scholarly journals Netiquette Between Students and Their Lecturers on Facebook: Injunctive and Descriptive Social Norms

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630511878962
Author(s):  
Stephanie B. Linek ◽  
Anika Ostermaier-Grabow

There is an ongoing discussion if and how students and lecturers should interact with each other on social networks. In this article, we present an empirical study on the so-called netiquette for Facebook contacts between students and their lecturers (hereinafter called SL-contacts). In addition, we investigated the subjective perception of the majority’s behavior. This enabled a comparison between two different kinds of social norms: the injunctive norms (netiquette) and the descriptive norms (majority). Database was an online survey with 2,849 participants (2,550 students and 299 lecturers). SL-contacts were quite rare in our sample and usually initiated by students. Our results showed that the appropriateness of SL-contacts depends on the individual case. In addition, we found that injunctive and descriptive norms are in line with each other. Overall, our results indicate that there is a common ground of understanding, and SL-contacts are less critical than they might appear.

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Cialdini

It is widely recognized that communications that activate social norms can be effective in producing societally beneficial conduct. Not so well recognized are the circumstances under which normative information can backfire to produce the opposite of what a communicator intends. There is an understandable, but misguided, tendency to try to mobilize action against a problem by depicting it as regrettably frequent. Information campaigns emphasize that alcohol and drug use is intolerably high, that adolescent suicide rates are alarming, and—most relevant to this article—that rampant polluters are spoiling the environment. Although these claims may be both true and well intentioned, the campaigns' creators have missed something critically important: Within the statement “Many people are doing this undesirable thing” lurks the powerful and undercutting normative message “Many people are doing this.” Only by aligning descriptive norms (what people typically do) with injunctive norms (what people typically approve or disapprove) can one optimize the power of normative appeals. Communicators who fail to recognize the distinction between these two types of norms imperil their persuasive efforts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Insook Ahn ◽  
Soo Kim ◽  
Munyoung Kim

Changing consumption behavior can offer co-benefits in reduction of environmental issues and encouraging improvements to environmentally friendly or sustainable production. We propose a novel value-social norm-enjoyment-based motivation (VSE) model and test the factors that influence individual pro-environmental apparel purchasing behavior. Data were obtained from 353 college students in Korea and analyzed by using SEM. Our results show that individuals who endorse bio-altruistic values who engage in eco-friendly environmental behavior in apparel domain are influenced by descriptive norms and injunctive norms. Further, enjoyment-based motivation was found to be a key mediator among bio-altruistic value, descriptive norms, and injunctive norms on pro-environmental purchasing behavior. However, injunctive norms do not directly influence purchasing behavior, but rather, are integrated to enjoyment-based intrinsic motivation, then indirectly affect purchasing behavior.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 894-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan P. Jacobson ◽  
Kathryn J. L. Jacobson ◽  
Jacqueline N. Hood

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which perceptions of injunctive and descriptive norms for workplace organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) affect an individual’s frequency of performing such behaviors. The study also explores whether the effects of norm perceptions are moderated by the individual’s need to belong (NTB) to social groups. Design/methodology/approach – Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze data from 77 employed MBA students. Perceptions of OCB norms and NTB were assessed with an initial survey. Eight weeks later, a second survey assessed the individual frequency of OCBs. Findings – Descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and NTB independently predicted OCB frequency. Additionally, NTB moderated the effects of injunctive norm perceptions. The injunctive norm was particularly influential for employees high in NTB. Research limitations/implications – Limitations of this study include its cross-sectional nature and the possibility of common method bias. Practical implications – Study results indicate that managers can encourage OCBs by drawing attention to the prevalence of OCBs in the workplace (descriptive norm) and by showing approval of OCBs (injunctive norm). Hiring those with high NTB will also increase OCBs and enhance the effects of any effort on management’s part to signify approval of OCBs. OCBs can also be encouraged through new employee orientation and training that emphasizes the descriptive and injunctive norms for OCBs. Originality/value – This is the first study to demonstrate social norms and NTB as predictors of workplace OCBs. This study also provides the first evidence that the effects of injunctive norms are moderated by NTB.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan T. Morgan ◽  
Anna Filippova

Open online communities rely on social norms for behavior regulation, group cohesion, and sustainability. Research on the role of social norms online has mainly focused on one source of influence at a time, making it difficult to separate different normative influences and understand their interactions. In this study, we use the Focus Theory to examine interactions between several sources of normative influence in a Wikipedia sub-community: local descriptive norms, local injunctive norms, and norms imported from similar sub- communities. We find that exposure to injunctive norms has a stronger effect than descriptive norms, that the likelihood of performing a behavior is higher when both injunctive and descriptive norms are congruent, and that conflicting social norms may negatively impact pro-normative behavior. We contextualize these findings through member interviews, and discuss their implications for both future research on normative influence in online groups and the design of systems that support open collaboration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanda Ge ◽  
Guanghua Sheng ◽  
Hongli Zhang

Social norms are important social factors that affect individual behavioral change. Using social norms to promote green consumption is receiving increasing attention. However, due to the different formation processes and mechanisms of the behavioral influence of the different types of social norms, using social norms to promote green consumption often has social norm conflict situations (injunctive norms + negative descriptive norms). Thus, it is difficult to attain the maximum utility of social norms. The present research found that social norm conflict weakens the role of injunctive norms in promoting green consumption. Specifically, negative descriptive norms weaken the role of injunctive norms in promoting green consumption. Alienation, which manifests through powerlessness and meaninglessness, plays a mediating role in the relationship between social norm conflict and green consumption. Self-affirmation moderates the mediating role of alienation between social norm conflicts and green consumption. Self-affirmation reduces the alienation caused by social norm conflict, thereby alleviating the weakening effect of social norm conflict on green consumption.


