The Influence Of Social Media Networks

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

The social media network has become a universal technology that has paved way for a more sophisticated way of communication across all and sundry. The rapid growth, advancement and adoption of communication technologies have definitely changed the ways in which individuals gain access and consume Information. These technologies are largely useful because of the ease of use and the attendant wide coverage across borders. A social media network consist of an online service portal, site that engages in building of social networks /relations among people by providing a platform where people of similar interests share activities, backgrounds, social forums, links or real life connections. It is usually a kind of network that has representations of each user depicted by a profile, social links, and contacts. Most social networks are web based and they are accessed by means of using the internet. Often users are given the choice of whom to associate and connect socially with. An example of a typical social network is facebook and Twitter. Face book has since taken a dominant place and factor in the social media scene. It is the most well known and used social networking site tool with over 1.06 billion users as at December, 2012. Users are drawn from all facets of life with the university having its own fair share of student users. Users are able to create profiles with picture representations of them and basic information about their school, work and interests. They are able to communicate with other user groups through sharing of vital information using formats that are similar to e-mails. Other interesting aspect of this platform is the ability to share photos, music, videos and educational materials via web links.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This study is of particular significance and necessary because of the importance and high usage of social media among university students. It is important to understand the influence and effects of this media on the information behaviour of a typical student. A graduate student is in constant need of information be it social, educational or cultural. Facebook is used primarily by students to maintain relationships with individuals they are acquainted with who live near and far (Quan-Haase & Young, 2010). It makes for ease of communication with diverse user groups at a time. It is important to do research on facebook social networks to see how they are affecting and influencing information behavior and practices of their users, as well to understand issues and trends concerning them. This type of research can lead to a better understanding of them and allows researchers to better design different systems with features similar to social networks. The findings of this type of study can help in the design of information- rich resources on the internet and intranet for graduate students of Western where all their social, cultural and educational needs will be met on campus just like facebook.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This study is guided by Erikson’s theory of human development with a combination of Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood. According to Erikson’s description of late adolescence, it is a time where there are many prospects of love, work and worldwide views (Arnett, 2000). Emerging adulthood is described as ages between 18- 25, which is seen as a transitional period. It is a period where identity formation occurs during emerging adulthood in which these young adults are searching and discovering their identities as an individual. This is a time of self discovery, exploration and change; hence the need for them to seek for peer identities to help enhance their perception of whom they are.

Emerging adults use social media communication methods as they make lifelong decisions for themselves (Arnett, 2000). Social media allows an outlet for identity exploration to occur through peer feedback and strengthening of relationships (Pempek et al., 2008). Facebook makes it simpler to communicate with multiple people at one time. Social media may also make it easier for users to monitor activities of people they have not seen in a while as well as reconnecting with new and old friends (Quan-Haase & Young, 2010).

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of social media networks on the information behaviour of a graduate student, to see to what extent this media has been used, and finally to examine if there has been a behavioral change in the course of usage of the media (facebook).

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What is the extent of usage of social media (facebook) in a typical graduate student’s life in Western?

What is the extent of behavioral change in the use of facebook by a graduate student?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Life without facebook is unimaginable to a student. Facebook has dominated the scene of social media since its inception in 2004. This popular service has become both a basic and a reflective tool of social interaction, personal identity, and network building among students. Social network sites deeply penetrate their users’ everyday life. The body of social networking research has increased as social networks gained acceptance and use (Grabner-Krauter 2010; Lai & Turban 2008; McKnight & Chervony 2002; Pitta & Fowler 2005; Sledgianovski 2009).

EXTENT OF USAGE

The most popular social media website for college students is Facebook, and research shows that anywhere between 85 and 99% of college students use Facebook (Hargittai, 2008a; Jones & Fox, 2009; Matney & Borland, 2009). 2010). The most recent data, collected by the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) from a sample of 36,950 students from 126 U.S. universities and one Canadian university, showed that of the 90% of students who use social networking websites, 97% said they used Facebook. This 97% reported actively engaging on the site daily (Smith & Caruso, 2010). According to a study, more than 50% of college students go on a social networking site several times a day (Sheldon, 2008). Quan-Haase and Young (2010) discovered that 82% of college students reported logging into facebook several times a day.

