scholarly journals THE IMPACTS OF FIRM CHARACTERISTICS ON SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE OF SMEs: EVIDENCE FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-113
Author(s):  
Jan Žufan ◽  
Mehmet Civelek ◽  
Iveta Hamarneh ◽  
Ľubomír Kmeco
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Lower Amount ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Statistical Program ◽  
Media Channels ◽  
The Cost

Comparing to larger businesses, SMEs face more barriers in their marketing operations since they have a lower amount of financial resources and assets. But the emergence of social media platforms has provided many chances for them to overcome these barriers by enabling them to do marketing and promotion activities. Although these social media channels are easy to access by each of their users, awareness, perceptions, capabilities of SMEs might differ when using these platforms. In this regard, this research aims to analyze and find out whether social media usage differs among SMEs regarding their age and size.  In parallel with this purpose, the researchers used an online questionnaire to collect data from 454 Czech SMEs. These SMEs were selected by applying a random sampling method and then an online questionnaire was directed to the respondents who were owners and managers of these enterprises. To analyze the data, the researchers performed an Independent T-test in SPSS statistical program. According to the results, social media usage does not differ between smaller-larger and younger-older SMEs. The reasons for these similarities among SMEs might stem from the industry that they operate, the cost of social media usage, and the age of younger firms’ executives. Nonexistence of the differences among analyzed Czech SMEs makes this paper differ from other studies. Some policy implementations are also offered by the researchers to increase awareness, skills, and usage of social media platforms by SMEs.

scholarly journals Differences in the usage of online marketing and social media tools: evidence from Czech, Slovakian and Hungarian SMEs

Equilibrium ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-563
Author(s):  
Mehmet Civelek ◽  
Krzysztof Gajdka ◽  
Jaroslav Světlík ◽  
Vladimír Vavrečka
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Online Marketing ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Statistical Program ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Media Channels ◽  
Post Hoc

Research background: Because of the rapid improvements in advanced technological tools and widely usage of the Internet among the world, most of SMEs in various countries have become able to apply their marketing activities through online marketing and social media platforms that are less costly for them. Since SMEs encounter many financing constraints, these marketing options might be very beneficial for them to use for their marketing activities. However, socio-economic and cultural factors differ in each corner of the globe. Purpose of the article: This paper aims to investigate international differences between usage of online marketing and social media platforms by SMEs. Methods: The authors of this paper have selected 1156 Czech, Slovakian and Hungarian SMEs from Cribis database by employing random sampling method. An online questionnaire was directed by the researchers to have responses from managers and owners of SMEs. To find differences in selected variables, the researchers perform ANOVA analyses with Post-Hoc tests in SPSS statistical program. Findings & Value added: Regarding the size of businesses, Hungarian SMEs in both size categories: micro and small-medium sized, apply social media platforms in their operations more than Czech and Slovakian SMEs. When it comes to marketing activities, some similarities are in existence depending on size and age of SMEs. In detail, propensities of Slovakian and Hungarian older SMEs (that have been operating more than 10 years) and microenterprises to apply online marketing channels are higher than Czech older SMEs and Czech microenterprises. Corresponding to social media usage, Czech and Slovakian SMEs and older enterprises do not differ. But Hungarian SMEs and older Hungarian firms are more prone to apply social media channels than Czech and Slovakian SMEs and older Czech and Slovakian enterprises. This paper is a unique study that makes comparison between some Central European countries’ SMEs that are in the Visegrad Group regarding their usage of their online marketing and social media tools. Thus, this paper also fulfills some gap in the marketing literature.

scholarly journals Social Media Usage among Dental Undergraduate Students—A Comparative Study

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1408
Author(s):  
Eswara Uma ◽  
Pentti Nieminen ◽  
Shani Ann Mani ◽  
Jacob John ◽  
Emilia Haapanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Malaysian Students ◽  
Lack Of Knowledge

Social media use among students has infiltrated into dental education and offers benefits but may also cause problems. The aim of this study was to explore and compare current social media usage among dental undergraduate students from two countries—Malaysia and Finland. A self-administered structured online questionnaire was used. WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat were the services that were most familiar to the respondents from both countries. There were differences between the students from the two countries among the most preferred platforms. The most frequently used applications were WhatsApp (91.1% of students in Malaysia and 96.1% in Finland used it very frequently) and Instagram (74.3% of students in Malaysia and 70.0% in Finland used it very frequently). Students in Malaysia spent significantly more hours per week using the platforms as study tools than students in Finland. Over 80% of the Finnish dental students reported that lack of knowledge was not an issue in social media usage, while 85% of Malaysian students felt that lack of knowledge prevented them from using social media platforms frequently. The findings offer evidence that dental students used social media extensively.

