This document summarizes a study that examined how 131 Japanese users who use both Mixi and Facebook interact differently on each social media platform. The study found that these dual users showed lower levels of self-disclosure, connected with fewer people, had smaller social networks, and felt more committed to Mixi compared to Facebook. The researchers suggest these differences stem from how the users perceive relationship stability differently on each site, with Mixi reflecting the typically low relational mobility of Japanese society while Facebook reflects the higher relational mobility of North American social environments.
This report is a study of the identity negotiations of young active Facebook users through their online significant others. The following research investigates the identity negotiations in the life of a Facebook user.
This document is a bachelor's thesis submitted to Durham University investigating young people's use of Facebook. It analyzes mediated actions and public discourses of youths aged 18-24 on the social networking site. The study uses a "nexus of practice" methodology, placing youths' words at the center. It identifies key themes that emerged: maintenance of friendship ties through social presence; changes in meanings of friendship, identity, and authenticity; contradictions between public discourses and local experiences of risk on Facebook. The thesis aims to provide an empirically grounded understanding of how Facebook shapes everyday social and individual lives of its young users.
Exploring addiction to social networking service among young Chinese adultsDigital Society
This document outlines a research proposal to examine addictive tendencies of using social networking sites (SNS) among Chinese young adults. The study aims to explore how specific activities on SNS correlate with addiction and examine psychological dependence. A literature review discusses factors influencing SNS use such as feedback received and virtual interactions. The methodology will use quantitative surveys of SNS usage patterns and perceptions of addiction administered to university students in China. Hypotheses predict more responses/comments and interactions will correlate with increased addiction.
A Study on Gender Differential Factors in Uses of Social Networking Sitesinventionjournals
This document summarizes a study that explored gender differences in the uses of social networking sites (SNSs) among young adults in Bangalore, India. The study surveyed 120 males and females aged 20-35 to identify the most popular SNSs used and how usage differs by gender. It found that both males and females most frequently used Facebook, but males tended to use SNSs more for networking, dating, chatting, and promoting brands/actors, while females used SNSs more for maintaining connections, sharing knowledge, updating locations, and looking for jobs. The study provides insight into how marketing professionals can target digital campaigns based on these gender differences in SNS usage.
Users’ Perceptions, Attitudes and Continuance Intentions of Facebook: Insight...IOSR Journals
Uses of social network sites (SNSs) are diversifying in an astounding fashion. SNSs (e.g. Facebook) can no more be seen as online platforms solely for socializing. This study examines the Facebook users’ perceptions, attitudes and continuance intentions of the site (Facebook). To meet this objective data was collected from a purposive sample of 211 respondents who have been using Facebook for more than one year. Results show that users perceive Facebook as a useful source of information and entertainment. Furthermore, results reveal that users perceive Facebook as a platform for self-expression, building social capital and meeting offline and new contacts. Perceptions about Facebook as a source of information and a platform of self-expression have a positive effect on users’ continuance intentions of the site (Facebook). Attitudes toward the Facebook mediate the relationship between users ’perceptions of the site as a source of entertainment and a platform of building social capital and their continuance intentions of the site.
This study examines the relationship between the use of Facebook and the formation and maintenance of social capital among college students. A survey of 286 undergraduate students found that Facebook usage was strongly associated with three types of social capital: bonding, bridging, and maintained. Bonding capital refers to relationships with strong ties like close friends and family, while bridging capital involves weaker ties that are useful for accessing new information and opportunities. Maintained capital assesses one's ability to stay connected to their community after leaving it. Facebook usage interacted with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting greater benefits for users with low self-esteem or life satisfaction.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
1) The study investigated the relationship between subclinical narcissism and social media posting behaviors on Twitter and Facebook.
2) 52 undergraduate students completed a narcissism inventory and questionnaire about their social media behaviors like posting frequency and self-promotional content.
3) The results of a multiple regression analysis found no significant relationship between narcissism and social media behaviors, possibly due to the small sample size.
This report is a study of the identity negotiations of young active Facebook users through their online significant others. The following research investigates the identity negotiations in the life of a Facebook user.
This document is a bachelor's thesis submitted to Durham University investigating young people's use of Facebook. It analyzes mediated actions and public discourses of youths aged 18-24 on the social networking site. The study uses a "nexus of practice" methodology, placing youths' words at the center. It identifies key themes that emerged: maintenance of friendship ties through social presence; changes in meanings of friendship, identity, and authenticity; contradictions between public discourses and local experiences of risk on Facebook. The thesis aims to provide an empirically grounded understanding of how Facebook shapes everyday social and individual lives of its young users.
Exploring addiction to social networking service among young Chinese adultsDigital Society
This document outlines a research proposal to examine addictive tendencies of using social networking sites (SNS) among Chinese young adults. The study aims to explore how specific activities on SNS correlate with addiction and examine psychological dependence. A literature review discusses factors influencing SNS use such as feedback received and virtual interactions. The methodology will use quantitative surveys of SNS usage patterns and perceptions of addiction administered to university students in China. Hypotheses predict more responses/comments and interactions will correlate with increased addiction.
A Study on Gender Differential Factors in Uses of Social Networking Sitesinventionjournals
This document summarizes a study that explored gender differences in the uses of social networking sites (SNSs) among young adults in Bangalore, India. The study surveyed 120 males and females aged 20-35 to identify the most popular SNSs used and how usage differs by gender. It found that both males and females most frequently used Facebook, but males tended to use SNSs more for networking, dating, chatting, and promoting brands/actors, while females used SNSs more for maintaining connections, sharing knowledge, updating locations, and looking for jobs. The study provides insight into how marketing professionals can target digital campaigns based on these gender differences in SNS usage.
Users’ Perceptions, Attitudes and Continuance Intentions of Facebook: Insight...IOSR Journals
Uses of social network sites (SNSs) are diversifying in an astounding fashion. SNSs (e.g. Facebook) can no more be seen as online platforms solely for socializing. This study examines the Facebook users’ perceptions, attitudes and continuance intentions of the site (Facebook). To meet this objective data was collected from a purposive sample of 211 respondents who have been using Facebook for more than one year. Results show that users perceive Facebook as a useful source of information and entertainment. Furthermore, results reveal that users perceive Facebook as a platform for self-expression, building social capital and meeting offline and new contacts. Perceptions about Facebook as a source of information and a platform of self-expression have a positive effect on users’ continuance intentions of the site (Facebook). Attitudes toward the Facebook mediate the relationship between users ’perceptions of the site as a source of entertainment and a platform of building social capital and their continuance intentions of the site.
This study examines the relationship between the use of Facebook and the formation and maintenance of social capital among college students. A survey of 286 undergraduate students found that Facebook usage was strongly associated with three types of social capital: bonding, bridging, and maintained. Bonding capital refers to relationships with strong ties like close friends and family, while bridging capital involves weaker ties that are useful for accessing new information and opportunities. Maintained capital assesses one's ability to stay connected to their community after leaving it. Facebook usage interacted with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting greater benefits for users with low self-esteem or life satisfaction.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
1) The study investigated the relationship between subclinical narcissism and social media posting behaviors on Twitter and Facebook.
2) 52 undergraduate students completed a narcissism inventory and questionnaire about their social media behaviors like posting frequency and self-promotional content.
3) The results of a multiple regression analysis found no significant relationship between narcissism and social media behaviors, possibly due to the small sample size.
This proposal examines language use and identity management on Facebook through discourse analysis. The study will record Facebook interactions directly using screen recording software to analyze language in real time, including identity construction and repair. Both younger and older male and female participants will be recruited. Discourse analysis will be used to understand how participants discursively manage their identities and negotiate interactions through their language choices. Potential challenges around participant privacy during data collection will need to be addressed.
This document provides an overview of a collection of research about society online. It discusses three main points:
1) The collection examines how new communication technologies are embedded in various spheres of social life, such as community, politics, economics, and culture.
2) The research uses diverse methodologies, including content analysis, surveys, experiments, ethnography, and historical analysis to study society online.
3) The collection is organized around how new media technologies relate to social capital and community, political engagement, economic transactions, cultural influences, and personal contexts.
Mobile Social Media in Social Internations FINAL PAPERKelsey Harris
This study used applied behavior analysis to reduce a participant's use of mobile social media applications during social interactions. During the baseline period, the participant recorded their normal social media usage. In the intervention, the participant's phone was kept out of sight during interactions and $1 was added to a bag for every time social media was accessed. This immediately decreased social media usage during interactions from the baseline. The results suggest mobile social media use during social interactions can be reduced through behavioral techniques.