Social network sites serves as a vehicle for fulfilling communication needs and wants among graduate students. It is therefore, a convenient method of communication and provides the ability to stay connected with friends and family, but on the users own rate and time (Urista, Dong & Day, 2009). The use of the facebook as a communication tool is a phenomenon that has helped in spreading information rapidly among users and the internet has played a big role in making this a possibility. Facebook is generally considered the leading social networking site used by college students (Educause, 2006; Stutzman, 2006; Golder et al, 2007). Hew (2011) reported a survey on the use of facebook among students in the USA, with over 90% participation among undergraduate students. The vast majorities of college students have a facebook account spending a considerable amount of time logged in (Salaway et al, 2008)

EXTENT OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGE.

Wilson defines information behaviour as "the totality of human behaviour in relation to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information seeking and information use". (Wilson, 2000, p.1). According to Pettigrew, Fidel and Bruce (2001) Information behaviour is defined as "How people need, seek, give, and use information in different contexts, including the workplace and everyday life". (p.44). When people communicate through social networking tools, they are likely to perceive the suggestions of people whom they know as credible and trust worthy (Howard, 2007). Social network users also develop relationships with those who have similar interests (Bickart & Schindler 2001), and show loyalty to the network they choose (Harridge-March 2009) and identify themselves with.

According to Matzat (2009): "It is often stated that the successful use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) depend not only on the properties of the technology. ICT researchers claim that the technology has to fit in with the social environment in which it is intended to be used (p. 2)."

Wilson (2008) affirms that:

" Whatever the future holds for any of these issues, it seems likely that the need to understand how people search for and use information is likely to continue and, as technologies change and information services continue to develop, the understanding gained may become more and more important for the effective design of systems and services" (p. 8).

Carter (2005) opines that human relationships in cyberspace "rather than being exotic and removed from real life, they are actually being assimilated into everyday life. Furthermore, they are often moved into other social settings, just as they are in offline life." (p. 2.) One of the main changes produced by information and communication technologies is that they help in creating new social networks, eliminating barriers of time and space.

METHODOLOGY

This is a qualitative case study of typical graduate student information behaviour. The study focused on the information behaviour of a social network user. The semi-structured interview method was adopted. As highlighted in the introduction, the aim of this study is to understand the influence a social media such as facebook has in the life of a graduate student at Western University. The idea is basically to find out

the extent of usage of facebook as a social media in a graduate’s life and to understand the extent of behavioral change in the use of this media by the student. To address these research questions, the researcher conducted a semi-structured interview with a graduate student at Western. The interviewee is an international current Masters student in one of the programs offered at the University of Western Ontario. For the purpose of this study, the interviewee's identity will be protected hence the need for a pseudo-name called Alpha. The script of the interview is presented at the appendix section of this paper.

There was no major ethical issue that arose in the course of the study. The researcher only made sure that strict adherence to basic ethical issues were pursued and followed appropriately for the interest and benefit of both the researcher and the interviewee. This study took into consideration important ethical issues in relation to both the researcher and the participant. Thus, the researcher at the onset of the interview was very transparent in letting the participant know the nature of the study, and its objectives. Also a business card bearing the researcher’s name, address, E-mail and phone numbers was given to the participant; if peradventure there will be any need to reach the researcher in the course of the study. The Participant was given the free will to either decline or accept the invitation to be part of the study with a written document to this effect. The interviewee was not obligated to answer any question which may prove uncomfortable. Confidentiality and the protection of data obtained were highly stressed. Data obtained in the course of the study after use will be locked and kept away securely without interference from a third party. The interviewee was not put into any distressing situation in the course of the interview to forestall any bodily or emotional harm.

