In recent years, social networking sites have become a prevailing communication technology in the evolution of the digital era for today’s Internet users (Ipsos Insight 2007). As more and more marketers attempt to harness the power of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites (Williamson 2006), rigorous investigation of determinants that lead to consumers’ engagement in eWOM via the social networks is becoming critical. A central question to answer is what factors influence eWOM behavior in social networking sites and what are the underlying processes of eWOM communications in this new social medium. This study focuses on five social relationship variables: social capital, tie strength, homophily, trust, and consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence that are all related to eWOM behavior in social networking sites. An online survey with a sample drawn from a large southwestern university was conducted to examine predictors of eWOM in social networking sites. Results from a series of multiple regression analyses indicate that certain social relationship variables are significant predictors that relate to social networking site users’ eWOM behavior. Out of the five relationship variables, social capital, homophily, trust, and interpersonal influence were found to significantly relate to users’ engagement in eWOM communications, whereas no effect was found with regard to tie strength. My dissertation research provides a theoretical understanding of consumers’ use of social networking sites as a vehicle for eWOM and contributes to the literature on computer-mediated communication with specific emphasis on online social media. Managerially, findings from this research could provide marketers with valuable information to establish their long-term relationships with consumers and use beneficial eWOM to promote selected brands. In conclusion, examining social relationships in social networking sites could contribute to our understanding of the determinants of consumer engagement in eWOM, which in turn influences the extent and pattern of eWOM and enables companies to deliberate their product diffusion strategies. / text

Previous research has provided insights into factors influencing attitudes toward advertising in general, and those factors influencing attitudes toward advertising in a particular medium. However, attitudes towards Facebook advertising, especially those of Generation Y, have received relatively little research attention, especially in the South African context. The Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) are heavy users of Facebook, and access the site on a daily basis. In South Africa, approximately 20 million of the country’s population of 52 982 000 fall into the Generation Y cohort; this makes them a salient market segment. Those engaged in tertiary education are of particular interest to marketers as a tertiary qualification is often an indication of higher future earning potential, and higher social status within a community. The purpose of this study was to propose and test a model of the possible determinants and inhibitors of Generation Y students‟ attitudes towards advertising, in the Facebook environment, within the South African context. The proposed model suggests that information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity and trust in site are predictors of attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment, while invasiveness of advertisements and time cost are inhibitors of attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment. The study hypothesised that information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity, trust in site, invasiveness of advertisements and time cost impact on Generation Y students‟ perceived value of advertisements on Facebook that in turn directly influence attitudes towards advertising on Facebook. The study followed a descriptive research design using a single cross-sectional sample and a self-administered survey questionnaire. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 students enrolled at three public higher education institutions (HEIs) of South Africa located in the Gauteng Province was drawn for the study. Lecturers at the three HEIs were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be distributed to their students during class. Of the questionnaires completed, there were 306 usable self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, Pearson’s Product-Moment correlation analysis and structural equation modelling. Before testing and confirming the hypothesised construct paths, a measurement model was developed based on the exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis. The results of the correlation analysis showed that invasiveness of advertisements and time cost did not have a significant relationship with the two endogenous constructs of value and attitude towards advertisements on Facebook. As such, the measurement model excluded these two constructs. The measurement model identified seven latent variables identifying attitudes towards advertisements in the Facebook environment as a seven-factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed, and the results confirmed the existence of convergent and discriminant validity. The measuring scale of this study also demonstrated composite reliability. The initial structural model (Structural Model A) hypothesised that information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity and site trust directly influence perceived value, which, in turn, influences overall attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment. Despite the fit indices indicating the overall fit of the hypothesised structural model as acceptable, the path between self-brand congruity and value, as well as the path between site trust and value, were negative and not significant. As such, a revised model based on the original measurement framework was tested. The revised structural model (Structural Model B) was tested to determine whether self-brand congruency and site trust have a direct positive influence on Generation Y students‟ overall attitude to advertising in the Facebook environment, rather than an indirect influence via their influence on perceived value. In Structural Model B, information value, entertainment value and credibility have a significant positive influence on Generation Y students‟ perceived value of advertisements on Facebook, and perceived value has a significant positive influence on attitudes towards advertisements on Facebook. Similar to the findings of previous studies, Structural Model B revealed that self-brand congruity and site trust have a significant positive and direct influence on Generation Y student‟ overall attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment. Furthermore, the revised model (Structural Model B) appears to fit the data better than that of Structural Model B. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the area of attitude towards advertising by empirically testing a model of factors influencing Generation Y‟s attitudes towards advertising in the Facebook environment, and ascertaining which factors act as antecedents to successful advertising on Facebook. It suggested that attitude towards advertising in the Facebook environment is a seven-factor structure composed of overall attitude, information value, entertainment value, credibility, self-brand congruity, trust in site and perceived value. The study also offers recommendations and guidance for marketers who seek to incorporate Facebook in their marketing communication mix. / PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Internet and Social Networking Services have made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger and consumer can easily ‘Google’ the cheapest airlines, find reviews and opinions online or look up the restaurant whose name was on the tip of their tongue (Sparrow et al., 2011). Organisations must focus on developing methods of reaching and servicing customers that appeal to a new generation and utilise the advantages of new media (Moutinho et al., 2011). Social networking services, (mobile) websites, location-based services, and group bargaining are among the most recent forms of brand building and reputation management used by organisations to appeal to their stakeholders. Considering reputation management as a strategic necessity of building and sustaining competitive advantage, this thesis applies the discourse of the postmodern branding, Integrated Marketing Communications and Brand Tribalism within the context of online tourism and hospitality. No previous study has covered and combined the fractured knowledge of reputation management, brand tribes and integrated marketing communications within the hospitality industry, and therefore this work is an original and systematic study of the possibilities and pitfalls of the research area. Combining non-participant netnographic method and semi-structured management interviews, 164 hotels and 43 restaurants from seven countries were studied with the aim to find evidence on four different problem settings; (a) the general challenges found in the hospitality SNS presence and activities; (b) the formation of an online tribe within the hospitality context; (c) the effect of peer reviews, tribal activism, and entertainment provision in SNS, and (d) the means and effects of managing SNS’s interactions and implementation of IMC into the reputation management process. The findings of this study suggest that the management of the hospitality reputation is continual, and requires resources and well-articulated integration to overall strategy and vision of managing strategic relationships. The study concludes that by adapting the recommended Ambient Reputation Management framework it is possible to expand the exposure, and enhance the general feelings towards the company and its products and services. Furthermore, the study postulates that providing entertainment and non-factual conversation topics, besides responding to customer needs, are the most effective stimuli in the brand-related engagement enhancement process. These findings enable management to define the service brand’s promise in terms of how the practical and emotional tenets should be blended to grow brand personality in the minds of potential stakeholders. Finally this study accentuates the generation of brand awareness through the growing rapport between the brand and the consumers towards the formation of a brand tribe, and materialisation of an active tribal loop; and that taking advantage of the web analytics from the actions to measure the resultant brand awareness is a key element of Ambient Reputation Management.