scholarly journals Self-Representation in Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Alexandra Valéria Sándor
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Mass Communication ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Cultural Boundaries ◽  
Photo Sharing ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Over the past 15 years, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, influencing both our informal interactions and professional discourses as well as their structure. From this, one can conclude that social media has its own logic, which includes special norms, strategies and mechanisms (van Dijck - Poell, 2013). Therefore, it is not surprising that many of the changes affecting society today have been instigated by the use of social media. Two fundamental features of social media are its ability to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries and the role that recipients play when posts are shared, as opposed to traditional models of mass communication. Consequently, these features have led to the rise of the ‘infodemic’, a term that describes the excessive spread of information and can be used specifically to refer to the dissemination of information about the COVID-19 pandemic on social media platforms (Cinelli et al., 2020). The present study aims to provide a snapshot of how self-representation on social media platforms has changed among Hungarian users during the lockdown period of COVID-19, supported by a brief literature review about the pandemic and its effects on mental health and tested using an online questionnaire to gain deeper insight into social media usage patterns. According to the results of the questionnaire, social media usage and self-representation in social media posts became more frequent during the lockdown. Additionally, symptoms of major depression were more likely among those who shared photos of themselves or their close relations ‘daily’ or ‘multiple times a day’ on Messenger, where the frequency of photo-sharing increased the most.

scholarly journals Jumping the digital divide: How do “silver surfers” and “digital immigrants” use social media?

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-26
Author(s):  
Kaja Fietkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Digital Immigrants ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Media Services ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Social Media Platforms

For a long time, a digital divide was given between young Web users and older population, which out of anxiety or incapability restrained from using the new technologies. Recently, the so-called “Silver Surfers” and “Digital Immigrants” tend to use the Web not only for sending emails but also increasingly for socializing on social media services (e.g., Kübler 2009; Frees & Koch 2015). This paper aims to discuss the differences in use and adoption of social media platforms between different generations. An online questionnaire was created and distributed among social media users of all ages. The results indicate that the older generations represented a not insignificant part of social media community. They often use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, some apply Twitter and are fond of new followers and many re-tweets, and others just enjoy new videos on YouTube. There indeed appear to exist inter-generational differences in social media usage. In addition, data analysis leads to the conclusion that there are intra-generational gender-dependent particularities as well.

Understanding the Role of Online Media Platforms in Airport Capital Projects and Community Outreach

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812199347
Author(s):  
Max Z. Li ◽  
Megan S. Ryerson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Capital Projects ◽  
The Public ◽  
Online Social Media ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Media Channels ◽  
Common Content

Community outreach and engagement efforts are critical to an airport’s role as an ever-evolving transportation infrastructure and regional economic driver. As online social media platforms continue to grow in both popularity and influence, a new engagement channel between airports and the public is emerging. However, the motivations behind and effectiveness of these social media channels remain unclear. In this work, we address this knowledge gap by better understanding the advantages, impact, and best practices of this newly emerging engagement channel available to airports. Focusing specifically on airport YouTube channels, we first document quantitative viewership metrics, and examine common content characteristics within airport YouTube videos. We then conduct interviews and site visits with relevant airport stakeholders to identify the motivations and workflow behind these videos. Finally, we facilitate sample focus groups designed to survey public perceptions of the effectiveness and value of these videos. From our four project phases, to maximize content effectiveness and community engagement potential, we synthesize the following framework of action items, recommendations, and best practices: (C) Consistency and community; (O) Organizational structure; (M) Momentum; (B) Branding and buy-in; (A) Activity; (T) Two-way engagement; (E) Enthusiasm; and (D) Depth, or as a convenient initialism, our COMBATED framework.

The effects of social media usage on loneliness and well-being: analysing friendship connections of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoyu Ye ◽  
Kevin K.W. Ho ◽  
Andre Zerbe
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Access Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Purpose This study aims to clarify the effects of different patterns of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram usage on user loneliness and well-being in Japan. Design/methodology/approach Based on responses to a self-report questionnaire in Japan, 155 university students were separated into 4 groups: users of Twitter only, users of Twitter and Facebook, users of Twitter and Instagram and users of all three social media. The effects of social media usage on loneliness and well-being for each group were analysed. Findings No social media usage effects on loneliness or well-being were detected for those who used only Twitter or both Twitter and Instagram. For those using both Twitter and Facebook, loneliness was reduced when users accessed Twitter and Facebook more frequently but was increased when they posted more tweets. Users of all three social media were lonelier and had lower levels of well-being when they accessed Facebook via PC longer; whereas their their access time of Facebook via smartphones helped them decrease loneliness and improve their levels of well-being. Originality/value The findings reported here provide possible explanations for the conflicting results reported in previous research by exploring why users choose different social media platforms to communicate with different groups of friends or acquaintances and different usage patterns that affect their loneliness and well-being.

