Cultural Dimensions’ Effects on Perceptions of Learning Using Social Media: A Comparative Study between the University of Sharjah and the University of Arkansas Students

This research examines the impact of cultural dimensions on perceptions of social media as an educational tool in two different contexts. The study included 815 students volunteered to answer the survey questions from the University of Sharjah (UoS) in the United Arab Emirates and the University of Arkansas (UoA) in the United States of America. The results were analyzed via SPSS, and then counteracted with a Push-pull-mooring model to check for differences in terms of cultural contexts that would be reflected in perceptions of the value of social media in learning. The results reveal a number of differences. Students from the University of Sharjah are more immersed in social media for learning, and more interested in forming strong, long-term, and reliable collaborative friendships based on the exchange of ideas and academic assistance. By contrast, students from the University of Arkansas seem to be short-term oriented because their use of social media is related to discussion and instant chat. The authors conclude that UoS students’ perceptions reflect a culture of collectivism that invests in social networks to enhance the already deeply rooted offline social activities, while those from UoA reveal a culture of individualism in which social media use is restricted to self-information

Las redes sociales virtuales y la emigración en Colombia: Consideraciones generales para una propuesta de investigación

The current boom of Virtual Social Networks and the image of Colombia as a country of emigration provide a context for a topic of study to explore the interactive dynamics that migrants through these virtual networks. In order to conduct preliminary research in the area of International Migration and social networks in Colombia, this paper provides a a conceptual proposal, which might serve as a starting point for further research and results applicable to policy development and social practices.El auge en la utilización de las Redes Sociales Virtuales (RSV) y la caracterización actual de Colombia como un país de emigrantes, plantea una nueva temática de estudio orientada a explorar las dinámicas interactivas que los emigrantes efectúan a través de dichas plataformas virtuales. Con el fin de realizar un desarrollo investigativo inicial en el área de la Migración Internacional y las RSV en Colombia, se presenta el siguiente trabajo como una propuesta conceptual preliminar, orientada a servir como punto de partida para investigaciones posteriores y resultados aplicables a la realidad migratoria que enfrenta el país

Cultural differences and switching of in-group sharing behavior between an American (Facebook) and a Chinese (Renren) social networking site

Prior research has documented cultural dimensions that broadly characterize between-culture variations in Western and East Asian societies and that bicultural individuals can flexibly change their behaviors in response to different cultural contexts. In this article, we studied cultural differences and behavioral switching in the context of the fast emerging, naturally occurring online social networking, using both self-report measures and content analyses of online activities on two highly popular platforms, Facebook and Renren (the “Facebook of China”). Results showed that while Renren and Facebook are two technically similar platforms, the Renren culture is perceived as more collectivistic than the Facebook culture. Furthermore, we presented evidence for the first time that users who are members of both online cultures flexibly switch and adapt their in-group sharing behaviors in response to the online community in which they are: They perform more benevolent in-group sharing when they participate in the Renren community and less so when they participate in the Facebook community. We discussed both the theoretical and methodological implications of the current research. </jats:p

Motivations and usage patterns of social networking sites : exploring cultural differences between United States & Sri Lanka

Masteroppgave i økonomi og administrasjon - Universitetet i Agder 2013Cybernetics has experienced a major breakthrough and led to the utilization of computers at nearly all parts of daily life. The new technology created online social networking. Even though Social Networking Sites (SNS) are a global phenomenon, it is constrained by local conditions such as culture. Thus, the purpose of the study is to incorporate cultural dimensions to the motivations and usage patterns of the SNS considering SNS as a collection of features (chat, status updates, groups etc...). Present study replicates a study made in the United States in Sri Lanka, and identified differences, trace them to cultural reasons. Survey data collected from undergraduates in Sri Lanka (n= 262) were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and then compared with Smock, Ellison, Lampe, & Wohn (2011). Both studies agree that there is a difference in motivations for both general Facebook use and use of specific features of the site. Further, findings revealed that while patterns of SNS usage do not differ across cultures, some of the motivations behind them do differ. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings, possible cultural reasons for differences and directions for further research are discussed

Exploring language contact and use among globally mobile populations: a qualitative study of English-speaking short-stay academic sojourners in the Republic of Korea