Traditional communications media has been transformed and reshaped with the introduction of the Internet and its technologies. The Internet has massively evolved over time, and the World Wide Web or otherwise referred to as Web 1.0 has developed to what is so called Web 2.0. The explosive diffusion of this global system has fostered the emergence of Web-based communities supported by the existence of globally connected individuals. As both the number of World Wide Web virtual community sites and users has expanded and grown quickly, these communities have become a subject of study to researchers of multiple disciplines. However, sustaining a successful operation of any Web 2.0 community depends on the continuous participation of its own users. It is massively important to maintain committed members in terms of continuous participation. Yet, their level of participation might vary depending on one‘s personal, social, situational, and cultural influences that eventually affect their intentions and behaviour on whether to continue or discontinue participating in that community. Facebook as a particular Web 2.0 community has been used as an exemplary case study in this research reflecting the drivers of its continuous usage in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Moreover, very few studies on Web 2.0 communities covered the Middle East area and more specifically there is almost absence of research in Jordan on how users of Facebook along with their cultural and behavioural influences would continue using this Web 2.0 community or not. Therefore, this study tackles this issue to investigate the influences affecting the continuous participation in these communities This research develops a conceptual framework that can be used as an instrument to guide empirical work in the field of Web 2.0 communities. The empirical context of the research is random Facebook users in Jordan, where data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Results and findings show that Personal attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control has shown to be all significant and highly influential on affecting users‘ intentions to continue participating on Facebook, perceived behavioural control (i.e. facilitating conditions, controllability) ranked the highest in its significance towards examining users’ intentions to continue participating on Facebook. Followed by the subjective norms (i.e. critical mass, compliance, and informational influences), then ranked the personal attitude (i.e. satisfaction, compatibility). Results have proved that most Facebook users in Jordan do participate on this site in the first place to deliver epistemic value elements, not with a much difference came the social value after, then ranked the hedonic third. The utilitarian value proved to be insignificant by all means, therefore, users intend to continue participating on Facebook despite of the perceived value elements to be delivered. Interestingly, analysis have proved the insignificance of the three cultural dimensions (i.e. masculinity vs. Femininity, individualism vs. Collectivism, and long-term vs. Short-term orientation), therefore, it has not been considered moderating in the framework of this research. Furthermore, the study concludes with specific implications for relevant theories, and useful findings on the individual, organizational, and the societal levels. Additionally, researchers in similar areas can find this work useful as a way to approach new streams in studying participation in Web 2.0 communities.