The document discusses the growing influence of Facebook on today's youth. It begins by reviewing literature on social networks and important facts about Facebook's growth up until 2011. The main objectives of the research are to study how Facebook has become important to students aged 17-24 and changed their communication patterns. Specifically, it aims to examine how much time youth spend on Facebook, what activities they use it for, and if advertisements influence them. The research will provide insight into Facebook's growing impact on youth.
This document is a research paper that aims to determine if high users of social media like Facebook and cell phones are less likely to engage in face-to-face communication than low users. The author conducted a literature review on previous research about the impact of technology on communication and social interaction. A survey was administered to college students to gather data on social media usage, demographics, and preferred communication methods. Preliminary results from the survey are presented in a table showing social media usage broken down by age and gender. The author concludes by discussing how the data collected will be analyzed to answer the main research question.
The document summarizes a research study examining reader comments on online opinion journalism. The researchers developed an operational definition of public deliberation based on previous literature. They then conducted a content analysis of reader comments on the opinion pages of two major regional American newspapers. The analysis provided insight into how elements of public deliberation, such as the sharing of diverse perspectives and personal experiences, are present in reader comments. It also identified dimensions of deliberation that are more common in comments and directions for further research. The study aims to understand the potential for reader comments to serve as a space for public deliberation.
This document summarizes a study investigating online communication and attitudes towards Islam within online communities. The study used grounded theory to analyze comments from various online forums, social media sites, and news articles. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: 1) the formation of and exclusion from online communities centered around anti-Islamic views, 2) the tendency for arguments across platforms to utilize multiple approaches to justify rejecting others' beliefs, and 3) how intelligence is used to justify rejecting Islamic beliefs and actions. A sub-theme found comments mirroring previous research that Muslims are often portrayed negatively in British media.
This document provides an overview of a study using an (n)ethnographic method to examine political participation on social media. It discusses three studies: 1) a case study of a politician, Nina Larsson, using social media for her campaign; 2) studying activists' use of social media; and 3) examining popular cultural participation on forums. The method involves both traditional ethnography (observation, interviews) and netnography of online spaces. Two problems are discussed: 1) issues analyzing Nina as a case study since she is an outlier in her social media use; and 2) ethical considerations around studying non-public online communities.
This document provides information about communication and social media. It discusses various types of communication including verbal communication, non-verbal communication, business communication, political communication, and family communication. It also discusses popular social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp. Specifically for Facebook, it provides details about its advantages such as being free to use, enabling connections worldwide, and being a convenient way to keep in touch with old friends. However, it also notes Facebook's disadvantages like it being addictive and wasting time, the presence of fake profiles and abusive groups, and correlation between excessive Facebook use and poor academic performance.
This document is a continuous assessment cover sheet for a student named Thomas Roe completing a module called "Enterprise Communications" for their second year of a program. It includes details of the student's name, student number, program, year, module, lecturer, and word count for the assessment. The student declares that the attached report is their original work.
This document discusses a study of privacy and information sharing on Facebook. The researchers surveyed Facebook users at a US university to understand their privacy concerns, usage of Facebook, and awareness of how public their profiles were. They found that while users expressed privacy concerns, they were not very concerned about privacy on Facebook. Some users were also unaware how exposed their profiles and information were. Exposure to information about Facebook's public nature sometimes changed users' behavior regarding what they shared.
Media user types among young children and social displacementPetter Bae Brandtzæg
Reference: Endestad, T., Heim, J. Kaare, B., Torgersen, L., & Brandtzæg, P.B. (2011). Media user types among young children and social displacement. Nordicom Review, 32,(1), 17-30
The document describes a study that examines different forms of self-exhibition on social networking sites. The study involved an online game and survey completed by over 12,000 French respondents. The game presented series of photos for respondents to select which they would publish on their profile. A self-exhibition index was calculated based on responses. The study found that self-exhibition varied based on age, gender, education level, and other factors. Respondents were also grouped into five self-exhibition types - Modest, Traditional Exhibition, Bodily Immodesty, Show-off, and Provocative. Level of self-exhibition correlated with extraversion, social engagement, number of social connections, and amount of
Phoenix Man, An Example of Stigmatization Phenomenon in the China Social MediaDr. Amarjeet Singh
With the rapid transformation and development of
contemporary Chinese network society, the phenomenon of
stigmatization is becoming more and more common in social
media communication. The theory about the social stratum
and the mobility of society could give us a good theoretical
explanation, it could help us understand why a group is
stigmatized and excluded. The purpose of this article was to
find out the formation mechanism of stigmatization with
Phoenix man through literature review and qualitative
analysis, linked this phenomenon to social mobility and
anxiety of middle-class in China, and finally point out the
existing deep-seated social inequality problems and hazards in
China. Through the network search engine "Baidu" and
literature review, get the network search index and some other
social media information about Phoenix Man, found the
process (initial, development and final) of stigmatization
phenomenon of Phoenix Man, and made reasonable analysis.
By compared Phoenix Man with the two groups, Zhuanjia and
Gongzhi, it easily to find that Phoenix Man have always been
highly concerned in Chinese social media. Finally, this study
found that the stigmatization was originated from the anxiety
caused by differences in cultural, customs and habits between
middle-class and the lower-class. The stigmatization made the
people who came from lower class groups been marginalized,
also damaged social justice and harmony.
Online and offline social networks --use of social networking sites by emergi...Leung Man Yin Daniel
Emerging adults often use social networking sites to connect and reconnect with friends and family from their offline lives. A study of college students' social networking site use found overlap between their online and offline social networks, though the overlap was imperfect. Students may use different online contexts like social media versus instant messaging to strengthen different aspects of offline relationships. The findings suggest online and offline social worlds are psychologically connected for emerging adults as they navigate relationships and identity development.
Online social movements and networked activism. Trends around researchJosé Manuel Noguera
This document discusses online social movements and networked activism in Spain. It focuses on two key Spanish political movements: Pásalo in 2004 and 15M in 2011.
It analyzes how these movements utilized social media and networked communication to organize and spread their messages outside of traditional media. Specifically, it looks at how 15M protesters coordinated on social networks and how analysis of Twitter data showed decentralized, non-hierarchical information flows.
The document also examines how mainstream media initially failed to adequately cover 15M in its early days, while discussion grew rapidly on social networks. It identifies open questions around the media logic of social networks and how they spread the messages of online social movements.
1) The document compares predictors of self-disclosure and privacy settings use between adolescents and adults on social network sites. It finds that adolescents disclose more personal information and have more lenient privacy settings than adults.
2) Several factors were found to affect disclosure and privacy settings, with some differences between adolescents and adults. Gender, age, frequency of use, motives for use, concerns about privacy and contacts, trust in others, and susceptibility to peer influence were investigated as predictors.
3) The study aims to provide better information for developing interventions to encourage appropriate privacy management tailored for different age groups on social network sites.
Are Social Media Emancipatory or Hegemonic? Societal Effects of Mass Media D...MIS Quarterly
This study examines how social media and traditional media shape public discourse during sociopolitical issues. The researchers analyzed media coverage and online discourse around the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) to test propositions about how different types of media may afford emancipation through participation or hegemony through control of discourse. The findings showed that social media allowed more participation through unconstrained authorship and influence, but also exhibited more constrained framing of issues than traditional media. Lean social media further exacerbated these effects by limiting participation and framing. Overall, both social and traditional media were found to both enable emancipation through participation and exhibit hegemonic control of discourse framing.
CHILDREN USING FACEBOOK: PERSONALITY TRAITS, SELF-CONCEPT AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCEIJITE
Social interaction and communication is basically orchestrated through Social Networking Sites (SNS)
with Facebook being amongst the most popular ones. Previous research has shown users’ personality as a
highly relevant factor when examining the way people behave virtually. In the present study, we
investigated the relationship between Facebook usage and personality in children aged 10 to 13 years with
a personal account on Facebook, defined in terms of a Five-Factor Model. The relationship between
Facebook usage and users’ self-concept regarding their school performance and their happiness and
satisfaction about life was also investigated. For this purpose, children’s teachers were asked to evaluate
children’s school performance, in order to better examine the relationship between Facebook usage and
users’ school performance. Three hundred and forty-eight (348) pupils of elementary and secondary
schools in Patras (Greece) participated in the study. The results indicated that Facebook usage has a
statistically significant association with personality traits like Neuroticism, Openness to Experience,
Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Moreover, children who perceived themselves as good pupils did
not have a Facebook account. Also, Facebook usage has been found to be negatively related to users’
school performance, as assessed by their teachers. No statistically significant associations were found
between Facebook usage and users’ self-perceptions regarding their happiness and general satisfaction
with life.
