Task Technology Fit, the Social Technical Gap, and Social Networking Sites

摘要

Social networking sites are a form of collaborative software used by millions of people worldwide. While important descriptive and exploratory studies of these sites have been conducted, there has been little discussion of how to relate information systems theory to the use of social networking sites. This research will combine two theoretical frameworks to assist in understanding the dynamics of these sites. Task technology fit theory is applied to analyze the task requirements of relationship development and match those requirements to technical features. The Social technical gap is also applied to discover the social requirements that evolve from the use of these sites, and determine how effectively these requirements can be supported in a socio-technical system with millions of members.