Interviews are one of the various ways of eliciting in-depth information on a qualitative research. In the researcher’s opinion, the interview process can be simple as well as complex depending on circumstances or environment in which the interview is being conducted. A good interview as the researcher discovered must involve adequate preparations. The issue of logistics must be taken care of in order to have a more relaxed environment for the interview. The interviewer should have the right tools or what the researcher refers to as an interview guide. The questions must be well thought of and well articulated. Consistency should be the key word; ability to listen and pay more attention is a rewarding venture. This will help in the process of transcribing the audio recordings when the time arises.

The coding process forms an integral aspect of the study. The basis for this assertion is that it is where basic themes and patterns are identified and important inferences and evaluations are made from these responses. It is important to pay close attention to recurring patterns, every detail in a transcript is a potential mine of revelations which can aid in making necessary conclusions. Coding according to the researcher’s perspective is a solitary act which requires skill and practice on the part of the researcher.

The coding exercise is one aspect that requires critical thinking. There is the need to look for both similarities and differences in the analysis that is being carried out. The need to make comparisons and to find the relationships that connects a particular word, phrases and sentences for me is tasking. Thus, the final output was to reflect categories, subcategories and the connecting themes for the transcript.

Transcription is a practice that is common to qualitative research. However, the researcher has discovered that it could be a time consuming venture. The process of transcribing the audio interview served as an eye opener to the researcher as the researcher reflected on so many themes that would have been added during the interview process.

It was an intensive and pain-staking process. The experience was overwhelming, as the researcher soon discovered that doing an interview is a process, transcribing that interview is another herculean task too!

The researcher’s role in any interview is one that needs adequate planning and preparations. There are questions that the researcher thought could have been part of the interview questions which were not included and were never asked. As the researcher went through the process of the transcription, it became evident to the researcher that some of the interview questions could have been framed and re-frame in a more elaborate manner. As an interviewer, the researcher finds it tasking to play a multiple role of doing the interview, paying close attention to every gesture, body movement facial expression as well as taking notes while the process of the interview is ongoing. The interviewer could have managed these tasks effectively given another scenario where the researcher would have been more exposed to the intricacies that go with handling an interview section.

Questions for the interview were drawn from different angles and perspectives of daily information practices and experiences. The drafted questions were open ended as well as closed ended. In some parts, questions were designed to provoke more critical thinking and information-rich answers. Important notes were also jotted down during the interview process for easy clarifications and points to make reference to during transcription process. The interview was recorded using a mobile phone (Apple Iphone) which has an application for recording. A pre-test was carried out on the device to ensure qualitative recording as well as having the interviewee familiarization with the device as a recording equipment. There was no technical difficulty arising after the pre-test and subsequent recordings of the interview process.

The interview was transcribed, and a conscious effort was made to capture every moment, paying attention to important details such as body gestures, pauses, body language, expressions on the face and the spur-of –the moment interjections such as ‘oh’, ‘hmm’ and ‘ laughs’ form part of the transcription.

The analysis of the transcript was carried out using discourse analysis approach. This approach presents a view of understanding social interactions among people. It places emphasis on conversational tools where the use of metaphors, choice of particular words to display affects that all come to play.

Thus, using the principle of open coding analysis, the investigator is able to identify categories, themes, ideas, views, roles that strike a chord in the interviewee’s information behaviour. Open coding is the process of breaking down, examining, labelling, comparing, conceptualizing and categorizing data. The researcher does this by identifying the meaning of the data, asking questions making comparisons, looking for similarities and differences between comments, incidents and events. Similar comments, incidents and events are grouped together to form categories.

DISCUSSION

The researcher in this study uses, the term "college students" to connote university students as applied with the literatures for review and for the discussion of the study and findings as well. The interview with the participant provided a great insight to how graduate student information behaviour is on facebook and how it influences the way the student communicate. It became evident that facebook as a social media is a remarkable tool for communication and keeping abreast with information as well as keeping in touch with family and friends, more so when they share information which according to the participant is good.