This proposal examines language use and identity management on Facebook through discourse analysis. The study will record Facebook interactions directly using screen recording software to analyze language in real time, including identity construction and repair. Both younger and older male and female participants will be recruited. Discourse analysis will be used to understand how participants discursively manage their identities and negotiate interactions through their language choices. Potential challenges around participant privacy during data collection will need to be addressed.
This document provides an overview of a collection of research about society online. It discusses three main points:
1) The collection examines how new communication technologies are embedded in various spheres of social life, such as community, politics, economics, and culture.
2) The research uses diverse methodologies, including content analysis, surveys, experiments, ethnography, and historical analysis to study society online.
3) The collection is organized around how new media technologies relate to social capital and community, political engagement, economic transactions, cultural influences, and personal contexts.
Mobile Social Media in Social Internations FINAL PAPERKelsey Harris
This study used applied behavior analysis to reduce a participant's use of mobile social media applications during social interactions. During the baseline period, the participant recorded their normal social media usage. In the intervention, the participant's phone was kept out of sight during interactions and $1 was added to a bag for every time social media was accessed. This immediately decreased social media usage during interactions from the baseline. The results suggest mobile social media use during social interactions can be reduced through behavioral techniques.
The document discusses the growing influence of Facebook on today's youth. It begins by reviewing literature on social networks and important facts about Facebook's growth up until 2011. The main objectives of the research are to study how Facebook has become important to students aged 17-24 and changed their communication patterns. Specifically, it aims to examine how much time youth spend on Facebook, what activities they use it for, and if advertisements influence them. The research will provide insight into Facebook's growing impact on youth.
This document is a research paper that aims to determine if high users of social media like Facebook and cell phones are less likely to engage in face-to-face communication than low users. The author conducted a literature review on previous research about the impact of technology on communication and social interaction. A survey was administered to college students to gather data on social media usage, demographics, and preferred communication methods. Preliminary results from the survey are presented in a table showing social media usage broken down by age and gender. The author concludes by discussing how the data collected will be analyzed to answer the main research question.
The document summarizes a research study examining reader comments on online opinion journalism. The researchers developed an operational definition of public deliberation based on previous literature. They then conducted a content analysis of reader comments on the opinion pages of two major regional American newspapers. The analysis provided insight into how elements of public deliberation, such as the sharing of diverse perspectives and personal experiences, are present in reader comments. It also identified dimensions of deliberation that are more common in comments and directions for further research. The study aims to understand the potential for reader comments to serve as a space for public deliberation.
This document summarizes a study investigating online communication and attitudes towards Islam within online communities. The study used grounded theory to analyze comments from various online forums, social media sites, and news articles. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: 1) the formation of and exclusion from online communities centered around anti-Islamic views, 2) the tendency for arguments across platforms to utilize multiple approaches to justify rejecting others' beliefs, and 3) how intelligence is used to justify rejecting Islamic beliefs and actions. A sub-theme found comments mirroring previous research that Muslims are often portrayed negatively in British media.
This document provides an overview of a study using an (n)ethnographic method to examine political participation on social media. It discusses three studies: 1) a case study of a politician, Nina Larsson, using social media for her campaign; 2) studying activists' use of social media; and 3) examining popular cultural participation on forums. The method involves both traditional ethnography (observation, interviews) and netnography of online spaces. Two problems are discussed: 1) issues analyzing Nina as a case study since she is an outlier in her social media use; and 2) ethical considerations around studying non-public online communities.
This document provides information about communication and social media. It discusses various types of communication including verbal communication, non-verbal communication, business communication, political communication, and family communication. It also discusses popular social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp. Specifically for Facebook, it provides details about its advantages such as being free to use, enabling connections worldwide, and being a convenient way to keep in touch with old friends. However, it also notes Facebook's disadvantages like it being addictive and wasting time, the presence of fake profiles and abusive groups, and correlation between excessive Facebook use and poor academic performance.
This document is a continuous assessment cover sheet for a student named Thomas Roe completing a module called "Enterprise Communications" for their second year of a program. It includes details of the student's name, student number, program, year, module, lecturer, and word count for the assessment. The student declares that the attached report is their original work.
This document discusses a study of privacy and information sharing on Facebook. The researchers surveyed Facebook users at a US university to understand their privacy concerns, usage of Facebook, and awareness of how public their profiles were. They found that while users expressed privacy concerns, they were not very concerned about privacy on Facebook. Some users were also unaware how exposed their profiles and information were. Exposure to information about Facebook's public nature sometimes changed users' behavior regarding what they shared.
Media user types among young children and social displacementPetter Bae Brandtzæg
Reference: Endestad, T., Heim, J. Kaare, B., Torgersen, L., & Brandtzæg, P.B. (2011). Media user types among young children and social displacement. Nordicom Review, 32,(1), 17-30
The document describes a study that examines different forms of self-exhibition on social networking sites. The study involved an online game and survey completed by over 12,000 French respondents. The game presented series of photos for respondents to select which they would publish on their profile. A self-exhibition index was calculated based on responses. The study found that self-exhibition varied based on age, gender, education level, and other factors. Respondents were also grouped into five self-exhibition types - Modest, Traditional Exhibition, Bodily Immodesty, Show-off, and Provocative. Level of self-exhibition correlated with extraversion, social engagement, number of social connections, and amount of
Phoenix Man, An Example of Stigmatization Phenomenon in the China Social MediaDr. Amarjeet Singh
With the rapid transformation and development of
contemporary Chinese network society, the phenomenon of
stigmatization is becoming more and more common in social
media communication. The theory about the social stratum
and the mobility of society could give us a good theoretical
explanation, it could help us understand why a group is
stigmatized and excluded. The purpose of this article was to
find out the formation mechanism of stigmatization with
Phoenix man through literature review and qualitative
analysis, linked this phenomenon to social mobility and
anxiety of middle-class in China, and finally point out the
existing deep-seated social inequality problems and hazards in
China. Through the network search engine "Baidu" and
literature review, get the network search index and some other
social media information about Phoenix Man, found the
process (initial, development and final) of stigmatization
phenomenon of Phoenix Man, and made reasonable analysis.
By compared Phoenix Man with the two groups, Zhuanjia and
Gongzhi, it easily to find that Phoenix Man have always been
highly concerned in Chinese social media. Finally, this study
found that the stigmatization was originated from the anxiety
caused by differences in cultural, customs and habits between
middle-class and the lower-class. The stigmatization made the
people who came from lower class groups been marginalized,
also damaged social justice and harmony.
Online and offline social networks --use of social networking sites by emergi...Leung Man Yin Daniel
Emerging adults often use social networking sites to connect and reconnect with friends and family from their offline lives. A study of college students' social networking site use found overlap between their online and offline social networks, though the overlap was imperfect. Students may use different online contexts like social media versus instant messaging to strengthen different aspects of offline relationships. The findings suggest online and offline social worlds are psychologically connected for emerging adults as they navigate relationships and identity development.
Online social movements and networked activism. Trends around researchJosé Manuel Noguera
This document discusses online social movements and networked activism in Spain. It focuses on two key Spanish political movements: Pásalo in 2004 and 15M in 2011.
It analyzes how these movements utilized social media and networked communication to organize and spread their messages outside of traditional media. Specifically, it looks at how 15M protesters coordinated on social networks and how analysis of Twitter data showed decentralized, non-hierarchical information flows.
The document also examines how mainstream media initially failed to adequately cover 15M in its early days, while discussion grew rapidly on social networks. It identifies open questions around the media logic of social networks and how they spread the messages of online social movements.
1) The document compares predictors of self-disclosure and privacy settings use between adolescents and adults on social network sites. It finds that adolescents disclose more personal information and have more lenient privacy settings than adults.
