دانلود رایگان مقاله تبادل اجتماعی در شبکه های اجتماعی آنلاین

Abstract

Social exchange theory proposes that social behavior is the result of an exchange process. The purpose of this exchange is to maximize benefits and minimize costs. Online social networks seem to be an ideal platform for social exchange because they provide an opportunity to keep social relations with a relatively low cost compared to offline relations. This theory was verified positively many times for offline social interactions, and we decided to examine whether this theory may be also applied to online social networks. Our research is focused on reciprocity, which is crucial for social exchanges because humans keep score, assign meaning to exchanges, and change their subsequent interactions based on a reciprocity balance. The online social network platform of our choice was Facebook, which is one of the most successful online social sites allowing users to interact with their friends and acquaintances. In our study we found strong empirical evidence that an increase in the number of reciprocity messages the actor broadcasts in online social networks increases the reciprocity reactions from his or her audience. This finding allowed for positive verification of the social exchange theory in online communities. Hence, it can be stated that our work contributes to theories of exchange patterns in online social networks.

6. Conclusions and implications

In our study we justified a strong empirical evidence for a reciprocity phenomenon on Facebook. The users seem to interact in accordance to the social exchange theory. By means of online interactions the social network users are able to maximize strength of their relationship and minimize the cost of communication. This is especially noticeable on Facebook because “liking” is a very low cost activity. This finding shows that people in online social networks behave like in real life social situations. Of course, this is valid for Facebook-like sites where users are identified by their real names and maintain contacts mainly with real-life friends. One often-heard conception suggests that people use these platforms to amass numerous on-line friends and then boast to them about their lives without much restraint or concern for social norms. We argue that it is the opposite—people using large on-line networks will behave according to social norms. Potential future research will be focused on two issues. Firstly to study the existence of reciprocity behavior between company and users on the Facebook Fan Pages. This kind of applied research might be very useful for marketers to manage successfully the company Fan Pages on online social networks. And secondly much more important and challenging study is trying to examine whether reciprocity kind of behavior on Facebook would translate to stronger social relationships and the exchange of real-life support.