Social media continues to serve as vehicles for fostering relationships with customers. One specific way to implement this is to create and operate brand fan communities on social networking sites. Brands can place posts (including videos, messages, quizzes, information, and other material) in these brand communities. By customer’s reposting or commenting on the posts, it subsequently reflects the brand post popularity. In order to investigate the possible drivers for brand post popularity in the Chinese social media context, this thesis selects Tuborg’s Green Fest as the case, its official account on Weibo as the platform, and analyzes the correlation between six driven factors and brand post popularity pairwise.  Results show that interactivity is the most important factor for popularity; a higher level of interactivity would help boost popularity. Followed by entertaining content and vividness are also two factors that positively related to brand post popularity. Moreover, the post theme of Fans interaction is most popular with fans, while the theme of Green Fest information would have negative impact on post popularity. Nevertheless, informational content is not welcome by the fans either, which may have a negative influence on popularity. Managers of brands that operate brand fan communities can be guided by this research with regards to deciding which characteristics or content to place in their brand posts.

The present study explores informal English language teaching and learning (ELTL) on the social media platform of Facebook. In contrast to a formal second/foreign language (L2/FL) education setting which is institutionally sponsored and highly structured, the context of informal ELTL under investigation is "recreational" (Chik, 2015) in the sense that it is unconstrained by institutional structures and largely driven by personal interests and goals. With the unprecedented success of social media and social networking sites (SNSs), this new form of learning and teaching can be found in a variety of languages and discourses across diverse digital landscapes. This study pays particular attention to the context of Thai speakers in three ELTL communities formed on Facebook Pages (FPs). The aim is to describe the participants' SNS-mediated L2 literacy practices as informed by Thai culture, beliefs, and values. This research project is grounded in the concept of new literacies (Lankshear & Knobel, 2011) and the multimodal social semiotic approaches to analyzing digitally-mediated communication (Kress, 2010; Jewitt, 2009; Van Leeuwen, 2005). The analysis is also informed by the interpretative framework of positioning theory (Davies and Harré, 1990; Harré & van Langenhove, 1991) and sociolinguistic approaches to stances (Du Bois, 2007; Jaffe, 2009a). The integration of various theoretical and analytical models offers a holistic understanding of the participants' Facebook-based literacy practices from different perspectives. A mixed method approach that combines qualitative (e.g., multimodal analysis, online ethnographic observation) and quantitative (e.g., survey, user statistics) data analysis also helps describe the users’ semiotic productions and interactions from a diachronic point of view. While the purpose of the project is to examine contemporary L2 literacy engagement in an underexplored historical and cultural context, the analysis does not simply discuss the way Thai SNS users teach and/or learn English online. Rather, the findings also shed light on other important issues relating to digital literacies including multimodal production, identity construction, social relationship formation, stance-taking acts, and language ideology. These emerging literacy practices are presented in three separate but interrelated analysis chapters. They are comprised of: 1) the multimodal analysis of the interplay between Facebook affordances and the users' semiotic activities; 2) the investigation of the participants’ self- and other-positioning strategies; and 3) the discussion of the participants' stance-taking acts in various aspects relating to English language teaching, learning, and use in contemporary society. Altogether, the findings pinpoint the complex and interconnected relationships among digital media, self, community, and ideology as fundamental to meaningful learning experiences on SNSs. They also support the view of language learning as a social practice, which highlights the fact that meaning and knowledge are socially and culturally situated, shaped by contexts, and shared by members within particular communities (Gee, 2010; Lankshear & Knobel, 2011; Thorne, 2013). The dissertation, therefore, has implications for pedagogies and practice because it provides insights about how to design equitable learning materials and activities that address these contemporary social practices. Ultimately, the research suggests the use of a social media-enhanced ELTL site to develop meaningful interactions between learner, language, media, and community during the process of learning.

The purpose of this master's theses is to analyze possibilities utilization of social network in business. The theses is focused on comparison of the most important contemporary social networks in the world and also on looking for thein commercial utilization. Before this, there is the analysis of the situation of internet and clearing of the term internet marketing. In theses, there is emphasis on separation of two main ways of advertising in social networks. First way is making the communities about the companies, products or brands and the second one is advertising by promotional systems of the networks. In the theses, there are a lot of results of many studies, that were performed by key agencies. Also there are many practical examples of business usage of social networks. The theses contains the possibilities of connecting the social networks and other marketing tools like advergaming, affiliate marketing and viral marketing. In the end of the theses, there are case studies, that analyse usage of social medias in four Czech companies from different business departments.

