpoints on matters, as described in the following quote:
“ It’s the differences between the people that make the discussions, and that’s what I like” (Male, 23 years old).

Conclusion

Many different people - many motivational reasons for using SNSs

11 different reasons and several sub-reasons, all give insight into the personal incentives that drive people to use SNSs
Not personal branding, rather social connections - The social factors most important
Surprisingly “seeking new relations ” was a key factor:
Shy people - easier connect online;
Searching for new friends - with common interests;
Rural areas - seeking new friendships with likeminded people;
Lonely - searching for new friendships online

Fun, profile surfing, time killing Information, debating Maslow's hierarchy of needs Social, love, belonging SNS user's hierarchy of needs

Future studies
How does different motivational reasons relates to:
Gender, age and different social networking sites
Long term, cross-cultural patterns

Thank you 
Questions?
This study was supported by the Norwegian research council and EC, IST FP6
More information at:
www.sintef.no/record
www.ist.citizenmedia.org

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Why people use social networking sites

by Petter Bae Brandtzæg on Jul 23, 2009

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Why people use social networking sites — Presentation Transcript