This study examines how Social Networking Services (SNS) are used to form ethnic communities among hafu (Half Japanese) and the impact they have on identity formation. Hafu is the most common term in Japanese used to refer to people who have two different ethnic backgrounds. The term originated from the name of a popular celebrity group called Goruden Hafu (Golden Half) which emerged in the 1970s. Although there has been hafu in Japan for many years, hafu communities are a new phenomenon and it has only been within about the past five years that hafu have begun to form their own unique ethnic communities. The emergence of such communities is strongly linked to the development of the SNS, which has enabled people with similar interests and backgrounds to meet freely through the Internet. It is argued in this thesis that the Internet and new technologies are not only contributing to the formation of new relationships but are also radically transforming the ways in which the meanings and identities of ethnicities are produced. The fast growing mixi SNS service was used as a case study, with qualitative research on hafu communities being conducted over a period of one year. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the reasons why hafu form online ethnic communities despite the fact that the members have different ethnic backgrounds and do not share the same ethnic history, language, or culture. This study explores the interests hafu have in other hafu and investigates the motivations hafu have in participating in both online and offline events. Through an exploration of the cultural activities engaged in by hafu communities, this study address the issues of racial and ethnic discrimination and stereotypes experienced by hafu in Japan, as well as issues related to their sense of identity and belonging.

This thesis examines the impact of new media technologies on interaction, focusing on pervasive experiences. It considers what happens when participants engage in mediated gameplay activity within a live setting. As such it explores the effects of technology on the framing of experience and relationships between participants. Its hypothesis is that simultaneous engagement in multiple situations of co-presence leads to a new state of being, termed 'co-co-presence', in which what happens in one situation pervades another. It reports on a series of small-scale iterative experiments, using a specially designed game that was devised to engender co-co-presence and isolate selected variables in controlled conditions. The experiments compared the experience of new media technology (texting) with old media (paper notes) and found no significant difference in either the creation of, or effects of, co-co-presence. The evidence from these experiments suggests that what happened in the game (one situation of co-presence) affected what happened outside the game (another situation of co-presence) and vice-versa, confirming the hypothesis. The data also showed that social framing factors had the greatest influence on participant behaviour. In conclusion, while this study found that engaging in multiple states of co-presence, or 'coco- presence', did create pervasive effects, that pervasiveness was not dependent on the use of new media technologies but appears to relate more to the structure of the technological medium and social framing factors.

Currently the global population is estimated at 7.04 billion, and is set to increase to 9.31 billion by 2050, with interest and awareness growing in a population which is getting older and living longer. Subsequently, several challenges arise from a greying planet, which will increase the demand upon resources. In particular, when we consider the impact that increased life expectancy will have upon the Quality of Life of older people, the risks and negative connotations concerning increased social isolation are a core issue. In coming year’s technology will play an increasing role in providing solutions to alleviate the burden of social isolation and the subsequent negative impact it holds. With the growth and prevalence of the Web technologies, in particular the emergence of Web 2.0 applications, the role of social computing is investigated. As an approach social computing holds considerable potential with research demonstrating the benefits of internet use by older users. This thesis discusses online social networking, a platform focused on increasing opportunities for social interaction, allowing those deemed socially vulnerable an opportunity to engage.., However at present two core research issues exist. Firstly, much of the research to date has studied online social networks at a macro level, whereby little is known about micro level behaviour of individual users, and in particular even less is known about the behaviour of older users in such networks. Secondly, given that it is a relatively new communication approach, little is known concerning the impact social computing has on the Quality of Life of older users, or its viability as an approach. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate online social networks at the micro level, analysing use by the core demographic of older populations, in comparison with younger users. Four chronological studies were conducted. Study 1 investigated and contrasted the behaviour of younger and older Facebook users, determining how both populations engage. Study 2 assessed the behavioural patterns of both cohorts, detailing the patterns of user engagement for both groups. From data acquired in earlier studies, study 3 proposed a suite of new user metrics which disclose a number of user characteristics at an individual level. In study 4 the impact of interacting in online social networking services upon Quality of Life is assessed through a large scale user survey of both cohorts. These investigations propose the application of interaction analysis to disclose and detect user behaviour, determining the viability of interaction analysis as an approach. Furthermore, the impact of social computing upon the Quality of Life of users is disclosed with contrasts for each cohort presented.

