Facebook Losing to WhatsApp

Author(s):  
Roshan Lal Raina ◽  
Iftikhar Alam ◽  
Faizia Siddiqui

This chapter describes how over the past decade, there has been a tremendous growth in the subscriber base of social networking sites. These networking websites or SNS have provided a global platform to people—to connect and express. However, SNS platforms seem to be fast losing ground to Instant Messaging (IM) Applications (Apps), WhatsApp being the frontrunner. WhatsApp offers a much superior user experience in terms of connectivity, expression, and security. WhatsApp is simple to use: it can be downloaded on any smartphone, and only needs a mobile SIM card and an internet connection. At the same time, security issues are also working against the SNS. This study aims to analyze the changing ‘social networking scenario' in India. This research is based on the facts analyzed after a comprehensive survey conducted on a sample picked up from four Indian metro cities. Findings reveal that the young population is fascinated by WhatsApp due to the ease of operating the App and the quick communication that it provides. Users reported spending less time now on Facebook than they did before WhatsApp was introduced.

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faizia Siddiqui ◽  
Mohammed Iftikhar Alam ◽  
Roshan Lal Raina

Social networks have witnessed phenomenal growth over the past decade, across the world. These networks have given a global platform to people—to connect and express. They have rewritten the laws of social communication and interaction; limitless expression, cross-border association, and free sharing of text, pictures and videos. Somewhere during the journey, the networking sites seem to have lost their charm and appeal. Inroads made by newer and more user-friendly applications like WhatsApp seem to have made matters worse. In addition, the failure of the site owners—at checking and curbing the misuse of users' profiles and personal data, and obscene/malicious misrepresentations of individuals—is leading to a state of ‘complete avoidance'. As a cumulative effect, social networking is fast losing steam, and if predictions and apprehensions are to be believed, in about five years' time, the likes of Facebook and Twitter would only be found in books of History. This study aims to analyze the changing ‘social networking scenario' in India, majorly focusing on the young population; the main subscribers. This research is based on the facts analyzed after a comprehensive survey conducted on a sample picked up from four Indian metro cities. It takes into account factors that have resulted in ‘interest loss among the youngsters.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6(J)) ◽  
pp. 150-161
Author(s):  
G. Nchabeleng ◽  
CJ. Botha ◽  
CA Bisschoff

Social media can be a useful tool in public relations in non-governmental organisations (NGOs), but do NGOs make use of social media in their quest for service delivery in South Africa? Social networking sites, blogging, email, instant messaging, and online journals are some of the technological changes that changed the way interaction between people and how they gather information. Although social media is mainly used for interactive dialogue and social interaction, the private sector soon realised that the web-based technologies (especially Facebook and Twitter) could also be a competitive business tool. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) soon followed suit however at a slower pace than the general communication growth rate of social media in South Africa. This article examines if social networking sites have any impact on public relations practices of NGOs in South Africa – an environment where both customers and employees still struggle to take full advantage of social media. The critical literature findings increase the understanding of the current and future challenges of social media use in public relations at NGOs in South Africa. The study explores the main differences between traditional and social media, how social media is redefining public relations role, and shed some light on defining public relations practices, identify the uses, limitations and benefits of social media by public relations practitioners in NGOs. Recommendations for future communication research are given. Based on the literature, a qualitative research design collected data using semi-structured, individual interviews. The results revealed that social media platforms such as Facebook do have an effect, and even changed the way in which NGOs communicate. The study also revealed that social media certainly has an impact on public relations relationships. This means that it has become crucial that public relations practitioners at NOGs embrace and take advantage of social media, and that they should also invest in proper electronic platforms to reap the benefits of improved communication internally and externally.


Author(s):  
MD Saiful Alam Chowdhury ◽  
Monira Begum ◽  
Shaolin Shaon

The past decade has seen an armorial growth of the influence of social media on many aspects of people’s lives. Social networking sites, especially Facebook, play a substantial role in framing popular view through its contents. This article explores the impact of visuals, especially photos and videos, published in social media during social movements. Importantly that some visuals received attention in social media during agitations which later got featured or become news in print, electronic and online news portal media as well. Some of the visuals later proved to be edited or fabricated contents which created confusion among participants in this research and beyond. The confusion has contributed to the acceleration or shrinkage of the movement in question in many cases. The center of this article is to examine how social media visuals influence people’s visual communication during social movements. Additionally, it digs out the user’s activity on social media during movements.


Author(s):  
Miguel Saona-Vallejos ◽  
Michael Thomas

This chapter investigates the user experience of the language learning platform Busuu as a tool for learning Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL). Social constructionism has been highlighted by previous research as the theory on which Busuu is based, however, Álvarez concluded that Busuu constitutes an ecological system of nested semiotic spaces where pedagogical elements and principles from different theories of language learning interweave in complementary ways. Following a review of existing research, the chapter analyses data arising from a study involving a mixed group of university students who used the premium version of Busuu for four weeks. Data were collected via pre- and post-tests, a user experience questionnaire, and individual interviews, and were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings suggest that Busuu did not fully satisfy the requirements of a social network in terms of ease of participation, communication, and collaboration. Further research is required to explore the implications of usability testing for the design of effective SNSLL.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung Yeop Lee ◽  
Sang Woo Lee

