Trial, Adoption, Usage and Diffusion of Social Media.

摘要

While new social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have become increasingly prevalent among a large proportion of the work force across different national cultures, there is a dearth of research-based knowledge as to why individuals experiment with, adopt, use, and propagate new media innovations. This report outlines findings from exploratory research based on two rounds of data collection involving similar populations of individuals and presents a survey instrument for future research using a longitudinal design. The first campaign resulted in both qualitative (interview) and quantitative (survey) data from 80 individuals, which yielded an understanding of how individuals engaged with new media. The findings from this analysis as well as issues uncovered from this campaign were used to develop a new research instrument for further research. The second resulted in both qualitative (interview) and quantitative (survey) data from 65 individuals using the new research instrument at the end of the first campaign. The analysis showed some additional improvement and insights. However, both campaigns involved cross- sectional data that was useful for understanding trial, adoption, and use. Finally, a survey instrument was newly developed for a longitudinal data collection effort based on the insights gained from the first two campaigns.