Dissertation Proposal Defense

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Networked Information Behavior During a Life Transition Fred Stutzman

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Networked Information Behavior During a Life Transition

Transcript of Dissertation Proposal Defense

Page 1: Dissertation Proposal Defense

Networked Information Behavior During a Life Transition

Fred Stutzman

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General Outline   Motivation and Background   Theoretical Frameworks

  Challenges of Transitions   Processes of Adaptation

  The Social Network During Transition   Supportive Networks   Everyday Information Behavior

  The Proposed Study   Dynamics, Outcomes, Uses   Evaluation, Comparison, Contributions

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Motivation and Background   Early Research on SNS

  High levels of adoption   High levels of disclosure   Strong sense of close community

  Transition as Inflection Point   My transitions: AIM, ICQ, E-mail   Their transition: SNS, M/Y/AIM, E-

mail, TXT, and so on.   SNS as supportive resource during

transition   SNS as informational hub during

change

Stutzman 2006, 2008; Lampe et al., 2006, 2008

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Theoretical Framework   Conceptions of Transition

  Events causing change (e.g. Schlossberg), development (e.g. Arnett), role change (e.g. Fuchs, Ashforth), relocation (e.g. Fisher)

  Processes of Transition, Common Components   Information search/learning, identity construction, creation and

enactment of roles, development of support network

  Adaptation to Transition, Common Components   Mediating factors: Perception of transition, individual

characteristics, characteristics of transitional environment.

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Adaptation to Transition   Characteristics of the transitional

environment   Institutional support systems   Structure of the transitional

environment   Physical settings   Support networks

  Social support   Social networks   Personal relationships

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Central Challenges of Transition   Challenge 1: Adaptation to new environment

  Adaptation: Integration into environment, accept and manage losses associated with transition, adjust to new challenges and responsibilities (e.g. Nicholson, Schlossberg)

  Challenge 2: Manage transitional stress   Transitions are associated with stress

  Definition: Social, environmental or personal demands requiring adjustment to behavioral patterns

  Often associated with “life events”   Related to a range of outcomes, including decreased health, poor

adaptation.

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Socio-Technical Support Networks   Social Network Site as Supportive Resource   Components of Social Support (e.g. Cohen, Cutrona,

Sarason & Sarason)   Tangible Support: “Concrete assistance”   Informational Support: Advice, guidance, solutions   Emotional Support: Caring, empathy   Network Support: Being part of a group

  Stress and social support : Two processes   Direct effect relationship   Buffering relationship

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Goal of the Proposed Study   Examine the role social

network sites play in adaptation to college   Explore the supportive role

the social network site during transition

  Explore how the social network site is integrated into everyday information seeking frameworks

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Methods: Exploring Supportive Role   Dual-process support/stress relationship

  Direct effect: Presence of supportive social network   Measured by exploring size of network   Measured by exploring factors associated with growth of network

  Buffer effect: Perception of supportive social network   Measured by testing relationship between contextual support (at

perceived and received level) and the following outcomes:   Stress (PSS-10)   Adaptation (Adaptation to college scale)

  SNS setting affords opportunity to explore the support hypothesis at both levels, direct and buffer.

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Methods: Exploring Supportive Role   Exploring the Direct Effect Hypothesis

  Dataset: Longitudinal Facebook Dataset, Fall 2005

  Research Questions   RQ1: What factors are associated with creation of socio-

technical support networks?   RQ2: What factors are associated with the growth of socio-

technical support networks?

  Methods   RQ1: Exploratory network analysis using block modeling,

Erdos-Renyi random graphs with MCMC Estimation   RQ2: Longitudinal exploration of network size expansion using

latent growth analysis.

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Methods: Exploring Supportive Role   Exploring the Buffering

Effect Hypothesis   Dataset: Proposed Freshman

web survey

  Research Questions   RQ1: Does SNS use for

adaptation purposes increase adaptation to college?

  RQ2: Does social support perceived and received through SNS decrease stress?

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Methods: Exploring Supportive Role   Exploring the

Buffering Effect Hypothesis   Research Methods   Explore RQ1 and

RQ2 individually   Fit RQ1 and RQ2

using a structural equation model to test ultimate SNS->Stress->Adaptation hypothesis

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Methods: Exploring Everyday Uses   The ELIS paradigm (e.g. Savolainen, McKenzie)

  Goals of Analysis:   Elaborate uses of SNS in relation to transitional information seeking

in context   Identify limitations of other methods employed in the study

  Proposed Procedure   15-20 Semi-structured interviews with freshman at UNC   Compensation: 15.00   Exploring the following subject areas:

  Elaborating the use of SNS during information search during transition   Understanding how search strategies are moved to the SNS   Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of information search in SNS

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Methodological Comparisons   Goals

  Identify analytic weaknesses   Explore interesting or unusual findings   Develop and refine

model

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Questions?

Thank you!