Media and Social Influences on the Use of Social Networking Sites in Thailand
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Abstract
With the capabilities to serve as mass and interpersonal communication simultaneously, social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook and Twitter have changed from a newly adopted communication tool to a widely accepted one in only a past few years. The rapid growth of SNSs becomes a global phenomenon in which scholars have attempted to understand it as promptly as the technology turns to one of the most powerful medium influencing people's daily lives.
More and more people have used SNSs for social and political involvement. In Thailand, the continuing political crises influence SNS usage as a channel for people to voice opinion, gain involvement, and exercise power and right for political purposes. In 2010, about 5,000 people from the "no color” Facebook community gathered in public to support Thai government, while approximately 4,000 Facebook users volunteered to clean up Bangkok areas affected by the two month red shirt demonstration (Bunnag & Charoenpo, 2010; Treerutkuarkul, 2010). Then, the next question to be raised is “how people are to use SNS." influenced by others and situations in their society
Therefore, the major purpose of this study is to explain how external factors such as social concerns, political situations, media, and significant others influence SNS usage among people. Participants (N = 20) were Internet users, with age range from 18 to 43 years old, participated in focusgroup interviews. Across all age groups, significant others influenced participants to use SNSs the most, while certain media channels affected their use at some degree. However, political and social situations influenced SNS use differently among the four groups. Economic situations did not affect their SNS use at all. Other factors influencing SNS use were such as privacy concern, games, and professional image.
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References
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