The Supportive Behaviors
of Older SNS Users
Fred Stutzman, Valeda Stull, Cheryl Thompson
School of Information and Library Science
UNC-Chapel Hill

(InsideFacebook.com, 2009)

(Lenhart, 2009)

Why Older Users?
• Diversification of audience, potential
different uses
• Reveal new practices, points for
comparison
• Social effects of use in differing
cohorts
• Design to address specific needs
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Participants
• 15 participants, two in 40’s, six in
50’s, seven in 60’s, nine females and
six males
• Semi-structured interviews, in-person
and by phone
• TOLA (Transitional, Older, Late
Adopting Users)
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Framework
• Adoption, Experience
• Audience, Connections, Motivation
• Social Support
• Privacy
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Adoption
• Reconnection drives adoption and use
• Real names the norm, searching
important
• Reconstruction of the life story
“[In Facebook] I will click on one of my
friends and I will see two other people that I
have not heard from in years and be able
to get in touch with them and I think it’s a
great thing for that.”
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Connections
• Networks are close; small in size
• Attention focused on “important”
others
• Reconnections, old crushes
• Observing the extended family
• Attention shifts; the “dance” of
reconnection
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Management
• Networks are managed with respect to
utility and privacy
• Common to not accept requests, de-
friend, block, and delete items
“Recently I was friended by the ex-husband
of one of my friends and it was a really
messy divorce and she is also on Facebook,
so I didn’t really know what to do, so my
kids said to just ignore the request.”
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Contexts
• Family, friends, reconnections and co-
workers main cited contexts
• The “time gap” as unique boundary
• Lack of common ground
• Shifting norms and identities
• Bridging “different lives”
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Support
• Emotional support, instrumental
support, informational support
(Braithwaite et al., 1999; Cohen &
Gottlieb, 2000)
• Provisioning of support
• Asking for support
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Support
• SNS is a supportive place
• Emotional and informational support
provisioned most commonly
“One of my nieces’ parents has been rather
ill, and people have been just giving her
messages of support. She’s someone who is
regularly on Facebook and talking about
her mother’s condition and the surgeries
she’s had, and people were voicing support
for how she was doing.”
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Asking for support?
• SNS is not a place where the sample
goes for support
• Privacy; Multiple groups;
Compromising disclosures
• Established modes for connection
with supportive others
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Reciprocity
• SNS is full of supportive givers; fewer
“askers”
• Users are willing to mobilize
“In other words posting on the Wall where
all of my friends can see it – everyone on
my friends list can see it – I would not do
that. And that is because of this mix of
people, different kinds of relationships.”
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Privacy
• SNS are not “private” places
• Context violations main critical
incidents
• Privacy settings are complicated
• High degree of profile management
• Support for different friending
practice
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

TOLA Study
• Method notes: Response rates
• Next steps: Survey
• Your feedback on solicitation
techniques and incentives
• Stage 3: User study, content analysis?
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Thank you!
Fred Stutzman:
fred.stutzman@unc.edu
Twitter @fstutzman
http://fredstutzman.com
Fred Stutzman, fred.stutzman@unc.edu

Amanda Lenhart Heather Attig
Sarita Yardi Fred Stutzman