social media usage

166 Pages·2013·2.31 MB·English

by  Stoney Brooks

SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE: EXAMINATION
OF INFLUENCERS AND EFFECTS

By
STONEY L. BROOKS

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Business

JULY 2013
© Copyright by STONEY L. BROOKS, 2013
All Rights Reserved
© Copyright by STONEY L. BROOKS, 2013
All Rights Reserved
To the Faculty of Washington State University:

The members of the Committee appointed to examine the dissertation of
STONEY L. BROOKS find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted.

___________________________________
Saonee Sarker, Ph.D., Chair

___________________________________
Joseph Valacich, Ph.D.

___________________________________
Craig Parks, Ph.D.

___________________________________
Kristine Kuhn, Ph.D.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank each member of my committee individually for their great help
and direction throughout the previous years. Saonee Sarker has been the rock that I am
able to lean on. Her wisdom and knowledge have been invaluable to me and her
enthusiasm for the project has helped keep me going. Joe Valacich has been a great mentor
to me for understanding the field and how to write research that people will want to read. I
will never forget that a story must always be told well. Craig Parks is one of the most
intelligent people I have ever met. His knowledge of statistics and techniques has been a
wonderful resource, and this work would look much different without his guidance. Finally,
Kristine Kuhn has helped me understand the Organizational Behavior field and literature.
This information will be of great use going forward in this stream of research.
I would also like to thank a few others that have been beneficial for me to work
with, discuss research with, or to learn from: Suprateek Sarker, Mauricio Featherman, Paul
Clay, and Len Burns. Thank you all very much for everything.

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SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE: EXAMINATION
OF INFLUENCERS AND EFFECTS

Abstract

By Stoney L. Brooks, Ph.D.
Washington State University
July 2013

Chair: Saonee Sarker

This dissertation is concerned with investigating topics surrounding the phenomenon of
social media usage. Essay One draws from the technology acceptance literature by utilizing concepts
from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of
Technology (UTAUT), and the model of hedonic technology acceptance. The purpose of this essay is
to propose new technological and personal characteristics that influence the usage of hedonic social
media. Essay Two utilizes Self-Discrepancy Theory. Self-Discrepancy Theory states that when a
person “should” be doing one thing, but is actually doing something else, there is a cognitive
discrepancy that leads to negative effects. This framework is used to show how usage of social
media in a work environment can have detrimental internal and external effects to the user. Essay
Three examines IT workers from around the world through the lenses of Person-Environment Fit
and Job Characteristic Theory. This study examines how the combination of social media usage and
job characteristics affects IT employees in the workplace. The results of these three essays have
implications for both research and practice. Future research topics and areas of interest are
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provided for continuing this stream. Practical advice is also given for managers and educators alike
concerning social media.

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Table of Contents
Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................................................... iiiii
Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... iiv
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ ix
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... ix
Dedication ................................................................................................................................................... xii
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
Essay One: Technological and Personal Characteristics that Influence Social Media Usage ....................... 5
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Literature Review .................................................................................................................................... 11
Theoretical Background .......................................................................................................................... 14
Hypothesis Development ........................................................................................................................ 15
Technological Characteristics .............................................................................................................. 16
Personal Characteristics ...................................................................................................................... 17
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 23
Analysis ................................................................................................................................................... 26
Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 27
Discussion and Contribution ................................................................................................................... 29
Limitations and Future Research ............................................................................................................ 30
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 31
References .............................................................................................................................................. 33
Appendices .............................................................................................................................................. 43
Essay Two:
Negative Cognitive Effects of Social Media Usage in the Classroom An Empirical Examination ............... 50
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 50
Background ............................................................................................................................................. 53
Self-Discrepancy Theory...................................................................................................................... 54
Negative Outcomes ............................................................................................................................. 56
Hypothesis Development ........................................................................................................................ 57
Study 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 64
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 64
Analysis ................................................................................................................................................... 67
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Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 69
Technostress Components .................................................................................................................. 70
Discussion................................................................................................................................................ 71
Study 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 72
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 74
Analysis ................................................................................................................................................... 76
Initial Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 76
Analysis by Group................................................................................................................................ 77
Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 79
Comparing Users vs. Non-Users .......................................................................................................... 82
Technostress Components .................................................................................................................. 83
Discussion and Contribution ................................................................................................................... 86
Limitations and Future Research ............................................................................................................ 88
References .............................................................................................................................................. 90
Appendices .............................................................................................................................................. 99
Essay 3: IT Job Characteristics and Negative Social Media Symptoms:
An Examination of Person-Environment Misfit ........................................................................................ 104
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 104
Background ........................................................................................................................................... 107
Social Media ...................................................................................................................................... 107
IT Professionals ................................................................................................................................. 108
Theoretical Background and Hypothesis Development ....................................................................... 109
Person-Environment Fit .................................................................................................................... 109
Job Characteristics ............................................................................................................................ 110
Social Media Usage Symptoms ......................................................................................................... 114
Social Media Restriction in the Workplace ....................................................................................... 118
Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 118
SMWC Scale Development ................................................................................................................... 120
Analysis ................................................................................................................................................. 123
Direct Effects ..................................................................................................................................... 124
Linear Regression Moderation .......................................................................................................... 125
Polynomial Regression and Response Surface Analysis.................................................................... 125
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Results ................................................................................................................................................... 126
SMWC and Job Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 126
Technostress and Job Characteristics ............................................................................................... 130
Social Media Regulation .................................................................................................................... 133
Discussion.............................................................................................................................................. 134
Limitations and Future Research .......................................................................................................... 136
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 137
References ............................................................................................................................................ 139
Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 148
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 152

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1-1: Demographic Details .................................................................................................................. 25
Table 1-2: Correlation of Constructs and Square Root of AVE Values (bold in diagonal) ........................... 27
Table 1-3: Hypotheses ................................................................................................................................ 28
Table A1-1: Partial listing of Social Media News Stories ............................................................................. 39
Table A1-2: Social Media in Organizations ................................................................................................. 40
Table A1-3: Potential Characteristics Identified for Study .......................................................................... 42
Table A1-4: Item Loadings and Reliabilities ................................................................................................ 44
Table 2-1: Demographic Details .................................................................................................................. 63
Table 2-2: Correlation of Constructs and Square Root of AVE Values (bold in diagonal) ........................... 64
Table 2-3: Demographic Details .................................................................................................................. 69
Table 2-4: Correlation of Constructs and Square Root of AVE for the Full Model ..................................... 72
Table 2-5: Correlation of Constructs and Square Root of AVE for the Users Group .................................. 73
Table 2-6: Correlation of Constructs and Square Root of AVE for the Non-Users Group .......................... 74
Table 2-7: Group Comparisons of the Hypotheses ..................................................................................... 78
Table 2-8: Group Comparisons of the Relationships .................................................................................. 80
Table 2-9: Hypotheses ................................................................................................................................ 81
Table 2-10: Technostress Breakdown ......................................................................................................... 82
Table A2-1: Negative Effects of Social Media ............................................................................................. 90
Table A2-2: Items and Loadings for Study 1. .............................................................................................. 92
Table A2-3: Items and Loadings for Study 2. .............................................................................................. 94
Table 3-1: Job Characteristics ................................................................................................................... 103
Table 3-2: Interaction Hypotheses ............................................................................................................ 108
Table 3-3: Fit Statistics .............................................................................................................................. 113
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