Browsing by Subject "Social networking sites"
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Item Come, let's wrestle : language and the struggle for authority in online Persian social networking sites(2016-05) Afrasiabi, Dena; Atwoord, Blake Robert, 1983-; Brustad, Kristen; Keating, Elizabeth; Urrieta, Luis; Aghaie, KamranThis dissertation builds on prior scholarship in linguistic anthropological studies of performance to examine transnational spaces in online social networks where members of the Iranian diaspora use emerging technologies to interact with one another in ways that highlight the tensions between them. The focal point of this project will be the Facebook page Iranian Vines, which features short (5-15 second long) comedic videos that address issues unique to the experiences of Iranians living in diaspora. While many second-generation Iranians use online spaces to linguistically construct a hybridized identity, first-generation Iranians use these same spaces to evaluate the authenticity of these constructed identities by policing the language used by performers and deciding on the linguistic legitimacy of their performances. I argue that the performative nature of the Iranian Vines page creates a space for first-generation Iranians to respond to global sociolinguistic hierarchies that value English over Persian by acting as gatekeepers of Iranian authenticity through linguistic prescriptivism. Second-generation Iranians, on the other hand, use performance to decontextualize (and thus make visible) the moments of difference that define their particular vantage point and to acquire sociolinguistic capital through humor. These performers use “identity-switching,” a practice in which they juxtapose performances of non-Iranian and Iranian identity for comedic effect to challenge sociolinguistic hierarchies within the Iranian community that value monolingualism or parallel bilingualism. A core focus of this dissertation will be the ways that emerging technologies shape power relations between members of this community by making visible the processes by which members of ethnolinguistic communities negotiate the relationship between identity and language.Item Facebook me : the utility of social networking sites in increasing social support for exercise programs(2010-08) McCallum, Kim Gibson; Bartholomew, John B.; Kohl, Harold W.The purpose of this report is to evaluate the potential utility of online social networking in enhancing participation in, and maintenance of, a university-based exercise program through the provision of social support. Ninety-one employees previously enrolled in an exercise program were surveyed. Participants were asked about their online social networking habits and their opinions on the possible use of online social networks to increase social support for and adherence to an exercise program. Respondents already belonging to a social networking site (SNS) (79%) were optimistic about the utility, particularly after their exercise program, while those who do not belong to an SNS were less positive. The findings imply that using online social networking to add social support both during and after an exercise program could be effective.Item Health information sharing behaviors on Facebook among emerging adults(2015-08) Liang, Ming-Ching; Kahlor, LeeAnn; Eastin, Matthew; Loukas, Alexandra; Mackert, Michael; Stout, PatriciaWhile more and more practitioners have started to use social networking sites (SNS) as a way to communicate with young audiences about health topics, not much is known about why emerging adults share health information on those platforms. Drawing from the theory of planned behavior, the situational theory of problem solving, and the uses and gratifications approach, this study proposes and tests a model that highlights proactive and reactive information sharing behaviors and the motivational factors that predict these behaviors. In the context of sharing influenza-related information on Facebook, a survey study (N=338) was conducted. The results of structural equation modeling and regression analyses confirmed the applicability of the proposed information sharing model in the current research context. Despite some insignificant relationships, the features of emerging adults were empirically examined, with possibilities and instabilities recognized as potential contributors to information sharing behaviors. In addition, it was observed that the differences between proactive and reactive information sharing behaviors related to the roles of perceived control over the information sharing behavior. Specifically, the perceived norms of information sharing, the need for self-presentation on SNSs, and the sense of virtual community were identified as the more prominent predictors for both proactive and reactive information sharing behaviors. The framework and findings of this study present future opportunities for researchers who work on health information behaviors, emerging adulthood, and digital health communication. The implications in health intervention development are also discussed.Item Identifying and feeling supported in a self-help group : comparing face-to face and online videoconference meetings(2012-12) Murphy, Melissa Lynne; Stephens, Keri K.; Donovan-Kicken, ErinThis exploratory study investigated the differences between traditional 12 step meetings and online 12 step videoconferencing meetings in a recovery-based social networking site (SNS). Drawing from a social support framework and the social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE), I conducted an online survey (N = 97) measuring perceptions of effectiveness, small group and relational satisfaction, identification, social support and network quality, anonymity, and access for both traditional and online videoconferencing meetings. In addition, an index was created to assess online community members’ level of engagement within the SNS. Findings reveal that (a) traditional 12 step meetings rank significantly higher on perceptions of social support quality and recovery network quality, as well as overall meeting effectiveness, and small group and relational satisfaction, (b) members’ perceptions of small group and relational satisfaction, social support and network quality are significant predictors of identification within a 12 step group, and lastly (c) members’ level of engagement within the SNS is strongly correlated with a number of positive outcomes suggesting that the more engaged a member is with various features within the SNS, the more social support and recovery benefits a member perceives. In sum, this study advances practical understanding of the role SNS and online videoconferencing meetings have in shaping the experiences of members in recovery. The usefulness of this study for online social support researchers as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.Item Identity and participation in social networking sites amongst pre-service elementary school teachers(2012-08) Kimmons, Royce M.; Veletsianos, George; Wetzel, Melissa; Hughes, Joan; French, Karen; Armour, MarilynRecent trends in social networking site (SNS) use amongst teachers have led to some alarming circumstances. Practicing and pre-service teachers have been fired or otherwise punished (e.g. suspension, licensure revocation, etc.) for a variety of offenses related to their SNS use, ranging from sinister to morally ambiguous offenses, and have been encouraged or required by school administrators, professors, and others in positions of power to use SNS in particular ways. Past research on the topic of SNS in education and SNS professionalism has focused on issues of implementation (e.g. how to use SNS to