how demanding is social media: understanding social media diets as a function of perceived costs and...
DESCRIPTION
Using the rational actor perspective (Markus, 1994a) as a guiding frame, this exploratory study examined individuals’ social media diet (i.e., amount, frequency, and duration of use) as a function of task load and expected goal attainment. Surveys were distributed (N = 337) focusing on Facebook and Twitter for informational and relational purposes. Increased task load – conceptualized as a cognitive cost – directly negatively influenced Twitter use but only indirectly influenced Facebook use as a function of perceived benefits. Across conditions, perceived self-efficacy was negatively associated with perceived task load and positively associated with goal attainment, and goal attainment was a significant correlate of increase social media usage. Interpreted, we see that a transparent technology such as Facebook (cf. Clark, 2003) has no cognitive costs associated with its use, while an opaque technology such as Twitter seems to have a salient cognitive cost element. Further, we found that older users of Facebook were more likely to judge the channel as more cognitively demanding and themselves as having lower self-efficacy in using it. Finally, results indicated that for both Facebook and Twitter, males perceived both channels as more cognitively demanding than females. Theoretical and practical explanations and applications for these findings are presented. Read more at: http://onmediatheory.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-demanding-is-social-media.htmlCitation: Bowman, N. D., Westerman, D. K, & Claus, C. J. (2012, April). How Demanding is Social Media: Understanding Social Media Diets as a Function of Perceived Costs and Benefits – a Rational Actor Perspective. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Communication Association, Boston-Cambridge.TRANSCRIPT
Bowman, N. D., Westerman, D. K, & Claus, C. J. (2012, April). How Demanding is Social Media: Understanding Social Media Diets as a Function of Perceived Costs and Benefits – a Rational Actor Perspective. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Communication Association, Boston-Cambridge.
Nicholas David Bowman, WVUNicholas David Bowman, WVUDavid Keith Westerman, WVUDavid Keith Westerman, WVU
Christopher James Claus, Towson UChristopher James Claus, Towson U
Why is Why is Twitter so Twitter so
Demanding? Demanding? (for some)(for some)
Overview
• Rational Actor Perspective (Markus, 1994) argues for a goal-oriented, purposive usage of communication technology
• Differs from U&G (Katz et al. 1974) in that it places focus on cost and benefit
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 2
Overview
• Goals are a function of costs and benefits – Costs in SM might include
task demand– Benefits in SM might be
informational or relational
• Self-efficacy should drive perceptions of cost and benefit
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 3
Theoretical Model
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 4
H2 (-)
H1 (+) H3 (+)
H4 (-)
Social Media Self-Efficacy
Task Load Index
Goal Attainment
Social Media “Diet”
Method
• Survey administered at “large, Mid-Atlantic University” completed in 15 minutes
• Course credit for participation • N = 337
– 213 males, Mage = 20.3 (SD = 1.57)– 176 in Facebook survey, 161 in Twitter survey– 188 for informational goals, 149 for relational
goals
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 5
Method
• Spitzburg (2006) CMC self-efficacy, adapted • COST
– Hart & Staveland (1988) NASA-TLX, adapted
• BENEFIT– Eastin & LaRose (2000) goal attainment, adapted
• KMSK (2003) substance usage, adapted – Amount + Frequency + Duration
• Controls included age, sex, usage (light v. heavy), modality (mobile v. stationary)
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 6
(Pre) Results
• NASA-TLX and social media self-efficacy (r = -.321, p < .001) and social media diet (r = -.225, p < .001).
• Social media diet greater for mobile users• Males, Older report + TLX, - self-efficacyMales, Older report + TLX, - self-efficacy
– Age unique given restriction (95% b/w 18-22)Age unique given restriction (95% b/w 18-22)
• Neither goal seems harder to attain; collapsed across goal attainment conditions
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 7
Results: Facebook
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 8
-.39***
.15* .44***
R2 = .19
-.22**Social MediaSelf-Efficacy
Task Load Index
Goal Attainment
Social Media “Diet”
-.09
χ2 (2) = 1.78, p = .410CMIN/df = .891, CFI ~ .999, RMSEA ~ .000
χ2 (2) = 1.78, p = .410CMIN/df = .891, CFI ~ .999, RMSEA ~ .000
Results: Twitter
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 9
-.39***
.15* .44***
R2 = .28Social MediaSelf-Efficacy
Task Load Index
Goal Attainment
Social Media “Diet”
-.18**
χ2 (2) = 3.13, p = .209CMIN/df = 1.57, CFI = .982, RMSEA = .059
χ2 (2) = 3.13, p = .209CMIN/df = 1.57, CFI = .982, RMSEA = .059
Discussion
• Social media users seem to be rational actors whose usage of Twitter and Facebook is a function of a ‘lay’ cost/benefit analysis
• Facebook has no perceived cost qua task demand, a transparent technology (Clark, 2003)?
“is so well fitted to, and integrated with, our own lives, biological capacities, and projects as to become almost invisible in use” (pp. 37).
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 10
Limitations
• Surveys establish correlation, not causality• Post-hoc model fit (Facebook) in need of
replication• Narrow set of costs and benefits;
– Privacy rules (CPM, Petronio, 2002)
• College-aged sample; heavy user base
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 11
Future Research
• Age effects, even with restriction of range
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 12
18 y.o.
22 y.o.??
Future Research
• Sex differences, such that males perceived both programs as: – More cognitively demanding– Having less self-efficacy
• Technology usually masculine (Henwood, 19980;
• relational maintenance more prominent in women (sev.)
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 13
Conclusion
“For Facebook usage, perceptions of task load indirectly influenced usage via a direct effect on benefits; for Twitter, the influence was direct and negative. Applying Clark’s (2003) of opaque and transparent technology provides a novel explanation for this result. Based on anecdotal and empirical evidence, it is plausible that Facebook – the elder statesman of social media – is so engrained in one’s social media diet that its usage is “invisible to us” (pp. 37). Conversely, Twitter usage as a lesser-used technology is a more opaque technology with a still-salient cognitive demand associated with it.”
04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 14
Thank you!
• In progress research, so for information:Nicholas David Bowman, [email protected]@bowmanspartan
David Keith Westerman, Ph.D. [email protected]@DKWesterman04/11/23 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 15