2) Several factors were found to affect disclosure and privacy settings, with some differences between adolescents and adults. Gender, age, frequency of use, motives for use, concerns about privacy and contacts, trust in others, and susceptibility to peer influence were investigated as predictors.
3) The study aims to provide better information for developing interventions to encourage appropriate privacy management tailored for different age groups on social network sites.
Are Social Media Emancipatory or Hegemonic? Societal Effects of Mass Media D...MIS Quarterly
This study examines how social media and traditional media shape public discourse during sociopolitical issues. The researchers analyzed media coverage and online discourse around the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) to test propositions about how different types of media may afford emancipation through participation or hegemony through control of discourse. The findings showed that social media allowed more participation through unconstrained authorship and influence, but also exhibited more constrained framing of issues than traditional media. Lean social media further exacerbated these effects by limiting participation and framing. Overall, both social and traditional media were found to both enable emancipation through participation and exhibit hegemonic control of discourse framing.
CHILDREN USING FACEBOOK: PERSONALITY TRAITS, SELF-CONCEPT AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCEIJITE
Social interaction and communication is basically orchestrated through Social Networking Sites (SNS)
with Facebook being amongst the most popular ones. Previous research has shown users’ personality as a
highly relevant factor when examining the way people behave virtually. In the present study, we
investigated the relationship between Facebook usage and personality in children aged 10 to 13 years with
a personal account on Facebook, defined in terms of a Five-Factor Model. The relationship between
Facebook usage and users’ self-concept regarding their school performance and their happiness and
satisfaction about life was also investigated. For this purpose, children’s teachers were asked to evaluate
children’s school performance, in order to better examine the relationship between Facebook usage and
users’ school performance. Three hundred and forty-eight (348) pupils of elementary and secondary
schools in Patras (Greece) participated in the study. The results indicated that Facebook usage has a
statistically significant association with personality traits like Neuroticism, Openness to Experience,
Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Moreover, children who perceived themselves as good pupils did
not have a Facebook account. Also, Facebook usage has been found to be negatively related to users’
school performance, as assessed by their teachers. No statistically significant associations were found
between Facebook usage and users’ self-perceptions regarding their happiness and general satisfaction
with life.
The document describes different types of Facebook ads including Premium ads, Premium Page Posts, Marketplace ads, and Featured Stories. Premium ads can be static images or short videos while Premium Page Posts allow promoting posts including text, photos, videos, questions, events and links. Marketplace ads are similar but drive offsite. Featured Stories show what friends have engaged with like Pages, posts, apps, check-ins and external websites.
The effect of personality styles on social media useKrishna De
This document summarizes a research paper that studied the relationship between personality style (level of introversion or extroversion) and social media use on Facebook. The study found that heavy Facebook users, who spend more than two hours daily on the site, self-reported as being more outgoing and extroverted. The research aimed to determine if and how a person's personality type relates to their Facebook usage behaviors and motivations. Specifically, it examined whether extroverted or introverted individuals used Facebook more and for different reasons.
This document discusses research on cross-cultural differences in social networking site use. It begins by defining key terms like social networking sites, social networks, and online social networks. It then reviews several studies that have examined cultural influences on social networking behaviors and content across countries. Many of these studies use Hofstede's cultural dimensions as a framework but analyze only a small number of sites and countries with limited sample sizes. The document concludes that more comprehensive research is still needed to better understand how national culture impacts social networking.
Globalization presentation By Ikram Toumikarrouma16
This document examines patterns of Facebook use and traits of participatory culture among Tunisian youth. It reviews literature on how Facebook is used to manage social networks and for entertainment. Studies found Facebook use correlated with increased social capital and civic engagement. The document discusses concepts of participatory culture and media literacy. It poses research questions on how Tunisian youth use Facebook to maintain social networks and what activities they engage in. Questions also examine if Tunisian Facebook users demonstrate participatory culture by posting original content, responding to media, or engaging in group content creation. The methodology describes a web survey distributed to Tunisian youth to study their Facebook usage patterns and levels of participatory culture.
Let's look at interesting research about facebook social media results
Facebook Psychology: Popular Questions Answered by Research
go deep in what is impact of use social media networks in our real life
Exploring Addiction to Social Networking Service among Young Chinese AdultsDigital Society
This document outlines a proposed study on addiction to social networking sites among young Chinese adults. The study would examine college students' usage of popular SNSs in China and their potential psychological dependence. A literature review discusses research on SNS addiction and factors that could influence it, such as feedback received, interactions, and loneliness. The proposed methodology involves a quantitative survey measuring SNS activities and perceptions of addiction. Hypotheses predict greater addiction risk from more responses to posts and interactions. The schedule outlines drafting the survey, data collection and analysis, and thesis writing from January to June.
IJERA (International journal of Engineering Research and Applications) is International online, ... peer reviewed journal. For more detail or submit your article, please visit www.ijera.com
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The effect of relational mobility on sns user behavior -a study of japanese dual-users of mixi and facebook
1. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior : A
Title study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
Author(s) Thomson, Robert; Ito, Naoya
国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル = The Journal of
Citation International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies, 14:
3-22
Issue Date 2012-03-15
Doc URL http://hdl.handle.net/2115/48860
Right
Type bulletin (article)
Additional
Information
Instructions for use
Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers : HUSCAP
2. THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
The effect of relational
mobility on SNS user behavior:
A study of Japanese dual-users
of Mixi and Facebook
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
abstract Previous studies have shown clear cultural differences in how
Japanese and American social network site (SNS) users interract with
differing SNS platforms (see Barker and Ota, 2011; Fogg and Iizawa,
2008; Takahashi, 2010).
In this study of 131 Japanese SNS users who use both
Facebook and Mixi, self-disclosure, numbers of contacts, in-group
numbers, and levels of perceived commitment on Mixi and
Facebook were measured.
The study found that such users showed a lower level of self-
disclosure, connected with fewer people and had fewer categories
of contacts, and felt a higher degree of commitment on Mixi than on
Facebook. It is suggested that these differences stem from differing
responses to percieved relational mobility on each platform; Mixi
being a socioecological environment which reflects low-relationally
mobile Japanese society, and Facebook being a socioecological
environment which reflects high relationally mobile North American
social environments. (141/150)
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|003
3. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
1
| Introduction
As online social networking becomes increasingly embedded in
individuals' everyday lives, any demarcation between the online and offline self is
being progressively rendered non-existent. Indeed, despite earlier fears of virtual
online social networks replacing one's real-world relationships (Katz, 2002; Kraut
et. al, 1998; Putnam, 1995) more recent research suggests that online social
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
networks in fact supplement and reflect users' real-world social networks (Ofcom,
2008; Vergeer & Pelzer, 2009). Furthermore, far from users creating and
maintaining disparate real-world and virtual identities, there is strong evidence
that in many cases, users not only maintain a measure of identity consistency
between online and offline worlds, but also expect the same of others in the online
communities they participate in, thus creating a self-moderating environment
where authentic culture and identities flow between the so-called offline and
online worlds (Valentine, 2003; Williams, 2006; Wilson, 2005).
This paper explores this notion ― that offline norms of culture are
reflected online ― by examining Japanese users of Mixi (a popular domestic
social networking site (SNS) in Japan) who also use either Facebook or Twitter,
two other popular SNS in Japan; the former increasing in popularity, the latter
already overtaking Mixi in user numbers. Specifically, this paper argues that
Japanese users' differing usage patterns of Mixi, Facebook and Twitter reflect
socioecological traits observed in Japanese and North American offline contexts;
Japanese - showing a typically higher degree of context-sensitive behavior -
modify levels of self-disclosure to a larger degree, form larger or smaller
in-groups, and experience differing levels of commitment depending on the degree
of relational mobility extant in the social ecologies of each SNS, which are, in
turn, reflections of offline characteristics of the social ecologies from which the
SNSs emerged.
2
| Background:
The Japanese Facebook User Paradox
The current study was motivated largely by what the author refers to as
“the Japanese Facebook user paradox” This refers to a Japanese Mixi user who
.
also uses Facebook, and who displays a real photo of themselves on their
Facebook profile, but not on Mixi. Other researchers have also touched on this
004|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
4. existence of paradoxical behavior between a Japanese individual's behavior on
Mixi, and their behavior on North American SNS such as Facebook. Many of
them point to offline cultural traits influencing behavior online, as outlined below.
