Wechat Addiction and Gratifications of College Students in China: Procrastination, Fear of Missing out and Perceived Social Support

微信自2011年问世以来，从单一的聊天工具发展成了现在的多功能社交媒体，在中国人的生活工作中越来越占据重要的位置。作为当前中国最为热门的社交媒体，微信一直为各个群体青睐，然而，人们使用微信的动机、使用微信的行为特点以及微信沉迷潜在的负面影响却鲜少为人所知。本文依托使用与满足理论，对大学生群体使用微信的原因和影响因素进行了探索，以问卷调查为主，辅以访谈与焦点小组的方法，从福州大学、华侨大学和厦门大学抽取了609个大学生样本。研究发现：（1）大学生群体的微信使用表现出高频率、短时间的碎片化的特点，有16.7%的大学生可以被认定为微信沉迷；（2）微信沉迷的症状表现有强迫性使用、对社交活动失去兴趣和缺...Since launched in 2011, Wechat has been successfully turned into a multi-functional app that inserts a great influence on Chinese people’s lives. Even though Wechat has been a favorite for all ages, the motives, behavioral patterns and the possible negative impact of addiction have been rarely known. This paper explores the reasons and predictors of Wechat use and Wechat addiction among college st...学位：文学硕士院系专业：新闻传播学院_新闻学学号：3062014115307

Designing the self: the transformation of the relational self-concept through social encounters in a virtual immersive environment

This article describes the findings of a 3-month study on how social encounters mediated by an online Virtual Immersive Environment (VIE) impacted on the relational self-concept of adolescents. The study gathered data from two groups of students as they took an Introduction to Design and Programming class. Students in group 1 undertook course activities conducted in the Second Life VIE, where they envisioned themselves as college students five years in the future and developed representational avatars based on that idea. Students in group 2 undertook the same course activities in a different order, without the VIE component during the study period. Changes in self-concept were measured at the conclusion of the study period using the Relational Self-Concept Scale, a survey instrument that examines the impact that different social encounters within and around the school context have upon the formation of self-concept (Schott, G., & Bellin, W. (2001a). The relational self-concept scale: A context-specific self-report measure for adolescents. Adolescence, 36, 85-103.). The study found evidence that the VIE experience of group 1 had a significant impact on the students' relational self-concept, specifically a positive change in how content they were with their social selves. This study provides evidence that the development of representational avatars and socializing in a virtual immersive environment can change how adolescents think about themselves in reality. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.postprin

Loneliness and Social Internet Use: Pathways to Reconnection in a Digital World?

With the rise of online social networking, social relationships are increasingly developed and maintained in a digital domain. Drawing conclusions about the impact of the digital world on loneliness is difficult because there are contradictory findings, and cross-sectional studies dominate the literature, making causation difficult to establish. In this review, we present our theoretical model and propose that there is a bidirectional and dynamic relationship between loneliness and social Internet use. When the Internet is used as a way station on the route to enhancing existing relationships and forging new social connections, it is a useful tool for reducing loneliness. But when social technologies are used to escape the social world and withdraw from the “social pain” of interaction, feelings of loneliness are increased. We propose that loneliness is also a determinant of how people interact with the digital world. Lonely people express a preference for using the Internet for social interaction and are more likely to use the Internet in a way that displaces time spent in offline social activities. This suggests that lonely people may need support with their social Internet use so that they employ it in a way that enhances existing friendships and/or to forge new ones

Relationship between online role-playing games, personality and interpersonal relationships

