A Better Understanding of College Students\u27 YouTube Behaviors

The purpose of this research study is to get a closer look into the behavior of college students towards the video streaming website YouTube. The objective is to understand whether the benefits of publishing videos on the site are positive for business organizations. The study looks at many variables that would help companies better understand what exactly publishing a video on YouTube would do for them. These variables include gender, hours of television watched, hours of Internet used, hours spent reading and whether a video is made by a regular user or a professional company. It was found that males are more likely to use YouTube then females, despite using the Internet much less. It was also shown that there are both pros and cons for implementing user and corporate developed videos

Learning to Like Facebook? Effects of Cultural and Educational Capital on the Use of Social Network Sites in a Population of University Students

This study explores the reasons why university students prefer to join or participate frequently in one social network website (SNS) over another. Drawing from previous research into motivations and environmental factors influencing SNS behavior, a theoretical model of SNS selection and frequency of use is constructed and evaluated. Random sampling methods are used to generate a population of students from a midwestern, urban, public university with an enrollment of nearly 16,000. Subjects responded to a questionnaire soliciting information regarding personal characteristics and SNS behaviors, and additional data was extracted from a content analysis of SNS profiles. The results show that attachment, age, and educational capital are the primary factors associated with SNS preference, while the effect of cultural capital is minimal. Limitations and implications are discussed

CONCERNING SNS USE: HOW DO ISSUES OF PRIVACY AND TRUST CONCERN USERS?

As the popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) continues to grow, the research on what affects user intentions is also experiencing increased attention. This study investigates the effect of privacy and trust in other SNS users on trust in the SNS and the relationship between trust in the SNS, social norms and the intention to use an SNS. Data collected from online surveys were analyzed using linear regression analysis. The findings indicate that perceived privacy and trust in other SNS users has a positive relationship with trust in the SNS. However, the data showed no significant relationship between trust in the SNS and intention to use the SNS, unless mediated by social norms. This finding contributes to the literature on SNS intention to use, by confirming that social norms play a significant role in the way SNS users evaluate their intention to use

Youth and Digital Media: From Credibility to Information Quality

Building upon a process-and context-oriented information quality framework, this paper seeks to map and explore what we know about the ways in which young users of age 18 and under search for information online, how they evaluate information, and how their related practices of content creation, levels of new literacies, general digital media usage, and social patterns affect these activities. A review of selected literature at the intersection of digital media, youth, and information quality -- primarily works from library and information science, sociology, education, and selected ethnographic studies -- reveals patterns in youth's information-seeking behavior, but also highlights the importance of contextual and demographic factors both for search and evaluation. Looking at the phenomenon from an information-learning and educational perspective, the literature shows that youth develop competencies for personal goals that sometimes do not transfer to school, and are sometimes not appropriate for school. Thus far, educational initiatives to educate youth about search, evaluation, or creation have depended greatly on the local circumstances for their success or failure

A typology categorization of millennials in their technology behavior

Hay un interés creciente por los millennials; y sin embargo, hasta la fecha hay escasas segmentaciones de los millennials en cuanto a su comportamiento en relación a la tecnología. En este contexto, este estudio trata las siguientes cuestiones:”¿Son los millennials monolíticos o hay diferentes segmentos en esta generación en cuanto a su comportamiento tecnológico?”. Y si este fuera el caso: “¿Existen diferencias importantes en cuanto a la forma en que los millennials usan la tecnología?”. Nuestro objetivo consiste en examinar los potenciales perfiles de los millennials en relación a su comportamiento y uso de la tecnología. Los datos obtenidos de una muestra de 707 millennials se analizaron mediante un análisis de componentes principales y análisis clúster. A continuación, los segmentos se caracterizaron mediante un análisis MANOVA. Nuestros resultados revelan la existencia de cinco segmentos o tipologías de millennials en cuanto a su comportamiento tecnológico: los “devotos de la tecnología”, los “espectadores”, los “prudentes”, los “adversos” y los “productivos”. Este estudio contribuye de forma detallada al conocimiento sobre cómo las diferentes categorías de millennials usan la tecnología.There is an increasing interest for millennials; however, to date millennials’ segmentations regarding their technology behavior are scarce. In this context, this study addresses the following questions: “Are millennials monolithic, or are there segments within this generation group regarding the technology behavior?”. And if so: “Are there important variances in the way that millennial segments use technology?”. Our purpose is to examine the potential profiles of millennials regarding their technology use and behavior. Data from a sample of 707 millennials was gathered and analyzed through principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Then, millennials’ segments were profiled using a MANOVA analysis. Our findings revealed five different segments or typologies of millennials regarding their technology behavior: technology devotees, technology spectators, circumspects, technology adverse users and productivity enhancers. This study contributes with a detailed perspective of how different millennial segments use technology

Rules of Interchange: Privacy in Online Social Communities– A Rhetorical Critique of MySpace.Com

As online social communities (e.g. MySpace, Facebook) grow in popularity and become commonplace, these same communities also become sites of information exchange through various communication channels (eg. text, visual, aural). With these exchanges occurring either individually or collectively, sets of questions arise regarding the community, the value of information within that community, and how/what/why they choose to communicate what they do within such a space. By applying Sandra Petronio’s Communication Privacy Management theory and Michel Foucault’s discussion of the Panopticon, a rhetorical critique of user decisions regarding private information within Myspace.Com can be conducted. The knowledge uncovered adds insight into how and why decisions are made in order to become a community member, and why the value of privacy is overshadowed by the value of belonging