The thesis is focused on utilization of social networking sites as a tool for virtual team collaboration support. The first goal is to identify critical success factors of virtual teamwork, which are currently not supported by groupware tools, based on description of virtual team characteristics and processes. Identified critical success factors represent the basis for the completion of next goal, which is to describe aspects of social networking sites, which are able to support the identified critical success factors. That leads to the main goal of the thesis, which consists of two main parts. First part is the analysis of social networking sites aspects influence on virtual teamwork critical success factors. The second part is the practical solution of utilization of social networking sites for virtual teamwork support. Final solution includes all social networking sites implementation phases starting from choosing the product, implementation process and ending with setting of team processes and utilization principles. Social networking sites aspects description is based on current enterprise information systems trends and the final solution results from the analysis and synthesis of findings from both previous thesis parts. The main contribution of the thesis is the solution of social networking sites utilization inside the organization and providing of practical instructions for implementation of social networking sites in order to support virtual teamwork.

Orientador: Mauro de Souza Ventura / Banca: Angela Maria Grossi / Banca: Maria Cristina Gobbi / Banca: Alan Cesar Belo Angeluci / Banca: Itania Maria Mota Gomes / Resumo: A televisão vivencia mais um momento de transformação impulsionado pela tecnologia e pelas práticas sociais e culturais vigentes. O processo de digitalização e a possibilidade de conexão em rede modificaram as concepções de tempo e espaço e trouxeram mudanças significativas aos formatos, às rotinas produtivas e até mesmo à forma como se consome o conteúdo televisivo. É um cenário em que novas e velhas audiências coexistem, reafirmando, mas também renovando contratos assumidos com a televisão. E o telejornalismo, enquanto instituição social, na concepção de Raymond Williams, não poderia passar indiferente a esse cenário. É por isso que, nesta pesquisa, busca-se compreender como o telejornal que está há mais tempo no ar no país, o Jornal Nacional da Rede Globo de Televisão, até a última década considerado um dos noticiários mais conservadores, vem modificando seu modo de endereçamento ao telespectador (GOMES, 2011) em razão da aproximação aos sites de redes sociais. Essa proximidade se dá principalmente com o Twitter, pelas características de fomento à conversação e agilidade na propagação de conteúdos no mesmo instante da transmissão televisiva. Parte-se, portanto, de uma investigação em busca do atual modo de endereçamento do Jornal Nacional a partir do operador de análise do contexto comunicativo, também estabelecido por Gomes (2011). Ele diz respeito à situação discursiva entre telespectador e telejornal, ou como esse último enxerga e posiciona o público. Entende-se que, na... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Television is experiencing another transformation moment driven by technology and current social and cultural practices. The digitalization process and networking connection possibility changed the conceptions of time and space and brought significant changes to formats, to productive routines and even to the way television contente is consumed. This is a scenario in which new and old audiences coexist, reaffirming, but also renewing, contracts assumed with television. Television journalism, as a social institution, according to Raymond Williams' conception, could not remain indifferent. That is why the aim of this research is to seek for an understanding of how Jornal Nacional of Rede Globo, the longest-running TV news on air in the coutry, being considered the most conservative one until the last decade, has been changing its way of addressing to the viewers (GOMES, 2011) due to an approach to social network sites. This approximation occurs mainly by Twitter, due to characteristics as conversation fostering and agility in content propagation during television broadcast. The investigation is centered on the communicative context analysis operator, also established by Gomes (2011), that concerns the discursive situation between television viewer and television news, or how the later sees and positions its public. This research undestand that, nowadays, this positioning occurs from television and also by the official television news profile on Twitter. Thus, the analysis corpu... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

The advent of the internet has resulted in the development from mail, radio and telephonic modes of delivery to electronic mode of delivery in distance education. It has been predicted that the impact of the internet on distance and online education will result in benefits such as wider reach of learners who might be disadvantaged by geographical locations and distance, greater flexibility and increased convenience for distance and online learners. However, the envisaged benefits seem to be elusive as a result of a range of impediments, including issues related to the digital divide. In this case study, focused on on-line students at a college of distance and open education in Botswana, students perceptions’ of both the benefits of and the impediments to their study are described, together with their perceptions of support strategies. Findings indicate the need for support strategies consistent with the nature of online learning in the 21st century. In particular, the findings of this study suggest that Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to enhance learner support, and that there is a need for careful exploration of the ways in which such technologies can be exploited and applied in support of on-line learners.

