Research suggests that personality may dictate specific Internet behaviours or preferences. However, literature to date has been piecemeal and has tended to focus on generic use. One area that remains relatively unexplored is the influence of personality on engagement with social networking sites (SNSs). The current thesis aims to fill this gap by exploring the influence of personality on motivations for using SNSs and behavioural patterns within them. Eysenck’s EPQ-R short form (extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism) and Beck’s SAS (sociotropy and autonomy) were used to explore personality, both globally and specifically. Phase one of the thesis employs a ‘uses and gratifications’ framework to investigate how personality may predict motivations for using SNSs. Principal component analysis identified ten distinct motivational components, which were then successfully predicted by personality variables through regression analyses. It is therefore suggested that differing personality types vary greatly in their reasoning behind SNS usage. Results support theoretical assumptions. Phase two of the research looked at Facebook behaviours and profile construction. A content analysis of participant profiles was conducted with the help of questionnaire methodology. Data analysis suggests that personality was not a particularly strong predictor of self-presentational differences in this context; although subtle differences were present. The final phase of the research explored the perceived Facebook experience of users. A thematic analysis of an online student discussion board was conducted in order to generate distinct themes surrounding Facebook outcomes. These were used within Q Methodology to generate a concourse, through which Q sort statements were derived. Results generated four shared viewpoints of the Facebook experience, which were subsequently associated with personality through the use of traditional R methods. Again, although not particularly strong, theoretically supported associations can be seen. The thesis explores personality within SNS use in a depth previously unexplored. The conclusion makes theoretically-sound assumptions surrounding personality and SNS use as a media choice.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A pesquisa que aqui apresentamos tem como objetivo analisar, a partir da atual conjuntura política e econômica, as contradições entre as representações de desenvolvimento que perpassam o Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar (PRONAF), enquanto política de crédito, e os usos que os camponeses fazem dessa política, a partir da prática. Além da pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e da análise de dados secundários, este trabalho também se amparou em trabalho de campo. Sabendo que o PRONAF é uma política de desenvolvimento, julgamos necessário realizar uma reflexão acerca da prática e das representações mobilizadas pelo discurso do desenvolvimento, compreendendo-o enquanto discurso de dominação. Dessa maneira, situamos o PRONAF como uma política que veicula, a partir de suas ações, as representações de desenvolvimento, sem, contudo subsumir tal política ao movimento global, mas considerando a própria dialética inerente ao programa. Compreendidas as representações que dão sustentação ao PRONAF, partimos para um segundo movimento, que procura compreender os usos que os camponeses fazem do PRONAF. Assim selecionamos quatro comunidades camponesas do município de Sapé-PB, são elas: Barra de Antas, Padre Gino, Maraú e Lagoa do Félix. Nestas comunidades, pudemos apreender subversões quase ocultas que os camponeses impõem ao programa, subversões produzidas a partir da vida cotidiana. É nesse segundo momento que o concebido se encontra com o vivido, na vida cotidiana, sem reduzi-la à sua norma. / The present research aims to analyze, from the current political and economic situation, the contradictions between the representations of development that underlie the Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar (PRONAF), related to credit policies and its use by the peasants. Beyond the literature, documents and secondary data analysis, this paper also had been endorsed in fieldwork. Understanding PRONAF as a development policy, it was necessary to carry out a reflection on practices and representations deployed by development discourse, analyzing it as a discourse of domination. Thus, PRONAF is understood as a policy that conveys, from their actions, the representations of development, though without subsume such a policy to the global movement, but considering the very dialectics inherent to the program. As long as we understand the representations that support PRONAF, we are able to seek to understand the PRONAFs uses by the peasants. So we selected four rural communities in the municipality of Sapé-PB: Barra de Antas, Padre Gino, Maraú and Lagoa do Félix. In these communities, it was noticed some almost hidden subversions that peasants impose on the program, these subversions are produced from everyday life. In the second stage the conceived faces the lived in everyday life, without reducing it to its norm.

Essa dissertação analisa o movimento de transformação do conjunto arquitetônico da antiga Estrada de Ferro Sorocabana - em Sorocaba - resultado de um movimento de perda de prestígio na dinâmica dos transportes, por um lado, e de valorização como suporte da memória, por outro. Esse complexo ferroviário, fruto do ideário de desenvolvimento e progresso da segunda metade do século XIX, é composto por aproximadamente quarenta construções e que incluiu oficinas, escola, depósito, barracões, armazéns, centro recreativo etc. Ocupa uma área total de 199.000m2 numa região bem localizada, urbanizada e valorizada da cidade. Ao longo do tempo, a maior parte de suas edificações perderam suas funções originais, ganharam novos usos sociais e, recentemente, a maior parte do conjunto foi tombado como patrimônio. Olhar atentamente para seus usos sociais e projetos para a área e verificar suas compatibilidades com um espaço tombado é a preocupação central dessa dissertação / This dissertation analizes the transformation of the architectural complex of the former Sorocaba Railway in Sorocaba, SP as a result of a movement of loss of prestige in the transport dynamics, on the one hand, and of valorization as a support of memory, on the other. This railway complex, which was the fruit of the development and progress of the second half of the 19th century, consists of approximately forty buildings, including workshops, schools, warehouses, sheds, lodgements, recreative centers, etc. It occupies a total area of 199.000 m2, in a well located, urbanized and valued area of the city. Over time, most of its buildings have lost their original functions, gaining new social uses, and recently most of the buildings have been designated as a site of cultural heritage. Looking closely at their social uses and projects for the area and verifying their compatibility with those of a protected site is the central concern of this dissertation

