Although online social connectedness is increasing, many assumptions about online social network use still remain. For example, that offline social connectedness is superior to online social connectedness. This cross-sectional study addresses these assumptions by studying online and offline social connectedness in relation to happiness, in a sample of 293 young adults from Sweden, between the ages 18-48. Results show that both online and offline social connectedness was associated to happiness. Moreover, three groups varying on happiness did not differ on various forms of social connectedness; however, very happy individuals reported having more genuine online friends than all other groups. The implications of the study and future directions are discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Sociology, August 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-132).

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Communication, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-61).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Cornell University, 1994. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 458-485).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cornell University, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-142).

A Web (World Wide Web) foi uma maneira revolucionária de aproximar os indivíduos e fomentar a comunicação entre os mesmos. As plataformas que possibilitam ou facilitam a interação social muitas vezes não se traduzem em negócios sustentáveis. Parte desse problema recai sobre deficiências na definição de requisitos funcionais em devido a falta de compreensão sobre os atributos de valor na visão dos usuários (atuais ou potenciais) destes serviços. Neste contexto surgem os aplicativos sociais que englobam os mais diversos meios de compartilhamento de informações. Eles extraem, processam e classificam os dados publicados em plataformas, como as redes sociais, que podem ser definidas como o principal aplicativo social por permitir a construção de perfis públicos e semi-públicos, além de manter a interação entre usuário e conteúdo dinâmico. Cada rede social possui diferentes funcionalidades fazendo com que um usuário utilize diversas delas simultaneamente. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal levantar e analisar o valor percebido pelos usuários de três redes sociais amplamente difundidas, Facebook, Instagram e Linkedin à luz de seis categorias de atributos de valor para usuários de redes sociais: socialização, comunicação, informação, entretenimento, comercial e auto-expressão. Da mesma forma, os diferentes atributos de valor percebido serão relacionados com as funcionalidades disponíveis nestes aplicativos a fim de analisá-los e comprovar suas particularidades. Para tal, foram realizadas pesquisas com questionário, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e grupo focado. A partir dos desdobramentos dos atributos de valor em funcionalidades, torna-se possível desenvolver e comercializar com sucesso novas redes sociais ou manter redes já difundidas através da fidelização de seus clientes. Considera-se de grande importância a análise dos atributos de valor, por estes muitas vezes serem confundidos pelos usuários quando relacionados às funcionalidades existentes em redes sociais, podendo assim ser sugeridos desdobramentos desses atributos. / The Web (World Wide Web) was a revolutionary way to approach individuals and foster the communication among them. Platforms that enable or facilitate social interaction often do not become sustainable business. Part of this problem lies on deficiencies in the definition of functional requirements due to lack of understanding regarding the value given by the users (current or potential) to those services. Emerge, in this context, social applications that comprehend many different means of information sharing. Those applications extract, process and classify the published data on platforms such as social networks, which can be defined as the main social application because it allows the construction of public and semi-public profiles, and also maintain interaction between the user and the dynamic content. Each social network presents different features which makes the user to use several of them simultaneously. This research aims to understand and analyze the value given by the users of three widely disseminated social networking, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn taking into consideration six categories that can express this value of those social networking services: socialization, communication, information, entertainment, business and self-expression. Likewise, those different categories will be related to the available features in these applications in order to analyze and prove its particularities. For this purpose, surveys throughout questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focused groups were used. It is relevant to understand what is considered important by the users of social networks. Relating the Social applications tools with the perceived value by users, it becomes possible to develop and successfully sell new social networks or to maintain well known networks through customer loyalty. It is also considered the importance of analyzing the perceived value, these have often being mistaken by users as related to existing features in social networks, splits these attributes can therefore be suggested.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / SMMEs have been touted as the major driver of any economy – they create jobs, reduce poverty level and generally improve the livelihood of a society. Even with these lofty advantages, SMMEs encounter numerous challenges. These range from lack of access to funding, poor education and understanding of small business management practices. Embedded in small business management practice, is the need to undertake proper marketing. Marketing has recently featured as one of the main challenges of small businesses. Lately several marketing channels have emerged in response to this challenge. These channels have been reported to have positive impact on the bottom line of businesses. This study sought to discover whether social media platforms are deployed within the hospitality sector in the Cape Metropole, Western Cape Province, South Africa, to enhance the growth of restaurants. The study was motivated by the lack of alternative marketing channels using social media platforms, especially in the hospitality industry in the Cape Metropole. Essentially, to achieve this aim, a survey was conducted of SMMEs with employment capacity of not more than 50 employees, specifically within the hospitality sector in the Cape Metropole. A quantitative methodology was applied, using a self-administered questionnaire, distributed to 100 SMMEs in the Cape Metropole. The method of data analysis was purposive. The findings of this research indicate that most of the sampled small businesses used social media platforms. The findings also suggest that SMMEs perceived social media to have moderately effective marketing tools, with WhatsApp as the most effective, followed by Facebook and Twitter. The findings suggest that most respondents used the platform to inform their clients about a business promotion; for new product marketing; for customer loyalty, and for socialising with clients. It was found that if the highest percentage, used for socialising, was then channelled towards strategic marketing, it would significantly boost small business marketing capabilities. This could fill the gap of sustainable marketing strategies.