Harnessing Technology: analysis of emerging trends affecting the use of technology in education (September 2008)

Research to support the delivery and development of Harnessing Technology: Next Generation Learning 2008–1

eWOM & Referrals in Social Network Services

If a few decades ago the development of the Internet was instrumental in the interconnection between markets, nowadays the services provided by Web 2.0, such as social network sites (SNS) are the cutting edge. A proof of this trend is the exponential growth of social network users. The main objective of this work is to explore the mechanisms that promote the transmission and reception (WOM and referrals) of online opinions, in the context of the SNS, by buyers of travel services. The research includes some research lines: technology acceptance model (TAM), Social Identification Theory and Word-of-Mouth communication in virtual environment (eWOM). Based on these theories an explicative model has been proposed applying SEM analysis to a sample of SNS users’ of tourist service buyers. The results support the majority of the hypotheses and some relevant practical and theoretical implications have been pointed out for tourist managers

Social Media and Information Overload: Survey Results

A UK-based online questionnaire investigating aspects of usage of user-generated media (UGM), such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, attracted 587 participants. Results show a high degree of engagement with social networking media such as Facebook, and a significant engagement with other media such as professional media, microblogs and blogs. Participants who experience information overload are those who engage less frequently with the media, rather than those who have fewer posts to read. Professional users show different behaviours to social users. Microbloggers complain of information overload to the greatest extent. Two thirds of Twitter-users have felt that they receive too many posts, and over half of Twitter-users have felt the need for a tool to filter out the irrelevant posts. Generally speaking, participants express satisfaction with the media, though a significant minority express a range of concerns including information overload and privacy

Social media and tourism : a wishful relationship

For decades hospitality firms were used to domain the communication process. Thematic social network sites such as TripAdvisor became very important tools for travelers when deciding which hotels to book, and what restaurants and tourist attractions to visit, been a visible part of tourism communication evolution. Evidence suggests that e-WOM serves as a primary information source when tourists choose destinations, hotels, and other experiences. The role and use of social media in tourists’ decision making has been widely discuss in tourism and hospitality research, especially in the research phase of the tourist’ travel planning process. With the wide adoption of social media the influence of customers’ word-of-mouth increased and influences not only the research phase, but the repetition and overall customers’ experiences. To answer these questions a model assessing e-wom was developed and data was gathering from TripAdvisor regarding customer’s opinion in restaurant experiences. The results found establish the bases for understanding tourists’ engagement level and profiles.N/

Marketing of Library Services and Products through Social Media: An Evaluation

Social media has a great impact on information promotional activities by bringing tremendous changes in the field of marketing. Social networking applications help the users to possess interconnections among the community members and remix the library services and products to brand them visible in a broader way. This paper gives an overview of the concept of marketing of library services and products in the pretext of handiness of social networking technologies (SNT). The paper also discusses various social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, Youtube, Flickr etc. An outline of how the social media may successfully be applied to enhance the effectiveness in marketing library services and products is observed. Relative merits and challenges with adoption of SNS are also examined

Understanding Continuance Usage of Social Networking Services: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Study of the Chinese Context

Social networking services (SNS) provide innovative online platforms for social interactions and communications. In order to understand users’ continuance intention of using SNS, we first propose a comprehensive research model based on the expectation-confirmation model (ECM) of IS continuance. Our model examines direct and indirect factors affecting users’ continuance intention of SNS usage. We then apply the model in an empirical study, in which we collect and analyze survey data from the users of a major Chinese SNS website. The results of the study reveal different effects of individual motivations such as perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment on continued usage intention (CUI) in SNS. We also find significant impact of non-individual motivation (i.e., structural embeddedness) on CUI. This research not only extends the IS continuance theory into SNS studies, but also provides IS researchers and SNS practitioners empirical insights into CUI in SNS and its underlying factors in the Chinese context

UNDERSTANDING POST ADOPTION SWITCHING BEHAVIOR FOR MOBILE INSTANT MESSAGING APPLICATION IN CHINA: BASED ON MIGRATION THEORY

Post adoptive IT use is a hot research stream in information systems field, including continuance behaviours and switching behaviours. While there are a great number of studies on users’ intentions or behaviors for diversified information systems, previous post adoptive IT studies pay relatively less attention on users’ switching behaviors. Hence, we know little about this phenomenon and triggers on users’ switching behaviors. This research identifies the features of users IT switching behaviors and examines what trigger their switching intentions and actual behaviors in the context of mobile instant messaging (MIM) application in China. A model of MIM switching behaviors is developed based on Curran and Saguy’s (2001) research on how networks of obligation, trust and relative deprivation affect human’s migration decision and process. Besides these three triggers, we also introduce dissatisfaction and curiosity into our model according to prior IS studies on switching behaviors. A survey research method will be adopted to test this model. Overall, our study may theoretically contribute to further understand users’ IT switching behaviors and yield some practical implications for designers and managers in MIM providers and their products propaganda