support learning) or utility (e.g. how to use SNS to successfully achieve career goals). Missing from this discussion, however, is an understanding of how teachers (and those preparing to become teachers) naturally come to participate in SNS, why they participate in the ways that they do, and how this use is related to their identity. This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by understanding pre-service teachers’ uses of SNS in terms of previous experiences, cultural expectations, social benefits, connections to identity construction and maintenance, and how these uses and beliefs regarding SNS begin to change in response to professionalization processes. Grounded theory is employed to generate an explanatory construct, which I refer to as the Acceptable Identity Fragment (AIF). The AIF is then used to understand and illustrate issues surrounding SNS use in education. Major findings suggest that 1) pre-service teachers’ identities in SNS represent a fragment of their authentic identities, 2) pre-service teachers use various SNS differently in conjunction with each SNS’s embedded values and assumptions about identity, 3) SNS use raises various problematic issues surrounding identity and how pre-service teachers are perceived and judged as individuals (e.g. digital persistence, lateral surveillance, etc.), and 4) professionalization processes alter and restrict pre-service teachers’ ability and comfort to express themselves in SNS. These findings lead to discussion, implications, and recommendations on a variety of topics including the following: institutional uses of SNS in education, relationships between fragmented and authentic identities, SNS literacy development, and cultural issues of SNS use.Item Physical place matters in digital activism : investigating the roles of local and global social capital, community, and social networking sites in the occupy movement(2015-05) Baek, Kang Hui; Reese, Stephen D.; Johnson, Thomas; Coleman, Renita; Straubhaar, Joseph; Chen, WenhongThis case study of the Occupy movement examines how different geographic forms of individual-level resources—local and global social capital—and communitylevel resources varying by place of residence play a key role in political activism in the digital age. To overcome the limited approach based on blind faith, in which social networking sites are unreservedly treated as sole mobilizing agents, this dissertation includes the exploration of how local and global social capital influence the way the use of social networking sites affects participation in the Occupy movement. In doing so, this dissertation goes beyond the exclusive focus on the effects of social capital formed and shared through the strength of a personal tie (i.e., strong vs. weak ties) on political participation considered in much of the current literature. Moreover, acknowledging that on-the-ground activities taking place in physical communities continue to be essential determinants of political engagement, this dissertation is intended to determine whether the communities in which individuals reside produce unique or specialized resources or environments, and how they provide different opportunities for involvement in the movement. From an online survey and in-depth interviews with participants in the U.S., this dissertation found that local and global forms of social capital had distinct effects on participation in the Occupy movement. This suggests that local social capital induced local participation, while global social capital encouraged global participation. In this vein, the use of social networking sites contributed to both local and global participation indirectly, through its effects on local and global social capital, respectively. Indeed, communities with politically liberal environments and high poverty levels were found to be favorable places for mobilizing participation. Global cities, New York City in particular, served as an optimal political space for encouraging participation in the movement because they provided diverse human resources and substantial political infrastructure. This dissertation makes an important contribution to our knowledge of political activism in the digital era. It highlights the situation that social networking sites are not sole contributors leading to political participation, and therefore, that the geographic dimension of social capital and community should also be carefully considered when examining political participation.Item Remaining friends with the dead : emerging grieving practices on social networking sites(2013-08) Benavides, Willow Jesse James; Bailey, Diane E., 1961-How do we mourn the dead and proceed with our lives when the dead do not absent themselves from our everyday world, but remain integrated into our community of friends on social networking sites? This paper explores the changes occurring in the ways in which we experience online the deaths of our loved ones, namely, a collapse between public and private modes of grief. The changes under examination include the changing perception of death, identity creation and ownership, the role of the bereaved, theoretical/therapeutic approaches to grieving, the function of ritual, and commemoration of the dead. Questions this paper addresses include: to whom do the dead belong? Does death become banal when it is incorporated into everyday life? How can a ritual reflect a passage from one state of being to another when you are part of a system that does not recognize a change in status?Item Self-concept and online social networking in young adolescents : implications for school counselors(2013-05) Livsey, Brianna Kathleen; Bentley, Keisha L.The current report reviews the recent research on online social networking sites (MySpace and Facebook), and their impact on adolescent self-concept and identity development. This paper describes the history and recent expansion of social networking sites, followed by an overview of adolescent identity development. The literature suggests both positive and negative effects of social networking use on adolescent self-concept. Positive effects include the strengthening of group identity, the benefits of self-expression, and the ability to reinforce social relationships. On the other hand, negative effects include an intensified discrepancy between one’s ideal and actual selves, false representations of the self, and the risks involved with online disclosure. The relationship between personality factors and social networking use is also explored. Finally included are implications of this research for school counselors working with adolescents growing up in the digital age.Item Social networking sites : a comparison across the United States, Japan and China(2010-12) Yuan, Li, M.A.; Choi, Sejung MarinaSocial media have been growing rapidly in recent years thanks to the innovations of social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter, both of which originated in the United States. Currently, SNS and other social media have become global phenomena. This report aims to study the features of SNS that prosper in the U.S., Japan, and China. Through a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences among the top SNS players in each of the three countries, it is possible to identify unique characteristics of each nation’s social networking landscape. The SNS market in the U.S. is relatively mature, while the social networking population is growing in Japan and China. However, contrary to the expectations of some, the Japanese and Chinese social networking landscapes appear to be quite different from one another with regard to SNS usage, despite Japan and China’s similar cultural backgrounds and geographical proximity.