scholarly journals Impacting the B2B-Business Development Process: Social Media Usage within a Global Software Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Werner Krings
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Business Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Software Environment ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Process Sequence ◽  
New Business ◽  
Social Media Platforms

The thesis aims to explore and explain how Social Media impacts the B2B-Business Development process in a global software environment. Mixed-methods uncover the leading media platforms applied in the Business Development process cycle. The thesis produced a model, illustrating two dimensions of Social Media Business Usage, four critical Business Development process phases, and their impact on Performance mediated by Social Capital. To extend generalizability, future research may focus on testing the model for New Business Development exclusively. Significant contributions are classifying relevant Social Media platforms, distilling the process phases with the greatest impact on performance. The creation of new indices advances the performance discussion, and the typology of Business Developers capitalises on optimising the process sequence.

scholarly journals Building a Vibrant Future for School Librarians through Online Conversations for Professional Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy O'Connell
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Media ◽  
School Library ◽  
School Librarians ◽  
Leadership Challenges ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
The World ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Teacher Librarians ◽  
Media Channels

Technology and social media platforms are driving an unprecedented reorganization of the learning environment in and beyond schools around the world. Technology provides us leadership challenges, and at the same time offers opportunities for communication and learning through technology channels to support professional development. School librarians and teacher librarians are often working as the sole information practitioner in their school, and need to stay in touch with others beyond their own school to develop their personal professional capacity to lead within their school. The Australian Teacher Librarian Network aims to make a difference, and supports school library staff in Australia and around the world to build professional networks and personal learning connections, offering an open and free exchange of ideas, strategies and resources to build collegiality. This ongoing professional conversation through online and social media channels is an important way to connect, communicate and collaborate in building a vibrant future for school librarians.

scholarly journals Pregnancy-Related Information Seeking and Sharing in the Social Media Era Among Expectant Mothers: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengyan Zhu ◽  
Runxi Zeng ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Richard Evans ◽  
Rongrong He
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Expectant Mothers ◽  
Media Channels ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Social media has become the most popular communication tool used by Chinese citizens, including expectant mothers. An increasing number of women have adopted various forms of social media channels, such as interactive websites, instant messaging, and mobile apps, to solve problems and obtain answers to queries during pregnancy. Although the use of the internet by pregnant women has been studied extensively worldwide, limited research exists that explores the changing social media usage habits in China, where the 1 child policy ended in 2015. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to (1) present the status quo of pregnancy-related information seeking and sharing via social media among Chinese expectant mothers, (2) reveal the impact of social media usage, and (3) shed light on pregnancy-related health services delivered via social media channels. METHODS A qualitative approach was employed to examine social media usage and its consequences on pregnant women. A total of 20 women who had conceived and were at various stages of pregnancy were interviewed from July 20 to August 10, 2017. Thematic analysis was conducted on the collected data to identify patterns in usage. RESULTS Overall, 80% (16/20) of participants were aged in their 20s (mean 28.5 years [SD 4.3]). All had used social media for pregnancy-related purposes. For the seeking behavior, 18 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and the postpartum period; whereas for sharing behaviors, 10 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and caretaker. Lurking, small group sharing, bad news avoidance, and cross-checking were identified as the preferred patterns for using social media. Overall, 95% (19/20) of participants reported a positive mental impact from using social media during their pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS It is indisputable that social media has played an increasingly important role in supporting expectant mothers in China. The specific seeking and sharing patterns identified in this study indicate that the general quality of pregnancy-related information on social media, as well as Chinese culture toward pregnancy, is improving. The new themes that merge in pregnancy-related social media use represent a shift toward safe pregnancy and the promotion of a more enjoyable pregnancy. Future prenatal care should provide further information on services related to being comfortable during pregnancy and reducing the inequality of social media–based services caused by the digital divide.

Social Media Usage among University Students in Malaysia

2013 ◽  
pp. 244-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norsiah Abdul Hamid ◽  
Mohd Sobhi Ishak ◽  
Syamsul Anuar Ismail ◽  
Siti Syamsul Nurin Mohmad Yazam
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Virtual Self ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Social media are playing an increasing role in today’s living. The social media platforms allow users to search, create, share, collaborate, and organise contents among them, and at the same time provide virtual self-presentation and self-disclosure of oneself. Social media were also claimed to give implications to human beings with regards to personality, yet these variables have not much been emphasised in previous studies. Thus, it is important to highlight the implications of social media on users’ personality. Given the issues and challenges faced by the country in profiling the adoption of social media and its implications in view of the perspective of personality, it is timely and significantly important to undertake this research in Malaysia. The objective of this chapter is to discuss a research conducted recently to determine the relationships between social media and personality traits. The specific objectives of this study are to identify the profile of social media adoption among students in Malaysia, including duration, frequency of use, purpose, and person/s that introduced the social media, and to determine the relationships between social media and personality traits.

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