Drawing on research from the fields of HCI, social and positive psychology, this thesis investigates the design of technologies that encourage the expression of positive emotions. In parallel, it details the deployment of effective design steps to guide, frame and eventually support understandings of positive mental and social usage effects of technology. Different artefacts termed PosiPost have been iteratively developed as exemplars for the discussion and exploration of the ways in which technologies can support positive communication and social sharing. Studies with these technologies have been conducted to explore how these can encourage positive communication and understand how they contribute to social wellness. Specifically, the studies undertaken validate the hypothesis that the sharing of positive emotions as mediated by technology has beneficial social and mental effects. The first stage of the research examined whether and how social technology can be designed for positive affect. A theoretical framework, named THE Medium model was developed to support the design process. Furthermore, design considerations were produced for technologies that encourage the sharing of positive emotions. This latter involved two studies, paper-based and online, which showed the potential for a prefixbased elicitation of positive emotions and drove the design and development of a mobile tool called PosiPost Me (Mobile edition). The second stage of the design process focused on how positive emotions can be mediated by technology in a mobile context and how such tools were used and understood. The iterative design study process continued, resulting in PosiPost Be, a Bluetooth edition, which allows sharing of positive messages with people in close proximity to explore the social and potential positive effects of contextualizing posiposting by adding location as a factor. Results suggest that by using a prefix-strategy, messages of a positive and mundane nature can be shared and mediated by mobile technology. Analysis of the shared messages provides insights into people’s pleasant moments in daily life. A questionnaire instrument named SPOT was developed and used for the measurement of the effects of sharing pleasant moments with the developed mobile expressive technologies in further detail. The results suggest that lightweight positive expressive technologies can have beneficial social wellness effects. In particular, the study showed significant beneficial effects in reducing depressed feelings and increasing social interest in others. Participants also believed that the mobile PosiPost applications supported social connectedness, socio-pleasure, social and positive awareness, and positive thinking.

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This thesis contributes to the knowledge on the impact of word of mouth on consumer decisions and the manner by which consumers learn from it. Using a sample of 132 motion pictures released between April and September 2010 and more than 38,000 online ratings from a social network, word of mouth is clustered into two dimensions: volume, representing the amount of online posts, and valence, representing the aggregate opinion of consumers on a particular film. A novel approach to calculate the valence measure is developed in order to account for different ways, in which ratings may be interpreted. Mixed-Effects Methods are used to create a parsimonious model accounting for the systematic variation of clusters of films within the data around the population mean. The results show that the volume of word of mouth positively affects consumer decisions, indicating that they engage in observational learning. On the other hand, the valence of word of mouth is insignificant, meaning that the qualitative evaluation of motion pictures by consumers does not. influence subsequent audience decisions. These findings are attributed to the peculiar nature of motion pictures, as they are unique experience goods commonly only consumed once, have a very short life cycle, and are heavily marketing-driven, leading to a rapid decline in revenues after their opening.

This is a cultural study into China’s cyberspace focussing on romantic relationships. The research asks: how does culture influence the ways Chinese Internet users conduct romantic relationships online; and how might these relationships be seen to reproduce, extend and/or challenge the Confucian tradition governing social and familial practices, and the communist party-state’s ideologies? While the first question explores the issue of how culture may shape the ways the Internet is used in China and impact on users’ experiences of online romance, the second question examines how Chinese cultural traditions may in turn be shaped by the Internet. The aims are to understand: (1) how Chinese define and make sense of their online romantic relationships; and (2) the significance of the Internet in influencing the ways Chinese negotiate their intimacies in relation to wider familial relations, the party-state’s paternalism and the social climate of growing individualism in the society. Mixed methods triangulation is used to approach the research questions, beginning with participant observation at three domestic social sites, followed by an online survey and narrative studies. Findings show that the Internet in China is appreciated as a distinct realm on its own as much as an extension of offline everyday life. The original contribution to the digital media literature comes from recognizing the meanings and importance of exclusively Internet-based online romance for participants. These types of relationships encompass the therapeutic ethos of love stressing self-realization but ironically also feature the quintessential elements of romantic love practically used by Chinese to reinvigorate their quotidian existence. Despite deliberately exploiting the dichotomy between online and offline, Chinese Internet users ultimately accept that the two are inextricably linked. This paradox results from the tension confronting Chinese when negotiating their freedom in private love affairs with Confucian tradition and the party-state. The study draws on Giddens’ Structuration Theory and Foucault’s governmentality to account for the power struggle.

