SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Social Networking Sites

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Outline of the Study1

Background of the study1

Rationale of the study2

Research question2

Ethical Considerations2

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW4

Evolution of Social Networking Sites4

Social Networking4

Social Networking Sites5

Pros 'n' Cons5

Reasons of Using Social Networking Websites9

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY12

Research Method12

Mixed Method Research12

Data Collection Method12

Sampling Method12

Reliability and Validity13

REFERENCES15

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Outline of the Study

This dissertation is based on the topic of “Social Networking Sites”. The first chapter will be providing an introduction to the topic including the purpose and significance of the study. The second chapter would present a review of relevant literature, highlighting the previous research carried out in this field. The third chapter will cover the methodology for this study. The analysis of findings and discussion will be presented in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter will conclude the dissertation, providing implications and useful recommendations for further research.

Background of the study

With their ease of access and increasing accumulation of tools for self-expression and communication, social networking sites have become one of the most popular ways for youth and others to engage each other and anyone who cares to visit a profile. Except for a brief period in their emerging stage social networking was an emergent tool designed to create community offline. Social networking websites have become the venues in which young people interact in cyberspace. While other forms of social media—such as blogs, content communities, and podcasts bring together Internet users online, only social networking websites facilitate this interaction primarily for social interaction. One of the essential characteristics of social networking websites is participation of the basic support infrastructure of such sites, the content is entirely user-generated. (Greer, 2011, pp 35)

Social networking sites are also used for community formation. Networking sites form the basis of many virtual communities among friends or by commonly shared interests. The sites allow users to create personal profiles, or pages that contain personal information about that user (Greer, 2011, pp 35). Users build their own networks by linking to other profiles and inviting the creators of other profiles, in turn, to link to their own. Users maintain and update their profiles by adding new material and communicating through blogs or other posts to other members of their personal network.

Rationale of the study

Social networking websites are perhaps most remarkable for their ability to promote complicated and complex webs of interaction in an increasingly uneven culture whose digitization might otherwise slow down community-building efforts. The sites are, in many ways, a blank slate providing only the basic infrastructure necessary for facilitating users' self-expression. However, as the sites are increasingly seen as a high-potential market, the rise in advertising may turn some users away.

Research question

The research would be analyzing the following research question:

Why do people use social networking sites?

Ethical Considerations

One profound moral issue that action researchers, like other scientists, cannot evade is the use they make of knowledge that has been generated during inquiry. For this fundamental ethical reason, the premises of any study—but particularly those of action research—must be transparent. Moreover, they must attend to a wider range ...