How Would CSUEB Students Improve Facebook?

Posted: November 28th, 2013

How Would CSUEB Students Improve Facebook?

Name:

Institution:

Lecturer:

Course:

Date:

How Would CSUEB Students Improve Facebook?

Abstract

This is a study article aiming to establish how students from CSUEB can improve Facebook as a social site. This study attempts to evaluate the necessity of changing Facebook and even though it plays a major role in influencing people’s lives, I feel that it subject to improvement. Facts related to copyright, privacy, and the ethical standards of people using this site provide the healthy environmental blocks of the Facebook website. For purposes of acquiring relevant and sufficient data, I employed both interviews and questionnaires to facilitate this study. I endeavored to formulate a table as well as a graph to support my study findings.

Topic Justification

            Facebook is a young social site only boasting seven years and I therefore think it lacks the maturity of handling properly the communication business. The social site has problems related to copyright, privacy, and ethical standards of its users. This is why I endeavored to carry out this research on how Facebook should be improved and what kinds of reform should be employed. In addition, my justification for choosing this topic lies behind the significant role this social site plays in people’s lives. Improving it would therefore better the livelihood of its users.

Literature Review

This research article puts into focus on the ways CSUEB students can improve Facebook. My on-line research on a scholar’s opinion revealed the following. Dr. Mihaela Vorvoreanu asserted that the opening of Facebook to users other than students and businesses, the social site began give an opportunity of marketing public relations, and advertising (Vorvoreanu, 2009). Since Facebook has managed to permeate into more spheres, it is my opinion that further reform needs to be considered for the social site. For purposes of rebuilding credibility, Mihaela (2009) implements in his report the use of quantitative methods. In this case, the quantitative methods employed include time rationing and numerous people. In a three month period, six focus groups were conducted involving 35 college students in Southeastern University, as a means of finishing the course.

Facebook is the world’s top social network (Arrington, 2009) boasting up to 150 million users in February 2009 (Facebook, 2009). Corporations can use this social site when practicing public relations at the same time being conscious of Face book’s culture and helping to preserve it. Companies wishing to carry out public relations and marketing efforts using Facebook have an obligation to conform to the prescribed regulations of the site. Failure to adhere to these communication efforts bears failed communication risks, being labeled as spam, or damaging Facebook culture in the long period (Vorvoreanu, 2009). Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize building of Facebook social norms as well as perfecting the Facebook culture.

The results of this study have direct implications on marketing, advertising, and public relations professionals who have an intention of reaching college audience through Facebook. The study’s results also suggest research for fundamental issues in public relations such as the need to explore the appropriate time for dialogue and relationship cultivation strategies, and when the relationship between the public and the organization may benefit from lack of engagement (Vorvoreanu, 2009).

An article which sheds light on the relationship between Facebook use and the formation and maintenance of social capital, Mihela (2009) further asserts that Facebook users should shift their focus on developing social relationship as a means of cultivating a healthier environment. With regard to quantitative methods used in this study, specified figured and periods were employed to show Facebook development. It is good to note that they categorize demographics into age, gender, and use of tables and graphs when demonstrating data and statistics. In the research, authors put their focus social capital (linked to several social outcomes), more efficient financial markets, and lowered rates in crime (Adler & Kwon, 2002). They employed three social capital measures: bonding, bridging, and maintained social capital.

An article by Pavica Sheldon, Student Favorite: Facebook and Motives for its Use, discusses why college students are in frenzy concerning Facebook as well as what needs to be done about the social site. When conducting his research, Sheldon implements the use of figures and tables to establish his findings. Sheldon uses traditional survey where one hundred and seventy two students were used for his study in Louisiana State University. His study attempted to establish the relationship between student’s motives for using Facebook and their individual differences. He also went on to research how these individual differences predict behavioral and attitudinal behavioral outcomes resulting from Facebook use.

His findings suggest that women have more likelihood of visiting the Facebook cite more often to pass time, keep their existing relationships, and get entertained as well. On the other hand, men will often join Facebook to know other people or to start new relationships. In accordance with the literature review, most scholars consider Facebook as an effective and absorbing way of communication. In my opinion however, it is in need of further reform to protect both writers and readers.

Statement of Method

For research purposes, I included random sample of thirty students from CSUEB. I endeavored to provide them with questionnaires containing five questions on personal personal regarding how facebook can be improved. Thereafter, I collected the questionnairs and proceeded on to analyze the data by calculating each question’s percentage rating. I also implemeted interviews in my research. For respondents who accepted, i used a recorder pen to sieze the complete dialogue session. When the research was concluded, si first drew a table and thereafter fromulated a graph to support my findings.

For the interview part, I engaged five undergradutate students in the CSUEB communications department. All the respondents answered the three required questions. Through each interview, I used a recorder and also took notes to facilitate my memization process. This purpose of this interview was to aqcuire specific answers concerning how CSUEB students felt Facebook should be improved.

The findings from the questionnaires are as follows: Majority of Facebook users have a tendency of spending between one and two hours in the social site, constituting forty percent. Thirty three and twenty percent admitted to spending less than one hour and two to three hours respectively. Seven percent formed the least with students in this bracket spending over three hours in the social site. The second part of my questionnaire involved an open ended question as to whether students think Facebook should be improved. Majority of the students agreed that Facebook is in need of reform, forming fifty three percent. Twenty percent disagreed with the idea and the remaining twenty seven admitted to have never thought of the idea.

