Para-Social Presence and Communication Capabilities of a Web Site: A Theoretical Perspective

Purpose Focusing on social network services (SNS), the purpose of this paper is to propose a research model to investigate individuals’ SNS usage facilitators and inhibitors from the perspective of individuals’ media system dependency (MSD) and privacy concerns. Design/methodology/approach The research model will be tested with data collected from online users of Facebook. The survey yielded a total of 403 responses for the data analysis which was conducted by measurement and structural models. Findings The findings indicate that SNSs members strive for understanding, orientation, and play dependencies which facilitate their satisfaction and social presence, and subsequently fosters their continuance intention toward the SNS. In addition, the members’ privacy concerns decrease satisfaction and social presence online. Originality/value First, this study has contributed to the authors’ understanding of an individual’s SNS facilitators and inhibitors from the theoretical perspective (i.e. MSD theory and privacy concerns). Second, satisfaction is a strong antecedent of continuance intention and would dilute the effect of social presence on an individual’s SNS continuance intention.

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Examining the utility and usability of mobile instant messaging in a graduate-level course: A usefulness theoretical perspective

Australasian Journal of Educational Technology ◽

10.14742/ajet.4571 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ying Tang ◽

Khe Foon Hew

Keyword(s):

Social Presence ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Instant Messaging ◽

Theoretical Perspective ◽

Future Research ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Self Disclosure ◽

Postgraduate Level ◽

Expression Of Emotions ◽

Questionnaire Surveys

This study examined the usefulness of a mobile instant messaging (MIM) tool to support teaching and learning. Taking a usefulness theoretical perspective, we examined in detail the utility and usability of using WeChat in a postgraduate-level course. Multiple types of data were collected and analysed, including MIM interaction records, questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews. The results show that, overall, MIM can be utilised in a variety of ways to support teaching and learning. These include promoting transmissive, demonstrative, dialogic, journaling, helpline and notebook activities. We also found MIM to be particularly suitable for promoting affective social presence (expression of emotions, self-disclosure) and cohesive social presence (phatics, vocative). Four specific technological attributes of MIM that facilitated information sharing among students were reported. Implications for practice and research, including challenges and possible solutions, are proposed, followed by a discussion of the study’s limitations and suggestions for future research.

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Consumer Motivations for Commercial Web Site Use

Electronic Commerce ◽

10.4018/978-1-878289-76-6.ch014 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 218-232 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas F. Stafford ◽

Marla Royne Stafford

Keyword(s):

New Media ◽

Web Site ◽

Theoretical Perspective ◽

Video Recording ◽

Marketing Channel ◽

Research Process ◽

Theoretical Background ◽

Communications Theory ◽

Site Use ◽

On Line

The purpose of this chapter is to explore theoretical background and previous research on new media uses and motivations as an avenue to understanding consumer motivations to use commercial Internet resources. This chapter will explore the communications theory of uses and gratifications, and will report and discuss the implications of a descriptive research process that establishes the domain of consumer motivations for Web site use. Building from a series of on-line focus groups conducted with the HotWired Internet site, the research discussed in this chapter includes the construction of an inventory of descriptive terms used to indicate the various areas of utility and enjoyment represented by the on-line experience. The objective of the chapter is to expose the reader to a theoretical perspective that is useful for understanding how consumers are motivated to use the Internet, by exploring and describing what consumers enjoy and seek in the on-line experience of Web sites. Knowledge of what consumers seek from a medium (uses), and what they enjoy about a medium (gratifications) prepares the reader to understand and utilize the tremendous communications and marketing resource represented by the World Wide Web. Research from previous studies of new media introductions provides a unique historical perspective available for grounding the conceptualization of the Web as a communications and marketing channel. The theoretical perspective developed from this research has been robust – applied over time to the introduction of television in the late 1940s and early 1950s, as well as to the innovations of video recording and time-delayed media exposure and media control through electronic remote devices.

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Para-social presence: a re-conceptualization of 'social presence' to capture the relationship between a Web site and her visitors

Proceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences ◽

10.1109/hicss.2002.993867 ◽

2003 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

N. Kumar ◽

I. Benbasat

Keyword(s):

Social Presence ◽

Web Site ◽

The Relationship

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Interpersonal Affective Touch in a Virtual World: Feeling the Social Presence of Others to Overcome Loneliness

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.795283 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Letizia Della Longa ◽

Irene Valori ◽

Teresa Farroni

Keyword(s):

Virtual Environments ◽

Social Presence ◽

Theoretical Perspective ◽

Physical Distance ◽

Virtual Communication ◽

Social Exchanges ◽

Affective Touch ◽

Making Sense ◽

New Perspective ◽

Sense Of Touch

Humans are by nature social beings tuned to communicate and interact from the very beginning of their lives. The sense of touch represents the most direct and intimate channel of communication and a powerful means of connection between the self and the others. In our digital age, the development and diffusion of internet-based technologies and virtual environments offer new opportunities of communication overcoming physical distance. It however, happens that social interactions are often mediated, and the tactile aspects of communication are overlooked, thus diminishing the feeling of social presence, which may contribute to an increased sense of social disconnection and loneliness. The current manuscript aims to review the extant literature about the socio-affective dimension of touch and current advancements in interactive virtual environments in order to provide a new perspective on multisensory virtual communication. Specifically, we suggest that interpersonal affective touch might critically impact virtual social exchanges, promoting a sense of co-presence and social connection between individuals, possibly overcoming feelings of sensory loneliness. This topic of investigation will be of crucial relevance from a theoretical perspective aiming to understand how we integrate multisensory signals in processing and making sense of interpersonal exchanges, this is important in both typical and atypical populations. Moreover, it will pave the way to promising applications by exploring the possibility to use technical innovations to communicate more interactively in the case of people who suffer from social isolation and disconnection from others.

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