A seguinte pesquisa explorou a figura da blogueira de moda como intermediária cultural nas práticas de consumo de sua audiência. Para tanto, foi selecionado um blog específico que se destacou durante o período de pesquisa, o blog Camila Coelho. Com base em teorias socioantropológicas, a moda é tratada pela perspectiva do consumo, ou seja, é um fenômeno cujo desenvolvimento está atrelado à sociedade e cultura de consumidores. O papel dos meios de comunicação em massa no campo da moda é crescente e a indústria cultural passa por transformações profundas oriundas da comunicação em rede e da maior participação dos indivíduos, permitida pela vasta oferta de ferramentas sociais. Logo, as noções de liderança que regem os processos de consumo não são rígidas, observam-se alternância de autoridades e de poder de influência no gosto e nos estilos de forma cada vez mais dispersa e efêmera. A análise do blog escolhido revelou a necessidade de integrar as instâncias da representação, da participação e dos vínculos para compreender o papel das blogueiras no campo da moda. A pesquisa foi conduzida com caráter exploratório e qualitativo. O corpus de análise foi retirado de um intervalo de seis meses de publicações no blog, em que foi realizada a observação não participativa, e é composto por dez publicações que obtiveram grande volume de comentários. As informações foram categorizadas e descritas, enredando a representação identitária da blogueira à participação da audiência como prática de consumo: por aprovação, por colaboração, por crítica ou por vínculo. A etapa de observação participativa complementa a pesquisa discutindo esses vínculos criados entre a blogueira e suas leitoras. Os resultados mostram que o capital simbólico que faz a blogueira ascender à posição de intermediária cultural é acumulado pelo gosto, consumo e autoridade conspícuos, que são reconhecidos e debatidos publicamente e, principalmente, pela manutenção da audiência por meio de estratégias que fazem da blogueira um híbrido entre celebridade e par de suas leitoras. / The following research explored the figure of the fashion blogger as cultural intermediate in consumption practices of the audience. Thus, a specific blog that stood out during the research period, Camila Coelhos blog, was selected. Based on socio-anthropological theories, fashion is treated by the consumption perspective, a phenomenon that has developed along linked to the consumer society and culture. Mass media has a growing importance in the field of fashion, and the culture industry is undergoing profound changes arising from communication network and the greater involvement of individuals, allowed by the wide range of social tools. Therefore, the leadership notions governing the consumption processes are not rigid, its observed toggle authorities and power of influence in taste and styles increasingly dispersed and ephemeral. The analysis of the selected blog revealed the need to integrate the instances of representation, participation and bonds in order to understand the role of bloggers in the fashion field. The research was conducted exploratory and qualitatively. The corpus of analysis was taken from a range of six months of blog entries, when the non-participant observation was conducted, and consists of ten publications that have achieved great number of comments. The information was categorized and described, tangling the identity representation of the blogger to the audience participation as consumer practices: by approval, by collaboration, by critics or by bonds. The step of participant observation complements the research discussing these bonds created between the blogger and the readers. The results show that the symbolic capital that makes the blogger ascend to the cultural intermediate position is driven by conspicuous taste, consumption and authority, which are recognized and publicly discussed, and especially by maintaining the audience through strategies that make the blogger a hybrid between celebrity and a peer to her readers.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é abordar a expansão da divulgação científica na Internet por um prisma dialógico. O perímetro do corpus da pesquisa engloba os enunciados postados no Facebook pelas revistas Scientific American Brasil, Pesquisa FAPESP e Superinteressante durante quatro meses do primeiro semestre de 2016 (01 de março de 2016 a 30 de junho de 2016). Empregam-se, como base teórico-metodológica, os conceitos elaborados pelo Círculo de Bakhtin, em especial: responsividade, gêneros do discurso, esferas de atividade humana, autor e ideologia. Dessa forma, almeja-se averiguar em que medida a hipertextualidade, os recursos verbo-visuais e a interação com os demais usuários da rede podem influenciar o conteúdo do enunciado publicado nas páginas de divulgação científica no Facebook. Em um segundo momento de análise, o objetivo é verificar a especificidade de determinadas características da divulgação científica nas redes sociais em comparação a outros meios tradicionais de difusão da ciência: televisão, revista, jornal etc. Para responder tais questões, elabora-se de forma sintética a pergunta de pesquisa: De que maneira as revistas de divulgação científica publicam na rede social Facebook e quais são as consequências discursivas, responsivas e dialógicas desse fenômeno? Por fim, observam-se questões relativas aos gêneros, entre as quais, a autoria e o interlocutor presumido. Além de tais fatores, o emprego ou ausência de referências científicas, assim como o uso de hipertextos com acesso a outros sites e blogs são elementos constitutivos da divulgação científica no Facebook. / The aim of this research is to address the growth of popular science on the Internet through a dialogical perspective. The scope of research encompasses the statements posted on Facebook by Scientific American Brasil, Pesquisa FAPESP and Superinteressante during four months in the first half of 2016 (March 01, 2016 to June 30, 2016). The concepts elaborated by the Bakhtin Circle are used as a theoretical-methodological basis, in particular: responsiveness, speech genres, spheres of human activity, author and ideology. In this way, we aim to investigate the extent to which hypertextuality, verbal and visual resources and interaction with other users of the web can influence the content of the posts published in the pages of popular science on Facebook. In a second step of analysis, the aim is to verify the specificity of certain characteristics of popular science in social networks sites compared to other traditional mediums of science communication: television, magazine, newspaper, etc. In order to answer such questions, the research question is elaborated in a synthetic way: Which way do popular science magazines publish on Facebook and which are the discursive, responsive and dialogic consequences of this phenomenon? Finally, there are issues related to genres, including the authorship and the presumed interlocutor. In addition to these factors, the use or absence of scientific references, as well as the use of hypertexts with links to other websites and blogs are key elements of popular science on Facebook.

