Investigating the impact of facebook use on cancer survivors' psychological well-being

Rapid growth of Social Network Sites (SNSs) use by cancer survivors makes it important to examine whether there is a relationship between the use of these online communities and cancer survivors' psychological well-being. This article poses the question of how the Facebook use as the most popular SNS, may impact cancer survivors' psychological well-being. To answer this question a comprehensive literature review of studies conducted in information systems and health disciplines has been undertaken and a theoretical model is proposed. This study is expected to contribute to the existing knowledge base through the development of a new theoretical model which introduces and explains the ways that SNS use may impact cancer survivors' psychological well-being. It provides important information on the health-related SNSs use and is envisioned to assist health care organizations and cancer survivors to use SNS as an e-health application. © (2013) by the AIS/ICIS Administrative Office All rights reserved

The Relationship between College Students\u27 Use of Facebook and their Feelings of Alienation from their Institution

Today\u27s college students are digital natives who have grown up using technology, such as social network systems (SNSs). SNS use, and specific behavior patterns, have been linked to a variety of psychological and social outcomes. The sense of disconnection from a student\u27s institution, known as alienation, is one significant factor that can be detrimental to students\u27 social and academic experience and performance in college (Gordon, 1998; Loo & Rolison, 1986; Suen, 1983). This study explores the association between Facebook relationship maintenance behaviors (FRMB; Ellison, Vitak, Gray, & Lampe, 2014) and alienation from their university, and whether FRMBs and alienation are affected by demographic factors of gender and year in school among undergraduate students (N = 151) at a regional comprehensive university. The results found that the prevalence of Facebook interactions with university peers was associated with a decreased sense of social estrangement (r = -.305, P = .005). Meanwhile, no significant associations were found between FRMBs and the alienation dimensions of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and social estrangement measured by the University Alienation Scale (Burbach, 1972). These findings suggest that higher education needs to be more proactive in harnessing the potential of technology to engage undergraduate students

Online Social Networking and Addiction—A Review of the Psychological Literature

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are virtual communities where users can create individual public profiles, interact with real-life friends, and meet other people based on shared interests. They are seen as a ‘global consumer phenomenon’ with an exponential rise in usage within the last few years. Anecdotal case study evidence suggests that ‘addiction’ to social networks on the Internet may be a potential mental health problem for some users. However, the contemporary scientific literature addressing the addictive qualities of social networks on the Internet is scarce. Therefore, this literature review is intended to provide empirical and conceptual insight into the emerging phenomenon of addiction to SNSs by: (1) outlining SNS usage patterns, (2) examining motivations for SNS usage, (3) examining personalities of SNS users, (4) examining negative consequences of SNS usage, (5) exploring potential SNS addiction, and (6) exploring SNS addiction specificity and comorbidity. The findings indicate that SNSs are predominantly used for social purposes, mostly related to the maintenance of established offline networks. Moreover, extraverts appear to use social networking sites for social enhancement, whereas introverts use it for social compensation, each of which appears to be related to greater usage, as does low conscientiousness and high narcissism. Negative correlates of SNS usage include the decrease in real life social community participation and academic achievement, as well as relationship problems, each of which may be indicative of potential addiction

The Power of the “Like”: A Quantitative Study on the Facebook Emoji as Social Support

This quantitative study aimed to evaluate how receiving a Facebook “like” correlates to the perception of social support and how much this correlation is moderated by the age and gender of the users. The social information processing theory guided the study, providing a framework to explain how communicators adapt to the restriction of nonverbal cues by creating surrogates to maintain interpersonal relationships in computer-mediated communication circumstances. For the central research question, findings revealed that receiving a Facebook “like” positively correlates with perceptions of social support from Facebook friends and family. While no significant correlation was found between the gender of users, age was identified as a moderator. The descriptive statistical analysis found that a substantial proportion of Facebook users (44%) feel “happier than before” after receiving a Facebook “like.” By revealing that happiness increases when individual users seek social support on Facebook and receive “likes” on their posts, this research validates how Facebook reactions play a role in individual users’ mental health

An exploratory investigation on the effects of online social networking sites on college students

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects online social networking sites have on college students, mainly the effects on their communication. A study at Rowan University was conducted using a random selection of undergraduate students. The Rowan Subject pool was used to recruit students. Although each student was in different majors, all of the students were in an introduction to psychology course. To examine the effects online social networking sites have on college students, there were two separate groups of students designed to interact with one another in two different ways. A group was instructed to communicate face-to-face on a topic and the group were audio and visually recorded. The other group was instructed to communicate through a Facebook page created by the researcher. A status was posted on the main page and the subjects were instructed to communication via Facebook. To examine communication, the number of words was counted. I hypothesized due to the increased use of online social networking sites; the group communicating through Facebook would have a higher word count than the group communicating face-to-face