The other part of the questionnaire asked the students whether Facebook needed to be enhanced to protect personal privacy. Those in agreement constituted fifty seven percent and ten percent disagreed with the idea. Thirty three percent admitted to have never thought of the idea. Finally, my questionnaire engaged the students on their opinions as to whether more rules should be incorporated in the social site to protect the user’s rights. Those in agreement with this recommendation had the lion’s share with seventy three percent. Those who never thought about constituted twenty percent, and the remaining seven percent never thought about the idea.

As for the interview part, two of my respondents agreed that Facebook is subject to improvement with one of them admitting to have never thought of this consideration. However, one respondent added that she was hopeful that privacy in the social site can be enhanced further. With regard to the second question, two of the respondents think that they do not posses sufficient power to solicit for change in the social network. One respondent however admitted to have made several attempts through emails sent to the website’s management. With regard to the third question, all three respondents were for the recommendation that Facebook was in need of reform, and believed that more users would join the social site if it provided a healthy environment protecting its users.

Strengths, Limitations and Ethnic Considerations

In my opinion, it is not easy to express a specific conclusion as to how Facebook can be improved. The reason behind this is inadequate power individual power, and this is the limitation I established from my research. However, as one of my respondents admitted, she frequently sends emails to the social site urging them to cater for the privacy problem, and also appeals to her friend to do the same. The strength in this case would to use mass numbers to our advantage. If the management of the social network receives numerous emails concerning the same issues, they would have no choice but to act upon it. In my opinion, if one individual does not have sufficient power to solicit for this reform, then I believe ten million appeals from Facebook users would post a different scenario.

With regard to ethnic considerations, if every Facebook user, including corporations and businesses adhered to the rules stipulated by the website, perhaps the site would pose minimal problems when navigating through it. Therefore, I can conclude that Facebook reform is necessary and can be achieved in the long run despite the challenges present. It is in my belief that this reform starts with every individual and in the end this change will be realized.

Reference

Adler, P., & Kwon, S. (2002). Social capital: Prospects for a new concept. Academy of Management Review, 27(1), 17–40.

Arrington, M. (2009). Facebook now nearly twice the size of MySpace worldwide.

Techcrunch. Retrieved 2/06/2009,  http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/22/

facebook-now-nearly-twice-the-size-of-myspace-worldwide/

Cassidy, J. (2006, May 15). Me media. The New Yorker, 50–59.

Facebook. (2009). Facebook Statistics. Retrieved 02/05/2009, 2009,  http://www.

facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

Quan-Haase, A., & Wellman, B. (2004). How does the Internet affect social capital? In M. Huysman & V. Wulf (Eds.), Social Capital and Information Technology , 113–135.

Sheldon, P (2008). Student Favorite: Facebook and Motives for its Use also targets college students as the audience of Facebook. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal,23(2),  39-53.

Vorvoreanu, M (2009). Perceptions of Corporations on Facebook is an analysis of facebook social norms. Journal of new communications research, 5(1).

Appendices

Results

Part one, questionnaire

Question 1: How long  do you use Facebook everyday? The answer was illustrated in Table1 and Chi-square was attach:

Table 1—The time use Facebook per day

Time             Number              Percent

less than 1         10                        33%

1-2 hours          12                        40%

2-3 hours           6                         20%

over 3 hours        2                         7%

Total                  30                       100%

Question 2 asked: Do you find satisfaction with Facebook?

Table 2—Content with Facebook

Response                    Number                  Percent

Highly satisfied              4                           13%

Satisfied                         7                            23%

Never think about it      12                           40%

Discontent                      5                            17%

Highly discontent           2                            7%

Total                              30                           100%

(A graph for table 2 is in Appendix B)

Question 3-5 is YES/NO question,

Question 3: Do you think we should improve Facebook?

Response                   Number               Percent

Yes                              16                        53%

No                               6                          20%

Never think about it    8                          27%

Question 4: Do you think we should improve Facebook in order to protect personal privacy?

Yes                              17                       57%

No                               3                         10%

Never think about it   10                        33%

Question 5: Do you think Facebook should have  more rules to protect user’s right?

Yes                             22                        73%

No                               2                          7%

Never think about it   6                           20%

Part two, Interview

Question 1: Do you think we should improve Facebook? why or why not?

Two of the responders thought we should improve Facebook and one of them said he never thought about this question. One of them said she hope Facebook can protect user’s privacy. Another one also complain about the privacy problem.

Question 2: Do you think you can do some contribution as an individual to help improve Facebook? If have, please give me some specific example.

Two of the three responders don’t think they can do any contributed as individual because they don’t have the ability to change the policy, even improve it. But one responder said she was try to appeal every friend of her to sent email to connect with Facebook website, told them should pay attention on the privacy problem.

Question 3: What is the desired outcome if every problem solved?

All of the three responder was high expectation about the Facebook’s reform and they believe there will be more user join in this big group if Facebook could provide a healthy, be protect community place.