One of the surprising revelations to the information behaviour of this student was when the participant affirmed and re-affirms that as a user, the participant is not "addicted to the use of facebook, and will never be" the researcher sees this twist as an irregular pattern considering the findings of this study.

The findings in this study suggested that a typical graduate will use facebook as a form of social networking media as seen in the participant. This is notable since Lenhart et al. (2010) found that 71% of young adults have a facebook account. This study found that facebook plays a significant role in the choice of a social network used for communication by a student; this is in agreement with the research of Lenhart et al. (2010) which found that facebook is the most popular form of social media.

Facebook usage as a norm

The participant in the study pointed out that there is a regular update of the profile on facebook. As indicated in the research by Sheldon (2008) and Quan-Haase and Young (2010), a vast majority of college students pay visits to their social networking sites several times a day, this prove that the extent of usage of social media such as facebook, is done frequently. There were various reasons given for the usage of facebook by the participant. The most valid and significant reason was to communicate with family and friends. Entertainment, funny stuff like jokes also accounts for the use of facebook as a social media. These findings were also collaborated by Sheldon (2008) who discovered that students use facebook and other websites to be entertained, pass time and maintain existing relationships with others. Students use social media to communicate with others to form a bond and promote communal affiliations.

Communication on this network was very high as communicating with family and friends were a frequent activity. This gave credence to Baym et al. (2004) that most college students preferred to communicate on a face-to-face basis rather than using the computer. However, with friends and family living all over the world and having busy lives, communicating using a computer (internet) was more acceptable and a convenient alternative. Other studies conducted by Baym et al. (2007) and Urista et al. (2009) agree that college students communicate over the internet with friends and family that live far away.

The need to share Information

College students use various means to communicate with friends and family on social media websites such as facebook. Wall posts and status updates were found to be the most common ways of communicating. However messages, file sharing as well as photo sharing were also used in communication. The Participant in this study reported communicating with friends and family on facebook almost every day in the week through these modes of communication i.e sending wall posts, sharing file/photos and sending messages via the various portals.

Importance attached to family and friends

Facebook have made the communication process between friends and family much easier. A quick reference to Baym et al. (2007) reveals that the current study discovered that with so many people having tight schedules and busy lives or having friends and family living far away, facebook have assisted in maintaining contact with individuals that are very far away. Findings also showed that facebook has helped in maintaining contacts with fellow students the participant see on a day to day basis too.

The need to maintain ties through frequent communication

Sustaining existing relationships with friends and families on facebook was of paramount concern to the participant on this study. These findings can be justified with what West et al. (2009) and Quan and Young (2010) found in their research that making new friends over social media websites was not important to college students. It appears that maintaining existing relationships with friends and family was a more important result of social media. The study also found that the amount of time invested on facebook by the participant varies according to number of hours in a day, and number of days in a week. This is significant with the findings of Pempek et al. (2009). The participant admits being on facebook for several hours a day and many numbers of days in a week. It is apparent that the participant attaches importance to the happenings and activities in other individual’s lives. Thus, engaging in wall postings, file sharings and various others are just few of the various ways to keep in touch with loved ones.

The number of friends the participant had on facebook may influence the information behaviour of the participant. The study found out that the student has about 1,300 friends on facebook. These findings were significant with Pempek et al. (2009) who also found similar numbers of friends on social networking sites. However, the current study found that there is a significant increment on the number of friends a college student has on facebook.

Irregular information behaviour pattern

Finally, the idea that the participant is addicted to the use of facebook as a regular information pattern drew a negative response from the participant when confronted with this opinion by the researcher as reflected in this excerpt:

"No... Oo…I refuse to be addicted to facebook!.(Laughing, laughing)…(pause) Not that I can’t, but I will not allow facebook to control me, never…."