Online Doctoral Students and the Importance of Social Network Connections

University personnel offering online doctoral degrees struggle to address high attrition of students in the dissertation phase; these students can feel isolated, disconnected, and unmotivated. The purpose of this study was to explore ways online doctoral students in the dissertation phase used social networking sites (SNS) to overcome isolation and to increase persistence. The conceptual framework was situated in communities of practice (CoP) and the theory on self-determination. Research questions explored participants\u27 experiences with using SNS to remain connected and persistent. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with 7 online doctoral students, who met the criteria of being in the dissertation phase for a minimum of 2 quarters and using at least 1 social networking site; the participants were from 4 online institutions in the United States. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to examine themes and interpret the lived experiences of participants. Findings revealed that online doctoral students in the dissertation phase valued working with peers and with doctoral graduates from other institutions as a strategy to remain persistent in completing their dissertations. They focused on learning and on sharing with others for social and emotional support in a safe environment. Other elements included being held accountable and being challenged to keep moving. The results could influence instructional design for online doctoral candidates emphasizing the use of SNS for support from a CoP. Implications for positive social change include higher education personnel supporting unmonitored SNS interactions and increasing trust within school-created SNS spaces for students in the dissertation phase

Intervenção em redes sociais eleva funções de atenção e memória em idosas: um estudo neuropsicológico

The cognitive functions of elderly people who interact online were assessed. Interventional research of a descriptive-analytical nature was conducted. A sample of 41 elderly women was evaluated both before and after the intervention. The data analysis was carried out using the Friedman test, with a significance level set at p ≤ 0.05. The empirical material was examined through content analysis. A significant improvement in cognitive functions of attention and memory in the groups that underwent the intervention was observed. It is concluded that cognitive training on social networks can promote healthy aging by improving certain cognitive functions in the elderly.As funções cognitivas de pessoas idosas que interagem na internet foram avaliadas. Uma pesquisa intervencionista de caráter descritivo-analítico foi conduzida. Uma amostra de 41 idosas foi avaliada antes e depois da intervenção. A análise dos dados foi realizada utilizando o teste Friedman, com um nível de significância estabelecido em p ≤ 0,05. O material empírico foi examinado através da análise de conteúdo. Uma melhoria significativa nas funções cognitivas de atenção e memória nos grupos que passaram pela intervenção foi observada. Conclui-se que o treinamento cognitivo nas redes sociais pode promover um envelhecimento saudável ao melhorar certas funções cognitivas em idosos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fear of missing out (FoMO) among social media users: a systematic literature review, synthesis and framework for future research

Purpose – Research examining the “fear of missing out” (FoMO) is increasingly prominent, with a growing number of studies exploring this phenomenon. Despite the increased academic interest, no attempts have been made to synthesize extant knowledge on FoMO. There is limited holistic understanding of its conceptualization and operationalization. To address this gap, an exhaustive systematic literature review (SLR) on FoMO is presented. Design/methodology/approach – Systematic review protocols and content analysis was used to analyze and synthesize insights from 58 empirical studies obtained from four academic databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and PsycINFO. Findings – Significant diversity in prior research on FoMO was encapsulated in four themes. There are significant limitations in conceptualization of FoMO, along with narrow focus on geographic, methodological and contextual foci of prior studies. The authors propose a comprehensive framework and extensive gap-specific research directions to aid future research. Research limitations/implications – The SLR is limited in its consideration of empirical studies published in academic journal articles obtained from four databases. Social implications – The authors imply the critical need to ascertain motives for individuals’ excessive engagement with social media and the subsequent impact on well-being indicators (e.g. sleep quality) and functional impairments (e.g. addiction).publishedVersio

Understanding the Influencing Factors and Mechanism of Social Compensation for Chinese Older Adults Using Social Media in the Context of Smart Home: A Qualitative Analysis

As a new generation of necessary terminals for future homes, smart homes have become one of the essential mediums for smart aging at home. This paper aims to explore how older adults who age at home can overcome the digital divide of the new medium and achieve social participation in the home context to realize active aging. Based on the theory of social compensation, we select the smart-home smart screen, a representative new medium product in China, and carry out open coding, spindle coding, selective coding, and theoretical construction of the original interview data through the grounded theory research method. The results show that the main factors affecting the social compensation of older adults to smart home social media include user interface quality, interaction quality, content quality, and service quality, and these four factors are used as external variables to compensate older adults socially, thereby stimulating the emotional experience and perception changes at the cognitive level of older adults and then affecting the adoption and acceptance of smart home social media by older adults. This study refines the factors influencing the older adults' use of smart home social media from the perspective of social compensation. It explains the mechanism of acceptable behavior of older adults, bridging the gap in previous literature on the influencing factors and behavioral mechanisms of older adults of smart home social media. This paper provides a theoretical basis and guidance for the subsequent academic research and software development practice of social media under new technological devices to further help older adults in China achieve active and healthy aging