Essa dissertação analisa o movimento de transformação do conjunto arquitetônico da antiga Estrada de Ferro Sorocabana - em Sorocaba - resultado de um movimento de perda de prestígio na dinâmica dos transportes, por um lado, e de valorização como suporte da memória, por outro. Esse complexo ferroviário, fruto do ideário de desenvolvimento e progresso da segunda metade do século XIX, é composto por aproximadamente quarenta construções e que incluiu oficinas, escola, depósito, barracões, armazéns, centro recreativo etc. Ocupa uma área total de 199.000m2 numa região bem localizada, urbanizada e valorizada da cidade. Ao longo do tempo, a maior parte de suas edificações perderam suas funções originais, ganharam novos usos sociais e, recentemente, a maior parte do conjunto foi tombado como patrimônio. Olhar atentamente para seus usos sociais e projetos para a área e verificar suas compatibilidades com um espaço tombado é a preocupação central dessa dissertação / This dissertation analizes the transformation of the architectural complex of the former Sorocaba Railway in Sorocaba, SP as a result of a movement of loss of prestige in the transport dynamics, on the one hand, and of valorization as a support of memory, on the other. This railway complex, which was the fruit of the development and progress of the second half of the 19th century, consists of approximately forty buildings, including workshops, schools, warehouses, sheds, lodgements, recreative centers, etc. It occupies a total area of 199.000 m2, in a well located, urbanized and valued area of the city. Over time, most of its buildings have lost their original functions, gaining new social uses, and recently most of the buildings have been designated as a site of cultural heritage. Looking closely at their social uses and projects for the area and verifying their compatibility with those of a protected site is the central concern of this dissertation

We live in an age where science fiction is quickly becoming science fact. Dick Tracy's 2-way wrist TVs are Apple Watches. Automated smart homes are plentiful. Cars are now able to drive themselves. And in those cars, riders no longer need to depend on a deejay to choose their music for them; these listeners build their own radio stations, on the spot, out of any music and conversation they want to hear, all at the touch of a button that is fully connected to Wi-Fi, the internet, and unlimited cell data plans.This research will examine digital radio's impact upon traditional radio in the current media environment. It will first take a look at the history of radio, specifically examining radio's reaction and adaptation when a new form of competitive media moved into the mass communication environment, and how radio fared in the face of that competition. The research will then look at uses and gratifications for both traditional and digital radio, which will be analyzed using media niche theory. From this, we will ascertain the niche breadth of each medium, as well as how much overlap exists between the two, and finally, which medium achieves niche superiority over the other in terms of gratifications observed.

A large majority of the people throughout the world own a smartphone and access social media on a daily basis. Because of this digital attachment, the author sought to understand to what extent this use has impacted the users' emotional well-being and offline interpersonal relationships. A sample size of 627 participants completed a mixed-methods survey consisting of Likert scale and short answer questions regarding social media use, emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships. Results revealed that the more time an individual spent on social media the more likely they were to experience a negative impact on their overall emotional well-being and decreased quality in their relationships. Emotional well-being also mediated the relationship between time spent using social media and the quality of that user's relationships, meaning that the more time a person spent on social media the more likely their emotional well-being declined which then negatively impacted their relationships. The top three responses for negative effects of social media use on emotions were frustration, depression, and social comparison. The top three responses for negative effects of social media use on interpersonal relationships were distraction, irritation, and decreased quality time with their significant other in offline settings. An analysis of these, and other, results, along with relative implications, are discussed.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the doctor-patient relationship in China has become increasingly confusing to observers. On the one hand, insiders of the medical discipline believed that the doctor-patient relationship could not even be worse. On the other hand, Chinese health care professionals appeared to be much more popular than they used to be. On the leading social media site, Weibo, many health care professionals managed to transform themselves into celebrities by producing content and interacting with ordinary social media users. These grassroots celebrity physicians have obtained tens of thousands, and even millions, of social media fans on Weibo, and they initiated online conversations about public controversies surrounding health and medicine, such as the doctor-patient relationship, health care reform, the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and so on. The seemingly conflicting phenomena reflected the crises Chinese health care professionals were facing and their struggles to free themselves from these crises. Distrusted by the public, health care professionals attempted to repair their reputations and to rebuild a relationship of trust through their efforts in cyberspace. In other words, health care professionals' social media activities were largely a response to the frustrations they had experienced in their professional careers. In turn, being liked by numerous social media users reflected the publics' need to have direct conversations with health care professionals. This study used textual analysis, in-depth interviews, and surveys 1) to explore Chinese celebrity physicians' motivations for and gratifications obtained from establishing a professional presence via social media; 2) to examine the online conversations between celebrity physicians and their social media fans; and 3) to discuss the potential medical, political, and cultural outcomes of their online activities. Results of the study suggested that celebrity physicians in China mainly used social media to achieve three goals: to increase public health literacy, to rebuild their professional identities, and to push the government to make changes to the current health care system. Accordingly, celebrity physicians were found to play multiple roles on Weibo: medical experts, opinion leaders, and celebrities. Each of these roles were performed and recognized by their social media fans in different ways, indicating the complexity of virtual social networks. By analyzing Chinese celebrity physicians' online narratives and examining the factors that shaped their online activities, the project further explored the sociological factors contributing to digital media use, revealed the multiple connections contributing to the formation of virtual social networks comprised of celebrity physicians and their social media followers, and studied the presentation of cultural tension in cyberspace. From the practical perspective, future scholars and advocates could use the findings of this study to better design health and science campaigns. From the theoretical perspective, this study expanded the scope of the uses and gratifications approach, proposed new angles for examining the doctor-patient and the celebrity-fan relationships, and discussed the online presentation of, and inherent nuances contributing to, cultural conflicts.