Advertisements (ads) in social networking sites (SNSAs) have been considered by many researchers as a crucial area of research. However, the scope of the existing studies on consumers’ assessments of SNSAs has been very limited. Most of the existing studies on assessing SNSAs have focused on Ducoffe’s (1996) model with its three variables, and they have ignored other related variables like the credibility value and interactivity value of the advertisement, which are more logically related to SNSAs than the traditional ads. Moreover, most of these studies have been skewed towards younger users and have ignored the social networking site (SNS) users from other age categories. Finally, previous studies about the assessment of SNSAs have depended on data collected from users of popular SNSs and ignored active users from the brand communities (fans of brands on SNSs). In this thesis, the present author has emphasized these three points as the major gaps in the literature about assessing SNSAs. Moreover, to deepen our understanding of how SNS users assess SNSAs this study presents the research findings of three published papers with three different purposes and with different levels of analysis. The first article aimed to extend Ducoffe’s (1996) model – which was used in the previous literature in assessing SNSAs – by considering the ads’ credibility and interactivity values in addition to Ducoffe’s (1996) three variables of information value, entertainment value, and irritation value. A multiple regression analysis was used to test the modified model, and based on the regression analysis of testing the five predictors, the model without the irritation value had the best coefficient of determination (R2). Moreover, coefficient analysis to test the given hypothesis and to determine the coefficients of the predictors was used. According to this survey study, the four primary variables that predicted the consumers’ assessment of the SNSAs were the information value, entertainment value, credibility value, and interactivity value. As perceived by the SNS users, the interactivity value was the strongest among the four predictors. Based on the unexpected result ofthe irritation value of the first paper, the second paper focused on testing the extended model of the assessments of SNSAs as perceived by a different research population, in this case, brand communities’ consumers (BCCs). Based on the regression analysis of testing the five predictors, the model with the five predictors had the best coefficient of determination (R2). The coefficient analysis was used to test the given hypothesis, to determine the coefficients of the five predictors, and to form a construct equation for assessing the SNSAs. Based on this survey study, the four variables with significant positive effects on the consumers’ assessment of SNSAs were informativeness, entertainment value, credibility value, and interactivity value, while the fifth dimension (irritation value) had a significant negative coefficient on the consumers’ assessment of SNSAs. Moreover, that study provided a deeper understanding of how the BCCs assess SNSAs, and it contributed to identifying the main characteristics ofthe BCCs on an SNS. The third paper focused on exploring the effect of national culture on the consumers’ assessment of SNSAs. The cultural features of the respondents in that study gave additional evidence about how a nation’s cultural characteristics can influence the consumers’ assessment of SNSAs. This study helped to identify how SNS users from Egypt, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom assess SNSAs. In this study, one-way analysis of variance with post hoc tests was used to compare the assessments of the three nations. Based on the empirical findings of this survey study, the three groups had significant difference F-ratios for their perception of four of the five variables for assessing SNSAs. Their perceptions of the entertainment value did not significantly differ between the three groups while the interactivity value had the strongest F-ratio. The overall purpose of this study was to deepen our understanding of how SNS users are assessing SNSAs in different settings by considering SNS users, BCCs, and others from various nations. All of the studies presented here have focused on variables for assessing the ads that have been used by other researchers in different research contexts.

