Social networks have evolved into influential, compelling and persuasive systems, the portals of Web 2.0 and one of the most powerful media phenomena in 2008. This note provides a brief background and description of various social network sites including MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. We also...

A basic tenet of self-determination theory is that feeling close and connected to others can lead to optimal life experiences and recent research supports the idea that when people use social media to interact with others, they are likely to feel more related to others. Yet, little is known...

Why do people use social media? We examine how and why people use social media in the context of their basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, intrinsic and external motivations, and well-being perceptions. Results show that motivations differentially drive social media goal...

Telecommunication infrastructure availability at an adequate quality level has considerably changed communication habits since the 1990s. The physical infrastructure and its quality are the key prerequisites for higher-level service infrastructure (such as the internet) or offered services (such...

This research presents an overview of social networking sites as a connecting tool for communication and collaboration, as well as their influence in the networked public sphere in everyday life. Considering the definition, history and structure of selected Web 2.0 social media services, the...

A person in a building shows a desire for privacy by pulling her blinds shut or closing her curtains. Otherwise, she cannot complain when her neighbor sees her undressing from the window, or when a policeman looks up from the street and sees her marijuana plants. In the online context, can we...

Use of social media platforms is not only restricted to industry, but it has found unique appeal in the education sector also. These days, Facebook and Orkut profiles has become almost a habit for most young adults / students today. In fact, a recent article has highlighted that it is very...

The events in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa were referred in the media as the ‘Arab Spring’ and been described as Twitter and Facebook Revolutions. In this paper, the author addresses the information-technological relation between mass-protests (as a form of...

The advertising efforts in social networks grow every year. Since their appearance in the late 1990s Social Network Web Sites were considered as a uniform group. The only differentiation factors were the number of users and the amount of traffic passed through the site. This paper classifies the...

Companies around the globe are embracing and adapting social media for many different intentions: customer service, marketing, internal communications, public relations or corporate social responsibility, etc. It is now a reality that social media is changing the way stakeholders and companies...