Barker and Ota (2011), while not addressing dual users of Mixi and
Facebook per se, make a comparison of Japanese users of Mixi, and United States
users of Facebook using a between-subjects study design. Their study focused on
female users of the two SNSs, and the roles of diary keeping on Mixi and photo
posting on Facebook. They found that“American young women are much more
prone to public expressions of connection with and celebration of peer groups on
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
SNSs as exemplified by posting photographs [of themselves and with others].
Japanese women seem to nurture their Mixi friendships and in part communicate
their closeness via diaries”(p. 56). They posit that the differing uses of their
respective SNS by the two groups of participants reflect their differing cultural
perspectives on communication.
Fogg and Iizawa (2008) also made between-subject comparisons along
the Mixi-Facebook theme, but looked in particular at user behavior through the
lens of platform design. Specifically, they looked at how each platform utilized
persuasive techniques to achieve similar goals, namely of creating profile pages,
inviting friends, responding to others' contributions, and returning to the SNS
often. They concluded that, characterized by boldness and assertiveness,
“Facebook better reflects the persuasion dynamics that are common to US culture
while Mixi conveys a stronger Japanese sensibility,”characterized by subtlety
(p.45).
Perhaps the closest in form to the current paper's argument however, is
the within-subjects study conducted by Toshie Takahashi into Japanese dual users
of both Mixi and MySpace. In her paper (Takahashi, 2010) she draws on her
ethnographic research into Japanese youth and cultural identity in order to shed
light on the dynamics of their engagement with SNS. She found that Mixi and
MySpace afford opportunities for Japanese youths to reflexively to-and-fro
between distinctly Japanese cultural values (such as interpersonal security and
stability) on Mixi and distinctly North American cultural values (such as free self-
expression) on MySpace, essentially being able to dabble with different identities.
The present study is similar to Takahashi's in the sense that it utilizes a
within-subjects design, focusing on Japanese dual users of Mixi and Facebook.
Where the present study departs from Takahashi's argument, however, is in the
fact that on the whole, both Mixi and Facebook have been, since their inception,
specifically focused on the‘social graph’ That is, unlike MySpace where the
.
typical user connects predominantly with others met online (Thelwall, 2008) ―
and indeed this was the case for Takahashi's informants ― Facebook is an
environment where the typical user brings their offline connections online
(Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2006). If indeed Facebook were a place where
Japanese users can simply form alternate identities, away from the eyes of known
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|005
5. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
others, then the Japanese Facebook user paradox is not as perplexing as it might
be if Facebook is a place where Japanese are, like the majority of Facebook users,
interacting with known others. That is to say, the Japanese Facebook user paradox
is all the more a paradox when behavioral discrepancies are visible to known
others.
3
| Social Networking Sites in Japan
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
Before moving on, an overview of SNS in Japan is warranted. Within
recent technology news sectors within Japan and abroad, a story that is keeping
blog writers, journalists, and consumers alike in suspense is the interplay of three
large social networking sites in Japan, all successful in their own right: the
entrenched made-in-Japan Mixi (overwhelming majority of users are Japanese
(Toto, 2008)); the slick powerhouse Twitter (Japanese users make up 1.22% of
global audience (Evans, 2010) and Japanese is the second-most represented
language on the site (Semiocast, 2010)); and the sleeping giant Facebook
(Japanese users make up 0.5% of global audience (Gonzalez, 2011)). With
domestic SNS around the world quickly being surpassed by Facebook in terms of
user numbers (Saito, 2010a), the Japanese tech world is understandably interested
in Facebook's possible dominance or lack thereof in Japan. Some point to
increasing ad prices on Facebook as indicators of an imminent‘tipping point’in
Facebook's growth in Japan (Saito, 2010a; 2010b), and Facebook Japan's Country
Growth Manager Kodama Taro is optimistic, recently announcing their goal of
capturing fifty percent of the Japanese internet user market by the year 2013 (TV
Tokyo, 2010). Others are more critical, adamant that an ingrained phobia of
identifiable personal information on the net will preclude Japanese from flocking
to the real-name centric Facebook (Tabuchi, 2011).
In terms of user engagement, however, measured by page views and
average access duration per month, Mixi is still far ahead of both Twitter and
Facebook, suggesting a well-entrenched, well familiarized user base. On the other
hand, Twitter is enjoying surges in user registrations, with access numbers
overtaking those of Mixi, even before the 2011 Japan Earthquake (Saito, 2010b).
It warrants mention that the choice not to include the social gaming
service Mobagee and mobile-based Gree (both Mixi's main domestic rivals
(Fujishiro, 2010)) in this discussion is intentional. Mixi itself, as a company, sets
itself apart from GREE and Mobagee, describing itself and its products as
inherently marketed towards the representation and interaction of real-life
relationships online, whereas Mobagee and GREE are described more in terms of
006|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
6. online gaming and subsequent connections between mutual strangers (Table 1).
This claimed tendency for Mixi users to connect primarily with existing known
others is reflected not only in news media (Fujishiro, 2010) but also in research
(Hjorth, 2008; Takahashi, 2010). This arguably brings Mixi much closer to a
mainstream definition of social network sites (boyd & Ellison, 2007), and
accordingly, affords a more useful comparison between uses of Mixi, Facebook
and Twitter.
■ Table 1 - Mixi compared with Mobagee and GREE
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
Mixi Mobagee and GREE
Typical peer user Pre-existing acquaintances Mutually anonymous
(social graph model) acquaintances (virtual social
graph)
Motivations for use Connecting with real-life friends Gaming
Source of stimulation Social emotions ― connections Competitive emotions -
with known others achievement through game
domination
Adapted from Okada, 2010
The inclusion of Twitter as relevant in this study could be construed as
tenuous, due to its inherent multi-use characteristics. It is at once an SNS, a micro-
blogging platform, a marketplace, and more. The apparent absence of any obvious
paradox in behavior between Mixi and Twitter, however, was seen as giving
insights into why the Japanese Facebook user paradox might exist.
4
| SNS and relational mobility
As mentioned in the introduction, this paper argues that users' behavioral
adaptations to socioecological environments existing on each SNS account for
much of the cause behind the Japanese Facebook user paradox. Oishi and Graham
(2010) recently brought into recognition once again the role of social ecologies in
researching human behavior and culture. They conceptualized culture (symbols,
meanings, rituals, etc.) and behavior to be influenced by physical, social, and
inter-personal relationship attributes of specific socio-ecological environments.
Particularly relevant to the present study, is the effect of a social ecology's
interpersonal relationship environment on humans' behavior. Schug et. al. (2010)
explored such a relationship in their study of a social ecology's degree of relational
mobility on people's level of self-disclosure to others within that social ecology.
They define relational mobility as“the degree to which individuals have
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|007
7. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
opportunities to voluntarily form new relationships and terminate old ones within
a given context”(p. 1), and that as opposed to the traditional view of cultural
differences arising from value and belief discrepancies, cultural differences from a
socio-ecological perspective“are characterized as different adaptive strategies
(both conscious and not) tailored toward producing desirable outcomes in a
particular social environment” 14). As Schug et. al. found in their study, and as
(p.
others have in other studies, Japanese society tends to display low relational
mobility, whereas many Western cultures, such as the US, tend to be construed as
high relational mobile societies (see Yuki et. al. (2007) for findings on US-Japan
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
relational mobility).
If indeed, as suggested previously, social-graph oriented SNS reflect
users' offline human networks and offline identities, it might be suggested that
socio-ecological attributes which typify those networks are also translated online.
Accordingly, in this study it is theorized that the socio-ecological environment of
Mixi reflects that of the majority users' offline networks; that is, reflecting
Japanese society, Mixi is characterized by low relational mobility. Likewise,
considering Facebook's early stage of uptake in Japan, it is theorized that Japanese
users' networks on Facebook will reflect that of the wider Facebook network,
which in turn reflects socio-ecological characteristics of Facebook's main user
base; US, or generally Western users, for whom their daily offline socio-ecological
environments are characterized by high levels of relational mobility. Furthermore,
considering Twitter's relatively large Japanese user base, it is assumed that for
Japanese Twitter users, Twitter reflects offline Japanese socioecological traits: that
is, it is characterized by low relational mobility. Furthermore, if relational mobility
differs across the socioecological environments present in each SNS, one would
expect behavior typical of the degrees of relational mobility present.
