Browsing by Author "Yu, Rebecca Ping"

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Facebook Use and Its Role in Shaping Access to Social Benefits among Older Adults
(2018-01-01)
Yu, Rebecca Ping
;
Ellison, Nicole B.
;
Lampe, Cliff
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傳播與科技學系
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Department of Communication and Technology
Adults who are 65years or older have increasingly adopted social network sites (SNSs), Facebook in particular. Yet the ramifications of SNS use in this population remain understudied. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N=2,003), this study focuses on Facebook users (N=1,138) and examines patterns of Facebook use by younger (aged 18-65years) and older users (aged 65 or older), as well as the social benefits associated with older users' Facebook use. Findings show that older users have different network structures, but the frequency of their visits and engagement in Social Media Relationship Maintenance Behaviors (SMRMB), a measure of perceived likelihood to engage with others via social media, do not significantly differ from those of younger users. Moreover, our results suggest that among older users (N=98), the number of self-reported actual friends on Facebook and SMRMB positively predict perceived support, while SMRMB contributes to perceptions of access to useful information. Overall, the study highlights unique usage patterns and social benefits associated with Facebook use among older adults. As such, its findings provide insights for the future design of technological interventions to help older adults better access social benefits associated with SNS use.
Social media and expressive citizenship: Understanding the relationships between social and entertainment expression on Facebook and political participation
(2018-12-01)
Yu, Rebecca Ping
;
Oh, Yu Won
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傳播與科技學系
;
Department of Communication and Technology
Substantial research has explored the political significance of social media use in the context of collective actions. Yet much remains unknown about whether common, day-to-day, non-politically oriented activities on social media relate to political engagement. Focusing on Facebook, the primary social media platform for most Americans, this study investigates whether and how social and entertainment expression on the site are associated with political participation among a diverse online sample of American adults. Results show that social and entertainment expressive Facebook use are indirectly associated with political participation through political communication in the form of interactive political expression on the site. In addition, findings demonstrate that social expressive use is also conducive to political participation via offline political talk, but entertainment expressive use is not significantly related to political talk in offline settings. Further analysis shows that the interactions between political interest and each of the expressive uses are largely insignificantly related to political communication and participation. Overall, the study's findings help to clarify the distinctions between the two types of nonpolitical Facebook use and the underlying process by which these uses contribute to political participation.