1. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
•Problem Statement
•Summary of Literature
•Methods
•Data Analysis
•Discussion
Presented by: James Kinneer
2. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
•Problem Statement
•Summary of Literature
•Methods
•Data Analysis
•Discussion
Presented by: James Kinneer
3. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
Problem Statement
The goal of this project was to identify the uses and
gratifications of the social network site LinkedIn.com
Presented by: James Kinneer
4. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
•Problem Statement
•Summary of Literature
•Methods
•Data Analysis
•Discussion
Presented by: James Kinneer
5. Summary of Literature Study of the Uses and
An Exploratory
•Online social networks are among the most commonly used
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Internet sites.
Networking Site
•LinkedIn is a social networking site with a business
orientation and grown to 47 million users in 200 countries.
•Online social network can solidify strong ties and expand
weak tie relationships.
•Previous research suggests networks used primarily to
maintain current relationships.
•Key uses and gratifications of online social networks include
social, content and process dimensions.
Presented by: James Kinneer
6. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
•Problem Statement
•Summary of Literature
•Methods
•Data Analysis
•Discussion
Presented by: James Kinneer
7. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
Methods
•Online survey with four major sections.
•Section 1 – Informed consent
•Section 2 - LinkedIn Usage
•Section 3 - Open Text Entry Uses and Gratifications Questions
•Section 4 – Demographics
•Invitation posted on LinkedIn discussion groups
• Conducted the last two weeks of November, 2009
Presented by: James Kinneer
8. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
Sample
•47 responses
•55% male, 45% female
•82% Caucasian
•61% above age 35
Presented by: James Kinneer
9. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
•Problem Statement
•Summary of Literature
•Methods
•Data Analysis
•Discussion
Presented by: James Kinneer
10. TableAnFrequency of Mentions (Question 2.1)
1 – Exploratory Study of the Uses and
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
what you enjoy most about using LinkedIn?
Networking Site
Key Word/Comment Frequency Percentage
Making New Connections 16 37.21%
Marketing/Sales 6 13.95%
Maintaining/Renewing Connections 5 11.63%
Information 5 11.63%
Business Orientation 4 9.30%
Perpetual Contact 2 4.65%
Employment 2 4.65%
Usability 2 4.65%
Helping Others 1 2.33%
Presented by: James Kinneer
11. TableAnFrequency of Mentions (Question 2.2)
2 – Exploratory Study of the Uses and
What other words describe what you enjoy most about interacting with
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
the LinkedIn site?
Networking Site
Key Word/Comment Frequency Percentage
Information. 15 28.41%
Making New Connections 7 13.73%
Maintaining/Renewing Connections 6 11.76%
Groups 6 11.76%
Usability 3 5.88%
Discussions 3 5.88%
Business Orientation 3 5.88%
Visible Network 2 5.88%
Perpetual Contact 2 3.92%
Marketing/Sales
Presented by: James Kinneer
1 1.96%
12. TableAnFrequency of Mentions (Question 2.3)
3 – Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Using simple, easy-to-understand terms, what do you use LinkedIn for?
Networking Site
Key Word/Comment Frequency Percentage
Making New Connections 20 33.33%
Information 14 23.33%
Marketing/Sales 13 21.67%
Expertise Sharing 3 5.00%
Maintaining/Renewing Connections 3 5.00%
Employment 3 5.00%
Online Presence 2 3.33%
Discussions 1 1.67%
Communication 1 1.67%
Presented by: James Kinneer
13. TableAnFrequency of Mentions (Question 2.4)
4 – Exploratory Study of the Uses and
What online activities and of the applications are most important to you?
Gratifications LinkedIn LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
Key Word/Comment Frequency Percentage
Groups 16 25.81%
Applications 9 14.52%
Answers 9 14.52%
Making New Connections 8 12.90%
Jobs 7 11.29%
Search 6 9.68%
Perpetual Contact 6 9.68%
Marketing/Sales 1 1.61%
.
Presented by: James Kinneer
14. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
•Problem Statement
•Summary of Literature
•Methods
•Data Analysis
•Discussion
Presented by: James Kinneer
15. An Exploratory
Discussion Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
•Making new contacts cited more often than maintaining
Networking Site
existing contacts – in contrast to studies of other social
networks (Joinson, 2008)
•Information sharing identified as a key gratification of using
LinkedIn
•Identified gratifications align with social, content and
process categories suggested by Stafford, Stafford &
Schkade (2004)
Presented by: James Kinneer
16. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
Further Research
•Develop a quantitative survey instrument to measure the
importance of each identified use/gratification
Presented by: James Kinneer
17. An Exploratory Study of the Uses and
Gratifications of the LinkedIn Social
Networking Site
Questions?
Presented by: James Kinneer