This thesis addresses a specific gap in the literature base regarding the self-reported experiences of using the internet and online social media by adolescents and young adults (young people) who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) within the UK. The research took a socially constructivist approach and used a qualitative methodology to conduct semi-structured interviews with twenty-five young people (aged 14-24) with complex communication needs. The data was collected over a period of eighteen months within a mainstream school, two specialist schools, four specialist colleges and an adult residential centre. The study is based within the context of adolescent development for young people who use AAC. Peer relationships are important to adolescents (Helseth & Misvaer, 2010) and Smith (2005) identified establishing friendships is difficult for young people who use AAC in light of their physical and complex communication challenges which increases the risk of loneliness. Using online communication technology can help mitigate feelings of loneliness with people who use AAC (Cooper, Balandin & Trembath, 2009), although significant barriers for access have been identified (McNaughton & Bryen, 2007). The views of young people who use AAC are under-represented on the topic of the internet and online social media. There are important legal obligations to seek the views of young people with disabilities (Article 12, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989; Article 21, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006) but progress has been slow to include the voices of young people with significant communication impairment (Morris, 2003; Rabiee, Sloper and Beresford 2005; Wickenden, 2009). A grounded theory approach to data analysis generated nine categories, from which the core category identified was the desire to use the internet and online social media. A theoretical grounded theory is proposed which is also refined to offer a more accessible practical application version. The proposed ground theory is then used to explore whether outcome measures, focused on social inclusion within community 2 environments, may be applicable to perceptions of social inclusion within virtual communities. The key message of the thesis is that young people who use AAC have a clear desire to use the internet and online social media, as it is perceived to offer tangible benefits that are synonymous with identified outcome measures for community-based social inclusion, but they also face many challenges, especially regarding accessibility.

This thesis is about digital social networks and associated media in the lives of young primarily middle class, people, it based on a qualitative study - using interviews, focus groups and participant observation - of university undergraduates in the United Kingdom and Australia. The study traces how, between 2005 and 2008, these students utilise what I term, 'social media' to manage ?e their social lives. My analysis of the data draws attention to the participatory nature of the technology, and characterises how such resources have become 'everyday' and are seen as essential hubs of information.

The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of social media technology -(SMT) on the mental well-being of adolescent males in Northern Ireland (NI). This involved an examination of how SMT is being used by adolescent males to create and maintain social networks online as well as how SMT has contributed to the growing phenomenon of on line help-seeking. While this area is one of growing academic interest, most of the evidence to date has been generated from adult populations with pre-established offline social networks. Thus, little is known of the impact of online social networking on younger generations. Further to this, current global concerns regarding the mental well-being of young males have called for fresh approaches to health and social care service delivery. Consequently, this project investigated the efficacy of online services by examining the current impact of online help-seeking behaviours on the mental well-being of adolescent males. The study used a two-phased mixed-methods approach within seven post-primary schools in NI. Survey questionnaires were administered to 527 adolescent males (Phase One) with eight follow-up focus group discussions (n= 56) taking place three months later (Phase Two). Phase One used validated instruments measuring mental well-being and self-efficacy, with supplementary sections on social media habits and online help-seeking behaviours. Phase Two explored key issues identified during Phase One to allow a more in-depth exploration of these themes. The findings suggested that the use of SMT among this population is set to continue. Policy makers could do well to consider the growing prominence of online social networking and produce targeted programmes to educate young people on the benefits and pitfalls of building large online 'friend' networks. Health an-d social care professionals need to recognise this generational shift to help-seeking online, in terms of providing and commissioning interpersonal helping via social media.