With growing popularity of the use of social network sites/services (SNSs) throughout the world, the global dominance of SNSs designed in the western industrialized countries, especially in the United Sates, seems to have become an inevitable trend. As internationalization has become a common practice in designing SNSs in the United States, is localization still a viable practice? Does culture still matter in designing SNSs? This dissertation aims to answer these questions by comparing the user interface (UI) designs of a U.S.-based SNS, Twitter, and a China-based SNS, Sina Weibo, both of which have assumed an identity of a “microblogging” service, a sub category of SNSs. This study employs the theoretical lens of the theory of technical identity, user-centered website cultural usability studies, and communication and media studies. By comparing the UI designs, or the “form,” of the two microblogging sites/services, I illustrate how the social functions of a technological object as embedded and expressed in the interface designs are preserved or changed as the technological object that has developed a relatively stable identity (as a microblogging site/service) in one culture is transferred between the “home” culture and another. The analysis in this study focuses on design elements relevant to users as members of networks, members of audience, and publishers/broadcasters. The results suggest that the designs carry disparate biases towards modes of communication and social affordances, which indicate a shift of the identity of microblogging service/site across cultures.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Todd F. Simon / This paper explores queer self-presentation on the social network site, Facebook, emphasizing gendered functionality, gender and queer politics and presentations of gendered identities. It provides a review of early critical cyberculture studies, identity performance and queer theoretical considerations. This study is based on hermeneutic analysis of public profile information and transformative changes of Facebook users as well as in-depth interviews of two queer Facebook users. Results indicate that queer users are always-already gendered, even in the seemingly liberal environment of a social network site, but some, aware of the restrictive structures of Facebook, manipulate presentation to negotiate adequate gender performance. With specific attention to heteronormative structures, this paper challenges former claims of the potential for social progress inherent in social network sites and calls for changes within.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:23:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paula Marcia Bonsegno Carvalho.pdf: 9004490 bytes, checksum: 4454de1bc9f65c15216f8d7f4fe48ccc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-24 / This research presents the use of gamification for learning and teaching a foreign language in a social networking environment. The research problem of the dissertation is to investigate how a gamified social networking can be constituted as an environment for learning a foreign language. The objective of this research was to identify the game´s elements present in the social networking Busuu and verify if gamification can be an engaging experience in the learning and teaching process of a foreign language. The authors based the research are: Anderson (2007, 2008), Boyd e Ellison (2007), Carolei (2012, 2015), Henri e Pudelko (2003), Hessel (2012), Huizinga (1971), Kapp (2012), Karpati (2009), Levy (1999), Mattar (2013, 2014), McGonigal (2011),McLoughlin & Lee (2007), O´Reilly (2005, 2009), Recuero (2004, 2009), Salen e Zimmerman (2012), Vianna (2013), Warschauer (1996,1998) Wenger (1998), Werbach & Hunter (2012), Zichermann e Cunningham (2011), Zourou (2012, 2013). The methodology used is part of the typology of Social Research with a qualitative approach and contemplated the creation of a database with the data collected of a questionnaire. As the survey results, it is noted that the game´s elements present in the context of Social Networking Site for Language Learning, when carefully used, enable an environment for teaching and learning a foreign language, favoring a possibility of communication in authentic contexts, engaging users in collaborative activities and generating interest in their learning. Therefore, this dissertation brings to reflection the educational potential in the environment present of a gamified social network and how such technologies can enable new and different ways of constructing knowledge in foreign language / Este estudo apresenta o uso da gamificação no ensino e aprendizagem de língua estrangeira em um ambiente de rede social. O problema da pesquisa investiga como uma rede social gamificada pode se constituir enquanto ambiente para o ensino e a aprendizagem de língua estrangeira. O objetivo principal busca identificar os elementos de jogos que estão presentes na rede social Busuu e procura verificar se a gamificação pode ser uma experiência engajante no processo ensinoaprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira. Os autores que embasaram esta pesquisa são: Anderson (2007, 2008), Boyd e Ellison (2007), Carolei (2012, 2015), Henri e Pudelko (2003), Hessel (2012), Huizinga (1971), Kapp (2012), Karpati (2009), Levy (1999), Mattar (2013, 2014), McGonigal (2011),McLoughlin & Lee (2007), O´Reilly (2005, 2009), Recuero (2004, 2009), Salen e Zimmerman (2012), Vianna (2013), Warschauer (1996,1998) Wenger (1998), Werbach & Hunter (2012), Zichermann e Cunningham (2011), Zourou (2012, 2013). A metodologia utilizada insere-se na tipologia da pesquisa de campo com abordagem qualitativa. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um questionário enviado aos usuários do Busuu. Como resultados da pesquisa, salienta-se que os elementos de jogos presentes no contexto de uma rede social para aprendizagem de línguas, quando cuidadosamente aplicados, possibilitam um ambiente para ensino e aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira, favorecem a possibilidade de comunicação em contextos autênticos, engajam os usuários em atividades colaborativas e geram interesse pela sua aprendizagem. Por final, o texto apresenta uma reflexão sobre o potencial educacional presente em um ambiente de uma rede social gamificada e conclui que tais tecnologias podem permitir novas e diferentes formas de construção do conhecimento de uma língua estrangeira

Facebook is a social network that has more than 1.5 billion active members. With the term ‘active’ we mean users who sign in at least once every day on Facebook. Sharing personal information has become a popular activity within the development of all the social networks. Facebook, for instance, contains settings for privacy that allow the user to adjust how "far" the user wants to share his/her own personal information. The problem comes when this can lead to private issues and concerns. The aim of this research was to study the privacy issues perceptions of people within two different ranges of ages, under and over 35 years old. Firstly, we analysed how much people know about privacy on Facebook, and then we tried to understand if there are similarities or differences between those two groups. We thought it would be interesting to know the current state of this phenomena and there was no much research done in Sweden about it. The research was conducted using the mixed method because we wanted to get more global responses from a larger number of respondents in a survey and we wanted to get more detailed answers from an open questionnaire through interviews. We intended to know how is the general knowledge about privacy on Facebook among Swedes. The results showed that people who belonged to the adults group took slightly more care on their privacy than the young-adults group. Also, we discovered that, in general, people are more informed about the risks coming from privacy leaks than a few years ago.

