Self-Affirmation Underlies Facebook Use

2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina L. Toma ◽  
Jeffrey T. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Facebook Use ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Important Extension

Social network sites, such as Facebook, have acquired an unprecedented following, yet it is unknown what makes them so attractive to users. Here we propose that these sites’ popularity can be understood through the fulfillment of ego needs. We use self-affirmation theory to hypothesize why and when people spend time on their online profiles. Study 1 shows that Facebook profiles are self-affirming in the sense of satisfying users’ need for self-worth and self-integrity. Study 2 shows that Facebook users gravitate toward their online profiles after receiving a blow to the ego, in an unconscious effort to repair their perceptions of self-worth. In addition to illuminating some of the psychological factors that underlie Facebook use, the results provide an important extension to self-affirmation theory by clarifying how self-affirmation operates in people’s everyday environments.

Facebooking Alone? Millennials’ Use of Social Network Sites and Volunteering

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-joo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Online Social Network ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Prosocial Behaviors ◽  
Network Site ◽  
Facebook Use ◽  
Mixed Messages

The younger generation’s widespread use of online social network sites has raised concerns and debates about social network sites’ influence on this generation’s civic engagement, whether these sites undermine or promote prosocial behaviors. This study empirically examines how millennials’ social network site usage relates to volunteering, using the 2013 data of the Minnesota Adolescent Community Cohort Study. The findings reveal a positive association between a moderate level of Facebook use and volunteering, although heavy users are not more likely to volunteer than nonusers. This bell-shaped relationship between Facebook use and volunteering contrasts with the direct correlation between participation in off-line associational activities and volunteering. Overall, the findings suggest that it is natural to get mixed messages about social network sites’ impacts on civic engagement, and these platforms can be useful tools for getting the word out and recruiting episodic volunteers.

Receiving supportive communication from Facebook friends: A model of social ties and supportive communication in social network sites

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 719-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. High ◽  
Emily M. Buehler
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Supportive Communication ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Facebook Use ◽  
Supportive Messages

This study distinguishes perceptions of, preferences for, and outcomes related to people’s social ties online. It expands understanding of when and why using social network sites (SNSs) provides people with several types of supportive communication by integrating users’ social capital and preference for weak tie support. Prior research is synthesized and extended to build a heuristic model of social ties and supportive communication in SNSs that considers network-based variables (i.e., social capital, preference for weak ties) as mechanisms that link the use of SNSs to the supportive messages people receive. A community sample ( N = 553) completed an online questionnaire. Results indicated that intensity of Facebook use corresponds with both social capital and received support. Moreover, social capital mediates and preference for weak ties moderates the relationship between using Facebook and receiving support, and results differ according to the types of social capital and support under consideration. Facebook use, for example, only corresponds with receiving informational and esteem support when users exhibit sufficient preferences for weak tie support.

Facebook and the cultivation of ethnic diversity perceptions and attitudes

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1123-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Hermann ◽  
Martin Eisend ◽  
Tomás Bayón
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Facebook Use

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply cultivation theory to social network sites by investigating how Facebook uses cultivates users' ethnic diversity perceptions and attitudes.Design/methodology/approachThe authors’ investigations include an online and offline survey study with 476 Facebook users and a follow-up experiment with 75 individuals.FindingsThe authors provide empirical support that Facebook use cultivates ethnic diversity perceptions and ethnic diversity-related attitudes. They show that Facebook use relates to perceptions of ethnic minorities that resemble the world on Facebook that is characterized by high ethnic diversity. The authors further demonstrate that the cultivation of ethnic diversity-related attitudes is mediated by diversity perceptions related to users' close social environment.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should consider culturally and educationally diverse samples as well as longitudinal research designs to address external validity and causality issues.Practical implicationsAlgorithms determining the content users are exposed should be thoughtfully curated to avoid attitudinal and ideological polarization.Social implicationsFacebook can play an important role in positively shaping intergroup relations, thereby countering negative outgroup attitudes, social anxieties and radical right-wing parties.Originality/valueThe authors’ studies extend the scope of cultivation research by identifying a new media vehicle as a source of cultivation influences and shed light on the cultivation-based process of attitude change on social network sites.

The effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations on mobile coupon sharing in social network sites

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Tang ◽  
Xuefeng Zhao ◽  
Shan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of two intrinsic (i.e. sense of self-worth and socializing) and two extrinsic motivations (i.e. economic reward and reciprocity) on mobile coupon (m-coupon) sharing by users in social network sites (SNSs). Moreover, this study examines how coupon proneness moderates the relationship between motivations and m-coupon sharing in SNSs. Design/methodology/approach – A research model that integrates four motivations, coupon proneness, and m-coupon sharing is developed. Quantitative data from 247 users are collected via online and offline survey. Partial least squares technique is employed to evaluate the measurement model, and hypotheses are tested through hierarchical regression analysis. Findings – Sense of self-worth, socializing, economic reward and reciprocity have positive effects on m-coupon sharing in SNSs. Furthermore, coupon proneness positively moderates the relationship of socializing and reciprocity with m-coupon sharing, whereas the moderating effects of coupon proneness on the relationship of sense of self-worth and economic reward with m-coupon sharing are insignificant. Originality/value – The findings highlight the integrated effects of coupon proneness and motivations on m-coupon sharing in SNS. The impact of socializing and reciprocity on m-coupon sharing is higher for users with higher coupon proneness. However, the effect of sense of self-worth and economic reward on m-coupon sharing is the same regardless of coupon proneness of users. Therefore, although users with different motivations should be identified, SNSs and merchants should develop different incentive mechanisms to promote m-coupon sharing among various users.

scholarly journals Digital detox: An effective solution in the smartphone era? A systematic literature review

2021 ◽  
pp. 205015792110286
Author(s):  
Theda Radtke ◽  
Theresa Apel ◽  
Konstantin Schenkel ◽  
Jan Keller ◽  
Eike von Lindern
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Smartphone Use ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Digital Detox

Smartphone use, e.g., on social network sites or instant messaging, can impair well-being and is related to clinical phenomena, like depression. Digital detox interventions have been suggested as a solution to reduce negative impacts from smartphone use on outcomes like well-being or social relationships. Digital detox is defined as timeouts from using electronic devices (e.g., smartphones), either completely or for specific subsets of smartphone use. However, until now, it has been unclear whether digital detox interventions are effective at promoting a healthy way of life in the digital era. This systematic literature review aimed to answer the question of whether digital detox interventions are effective at improving outcomes like health and well-being, social relationships, self-control or performance. Systematic searches of seven databases were carried out according to PRISMA guidelines, and intervention studies were extracted that examined timeouts from smartphone use and/or smartphone-related use of social network sites and instant messaging. The review yielded k = 21 extracted studies (total N = 3,625 participants). The studies included interventions in the field, from which 12 were identified as randomized controlled trials. The results showed that the effects from digital detox interventions varied across studies on health and well-being, social relationships, self-control, or performance. For example, some studies found positive intervention effects, whereas others found no effect or even negative consequences for well-being. Reasons for these mixed findings are discussed. Research is needed to examine mechanisms of change to derive implications for the development of successful digital detox interventions.

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