The use of social media, such as social networking sites and instant messaging, in everyday life continues to spread, along with social media use in the workplace. This study examined how using social media like Facebook (social networking sites) and KakaoTalk (instant messaging) at work affects individual job performance. It also analyzed whether social media use has different effects on individual job performance depending on the characteristics of the given task. The results demonstrated that both Facebook and KakaoTalk had linearly positive effects on individual job performance. Moreover, task equivocality had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between KakaoTalk use and job performance. The results may have significant implications for firms reviewing their policies on employees’ social media use. Since using social media such as Facebook and KakaoTalk in the workplace improves job performance, firms may consider encouraging employees toward this practice. In particular, they may consider supporting those employees who perform tasks with high task equivocality in making use of instant messaging platforms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubhra Sinha ◽  
Ankita Verma ◽  
Priyanka Tiwari

The pandemic of COVID-19 has arrested the life of 7.8 million people living on this earth. However, some people are more vulnerable to the risk of this deadly virus. The frailty of senior citizens put them at the top of this list. The past 6 months have not only presented a threat to their physical health but to mental health also. Although lockdown was necessary to check the spread of the coronavirus it culminated in an exponential rise in the problems of loneliness, anxiety, fear, helplessness, and depression. The present paper reviews the role of social networking sites, apps, and other digital platforms in saving and enriching the lives of the elderly, especially those who spent the lockdown alone and were devoid of a regular support system due to unavailability of transport and administrative restrictions on the movement of people. It also analyzes the efficiency of the virtual world in reducing their anxiety of being alone by connecting them with others and also make them feel empowered. The review is based on the online data collected about the insurgence in the percentage of elderly people using such platforms, recent studies analyzing the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on senior citizens. Besides this personal telephonic discussions were conducted with some elderly people who spent their lockdown alone in their homes. The study was primarily focused on three objectives. Firstly it attempts to understand the ways in which senior citizens made use of social networking sites and various digital platforms for managing life better. Secondly, it analyses the process of adopting technology, and finally, it examined the width and depth of the impact technology created in their life and also the permanence of this change. The analysis clearly suggests an increase in the digital life of elderly people. The process moved in distinct stages from utter confusion to relative ease in using technology, thereby significantly reducing the loneliness, and bringing relatively stable change in the way they lead their life.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem ◽  
Wilson Ozuem

PurposeCompetitive pressure and social influence for technology adoption have increased among developed, developing and emerging countries. The influence of social structure, organizational forces and political forces varies between public sector hospitals in countries where there are more social media restrictions. This study aims to explore how the use of social media can influence employee engagement and productivity in the workplaces of public sector hospitals.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows a social constructivist approach to understand employee attitudes, motivation culture, political forces and the local context. Data were collected from health professionals of five public sector hospitals using a non-directive and semi-structured interview method.FindingsThe results show that the use of social media sites has increased collaboration, coordination and cooperation among health professionals, especially in critical situations. They are more socialized, connected and engaged, thus helping them to exchange useful knowledge using instant messaging apps. Conversely, there are no organizational polices and specific laws and too little support from management and senior doctors to drive the use of social networking sites in public hospitals. The use of social media has enhanced health professionals' engagement and productivity as they are able to share their expertise, knowledge and information with their colleagues and subordinates.Research limitations/implicationsThe results can guide policy-makers, researchers, hospitals, doctors and the Ministry of Health about the positive use of social networking sites in the workplace. The positive use of social networking sites in the workplace can enhance information, knowledge and coordination which may help to enhance employee engagement and productivity.Originality/valueThe present study has provided a social media health organization workplace (SMHOW) model which explains how individual and organizational contexts can influence the actual use of social media in healthcare organizations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Montasari ◽  
Richard Hill ◽  
Victoria Carpenter ◽  
Farshad Montaseri

Various social networking sites (SNSs), widely referred to as social media, provide services such as email, blogging, instant messaging and photo sharing for social and commercial interactions. SNSs are facilitating new forms of social interaction, dialogue, exchange and collaboration. They allow millions of users and organisations worldwide to exchange ideas, post updates and comments or participate in activities and events, while sharing their wider interests. At the same time, such a phenomenon has led to an upsurge in significant criminal activities by perpetrators who are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to deploy technology to circumvent detection. Digital forensic Examiners (DFEs) often face serious challenges in relation to data acquisition. Therefore, this article aims to analyse the significance of SNSs in DFIs and challenges that DFEs often encounter when acquiring evidence from SNSs. Furthermore, this article describes the steps of the digital forensic investigation process that must be taken to acquire digital evidence that is both authentic and forensically sound.


Author(s):  
Michelle F. Wright

Emerging adults are actively engaged in a digital world in which blogs, social networking sites, watching videos, and instant messaging are a typical part of their daily lives. Their immersion in the digital world has occurred for as long as many of them can remember, with many not knowing a world without our modern technological advances. Although the digital age has brought us many conveniences in our daily lives, there is a darker side to emerging adults' involvement with these technologies, such as cyber aggression involvement. This chapter draws on research from around the world, utilizing a variety of research designs, to describe the nature, extent, and consequences associated with emerging adults' involvement in cyber aggression. Concluding the chapter is a solutions and recommendation section in which various recommendations are given to help colleges and universities strive to reduce cyber aggression on their campuses among their students.


Author(s):  
Michelle F. Wright

Youths are immersed in a digitally connected world, where blogs, social networking sites, watching videos, and instant messaging tools are a normal part of their lives. Many of these youths cannot remember a time in which electronic technologies were not embedded within their lives. Electronic technologies afford a variety of opportunities for youths, but there are also risks associated with such use, such as cyberbullying. This chapter draws on research from around the world to explain the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying. This chapter concludes with a solutions and recommendation section, emphasizing the need for cyberbullying to be considered a global concern.


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