Online gaming is a relatively new concept, yet due to the millions of followers these games have attracted over the past decade; it is not difficult to deduce that they are not going away any time soon. Individuals use the Internet for many things, including news, email, shopping, instant messaging and entertainment (gaming) (Griffiths, et al., 2003; Yee, 2006a; 2006b). Millions of these same individuals play Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) as their source of entertainment. These players interact socially within the game with one another, many on a daily basis, and spend huge amounts of time doing so. During these long hours, research has shown that many of these players form relationships and some of these relationships lead to real life relationships (Cole & Griffiths, 2007; Yee, 2006b). Many of these individuals consider these online relationships equal to their offline relationships (Ng & Wiemer-Hastings, 2005). It is suggested that these players are introverted and lack social interaction; however, some believe that using the Internet in this manner is equivalent to offline face to face social interaction. Many lose track of the time while playing MMORPGs and when engaging in other online activities, and some of these individuals experience symptoms related to loneliness (Ng & Wiemer-Hastings, 2005). Therefore, previous research suggests there is a relationship between Online Gaming, Personality, and Interpersonal Relationships. This study was designed to examine relationships between personality characteristics and amount of time playing a popular game called World of Warcraft (WoW). Additionally, this study examined how motivations to play the game are related to personality characteristics, preference for online interpersonal interaction, and social anxiety. A Demographics Questionnaire including age, country of residence, sex, occupation, employment status and other information about their online game playing was used. Additionally, the M5-50 Personality Inventory (McCord, 2002) was used as a short measure of the participant’s personality traits, collected through a fifty item scale which resulted in scores for the five domains of: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. The participants also completed the Preference for Online Social Interaction Questionnaire (Caplan, 2003) which is a 4 item measure of the individual’s preference for online vs. offline face to face social interaction. The items were summed for a total score with higher scores representing preference for online social interaction. Motivations for Play Questionnaire (Yee, 2006a), which measures activities the participant engages in while online, which MMORPGs they play, the amount of time spent playing the specified MMORPG per week, and activities they are involved in while playing the MMORPG. The scale consisted of 40 questions which participants answered using a five point response scale then the individual items were summed into each of the primary components. Finally, the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), a measure of social anxiety was completed by the participants. The scale consisted of 15 items which participants answered based on a five point Likert-type scale. Scores were summed and overall higher scores on the scale reflect higher levels of social anxiety. The study included 381 participants who were recruited from the Internet sites where WoW players frequently post and read messages. The participants were 88% male and 12% female and the range of participants’ ages was 18 to 69 years, with a mean of 24.29 years. Participants were actually engaged in playing the MMORPG “World of Warcraft”. The median amount of time spent playing WoW per week was 16 to 20 hours. A small, positive correlation was found between the amount of time spent playing WoW and Neuroticism and a small, negative correlation between of time spent playing WoW and Extraversion. Examination of the relationships between achievement motivation to play and Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness found small, negative correlations between achievement motivation to play and Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness with higher levels of motivation to play associated with lower levels of Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness. An examination of the relationship between social motivation to play, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Openness to Experience found small, positive relationships between social motivation to play and Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience. The relationship between immersion motivation to play and Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience was investigated which found small, negative relationships between immersion motivation to play and Extraversion and Conscientiousness; and a small, positive relationship between immersion motivation to play and Openness to Experience. Finally, the relationship between the preference for online social interaction and the interactive anxiousness scale was investigated resulting in a moderate to strong, positive relationship, with higher levels of preference for online social interaction associated with higher levels of interactive anxiousness

The impact of online social participation on social capital and mental health outcomes of young adults: A systematic review & participation and quality of life of young adults living in Western Australia: Research report

Introduction: The widespread acceptance and availability of the Internet and subsequent advent of social networking sites, is believed, in part, to be responsible for the reduction of face-to-face interaction, particularly among young adults. This has lead to suggestions that while virtual participation may enhance our ability to communicate with others; it may in fact come at the detriment of wellbeing. Depression is one of the leading causes of mental illness for young people, with social isolation and exclusion being identified as key risk factors for depression among this group. The aim of this review was to systematically review available research examining the relation between online social participation and the psychological wellbeing of young adults. Methodology: Electronic searches of five electronic databases (ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science) were used to identify and locate studies for inclusion in this review. Each database was searched for studies conducted since 2000 to May 2011. Results: Seven articles met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 4 190 participants. Of the seven studies four were cross sectional surveys, two were non-experimental pre-test post-test studies and one was a longitudinal study. Conclusion: This review found significant evidence to suggest that greater time spent in online chat was associated with increased feelings of loneliness post social exclusion. Social networking sites were not found to facilitate strong bonds between individuals, but rather complement to face-to-face interaction. Social networking sites do potentially provide powerful networking tools that individuals can turn to in times of need

Urban Influencers: An Analysis of Urban Identity in YouTube Content of Local Social Media Influencers in a Super-Diverse City

Influencers belong to the daily media diet of many adolescents. As role models, they have the potential to play a crucial role in the identity construction of their viewers. In the age of social media, such role models may now be found more locally – in the same city – and perhaps with more diverse backgrounds. This may be particularly valuable to adolescents growing up in super-diverse cities, as they are surrounded by a multitude of groups and identities during a life phase in which they have to make sense of who they are and where they belong. Despite the heterogeneity of these identities, there is one thing all have in common: the city they live in. With the city as a common framework, local influencers may be important role models for these adolescents, particularly in negotiating their urban identity. This paper aims toward mapping the ways in which social media can play a role in the negotiation of urban identity among youngsters by investigating how YouTube influencers from a super-diverse city are related to each other online, and how their content relates to the (super-diverse) city of Rotterdam. Findings show that in their videos and on their channel pages, influencers mainly affiliate themselves with the city through having the city as the background and context of the videos, through their involvement with cultural trends (e.g., soccer, hip-hop) that link to the city, and through their affiliation with other local influencers. We argue that influencers may therefore provide their viewers with

