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How the Singaporean Youth Uses Facebook to Boost Social Capital

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How the Singaporean Youth Uses Facebook to Boost Social Capital
How the Singaporean Youth uses Facebook to boost Social Capital

Executive Summary 4

Introduction 5

Literature Review 6

Methodology 10

Findings 13

Discussion 20

Conclusion and Limitation 22

Research Proposal 23

References 24

Appendix A (Focus Group Transcription)

Appendix B (Interview Transcription)

Appendix C (Survey Questionnaire )

Appendix D (Tabulation Of Selected Survey Results)

Appendix E (Consent Form)
Executive Summary

The public is based on a social criteria while audience is an individual membership of larger grouping and in communication, the latter is vital they are whom the media wants to reach out to. The media landscape has evolved over the year and Internet now reigns supreme. The social media audience is an interesting topic to understand as they are the active producers of media messages.

Why must we constantly upload pictures and tag our friends? Does it matter if people know “what’s on my mind”? Audience research have shown that people are often participatory seekers after meaning, though not always accepting but sometimes negotiating or even resisting textual meanings (Livingstone, 2005). This study aims to understand the correlation between social networking site – Facebook and how Singaporean youths uses it to further enhance their social capital.

Introduction

Your birthday is coming and you want to invite your friends to your party. Instead of sending out invitation cards, all you need now is to “Create an Event”. Within a few minutes, everyone is informed about the party. While our earliest understanding of audience are of a physical gathering in a certain place (McQuail, 2000) , this is a new dynasty of audience where all the world’s a Facebook.

The Facebook Era

Facebook is a social networking site that has transformed the lives of many, especially youths. It not only connects people with friends, but also those who work, study and live around them. Launched in 2004, Facebook was



References: Arnett, J. J., (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469-480. Donath, J. & Boyd, D. (2004). Public displays of connection. BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 71–82. Helliwell, J. F., & Putnam, R. D. (2004). The social context of well-being. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 359(1449), 1435–1446. IDA. (2011). Infocomm usage- households and individuals. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/Publications/20070822125451.aspx Katz, E., Blumler, J Kenski, K., & Stroud, N.J. (2006). Connections between Internet use and political efficacy, knowledge and participation. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50(2), 173-192. Kirkpatrick, D. (2010a). The Facebook Effect. Great Britain: Virgin Books Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K Lin, M. (2011, April 10). Holland V rocks with singlets, shorts and slippers. Home. The Sunday Times (Singapore), p.12 Lin, N Livingstone, S. (2005). On the relation between audiences and publics. Pp. 17 -141 in S. Livingstone (Ed) Audiences and publics: When cultural engagement matters for the public sphere. Bristol, UK: Intellect Books Neild, B McQuail, D. (2000) Audience Theory & Research Traditions. Pp. 360 – 382 in McQuail, D. McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory, 4th Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Paxton, P Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone. New York: Simon & Schuster. Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital Journal of Democracy. 6, 65-78. Putnam, R. D. (1993). “The Prosperous Community,” The American Prospect vol. 4 no. 13. Shah, D.V., Kwak, N., Holbert, R. L. (2001). “Connecting” and “disconnecting” with civic life: Patterns of Internet use and the production of social capital. Political Communication, 18, 141-162. Shuttleworth, M. (2008). Asch experiment. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from http://www.experiment-resources.com/asch-experiment.html Socialbakers Steinfield, C., Ellison, N. B., & Lampe, C. (2008). Social capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 434-445. Wellman, B., Haase, A. Q., Witte, J., &Hampton, K. (2001). Does the Internet increase, decrease, or supplement social capital? Social networks, participation, and community commitment. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(3), 436.

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