What are the motives for using facebook for college students?

Summary: This article or more like a book that I found has more information about Facebook and social networking than I can even take in all at once. There are lots of different research questions on what types of people are using Facebook and why they are using Facebook. The studies show that different age groups use social networking for many different reasons but mostly to stay connected with friends. There are many statics and other sources linked into their study to prove their points. It talks about why and how people are becoming so use to it being in their every day life. It talks about what if Facebook were to "disappear" the world would miss it. People have now become addictive to a websites that revolves around pictures, wall post, groups, friends and status updates. This article studies why Facebook is needed and what it is being used for.  It is an online survey study conducted at a med-atlantic university. They are not only looking for why Facebook is being used so much but also the motivations and gratifications for Facebook use. They concluded that high school students are more likely to use Facebook to pass time and that college students were most likely to use it to keep in touch with new and old friends while being away at school. Their studies also showed that college students have been using Facebook for a longer period of time compared to high school students.

Main Claim: "The purpose of this study is to examine high school student and undergraduate

college student motives for using the social network site Facebook and their behavioral

and attitudinal outcomes from these uses and gratifications"

Quotes:

"Stafford (2008) found that women are

more likely to visit Facebook to preserve existing relationships, be entertained, and pass

time than men. Men are more likely to visit Facebook to meet new people or develop

new relationships than women"

"The second most mentioned use related to social

surveillance or “people watching” (Joinson, 2008)."

"Popular gratifications for participants in research performed by

Raacke and Bonds-Raacke (2008) were staying in touch with old friends (96.0%) and

staying in touch with present friends (91.1%). The lowest uses and gratification related

to use for academic (10.9%) and dating (7.9%) reasons'

"Data has found that the motives of entertainment,

passing time, and relationship maintenance are all significant predictors of whether users

would miss Facebook if it were to disappear"

Title: A STUDY ON THE MOTIVES OF HIGH SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE

COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR USING THE SOCIAL NETWORK SITE FACEBOOK