The aim of this thesis is to explore the different types of user motivation to participate in online art communities and confront them with the possibilities these communities offer. The first chapter is devoted to the issue of motivation in terms of psychology, basic concepts and their relation to the researched topic. The second chapter focuses on the basic concepts of virtual communities. These topics serve as the theoretical basis for the third chapter that focuses on online art community itself: definition of this term, recognition of the basic types of these communities, types of users and their motivation to enter and participate. The chapter concludes with the following types of motivation being confronted with the possibilities online art communities offer to their users. The last chapter deals with empirical research aimed at finding dominant forms of motivation, comparing different types of users, exploring their relationship with other users as well as habits in sharing their own creations. Based on results the partial recommendations to the creators of the community websites on which these communities grow are formulated.

fman's theory in order to investigate how book features Goffman's two principal performative - First section of the thesis introduces Goffman's theory and frames the phenomenon of social provides a qualitative content analysis of 50 Facebook "profiles" and 733

Depuis le début du XXIe siècle, un type particulier d’images a envahi l’espace public constitué par Internet : il s’agit des images principales de profil, ces images que les utilisateurs de sites de réseaux sociaux choisissent pour les représenter auprès des autres individus connectés. Comme le plus souvent il s’agit d’une image du corps de celui ou celle qui s’affiche ainsi, il est intéressant de s’intéresser à cette pratique en la rattachant à des pratiques plus anciennes. Dans un premier temps, cette étude présente donc une perspective socio-historique en notant la ressemblance de la pratique de l’image principale de profil avec celle de l’autoportrait et du portrait commandé. Cela permet de remarquer plusieurs points de rupture ou d’inflexion dans l’usage de ce type d’images, mais aussi d’en dégager les usages sociaux typiques. Ensuite, l’observation d’un lieu particulier d’Internet permet de tirer les conclusions suivantes : si l’usage principal de ces images est facile à expliquer, elles servent à symboliser une présence dans des lieux non accessibles aux corps sensibles, ces images montrent toujours des éléments qui permettent de déduire une position sociale et elles sont fondamentalement identiques aux images produites avant Internet. Ensuite, l’étude de ces images montre qu’il y a un véritable continuum dans la manière de dévoiler son intimité qui permet d’affirmer que la frontière entre public et privé n’existe pas sur Internet. Finalement, ces images montrent une absence de canon quant à leur production et une multiplicité des façons de se mettre en scène qui laissent à penser qu’elles sont devenues des symboles à part entière dans la communication qui peut s’établir entre des étrangers sur Internet. / Since the beginning of the century, a new type of images is becoming more and more common in the public space built on the Internet : the profile’s main picture, these images network sites’ users are using to symbolize their self. It’s generally a picture of the Internet user’s body, which leads to a practice already existing. The first step of this essay is a sociohistorical perspective allowed by noticing that profile’s main picture are often self-portraits. It is then possible to establish a continuity between the practices of past centuries and what is visible on the Internet nowadays. The study of self-produced body images shows a gradual spread of their use from the wealthy to the lower strata of society until the mid-twentieth century. They were used mainly to show social status. After falling into disuse, this type of image is now used by one out of three persons worldwide. The observation of a particular Internet web site has allowed the collection of hundreds of main profile’s pictures. Their analysis has the following conclusions: If the main use of these images is to symbolize a presence in areas not accessible to sensitive body, these images still show elements that can be used to infer a social position and are substantially identical to the images produced before the Internet. Then, the study of these images shows that there is a real continuum in the way someone’s intimacy is revealed proving that the border between the public and the private does not exist on the Internet. Finally, these images show a lack of canon on their production and a multiplicity of ways of staging that suggest they have become meaningful symbols in the communication that can be established between strangers on the Internet.

This thesis aims to describe and analyze the process of construction of otherness, use of humour and taste performance on Facebook page Divnolidi z Brna a okolí. Theoretical background explores contemporary approaches to the research of social network sites (particulary on privacy and sharing; a separate chapter is devoted to Facebook social network site), sociological term of taste as the instrument for social distinction (here, the study is primarily based on the work of Pierre Bourdieu), interdisciplinary concept of otherness (in which we examine works of Mary Douglas, Stuart Hall and Marc Augé) as well as theoretical approach to humour called theory of superiority. We conducted a quantitative description of Divnolidi z Brna a okolí page and a qualitative analysis (a method often called "data-crawling") of 47 page posts. Analytical section of this study focuses on answering following questions: What types of posts can be found on the site? How are individuals captured in these posts perceived? How do the users perceive taste / otherness of the captured individuals? Where were these "weird people" (in Czech language "divnolidi") spotted and how do the users perceive these places? Furthermore, we analyze the use of humour by the page users and the way they react to the site's policy and other...

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