5
| Relational mobility and self-disclosure
Schug and her colleagues took this socio-ecological framework and
applied it via two studies to explain the observed phenomenon of East Asians
disclosing less personal information than do North Americans in every-day life.
By self-disclosure they mean“the revelation of sensitive personal information to
another person,”specifically with the function of indicating commitment between
interaction partners. In the first study, they explored between-culture differences in
self-disclosure, and in one further study they tested for within-culture differences.
For the between-cultures study, data gleaned from participants from the US (high
relational mobility) and Japan (low relational mobility) was compared, whereas
008|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
8. for the within-culture study, data relating to participants' behavior and perception
of levels of relational mobility in family relationships (low relational mobility)
versus close friendships (high relational mobility) was compared. The researchers
discovered that in both the between- and within-culture studies, the more
relationally mobile the context, the more participants self-disclosed to others
around them. Within low relational mobility contexts, participants were less likely
to self-disclose.
With these findings in mind, and widening the definition of self-disclosure
to include the degree to which an individual posts a photo of their face on their
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
SNS profile, it was hypothesized in the present study that:
H1 Mixi users who also use Facebook will display lower levels of self-
disclosure on Mixi than they do on Facebook, and Mixi users who also use Twitter
will display lower levels of self-disclosure on Twitter than Facebook users do on
Facebook.
6
| Relational mobility and commitment
In his seminal text on trust, Toshio Yamagishi (1998) explores the
dynamics of interpersonal relationships in the US and Japan, from a perspective of
evolution and adaption. He theorized that in the US ― a highly relationally mobile
society where individuals have a relatively large amount of opportunity to form
and sever relationships ― individuals tend to form less committed relationships,
citing the logic of relational costs and benefits. In Japan, Yamagishi argued,
forming committed relationships characterized by high levels of mutual
reciprocity is of greater value than moving outside the bounds one's in-group,
since opportunities to form new beneficial relationships outside of that in-group
are relatively scarce. That is, the cost of severing one's established relationships is
higher than the benefits gained from taking the risk and doing so. The US, he
argued, is a different picture. There, to a greater extent than in Japan, along with
more opportunity to form new relationships, there are benefits to moving beyond
any one specific in-group. In other words, there is greater cost involved in giving
up outside opportunity for the sake of one's present in-group; the benefits of
staying with a committed in-group can be smaller than those when one steps out
and forges new relationships.
This dynamic, Yamagishi argues in one of his papers (Yamagishi, Jin, &
Miller, 1998), drives what is interpreted as in-group bias in collectivistic cultures.
Low levels of relational mobility lead to more interpersonal commitment, which
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|009
9. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
leads in turn to higher levels of mutual reciprocity as a means to ensure mutual
benefits for those members of close-knit groups. Yamagishi (Yamagishi et. al.,
1998) suggests that in collectivistic cultures, such as Japan, group heuristics ―
“an expectation of generalized reciprocity among…members of the same group”
(p. 321) ― is a defining characteristic, and furthermore, that“a person…who
does not follow the practice [of reciprocity between in-group members] would
face cold responses from the other members of his/her group at best, and could
face even ostracism”(p.322). Therefore, if one is to construe Mixi as a low
relationally mobile social environment, and Facebook as a high relationally mobile
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
social environment, one would expect the following.
H2 Mixi users who also use Facebook will feel more committed to their
relationships on Mixi than their relationships on Facebook, and will connect with
a smaller number of individuals on Mixi than Facebok.
7
| Method
From the 26th of January until the 13th of February 2011, an online survey
was conducted for Mixi users who also use either Facebook or Twitter.
Respondents were recruited on a self-selection basis, whereby initial invitations to
take part in a“Mixi/Facebook/Twitter comparative survey”were posted on the
author's Twitter feed, blog, Facebook status updates, and various Facebook- or
Twitter-related communities on Mixi, with the following format (in Japanese).
Take part in a Mixi/Facebook/Twitter comparative survey run by Nagoya
University > (shortened link to online survey) < win a 1,000yen Amazon voucher!
Numerous similar invitations were also directed to Japanese Twitter users
who tweeted in Japanese using the hash-tags #twitterjp, #facebookjp, and #Mixi
(found via the Twitter public timeline search). The invitations included a shortened
bit.ly URL pointing to the online survey. The URL received a total of 770 clicks
during the survey period, resulting in 192 surveys started, 131 of which were
completed by the end of the 19 day survey period.
Respondents were asked a series of questions in the survey, initially
covering their use of Mixi, after which they were asked a second set of the same
questions in relation to“the SNS other than Mixi on which you spend the most
time”(the choices were either Facebook or Twitter). After completing the second
set of SNS-related questions, they were then asked about their feelings towards a
010|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
10. series of statements related to trust, followed by a series of statements in regards
to international awareness.
8
| Participants
As indicated above, 131 respondents participated in the survey, 78 of
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
which were dual users of Mixi and Facebook (66.7% female), and 53 of which
were dual users of Mixi and Twitter (39.6% female) (Table 2). The majority of
participants were aged between 20 to 40 years old, and a majority indicated being
from the Kanto region. For Mixi, participants had been registered on the site for
an average of 5.25 years (SD = 1.92), Facebook users had been registered on
Facebook for 3.53 years (SD = 1.84), and Twitter users had been registered on
Twitter for an average of 2.89 years (SD = 1.07).
■ Table 2 - Survey participants' (all Mixi
users) secondary SNS
N (%)
Facebook 78 (59.5)
Twitter 53 (40.5)
Total 131 (100.0)
9
| Results
The Japanese Facebook user paradox:
self-disclosure on Mixi and Facebook
Hypothesis one predicted that Mixi users who also use Facebook will
display lower levels of self-disclosure on Mixi than they do on Facebook, and
Mixi users who also use Twitter will display lower levels of self-disclosure on
Twitter than Facebook users do on Facebook. To test this hypothesis, self-
disclosure was defined narrowly, simply as the degree to which a user displayed
their real name and/or real photo on their public profiles. Accordingly, a four-point
scale was provided where participants were asked to indicate to what extent they
displayed basic information about themselves on their public profiles on each
SNS, as follows: 1 = I do not show either my real name or a picture of my real
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|011
11. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
face; 2 = I show a picture of my real face; 3 = I show my real name; 4 = I show
both my real face and real name. During analysis, reflecting the arbitrary nature of
values 2 and 3, these values were converted into one value, leaving a scale of 1 = I
do not show either my real name or a picture of my real face, 2 = I show a picture
of my real face only or I show my real name, 3 = I show both my real face and real
name.
On Mixi, there was no significant difference in disclosure of this basic
information between the two groups (Facebook users = 1.59 (SD = 0.75), Twitter
users = 1.45 (SD = 0.61), t (129) = 1.11, p> .05), with 58.0% of all respondents
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
choosing not to display either a real photo of themselves or their real name on
Mixi. Only 11.5% of all respondents indicated that they show both a real name
and real photo on Mixi.
When it came to basic self-disclosure on Facebook, however, 59.0% of
Facebook users indicated that they display both their real name and real face on
Facebook. On the three-point scale described above, Facebook users on Facebook
scored an average of 2.59 (SD = 0.50), while Facebook users on Mixi averaged
1.59 (SD = 0.75) on the scale, this being a significant difference, t (77) = 17.84,
p< .001. Facebook users also disclosed to a higher degree than Twitter users (M =
1.62, SD = 0.77), t (129) = 8.79, p <.001. These results support hypothesis one
(Table 2).
Taken at face value, these results do not suggest any relationship to the
level of relational mobility within the social contexts of the three SNS. Equally
plausible would be, for example, the influence of Facebook's design features, not
the least of all being the name Facebook. One might argue that it is the mere
existence of such a name which is drawing out the behavior of posting one's face
on one's public profile page. In Oishi and Graham's model, this would equate to
the physical attributes of a socio-ecological environment influencing behavior.
A separate survey item was prepared to test for participants' international
interest and awareness, and while not directly associated with the present
hypothesis, results do go some way to suggest effects of perceived relational
mobility. Participants were asked whether they agreed or did not agree on a
4-point scale (1 = 1 don't agree; 2 = I slightly disagree; 3 = I slightly agree; 4 = I
agree) to a number of cultural awareness items (selected from Rew, 2003 and
■ Table 2 - Self disclosure on Mixi, Facebook, and Twitter
On Mixi On Facebook On Twitter
M (SD) 1 2 3 M (SD) 1 2 3 M (SD) 1 2 3
Facebook Users 1.59 (0.75) - 2.59 (0.50) △ ↑
Twitter Users 1.45 (0.61) - 1.62 (0.77) ▽ -
NB. Facebook users n = 78, Twitter users n = 53
1. △ / ▽ = significantly more/less compared with partner in the FB/TW dichotomy, (χ2), p < .05.