2020 ◽  
pp. 194855062095058
Author(s):  
Ryan P. Jacobson ◽  
Kathryn J. L. Jacobson ◽  
Allecia E. Reid

The focus theory of normative conduct asserts that distinct processes are involved in responding to injunctive norms versus descriptive norms. This research tested the prediction that guilt would be more strongly involved in motivating conformity to injunctive than descriptive norms. Study 1 demonstrates that people anticipate feeling guiltier following injunctive than descriptive norm violations. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate that guilt proneness and state-level guilt enhance the persuasiveness of messages framed with injunctive norms but not control-framed or descriptive norm–framed messages. Finally, Study 4 shows that a guilt-arousing public service announcement is more effective if framed using an injunctive norm than a descriptive norm or a control message. These results augment understanding of the different ways that injunctive and descriptive norms influence behavior and have applied implications for social norms marketing interventions.


Author(s):  
Carl Greppin ◽  
Bo Carlsson ◽  
Adrian Wolfberg ◽  
Nnaoke Ufere

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to help understand how US expatriates living and working in dangerous environments characterized by pervasive corruption deal with the phenomena and make decisions about the degree to which they get involved. Design/methodology/approach To answer this question, 30 US executives who worked in such countries were interviewed. Findings Some executives refused to participate in corrupt practices; others chose to reluctantly succumb to extortion, while others willingly participated in corruption. The study found that social norms played a significant role in their decisions. There are four social norms: personal norms, subjective norms, injunctive norms, and descriptive norms. US executives rely on personal norms and injunctive norms for deciding to refuse to participate in corrupt practices, on descriptive norms and subjective norms for deciding to reluctantly succumb to extortion, and on descriptive norms and personal norms for deciding to willingly participate in corruption. Originality/value These findings illustrate what motivates US executives to make decisions about participating in corruption when living and working in countries with pervasive corruption. This has implications for policy, research, and practice.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Stark ◽  
K. Asghar ◽  
I. Seff ◽  
B. Cislaghi ◽  
G. Yu ◽  
...  

Background.Evidence suggests adolescent self-esteem is influenced by beliefs of how individuals in their reference group perceive them. However, few studies examine how gender- and violence-related social norms affect self-esteem among refugee populations. This paper explores relationships between gender inequitable and victim-blaming social norms, personal attitudes, and self-esteem among adolescent girls participating in a life skills program in three Ethiopian refugee camps.Methods.Ordinary least squares multivariable regression analysis was used to assess the associations between attitudes and social norms, and self-esteem. Key independent variables of interest included a scale measuring personal attitudes toward gender inequitable norms, a measure of perceived injunctive norms capturing how a girl believed her family and community would react if she was raped, and a peer-group measure of collective descriptive norms surrounding gender inequity. The key outcome variable, self-esteem, was measured using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale.Results.Girl's personal attitudes toward gender inequitable norms were not significantly predictive of self-esteem at endline, when adjusting for other covariates. Collective peer norms surrounding the same gender inequitable statements were significantly predictive of self-esteem at endline (ß = −0.130; p  =  0.024). Additionally, perceived injunctive norms surrounding family and community-based sanctions for victims of forced sex were associated with a decline in self-esteem at endline (ß = −0.103; p  =  0.014). Significant findings for collective descriptive norms and injunctive norms remained when controlling for all three constructs simultaneously.Conclusions.Findings suggest shifting collective norms around gender inequity, particularly at the community and peer levels, may sustainably support the safety and well-being of adolescent girls in refugee settings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 02026
Author(s):  
Olga Savina ◽  
Madrudin Magomed-Eminov ◽  
Olga Kvasova

The paper analyzes modern concepts of identity in connection with the processes of resocialization. Transformations affecting all aspects of modern society lead to a change in the processes of socialization of individuals. In connection with the above-mentioned features of the current situation, attention is focused on the possibilities of effective resocialization aimed at matching a new social situation for the individual or the society as a whole. The emphasis is placed on the value aspects of identity and the consideration of resocialization as a transformation of the personality’s value structures under conditions of semantic heterogeneity. It is emphasized that the transformation of identity is the basis and at the same time the result of resocialization. The research methodology included an analysis of adolescents’ Internet blogs, a survey of 30 respondents (using a questionnaire, a modified methodology for “Who am I?”, methods for diagnosing addictive identity and analyzing pages in social networks). The empirical study shows the difference in teenagers’ views of identity in the real and virtual world.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Cialdini

Communicators often try to reduce undesirable behavior in an audience by warning that the behavior is alarmingly prevalent. However, in the process of pointing out the regrettable frequency of the unwanted action, such warnings may send a mixed motivational message to the audience by simultaneously engaging the action of two types of social norms: injunctive norms, which can suppress undesirable action by describing what most people disapprove, and descriptive norms, which can stimulate undesirable action by describing what most people do. In one study, individuals whose attention was drawn to the widespread littering of others littered more, not less, as a consequence.


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