The increasing popularity of sites like Facebook causes content providers to reassess how and where to provide their information in order to reach the most users through user interaction with content. As such, news providers are building content not only to be online specific, but also to be Facebook specific. This study investigates the communication framework that exists when people interact on Facebook to express approval or disapproval on posted topics. Moreover, it studies what codes and conventions presented in Facebook site architecture shape user reaction on specific topics. Lastly, this study investigates the connection between user reaction on topics and the rated level of closeness of respondents and their Facebook friends. / text

This study validated and evaluated the feasibility of a web-based electronic behavior assessment system, ‘eBA’, designed to facilitate collaboration between caregivers and service providers (behavior analysts) in conducting indirect functional behavior assessment (FBA). In Phase 1, the content and the web architecture of the eBA were validated and refined through a formative evaluation by five behavior analysts. In Phase 2, the eBA system was pilot tested with 10 service providers and 10 caregivers using a post-test only control group design to examine the efficiency and quality of the system and identify the levels of satisfaction with the system by the service providers and caregivers. The results indicated that the eBA system components were appropriate to conduct indirect FBA and useful for use by caregivers and service providers collaboratively, gathered quality information, and showed higher levels of caregiver and service provider satisfaction, compared to traditional paper-pencil format of assessment.

Background: Researchers have investigated display advertising in the past several years from different perspectives but only in connection to traditional Web sites and not specifically for social networking sites. Facebook is the most prominent social networking site in terms of number of users and its main source of revenue is its online advertising business. Having display advertising in their virtual space is the reason why social networks are able to offer free service and as such the need to understand how users perceive it arises The most important way of understanding users’ perceptions about the advertis- ing messages is by studying attitudes. In order to understand the attitudes toward Facebook display advertising, it is necessary to examine the factors that affect the attitude-toward-the-ad. Ad perceptions, ad credibility, attitude toward advertisers, attitude toward advertising and mood have been identified by previous researchers as clearly influencing the attitude toward specific ads. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate user’s attitude toward display advertising on Facebook by identifying the main factors that influence the formation of attitudes. Method: In order to fulfill the purpose and uncover the main factors that influence the attitude towards display advertising on Facebook, a qualitative research has been conducted. Both a primary and a secondary data search was per- formed. The primary data was collected by carrying out semistructured interviews with students at Jönköping University which resulted in a number of 20 respondents. The secondary data was gathered through the use of the resources available at the university library, both digital and paper based. Internet Web sites have also been reviewed when needed. Conclusions: The authors found that users display an accepting, positive attitude toward display advertising on Facebook. There have been identified five main fac- tors influencing Facebook users’ attitude and these are ad credibility, ad perceptions, attitude toward the advertiser, informativeness and lack of irritation. Moreover, the informativeness factor was found to have the greatest influence in terms of the behavior Facebook users have toward display advertising.

Syftet med den här studien är att, genom att kontrollera sambandet mellan ungdomars Internetanvändning och deras åsikter kring hur ungdomar bör uttrycka sig på Internet, undersöka vilken typ av Internetanvändare som är mer eller mindre sannolik att acceptera, utföra eller utsättas för aggressiva/provocerande beteenden på Internet. Studien utfördes genom en kvantitativ enkätundersökning där 139 gymnasieelever från en medelstor stad i Hallands län fick svara på frågor om deras Internetvanor och deras åsikter kring beteenden på Internet. Därefter utfördes olika statistiska test i SPSS för att undersöka sambandet mellan deltagarnas Internetanvändning och deras åsikter om beteenden på Internet. Studien kom fram till att det finns ett samband mellan ungdomars aggressiva/provocerande beteenden på Internet och hur ungdomar använder Internet. Studien visar även ett samband mellan ungdomars utsatthet for aggressiva/provocerande beteenden och hur de använder Internet. Dessutom visar studien att ungdomar uppfattar sig själva generellt som bättre uppträdande än andra ungdomar, men anser varken att andra ungdomar uttrycker sig aggressivt/provocerande eller särskilt välbemötande. / The purpose of this study is the investigate adolescents’ opinions concerning online behaviors to find out whether they accept, use or are victims of aggressive/provocative behaviors online. By investigating the connection between adolescents’ use of Internet and their opinions of how other adolescents should behave online the study aims to find out which type of user is more likely to engage in aggressive/provocative behaviors online. A quantitative survey was carried out on 139 upper secondary school students at a school in an average sized city in Halland’s county. The participants answered questions concerning their online habits and their opinions about online behavior. To analyze the results the computer program SPSS was used in order to investigate the connection between the participants’ online habits and their opinions about online behavior. The study concluded that there is a connection between upper secondary students’ aggressive/provocative behaviors online and their online habits. The study also shows that there is a connection between adolescent’s exposure to these kinds of behaviors and their Internet habits. Finally, the study shows that adolescents’ interpret themselves as less aggressive/provocative than their peers, although they interpret other adolescents’ as neither aggressive/provocative nor particularly polite.

