Understanding social influence on mobile social networking sites: A social support perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

Due to the social networking relationship, users’ continuance of social networking sites (SNS) may receive social influence from their peers and referents. This research identified the effect of social support on social influence in mobile SNS. Social support consists of both informational support and emotional support. Social influence is reflected by three factors: subjective norm, social identity and group norm. The results suggested that social support has a significant effect on social influence. The results imply that service providers need to build a supportive climate in order to facilitate social influence and users’ continuance usage.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

Retaining users and facilitating their post-adoption are crucial for the success of mobile social networking sites (SNS). Drawing on the social support theory, this research examined mobile SNS continuance. The results indicated that both social support and technological perceptions affect continuance usage through trust and flow. Social support includes informational support and emotional support. Technological perceptions include system quality and service quality. The results imply that service providers need to offer a supportive climate as well as quality systems and services in order to facilitate users' post-adoption and continuance usage.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of social support on social capital in mobile social networking sites. Design/methodology/approach Based on the 234 valid responses collected from a survey, structural equation modelling was employed to examine the research model. Findings The results indicated that social support, which includes informational support and emotional support, has a significant effect on social capital that consists of structural, relational and cognitive capital. Originality/value Although previous research has found the effect of social capital on user behaviour, it has seldom identified the determinants of social capital. Thus, how to build and develop social capital remains a question. This research examined the effect of social support on social capital.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-69
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

Facilitating users' continuance usage and retaining them are crucial to the success of mobile social networking sites (SNS). Drawing on both perspectives of network externality and flow, this research examined the factors affecting mobile SNS continuance usage. Network externality includes two factors: referent network size and perceived complementarity, which represent direct externality and indirect externality, respectively. The results indicated that both factors of network externality have significant effects on flow, which further affects satisfaction and continuance usage. The results imply that service providers need to deliver a positive network externality and an engaging experience in order to facilitate users' continuance usage.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radzuwan Ab Rashid ◽  
Mohd Fazry A. Rahman ◽  
Shireena Basree Abdul Rahman

This paper is part of a larger study investigating teachers’ engagement in social support process on a networking site. It concentrates on the social and discursive practices of 20 Malaysian English language teachers as they co-construct social support on Facebook Timelines. The main data generated from participant observations were analysed using discourse analysis approach. The findings revealed that the teachers mainly post about negative experiences at school, such as facing colleagues and students whom they perceived as problematic and time pressure. By posting their negative experiences, teachers can be seen to initiate the co-construction of both emotional and informational support with Friends they believe are like-minded and supportive. This paper thus argues that teachers' postings on social networking sites are more than just an account of mundane teaching-related experiences, but serve as a mechanism for them to obtain social support to help them reflect on their practice and cope with the emotional turmoil arising from day-to-day challenges at school. Keywords: Social support, Malaysian English language teacher, Facebook Timeline, co-construction, discursive identity.Cite as: Rashid, R.A., Rahman, M.F.A., & Rahman, S.B.A. (2016). Teachers’ engagement in social support process on a networking site. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 1(1), 34-45.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy Cheung ◽  
Zach W. Y. Lee ◽  
Tommy K. H. Chan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative impacts of perceived cost, perceived benefits, and social influence on self-disclosure behaviors in social networking sites under an integrated theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach – Building upon social exchange theory and privacy calculus theory, an integrated model was developed. The model was tested empirically using a sample of 405 social networking site’s users. Users were required to complete a survey regarding self-disclosure behaviors in Facebook. Findings – The results indicate that social influence is the factor which exhibits the strongest effect on self-disclosure in social networking sites, followed by perceived benefits. Surprisingly, perceived privacy risk does not have any significant impact on self-disclosure. Research limitations/implications – The results inform researchers about the importance to incorporate social influence factors and cultural factors into future online self-disclosure study. Practical implications – The results suggest that users focus on the benefits as well as social influence when they decide to reveal personal information in social networking sites, but pay less attention to the potential privacy risks. Educators are advised to launch educational programs to raise students’ awareness to the potential risks of self-disclosure in social networking sites. Service providers of social networking sites are encouraged to provide intuitive privacy indices showing users the levels of privacy protection. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to develop and empirically tests an integrated model of self-disclosure in social networking sites.