According to the findings from this study, the participant information behaviour on the regular use of facebook is not seen as a form of "addiction" by constantly visiting the social media as the study revealed. This revelation though contrary to the information behaviour of the student, is never the less in consistent to Savolainen’s model of information behaviour. In Savolainen’s model, information behaviours are examined in the context of way of life and mastery of life. Way of life refers to the structure of information behaviours, whereas mastery of life refers to strategies one employs to keep his or her life "in order" (Savolainen, 1995). Thus, in order for the participant to keep in contact with friends and family, the constant usage of the faceebook as a media for communication seems to have settled well in as the mastery and way of life for this graduate student, which in context is a form keeping in order the participant’s relationship with friends and family.

A media that provides "free" services but skeptical on privacy when chatting

The participant stressed the importance of having to make long distance calls (international) on phone which is costly as oppose to using facebook to chat and send messages. This excerpt is shown below:

Alpha: "Well, yea… I guess so…yea it has. You know some distant family that you cannot reach, or ordinarily pick up a phone and call because of the long distance call…which is international calls, …and you know they do cost a lot these days… to make such calls, ….(short pause) so I just drop some messages on their walls. Likewise my friends too…some of them are also like really far….em…and you need to communicate, and you cannot ordinarily pick up your phone and call because of cost too…yea you just feel this is like a free online media…just say hi on facebook…send a message on facebook or write on their walls. So …yes it has, and I think it has for the better, you know…yea…so yes it has."

Also when asked if contacts contribute to any vital decision-making process in whenever any decision is to be made, this was the response from the interview:

Alpha: "Yea, my contacts on facebook…ha… Yea they do. It’s on facebook they make this contributions. But I don’t think is via facebook…that important decisions about me are made. But usually via phone calls that I have one- on- one voice chat…which kind of afford me that much needed privacy for such an occasion."

From the above responses, the study found that as much as facebook has offered the much needed free platform for communication, it has not fully given a platform for privacy related issues as desired, and therefore has not won the trust of the participant when it comes to sharing very private issues concerning the participant. Indeed, several studies found that users continually negotiate and manage the tension between perceived privacy risks and expected benefits (Ibrahim, 2008; Tufekci, 2008; Tyma, 2007).

These findings therefore shows that the interaction of trust and privacy concern in a social networking platform such as the one under study is not well understood to an acceptable level where concrete commendable behavioral activity will be pursued to a logical conclusion by the founders of facebook. The participant attached importance to privacy when it comes to sharing information that is sensitive.

Conclusions, Limitations and Possibilities of Future Study

The study suggests that social media is a very vital aspect of a student’s life. Facebook has played a significant role in the information pattern of the participant under study. It has created various ways of communication with friends and families and has influenced the information behaviour of the participant. Facebook have over the years offered new innovative ways of communication and its popularity is fast increasing by the day. A computer-mediated communication has made communication easier, faster and has broken the barriers of distance. Hence the frequent visiting of social media websites such as facebook.

This study is limited in scope in the sense that a single participant was taken as the object of study. Thus, the findings of this study cannot be therefore generalized. Future studies could make do of more participants for more elaborate conclusions. Future studies could look into the usage of social media as a complimentary tool in enhancing the graduate experience of students in universities.

In analyzing the different thoughts that presented itself during the interview process, it was evident that certainly information plays a very crucial role in the life of a graduate student. This information can be communicated through various means, of which it has a paramount effect in the way students perceive information, and the way it is obviously communicated. This communication process has a way of bringing both intended and unintended information behavioural patterns as the findings of this study has revealed. The participant was obviously concerned about lowering cost in terms of making phone calls. The alternative that readily presented itself was the use of facebook which does not require any fees before using the platform for connecting to friends and families. This in itself was a plus to the student.

Therefore, there is the need for further studies to explore more on the influence a social media is has on the information behaviour of mature students in the university be it positive or negative.