İleri Ergenlik Yıllarında İnternette Kimlik Denemeleri

This study’s objective is to describe the nature of the identity experiments of university students on the internet; the participants are 230 students enrolled in Anadolu University prep school. Data was collected by means of The Sense of Identity Scale-Köker Form, Questionnaire of Identity Experiments on the Internet and Personal Information Questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out with logistic regression analysis. The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that 53.5% of students experiment with their identity on the internet. These students present themselves as more intelligent (56.9%), less shy (56.1%), more fictitious (40.7%) and more beautiful (35%). They also stated that they present themselves as someone else to speak more easily (74%), to meet or get to know others more easily (64.2%) and to say more things (62.6%). Logistic regression analysis indicated that sense of identity and gender were related with identity experiments on the internet.Bu araştırmada, üniversite öğrencilerinin internette kimlik denemelerinin doğasını betimlemek amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmaya, Anadolu Üniversitesi’nin hazırlık sınıflarına kayıtlı 230 öğrenci katılmıştır. Veriler, Kimlik Duygusu Ölçeği, İnternette Kimlik Denemeleri ve Bilgi Anketi aracılığı ile toplanmıştır. Analizler lojistik regresyon analizi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada, öğrencilerin %53,5’inin internette kimlik denemeleri yaptıkları bulunmuştur. Bu öğrencilerin; daha zeki (%56,9), daha az utangaç (%56,1), hayali (%40,7), daha güzel (%35) biri gibi davrandığı belirlenmiştir. Öğrencilerin kimlik denemelerinin temel nedeni incelendiğinde ise sırasıyla daha kolay konuşabilmek (%74), insanları daha kolaylıkla tanımak (%64,2) ve daha çok şey söyleyebilmek (%62,6) için başkası gibi davrandığını belirtmişlerdir. Ayrıca, lojistik regresyon analizi sonuçları kimlik duygusu ve cinsiyetin internette kimlik denemeleri yapma ile ilişkili olduğunu göstermiştir

Social Networking Sites: Social Support, Motivation, and Influences on Chinese international students\u27 intercultural communication competence

The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the status quo and differences in intercultural communication competence and social networking sites use motivation between Chinese international students and U.S. students, 2) to explore the relationship between social networking sites use motivation and intercultural communication, 3) to understand the factors comprising intercultural communication competence, and 4) to develop a model to predict intercultural communication competence. Quantitative survey research was conducted to address these research objectives. The survey research showed that compared with U.S. students, Chinese international students differ in social networking sites use time, frequency, and certain patterns. Also, Chinese international students showed an overall low score in certain factors of intercultural communication competence. The study showed no statistically significant differencs between groups in total time spent on SNS and in intercultural communication competence; however, using SNS with certain motivations was correlated to changes in intercultural communication competence

MEETING “THE ONE” AT MIDNIGHT IS YOUR DESTINY: THE ROLE OF YUAN IN USE OF THE TAIWANESE SOCIAL NETWORK, DCARD

This study examines how Taiwanese college students understand the traditional, culturally Chinese concept of Yuan and its role in their use of a new and distinctive Taiwanese social networking site—Dcard. Particular attention is paid to the Dcard’s unique friending mechanism, which provides users the opportunity to connect (or not) with one, seemingly random new friend each day at midnight. Through thematic analysis of 15 semi-structured long interviews, the study finds that Dcard users understand Yuan as a multi-faceted concept pertaining primarily to interpersonal relationships (relationalism). Users perceive Yuan to influence relationships in a predetermined, causal fashion (fatalism), but they still assert some agency in their relationships (controllability), including their ability to believe deeply in Yuan. Users perceive Yuan to play an important role Dcard use, and the concept’s different facets each influence key moments in the friending process—from receiving a friend recommendation, to the choice of whether to accept or reject that request, to the initiation and maintenance of relationships through Dcard. Dcard’s architecture, including elements of randomness and partial anonymity intensify the experience of Yuan. This study underscores the importance of studying how cultural concepts like Yuan are socially constructed and used in online contexts. More, it illustrates how social networking sites can use design and architecture to tap into culture to attract and retain users