2. ▲ / ▼ = significantly more/less when compared with partner in the MX (FB) / MX (TW) dichotomy,
(χ2), p < .05.
3. ↑/↓ = significantly more/less when compared with MX (own category), binomial, p < .05.
012|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
12. Kou, 2010). The aim of this survey item was not directly associated with the aims
of the current paper; it was there simply to test the proposition put forward by
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg that early non-American adopters of
Facebook tend to start using Facebook simply because they are more likely to be
connected with foreign friends or have a pre-existing international awareness
(Sweney, 2010). The results from this item are discussed towards the end of this
paper, however the results also suggest that expectations regarding interpersonal
relationship environments ― in this paper's context high and low relational
mobility environments ― are factors in self-disclosure on Mixi, Facebook, and
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
Twitter.
Echoing Zuckerburg's argument, the results from the present study show
that Mixi users who use both Mixi and Facebook do appear to have a higher level
of intercultural awareness and international interest when compared with
participants who identified themselves as being dual users of Mixi and Twitter
(Table 3).
■ Table 3 - International Awareness/Interest
FB TW
M (SD) M (SD)
I am an international person (SQ002) 2.64 (1.60) 2.36 (1.06)
I have lots of foreign friends 2.81 (1.02) > 1.79 (0.97)
I think I have good English skills 2.63 (0.97) > 1.68 (0.92)
I enjoy mingling with foreigners 3.50 (0.60) > 2.98 (0.91)
I often take part in international events 2.33 (1.00) > 1.72 (1.01)
My understanding of other cultures is low 1.77 (0.84) < 2.26 (0.86)
If I have the opportunity to help someone, I prefer
2.14 (0.80) < 2.58 (0.82)
to help Japanese people, not foreigners
1.
‘</>’ indicates a significant difference on an independent-samples t-test, p < .05.
2. FB = Facebook users (N = 78), TW = Twitter users (N = 53).
Interestingly, however, a linear regression analysis showed a mild but
significant effect of one's agreement to the phrase‘I am an international person’
with an individual's level of self-disclosure on Twitter (b = 0.47, t (51) = 3.74, p<
.001), with the degree to which one agreed with the statement explaining a
significant portion of variation (R2 = 0.205, F (1, 51) = 14.22, p< .001). Many
other items in this international awareness section also displayed effects on self-
disclosure (Table 4).
In other words, it could be inferred that the more internationally aware an
individual is ― i.e. the more aware they are about rules governing interpersonal
relationships in social ecologies with different levels of relational mobility than
their own Japanese social ecology ― the more likely they are to self-disclose.
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|013
13. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
■ Table 4 - International awareness and self-disclosure
r B SE B β
I am an international person .205 .386 .102 .470***
I think I have good English skills .192 .381 .104 .455***
I have lots of foreign friends .061 .223 .106 .282*
My understanding of foreign cultures is low .122 -.332 .116 -.372**
I enjoy mingling with foreigners .068 .247 .113 .294*
If I have the opportunity to help someone, I prefer to
.103 -.324 .123 -.347*
help Japanese people not foreigners
***
p < .001, ** p <.01, * p < .05, Dependent variable: self-disclosure
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
Relationship commitment on Mixi and Facebook
Hypothesis two stated that Mixi users who also use Facebook will feel
more committed to their relationships on Mixi than their relationships on
Facebook, and will connect with a smaller number of individuals on Mixi than
Facebook. To this end, participants were given a list of statements relating to their
experience of relationships on each SNS, to which they were asked to indicate
whether or not they experience the content of those statements. The three
■ Chart 1 - Regarding your use of Mixi and Facebook, do you experience
any of the following? (N = 78)
014|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
14. statements which are of importance to the current hypothesis were“I feel overly
“relationships can become complicated,”and
committed to my relationships,”
“when I receive a comment, I feel as though I should reply to that comment as
soon as possible.”Results are outlined in Chart 1. On all three items, when
compared with their experience on Facebook, a greater percentage of participants
felt overly committed to their relationships on Mixi, felt that relationships on Mixi
become complicated, and felt a need to reply to comments quickly.
One might presume, however, that the longer one has been registered on
an SNS, the more committed one might feel towards the relationships on that
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
platform, and the more complicated relationships might become simply due to the
natural progression of relationships. That is, since participants had been registered
longer in general on Mixi, that naturally they would feel more committed to their
relationships on Mixi rather than their comparatively new relationships on
Facebook or Twitter. A linear regression analysis did not, however, find any
reliably strong nor significant relationship between the length of time registered
on an SNS and feeling that relationships were overly committed, complicated, or
increasing in required reciprocity (Table 5).
In this way, hypothesis two was supported, suggesting a reflection of
offline norms online. That is, just as in Japanese society people experience
comparatively high levels of commitment and strong group heuristics, so do users
of Mixi feel the same regarding their relationships on Mixi. Likewise, at the
present stage in Facebook's entrance into the Japanese online social networking
market, Japanese users indicate less strong group heuristics in regards to their
relationships on Facebook ― arguably a reflection of the generally higher level of
relational mobility within their networks on Facebook. Indeed, as answers from
another part of the survey indicated, Japanese users of Facebook do appear to have
vastly more foreign contacts in their Facebook friend list than their contact lists on
Mixi; 50% of Mixi/Facebook dual users have very close foreign friends or family
living close by and 68.3% of the same users have foreign friends living far away
in their friend list on Facebook. This is compared with only 11.7% of the same
users having very close foreign friends or family living close by, and 15% having
foreign friends living far away on Mixi.
■ Table 5 - SNS registration years and relationship commitment (N = 78)
r B SE B β
Mixi I feel overly committed to my relationships .013 -.035 .025 -.161
Relationships become complicated .010 -.031 .024 -.151
I feel I have to reply to comments quickly .042 .061 .029 .233*
Facebook I feel overly committed to my relationships .036 .027 .014 .220
Relationships become complicated -.008 .009 .015 .068
I feel I have to reply to comments quickly -.011 .014 .031 .050
***
p < .001, ** p <.01, * p < .05
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|015
15. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
Discussion
There are two important points which need to be addressed regarding
these results. One is in regards to how North Americans may interpret the
existence of the Japanese Facebook user paradox. One further point is related to
changes within Japanese Facebook users' networks on Facebook which is sure to
affect the ability to generalize the results to later populations of Japanese
Facebook users.
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
10
| Identity and integrity in Japan
“You have one identity...the days of you having a different image for your
work friends or coworkers and for the other people you know are probably coming
to an end...Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity”
― Mark Zuckerberg on self-disclosure on Facebook (Kirkpatrick, 2010, p 199).
One might say that Zuckerburg's understanding of identity is
representative of a North American view of identity. The proposition that a person
would consciously choose to present a differing version of themselves to different
people in different contexts is seen as“inconsistency in self-concept”in Western
cultures, as Kashima et. al. put it (Kashima, 2004). Kashima and his colleagues
conducted research into cultural differences in the contextual self, comparing
between the US, Germany, Korea and Japan the amount of context-sensitivity
present in each society and the meaning of altering one's self depending on the
situation. They found that whereas context sensitivity in the Western cultures was
low, the Japanese and Korean sample was high in context sensitivity. Furthermore,
greater cross-contextual variability in the phenomenal self was, as mentioned
above, seen as inconsistency in self-concept in the Western cultures, whereas in
“being true to what is appropriate in a context may mean possessing a true
Japan,
self in Japan”(Kashima, 2004, p 138). That is to say, to a Japanese person, the
act of presenting a different self in different contexts is not an issue as it is in
Western cultures.