abstract: Technology is rapidly evolving, and mental health professionals are increasingly using technology in their clinical work. In reaction to this shift, it is important that research examines the ethical implications of online behaviors. The current study examined the online practices of graduate students in the mental health field and generated prediction models for online client searches and best practices in informed consent and online disclosure. The sample consisted of 316 graduate students in counseling, clinical, and school programs. Of those with clinical experience, a third had utilized the Internet to find information about their client. Progress in the participants' program, as measured by credits completed or in progress, and years of social networking experience were positively related to online client searches. The vast majority (over 80%) of individuals who conducted an online search did not obtain informed consent prior to the search. Curiosity was the most frequent reason given for conducting a client search. Previous professional discussions and belief that information online is private were not significant predictors of obtaining informed consent. The final analysis examined disclosure of client information and found that lower scores on ethical decision-making and years of social networking experience predicted online disclosure. This study is an important step in understanding the implications of the intersection of technology use, ethics, and clinical practice of graduate mental health professionals. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.C. Counseling Psychology 2012

The concept of privacy has proven difficult to analyze because of its subjective nature and susceptibility to psychological and contextual influences. This study challenges the concept of privacy as a valid construct for addressing individuals' concerns regarding online disclosure of personal information, based on the premise that underlying behavioral traits offer a more reliable and temporally stable measure of privacy-oriented behavior than do snapshots of environmentally induced emotional states typically measured by opinion polls. This study investigated the relationship of personality characteristics associated with individuals' general privacy-related behavior to their online privacy behaviors and concerns. Two latent constructs, Functional Privacy Orientation and Online Privacy Orientation, were formulated. Functional Privacy Orientation is defined as a general measure of individuals' perception of control over their privacy. It was measured using the factors General Disclosiveness, Locus of Control, Generalized Trust, Risk Orientation, and Risk Propensity as indicator variables. Online Privacy Orientation is defined as a measure of individuals' perception of control over their privacy in an online environment. It was measured using the factors Willingness to Disclose Online, Level of Privacy Concern, Information Management Privacy Concerns, and Reported Online Disclosure as indicator variables. A survey questionnaire that included two new instruments to measure online disclosure and a willingness to disclose online was used to collect data from a sample of 274 adults. Indicator variables for each of the latent constructs, Functional Privacy Orientation and Online Privacy Orientation, were evaluated using corrected item-total correlations, factor analysis, and coefficient alpha. The measurement models and relationship between Functional Privacy Orientation and Online Privacy Orientation were assessed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling respectively. The structural model supported the hypothesis that Functional Privacy Orientation significantly influences Online Privacy Orientation. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications and suggestions for analysis of privacy concerns and behavior are presented.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the different consumption attitudes of generation X & Y and their privacy concerns regards to company’s use of online behavior advertisement (hereafter referred to as OBA) Research questions: RQ1. What are the differences in consumption behavior between generations X and Y regarding the effect of OBA? RQ2. What are the differences between Generation X & Y regarding privacy concerns about OBA? Method: Due to this thesis’s purpose and research questions, a quantitative method was chosen which investigated 3 hypotheses that are used to answer the purpose and research questions. The survey was distributed through Facebook and led to the respondent group consisting of 281 respondents from both generations X & Y. The answers were analyzed by using t-tests in IBM SPSS 26. Conclusion: This thesis concluded that there is a significant difference between generation X & Y. Generation Y are less concerned about their privacy and have a more positive view of personalized content. Generation Y is more likely to click on advertisements that come up for them as well as appreciating adapted advertisements. This could explain why OBA has gained increased interest over the years from marketers and companies. The results also indicated that a majority never clear their web browser from cookies which is one of the cornerstones for OBA to work, which may indicate that both generations want customized content when using the internet and social media

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Previous research has found that users' interactions with others in online environments are often guided by the same rules and stereotypes we apply in our everyday lives. However, fewer studies have used virtual worlds as an experimental setting for the systematic examination of how avatar appearance and offline identity affect the outcome of users' actual interactions. This online field experiment measured the effect of avatar attractiveness, avatar gender, purported user gender, and favor size on the rate at which users received help across 2,300 separate user interactions. In addition, the main study's avatar gender, purported user gender, and favor size manipulations were replicated with a human avatar condition with 761 participants to examine whether trends for these factors' effects were similar with human avatars. In the main study, attractive avatars generally received more help than less attractive avatars. However, purported female users were helped less frequently than purported male users when represented by avatars that were either male or less attractive. Trends in the human avatar condition were similar to those observed in the main study. Implications for avatar-mediated communication and the persistence of sex roles in virtual environments are discussed. / Master of Arts

Unfiltered online language use is most visible where social media sites highlight power injustices such as racism, homophobia, feminism and sexism, which in turn sometimes promotes behavior such as cyber-bullying or internet-trolling. Women have been explicit targets for cyber-bullying and internet-trolling. The linguistic sub-field of gender and language considers questions of how language is used by and about men and women. This is a language and gender study with focus on a gender vocabulary and gendered language use in an online social media forum. This study aims to reveal the linguistic patterns in the discussions about genders. This was represented by YouTube video where one man and one woman, engaged in a debate on misogyny in comedy. The research was done through a qualitative and a quantitative research, by studying the comment section regarding the YouTube video. The results show that there are two different ways of how and what people tend to focus on when talking about men and women. For a woman, her appearance will most likely be in focus while, when talking about a man, it is the man’s performance that is of relevance. The asymmetry is that men are discussed with regards to what they are saying while women are evaluated for how they are saying it, and what they look like saying it.