The substantial growth in research examining social network sites (SNSs) during recent years makes this an opportune time to reflect on the state of SNS scholarship. In this review, we consider what—in the form of specific brands—has been studied. A content-analysis of SNS research published in six interdisciplinary journals between 1997 and 2013 is first reported to better understand the degre...

Studies in the social capital literature have documented two stylised facts: first, a decline in measures of social participation has occurred in many OECD countries. Second, and more recently, the success of social networking sites (SNSs) has resulted in a steep rise in online social participation. Our study adds to this body of research by conducting the first empirical assessment of how onli...

Over the past decade, the use of the social networks like Facebook and Twitter, just to mention two of the most popular ones, has increased at the point of becoming ubiquitous. Many people access Social Networks Services (SNSs) on a daily basis; e.g. to read the news, share pictures with their friends or check upcoming events. Nearly 70% of the Internet users are active on SNSs, as shown by a r...

Since their introduction, social network sites (SNSs) have attracted millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily practices. As of this writing, there are hundreds of SNSs, with various technological affordances, supporting a wide range of interests and practices. While their key technological features are fairly consistent, the cultures that emerge around SNSs a...

BACKGROUND Medical education has grown beyond the boundaries of the classroom, and social media is seen as the bridge between informal and formal learning as it keeps students highly engaged with educational content outside the classroom. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of medical educators and medical students regarding the use of social media for educationa...

This article presents the results of a study concerning the use of online profile pages by adolescents to know more about "offline" friends and acquaintances. Previous research has indicated that social networking sites (SNSs) are used to gather information on new online contacts. However, several studies have demonstrated a substantial overlap between offline and online social networks. Hence,...

Customers’ post-adoption switching behavior among competing service providers, particularly among different online Social Network Sites (SNSs), is gaining increasing attention from both information system researchers and practitioners, as the size of user base is both a selling point and a source of revenue of SNS service providers. In this study, we draw on the uses and gratification theory to...

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are virtual communities where users can create individual public profiles, interact with real-life friends, and meet other people based on shared interests. They are seen as a 'global consumer phenomenon' with an exponential rise in usage within the last few years. Anecdotal case study evidence suggests that 'addiction' to social networks on the Internet may be a ...

Social networking sites (SNSs) have evolved as the centre for daily social interactions. However, some users experience difficulties in managing their incessant urges to use the site, and result in spending excessive amount of time on the platform. While the research on the dark side of SNS use is gaining momentum, the theoretical understanding of this issue remains limited. In this study, we a...