This study explores the language contact and use of English speaking sojourners in the Republic of Korea who had no prior knowledge of Korean language or culture prior to arriving in the country. The study focuses on the use of mobile technology assisted l anguage use. Study participants responded to an online survey about their experiences using the Korean language when interacting with Korean speakers, their free time activities, and the types of digital and mobile technologies they used. The survey respon ses informed questions for later discussion groups, in which participants discussed challenges and solutions when encountering new linguistic and social scenarios with Korean speakers. Semi structured interviews were employed to examine the linguistic, soc ial and technological dimensions of the study participants’ brief sojourn in Korea in more depth. The interviews revealed a link between language contact, language use and a mobile instant messaging application. In the second phase of the study, online surveys focused on the language and technology link discovered in the first phase. Throughout Phase Two , the researcher observed the study participants in a series of social contexts, such as informal English practice and university events. Phase Two concluded with semi structured interviews that demonstrated language contact and use within mobile instant messaging chat rooms on participants’ handheld smart devices. The two phases revealed three key factors influencing the language contact and use between the study participants and Korean speakers. Firstly, a mutual perspicacity for mobile technologies and digital communication supported their mediated, screen to screen and blended direct and mediated face to screen interactions. Secondly, Korea’s advanced digital environment comprised handheld smart devices, smart device applications and ubiquitous, high speed Wi Fi their Korean speaking hosts to self reliance. Thirdly, language use between the study participants and Korean speakers incorporated a range of sociolinguistic resources including the exchange of symbols, small expressive images, photographs, video and audio recordings along with or in place of typed text. Using these resources also helped the study participants learn and take part in social and cultural practices, such as gifting digitally, within mobile instant messaging chat rooms. The findings of the study are drawn together in a new conceptual model which h as been called sociolinguistic digital acuity , highlighting the optimal conditions for language contact and use during a brief sojourn in a country with an unfamiliar language and culture

Narcissism and Affirmation of the Ideal Self on Social Media in Thailand

Narcissists, characterised by an excessive need for admiration, are among the most prolific users of social media as it may aid narcissists reach their goals of being admired by many people, without needing to build intimacy. Adapted from the Michelangelo phenomenon, this thesis proposes to test the Facebook affirmation model in Thailand. The model asserts that individuals, particularly those with high levels of narcissism, can benefit from using Facebook to receive affirmation of the ideal self and move closer to their ideal selves. Given that the benefits of Facebook for narcissists may depend on their cultural background, a cross-cultural correlational study was conducted in Study 1. A comparison between Thai and British Facebook users found basic support for the model and showed a similar pattern of the Facebook affirmation model across cultures. The application of cognitive and behavioural strategies was further investigated in Study 2 using an experimental design. The findings suggest that Facebook offers benefits for communal narcissists under specific circumstances, such as when they engage in other-oriented behaviours. The mechanisms underlying the Facebook affirmation process was also examined in Study 3. Results provide evidence that self-esteem influences the way in which communal narcissists experience Facebook affirmation. Lastly, the association between selfie-posting behaviour and affirmation of the ideal self was explored to test whether affirmation of the ideal self can occur under specific activities on other social media platforms. Results demonstrate that selfie-posting on Instagram helps agentic narcissists experience affirmation of the ideal self. In general, findings provide new evidence that social media facilitates agentic and communal narcissists to feel their best and move towards their ideal self, particularly when cognitive and behavioural strategies used on social media match their orientation towards goals

Identity motives : influences of multiple motives on cognitive and behavioural dimensions of Facebook identity construction

According to Boyd and Ellison’s (2008) definition of social media, Profiles and social connections are two major features that define these online platforms. On Facebook, Profile allows users to build a personal profile that consists of user-supplied content. Considering the feature of social connection, Facebook News Feed is an interface on which users can see other users’ activities and then interact with them (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2015). Previous research on Facebook identity construction has generally focused on the Facebook Profiles (Manzi et al., 2018; R. E. Wilson et al., 2012), yet overlooked the notion that social interactions on Facebook News Feed could also be a process of identity construction. Furthermore, a model that illustrates the motivational, cognitive, and behavioural dimensions of identity construction on Facebook has not been established. This thesis aimed to fill the research gaps by investigating how the motivational influences of identity construction affected the cognitive and behavioural dimensions of identity processes on both Facebook Profiles and the Facebook News Feed. Drawing on Vignoles’s (2011) motivated identity construction theory, six identity motives: self-esteem, efficacy, continuity, distinctiveness, meaning, and belonging, were examined in the present research project. Study 1 was a cross-sectional quantitative study designed to investigate the extent to which Facebook users perceived their Facebook Profiles could satisfy the six identity motives. A proposed conceptual model, Motivational Facebook Identity Structure, was tested, and the results suggested that Facebook users were driven by the motives of distinctiveness and meaning to construct a fluid identity on Facebook Profiles, instead of a continuing identity. Both Study 2 and Study 3 were qualitative investigation, exploring how identity motive might influence identity construction on Facebook News Feed, on which Facebook users can read and leave comment to news posts (Müller et al., 2016; Oeldorf-Hirsch & Sundar, 2015). Study 2 incorporated the six identity motives into Giles and Shaw’s (2009) news framing analysis for exploring how news media appealed to identity motives in news framing. The findings of Study 2 informed Study 3 about the appealed identity motives. Study 3 then incorporated the six identity motives into the analytical framework of deductive confirmatory content analysis for examining how Facebook users satisfied their identity motives through commenting to news posts as a behavioural response to identity construction. The findings of Study 3 revealed that Facebook users generally picked up the messages in the news narrative and responded in ways to satisfy the corresponding identity motives which were appealed to in the news. The findings of Study 2 and Study 3 were explained from a cultural perspective and synthesised to provide implications for changing a demanding learning culture and to the extent building an inclusive society. Taken together, this thesis has demonstrated that the six identity motives could have impact on the cognitive and behavioural dimensions of Facebook identity construction, whereby has made important theoretical and methodological contributions to the literature