Kashima et. al.'s research is, however, but a recent addition to a long
history of theorizing about the Japanese contextual self. In Ruth Benedict's classic
1947 text on Japanese culture, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, when
addressing the concept of virtue in Japanese society, Benedict alludes to the
Japanese as being able to swing between different behaviors, according to the
current societal‘circle’one might find oneself in. Furthermore, this was done,
016|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
16. “as they seem to
Benedict asserted, with little psychic cost. Those contradictions,
[Westerners]…are as deeply based in their view of life as our uniformities are in
ours”(Benedict, 1946, p 197). Much later, in 1990, Walter Edwards observed the
same thing in his treatise on Japanese culture as seen through its wedding rituals.
He described Benedict's insights as a demonstration within Japanese society of
‘compartmentalized spheres of activity’He observed that
. “for the Japanese order
in existence is external, lying within the gestalt that is the property of each
particular context”(Edwards, 1989, p 138).
In a similar vein, Rosenberger (Rosenberger, 1989) suggests that a
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
‘synthesis’ these
of ‘contradictions’ the goal of managing the various selves in
is
Japan. In particular, Rosenberger posits that there are four distinct‘modes of
expression’of the self within Japanese culture: group productivity (where
authority and subordination are emphasized), personal accomplishment (inner-
oriented task focused self), harmony or affection (outer-oriented and culturally-
patterned spontaneity), and pure impulse or gratification (spontaneous and
oriented towards the inner self) (Rosenberger, 1989, p 89, 98). Echoing
“the Japanese self is
somewhat Benedict's observations, Rosenberger suggests that
posited on movement between categories”(Rosenberger, 1989, p 94). She goes
so far as to say that“rather than the Western ideal of integration of self in all
contexts, manipulation of self between categories is a feature of mental health and
morality in Japan”(Rosenberger, 1989, p 97). She writes that“the key to the
mature self in Japan is ordered movement among opposing categories ― a
constant manipulation of ki energy that requires strong self-awareness”
(Rosenberger, 1989, p 110). Morality itself, proffers Rosenberger,
“lies in proper
contextualization of self's actions and emotions rather than in a rigid adherence to
only one side of life”(Rosenberger, 1989, p 97).
This dynamic was displayed to an extent in the present study. Not only
were different behaviors displayed by the same users on different SNS, very few
respondents considered there to be any contradiction between the selves they
display on each SNS and their selves offline. In one section of the survey
participants were asked whether the following statement applied to them on either
Mixi or Facebook:“I am a different person on [Mixi/Facebook] compared with
offline.”For Mixi users who also use Facebook (N = 78), only 6.4% (N = 5) of
respondents considered themselves as being different offline compared with on
Mixi. Only one user (1.3%) indicated that they are a different person offline
compared with on Facebook. Reflecting previous research outlined above, this
result suggests that even though discrepancies in behavior exist for Japanese users
of Mixi and Facebook, this does not mean that for those users they consider there
to be discrepancy in self-construal on the differing sites.
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|017
17. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
11
| Facebook's tipping point
and relational mobility
As mentioned previously, data from the present study suggests that the
more culturally aware one is, the more one tends to self-disclose on Twitter, and
that in general, Facebook users have a higher level of interest in international
matters and a higher level of cultural awareness.
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
However, data suggests that the overall international awareness of
Facebook users is decreasing. Early registrants on Facebook are, as Zuckerberg
would predict, more internationally aware than more recent registrants (Table 6).
This result could, of course, be interpreted in two mutually inclusive ways. Firstly,
it is conceivable that through contact with Facebook's main user base ― North
Americans ― Japanese users are afforded the chance to increase their
international understanding and awareness. However, since Japanese Mixi and
Facebook dual users in the sample predominantly connect with known others on
Facebook (see Appendix 1), it is unlikely that they use Facebook with the express
intent of making foreigner friends online. It is more likely, therefore, that indeed
Zuckerberg's tipping point theory is playing out. In 2010, Zuckerberg was quoted
“we know that a country has tipped when local-to-local connections
as saying that
outnumber local to foreign...it is a long-term thing [and with regard to the four
countries left to tip― including Japan] we are probably not going to win in six
months, not in a year [but] things look promising in three to five years out”
(Sweney, 2010). It is most probable that while earlier Japanese registrants on
Facebook connected with foreign acquaintances, more and more new registrants
are registering to connect with other Japanese acquaintances.
■ Table 6 - Japanese Facebook Users' International Involvement and
Length of Time on Facebook
Question r B SE B β
What sorts of people Close foreign friends living .181 -.119 .028 -.438***
make up your friend close by
list on Facebook? Foreign friends living far away .186 -.106 .025 -.443***
(yes, no, multiple
answer)
How do you feel I have lots of foreign friends .338 -.327 .052 -.589***
about the following I enjoy mingling with foreigners .123 -.121 .035 -.373**
statements?
I often take part in international .036 -.121 .061 -.221†
(1 = I don't agree, 4 =
events
I agree)
I am good at English .224 1.255 .053 -.484***
My intercultural understanding .187 .203 .047 .445***
is low
†p<.10, **p<.01, ***p<.001
018|国際広報メディア・観光学ジャーナル No.14
18. If this is so, then it is probable that over time, the Japanese Facebook user
paradox will decrease in prominence, as Japanese Facebook users' networks on
Facebook become less relationally mobile as they become more saturated with
fellow Japanese users.
12
| Conclusion
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
This study's aim was to explore the underlying socioecological factors
involved in the Japanese Facebook user paradox. That is, it sought to provide hints
as to why Japanese users of both Mixi and Facebook display clearly disparate
behavior between the two SNS, in particular in regards to self-disclosure (in the
form of profile photos), and levels of commitment to relationships on the SNSs.
Results from this study of Japanese users of Mixi, Facebook, and Twitter suggest
there is a high likelihood that differing levels of relational mobility within the
socioecological environment present in each SNS plays a large role in affecting
users' behaviors on the differing SNS. Furthermore, comparisons with offline
socioecological environments from which the majority user base of each SNS
come from suggest that the socioecological environments on the SNSs surveyed
reflect those offline environments.
It was suggested that Mixi is a low relational mobility environment,
characterized by low levels of self-disclosure, high commitment to contacts, and
high levels of group heuristics; these characteristics reflecting behavioral
characteristics of offline Japanese society. Facebook, however, is a high relational
mobility environment, hence Japanese users in general showing higher degrees of
self-disclosure, less commitment to others, and lower levels of group heuristics;
reflections of offline behavioral characteristics of high relational mobility social
ecologies as seen in Western cultures such as the US.
13
| Limitations
Yuki et. al. (2007) have developed a scale to measure perceived levels of
relational mobility within a given socioecological environment. Follow-up studies
would do well to employ this scale, in order to gauge perceived relational mobility
levels amongst new and old Japanese registrants on Facebook, and to further map
The Journal of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies No.14|019
19. The effect of relational mobility on SNS user behavior: A study of Japanese dual-users of Mixi and Facebook
the function of relational mobility in online spaces on user behavior.
In regards to self-disclosure, the present study takes a very narrow
definition of this concept, i.e., the disclosure of obvious identifying information,
in the form of a user's real name and photograph. Future studies may benefit from
testing whether relative anonymity on Mixi, mediated by relational mobility, in
fact elicits broader self-disclosure on that platform in the form of diary entries (a
characteristic pointed out by Baker and Ota (2011)).
Respondents for the current sample were, as referred to above, recruited
on a self-selection basis. One may, therefore, argue that the results are biased
THOMSON Robert and ITO Naoya
towards representing a particular type of user (internet savvy, early adopter,
interested in international matters (due to the surveyor being of Western descent)).
Future studies may do well to seek a more thoroughly representative sample.
Appendix 1
Respondents were asked to rate the types of contacts that make up their contact lists, on a four point
scale, where: 1 = All (or almost all) of them are people I have met in real life; 2 = Most of
them are people I have met in real life; 3 = Most of them are people I met online; 4 = All (or
almost all) of them are people I met online.
■ Types of contacts
On Mixi On Facebook On Twitter
M (SD) 1 2 3 M (SD) 1 2 3 M (SD) 1 2 3
Facebook Users 1.69 (0.86) - 1.82 (0.91) ▽ -
Twitter Users 1.92 (1.00) - 3.09 (0.79) △ ↑
1. △ / ▽ = significantly more/less compared with partner in the FB/TW dichotomy, (χ2), p < .05.
2. ▲ / ▼ = significantly more/less when compared with partner in the MX (FB) / MX (TW) dichotomy,
(χ2), p < .05.
3. ↑/↓ = significantly more/less when compared with MX (own category), binomial, p < .05.
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