A questão do poder e seu exercício tem sido objeto de estudo desde o século XVI. Entretanto, apesar da influência e relevância destes trabalhos, todos foram realizados em períodos históricos e contextos sociais bastante distintos daqueles encontrados na contemporaneidade. Autores como Octavio Ianni e Manuel Castells, conscientes do papel que a comunicação e as tecnologias da informação possuem nos processos comunicacionais responsáveis pela construção de significado na mente humana - os mesmos responsáveis pelo exercício do poder, lançam mão de pesquisas que buscam revistar a questão do poder à luz da contemporaneidade. Entretanto, o fato de os brasileiros figurarem frequentemente na lista de países que mais tempo permanecem em sites de redes sociais influenciaria esta relação entre poder e comunicação no contexto do Brasil? O que é poder à luz dos sites de redes sociais e como ele é exercido nestes ambientes? Os conceitos clássicos sobre o assunto permanecem válidos na realidade contemporânea? A busca pelas respostas a estas questões foi realizada por meio de um estudo de caso tomando como base o site de rede social Twitter e a maneira como ele foi apropriado pelo brasileiro. Os resultados apontam que sim, o brasileiro, mesmo aquele que não utiliza o sistema, está potencialmente exposto ao exercício de poder realizado por meio da plataforma de microblogging. / The topic of power and its practice have been the subject of study since the sixteenth century. Yet, in spite of the influence and relevance of these studies, they have all been conducted inside periods of history and social contexts different from those of modern day. Researchers such as Octavio Ianni and Manuel Castells, conscious of the role that communication and information technologies play in the construction of meaningful thought in the human mind - the same dynamics responsible behind the practice of power - have conducted efforts to revisit the topic of power in the light of modern day. Thus, can the fact that Brazilians frequently end up on the list of countries that spend the most time on social networking environments affect the relationship between power and communication, within the context of Brazil? What is power in the framework of digital social networking environments, and how is it carried out in those environments? Does the traditional concept of power hold true in modern day reality? The search for answers to those questions has been conducted through a case study of the social networking environment Twitter and the way it is appropriated by the Brazilians. The results indeed show that, even Brazilians who are not connected to the microblogging service, are potentially exposed to the power exercised through this platform.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen S. Myers-Bowman / Walter R. Schumm / We live in an era of constant communication, where Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are part of the technology revolution that has significantly altered our lives and means of communication. Adolescents are quick adopters of these sites; they spend a lot of their daily time interacting via these sites. Most parents in the United States strive to understand the purpose and function behind their children’s use of these technologies. This study is aimed to explore the Saudi mothers’ experiences with their adolescents in a different culture and country. The study focused on exploring the experiences, concerns, social and technical challenges, and strategies of Saudi mothers in the United States by using qualitative methodology. A snowball strategy was used through specific Saudi student groups and organizations in the United States. The participants recruited were Saudi mothers (N=13) who had adolescents (their ages are between 10- and 17-years-old). The interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed in light of symbolic interaction theory. The findings revealed some benefits of using SNSs among adolescents such as learning new languages or practicing the adolescent's native language. On the other hand, the findings also showed great concern among mothers and a lot of challenges about their adolescents’ use of SNSs. Also, the findings showed the roles of these mothers to protect, advise, and support their children regarding the use of SNSs. Mothers confirmed that their adolescents using SNSs without control or supervision may cause a lot of problems that affect adolescents, parents, and the relationships between them.