2012 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 977-990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Dominguez-Fuentes ◽  
María Isabel Hombrados-Mendieta

The association between perceived social support and happiness was investigated in women who are members of various associations in Malaga (Spain) that work with immigrant women. Based on the Social Convoy model, the association between sources of support, frequency of support, satisfaction with support, and happiness reported by women were examined. The main social support predictor of happiness was satisfaction with the support received. Thus, the best predictors of happiness were emotional support from the family and instrumental support from the indigenous population and associations. The best predictor of frequency of support was the frequency of informational support received from social services. These results may prove useful for developing lines of action or interventions centred on the social network and the functions that social support can fulfil among immigrant women.


Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

This article contends that due to the intense competition, it is crucial for mobile social networking services (SNS) providers to retain users and facilitate their continuance. Integrating both perspectives of social capital and privacy concern, this research examined mobile SNS continuance. Social capital includes three dimensions: structural capital, relational capital and cognitive capital. The results indicated that both social capital and privacy concerns have significant effects on continuing usage. The results imply that service providers need to develop social capital and curb privacy concerns in order to facilitate users' continuance usage of mobile SNS.


Author(s):  
Yumei Li ◽  
Xiangbin Yan

Human behavior is the largest source of variance in health-related outcomes, and the increasingly popular online health communities (OHC) can be used to promote healthy behavior and outcomes. We explored how the social influence (social integration, descriptive norms and social support) exerted by online social relationships does affect the health behavior of users. Based on an OHC, we considered the effect of three types of social relationships (friendship, mutual support group and competing group) in the OHC. We found that social integration, descriptive norms and social support (information and emotional support) from the OHC had a positive effect on dietary and exercise behavior. Comparing the effects of different social relationships, we found that the stronger social relationship—friendship—had a stronger effect on health behavior than the mutual support group and competing group. Emotional support had a stronger effect on health behavior than informational support. We also found that the effects of social integration and informational support became stronger as membership duration increased, but the effects of the descriptive norms and emotional support became smaller. This study extended the research on health behavior to the online social environment and explored how the social influence exerted by various social relationships in an OHC affected health behavior. The results could be used for guiding users to make use of online social relationships for changing and maintaining healthy behavior, and helping healthcare websites improve their services.


Author(s):  
Norazah Mohd Suki ◽  
Norbayah Mohd Suki

This chapter examines the effects of perceived information quality, perceived system quality, and perceived flow on mobile Social Networking Sites (SNS) users' trust. Pearson correlations via SPSS 21.0 computer program was used for data analysis as it has the ability to ensure the consistency of the model with the data, to provide information necessary to scrutinize the study hypotheses, and to estimate associations among constructs. Each correlation coefficient was assessed as significant at the 0.01 level, and the overall model was determined to fit the data well as multicollinearity was absent. In terms of the associations with perceived user trust, perceived flow had highest significant positive correlation coefficients, followed by perceived information quality and perceived system quality. Next, further investigation of the study encountered that perceived flow is significantly associated by both perceived system quality and perceived information quality of mobile SNS, respectively. The chapter concludes with directions for future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 802-820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolong Song ◽  
Yi-Hung Liu ◽  
Jiahua Jin ◽  
Jianguo Zhao

Purpose Gamification elements have been increasingly used in online weight-loss communities to help users lose weight. The purpose of this paper is to systemically examine whether and how social interactions influence users’ continued participation in the context of online weight-loss competitions (OWCs). Design/methodology/approach This study empirically investigated sustained involvement in OWCs using a Cox proportional hazards model. Additionally, the research utilized a text-mining technique to identify various types of social support and explored their roles in sustaining participation behavior in OWCs. Findings Community response both within and outside OWCs positively influence users’ continued participation in OWCs. Moreover, whereas emotional support and companionship received within OWCs have a greater impact on users’ continued participation than informational support received within OWCs, informational support received outside OWCs has a greater impact on users’ continued participation than emotional support and companionship received outside OWCs. Originality/value This paper highlights users’ social needs in OWC engagement and provides empirical evidence on how different types and sources of social support influence continued participation behavior in OWCs. The research additionally provides management implications for online health community service providers.


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