In recent times, higher educational institutions have faced a challenge from the radical demands of their students. With the spread of students’ use of Web 2.0 applications, educational institutions also need to move with this trend and adopt Web 2.0 applications in education. As a contribution to the field of innovation in higher education, this study explores the pedagogical affordances of a social networking site (SNS) in higher education in Saudi Arabia. A case study methodology informed by Design-Based Research DBR approach was used. This approach was characterized by iterations of design and evaluation. The study was applied in two phases: Phase One was applied in the University of Exeter to evaluate a previously designed course, “The ICT Future”, with the innovation of a social networking site. The result of this phase was a framework which was applied in Phase Two, in King Saud University, which contributed to the design of an innovative course using social networking site, on "Web design". The data were collected by mixed methods: using stimulated recall interviews, reflexive report, and observation of the interaction on the social networking site. The findings of the study were used to help revise the framework for the design of a course which utilised the social networking site. The framework developed in this study was based on the findings of the pedagogical affordances of the SNS. The study concludes that the pedagogical affordances of the social networking sites are: reflection, stimulation, content-creation, collaboration, and online discussion. These affordances support students in higher education. Some important challenges in implementing the social networking site in higher education were highlighted. The study presents the need to change pedagogical practices in universities, and discusses various ways in which these changes could be implemented.

Herein presented thesis focuses on a very complicated relationship between the Internet and selected law areas. Its aim is to emphasize the influence of information technologies on law; specifically it examines challenges which these technologies present to the copyright law and data protection. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first and the second chapter with respect to the comprehensiveness of the topic, which they describe, do not have ambitions to analyse the issue in detail; they rather present it in broader and more general context. On the other hand chapter three and four discuss specific data protection and social network issue much deeper. The conclusion of the paper is considered as a certain summary and demonstration of author's thoughts and opinions towards analyzed issue. The first chapter aimed to describe specific environment of the Internet including its origin and development. This chapter also deals with law aspects of the Internet while it presents various considerations that characterise the relationship between law and the Internet, their mutual interaction and challenges they have to face in this environment. The second chapter analyses historical transformations of copyright law and put them in context with growing significance that copyright law undoubtedly has...

In this diploma thesis I explore the topic of publics on online social networking sites. I also focused on how the concept of publics affects how users behave and present themselves on online social networking sites, taking Facebook as an example. Identity management is an extensively researched area. However, less attention is paid to understanding the ways how users define their audience and how precise such a concept can actually be. In this thesis I set to understand how teenagers think and conceptualize different types of audiences they may encounter and how such imagined audience influences the way they use Facebook. Since this is a topic considerably difficult to think of let alone speak about, especially for young people, I chose projective techniques used in a focus group to overcome these obstacles. Using this method I tried to get answers on the research questions and obtain an insight as to how people imagine their audiences on online social networking sites, what are the most prominent types of users, and how it affects, in turn, their usage of Facebook. A similar type of research can be conducted also for other groups of online social networking sites users as well as for other online social networking sites. The next possible step can be a quantitative study assessing the stated...

This work based on regression analysis and analysis using uses and gratification theory at the sample of 146 students opens the relationship between the use of online social networks and other media. Analysis comes up with results inconsistent with the theory of niche. The wider are the gratifications provided by online social networks and the wider are their gratification opportunities, the less they were used or not used more. It is also shown that there is a positive relationship between the number of dimension in which the internet social networks compete with other media and a usage of internet social networks. A major conclusion of this work is a negative relationship between the use of online social networks and all other media, including traditional media, with the exception of computer games. A negative relationship against expectations was found between online social networks and online news sites. In addition to these findings some interesting relationships between the use of online social networks and personal characteristics of their users were shown. There is no effect of age, gender or grade point average. Positive effect, however, was found for semester of studies and negative effect of having a job.

The purpose of this study was to examine social comparison orientation on Instagram as it relates to self-esteem and state anxiety. One hundred and ninety-six young adults (ages 18-30) who use Instagram at least once a week completed scales measuring social comparison orientation, self-esteem, and state anxiety before being randomly assigned to one of two Instagram feed conditions—one that displayed non-celebrity photos and the other that displayed celebrity photos. Participants were then post-tested using the same self-esteem and state anxiety scales. Information about Instagram use, information about participants’ feelings toward the feeds, and demographic characteristics were also collected. It was expected that participants with high social comparison orientations (SCOs) would experience greater decreases in self-esteem and greater increases in state anxiety than participants with low SCOs across both conditions. Additionally, it was expected that all participants, regardless of SCO, would experience a greater decrease in self-esteem and a greater increase in state anxiety after looking at photos of non-celebrities in comparison to looking at photos of celebrities. Findings were insignificant, indicating that using Instagram may not be detrimental to mental wellbeing. A second follow-up experiment found a relationship between SCO and state anxiety, with higher SCO being related to a greater decrease in anxiety.