Eng. 101

Computers in Human Behavior 28 (2012) 624–630

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Computers in Human Behavior

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / c o m p h u m b e h

Self-disclosure and student satisfaction with Facebook

Whitney P. Special, Kirsten T. Li-Barber ⇑ Department of Psychology, High Point University, NC, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Available online 3 December 2011

Keywords: Facebook Internet Social network site Motivation Self-disclosure Satisfaction

0747-5632/$ - see front matter � 2011 Elsevier Ltd. A doi:10.1016/j.chb.2011.11.008

⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Department of Ps sity, 833 Montlieu Avenue, Box 37, High Point, NC 272 841 4620.

E-mail address: [email protected] (K.T. Li-Ba

The purpose of the current study was to extend existing research examining the specific motives for cre- ating and maintaining Facebook, and to connect these motives to users’ levels of self-disclosure and sat- isfaction with Facebook. Undergraduate students identified their reasons for using Facebook, privacy and self-disclosure settings, and satisfaction with Facebook’s ability to meet these motivational needs. Results indicated that the most common motives for using Facebook were relationship maintenance, passing time, and entertainment, although gender differences in motives for creating a Facebook page were observed. Males and females also differed in the overall level of self-disclosure as well as the type of information presented on their Facebook pages. Levels of self-disclosure, but not privacy levels, were associated with greater levels of satisfaction with Facebook to meet certain motivational goals.

� 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

The first recognizable online social network site (SNS), SixDe- grees.com, was introduced in 1997 (Boyd & Ellison, 2007), creating a new method of online communication. Since that time, online SNSs have experienced enormous growth in both popularity and membership (Gross & Acquisti, 2005). In 2006, the Federal Bureau of Intelligence announced they had a list of at least 200 SNSs (Ma- gid & Collier, 2007) and by 2008 that number had grown to 850 such sites (Swartz, 2008). These online SNSs have been established based on careers (i.e., LinkedIn), blogging (i.e., LiveJournal), photo- sharing (i.e., Flickr), or maintaining contact with friends and family (i.e., Twitter, MySpace, or Facebook).

Online SNSs allow users to create and maintain a public profile within the SNS and to contact other SNS users (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Other features of online SNSs may include the ability to join groups based on shared interests or associations, participate in dis- cussion forums with other users, upload and share media (videos and photos), and organize events. Such features are important for communication between people because they provide an avenue by which individuals can maintain social interactions across long distances.

Among the existing SNSs, Facebook remains the most widely used and recognized. Facebook is the second most trafficked web- site on the internet (Alexa, 2011), the most visited social media site in the world, and has more than 800 million active users (Face- book, 2011)—many of whom are college students. Originally cre-

ll rights reserved.

ychology, High Point Univer- 62, United States. Tel.: +1 336

rber).

ated by Mark Zuckerberg in early 2004 just for Harvard University students (Facebook, 2011), Facebook is a SNS that helps individuals stay connected with friends and family online. As Elli- son, Steinfield, and Lampe (2007) have discussed, Facebook is very much a part of the daily media routine of users in which 50% of ac- tive users log onto their account each day. The amount of time spent using Facebook varies—earlier studies documented an aver- age use of 10–30 min per day (Cassidy, 2006; Ellison et al., 2007) whereas more current statistics indicate users access Facebook an average of 55 min per day (Facebook, 2011).

For many, Facebook is a part of daily life, and its pervasiveness raises the question of what users are doing on the site. Facebook offers the traditional social networking elements that enable users to network with other Facebook users, and offers additional fea- tures such as games and applications. Essentially, Facebook mem- bers can use the site in a variety of ways. Bumgarner (2007) determined that Facebook’s uses include (from most to least important) friend functions (accepting/adding friends, browsing friend’s profiles, seeing how friends are connected); personal infor- mation (reading personal information, looking through photos, reading walls, etc.); practical information (being able to find con- tact information); regulatory functions (having editorial control over the content associated with their profile, ability to update info or photos, manage privacy settings); groups (view, create, and join groups); events (finding or creating events.); and miscellaneous features (liking, poking, etc.).

2. Research on Facebook

Research on social networking systems such as Facebook have provided researchers with valuable information about SNSs

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because of its widespread use and its ability to organize relation- ships both off and online (Ellison et al., 2007). Facebook has expe- rienced astronomical growth and is highly integrated with daily, real world activities. Its popularity may lie in its features, the ease of understanding and using the site, or its ability to permit social contact with a wide variety of individuals within any given mo- ment. Early research examining online SNSs have focused predom- inately on the characteristics of these networking sites, their history, how they are impacting the internet (see Boyd, 2007; Boyd & Ellison, 2007), and whether online SNSs diminish face-to-face communication (Sheldon, 2008a).

Recently, however, research on Facebook and related SNSs have shifted to explore the possible psychological and social gains asso- ciated with the development and maintenance of a SNS. Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe (Ellison et al., 2007) proposed that SNSs such as Facebook may offer the user a method of accruing social capital in the form of multiple social relationships developed both off and online and maintained through interaction on a Facebook page. In- deed the establishment of a moderately large and stable social net- work via Facebook has been associated with a sense of well-being (Kim & Lee, 2011). On the other hand, having a very large list of Facebook friends has not been consistently associated with per- ceived social support (Kim & Lee, 2011) or with perceived popular- ity and social desirability (Tong, Van Der Heide, Langwell, & Walther, 2008).

Multiple studies have been conducted examining the possible motives users of SNSs may have for creating such websites. For example, Bumgarner’s (Bumgarner, 2007) study identified social utility, directory (keep track of people), voyeurism, herd instincts (using Facebook because other people are), collection and connec- tion (organizing friends in one place), personal expression, and initi- ating friendships as motives. Similarly, in Joinson’s (2008) study such motives as social connection, shared identities, photographs, content, social investigation, social network surfing, and status up- dates were identified. These studies indicate that the majority of motives described by SNS users for creating and maintaining a SNS are social in nature, that the focus is on providing seeking out off-line contacts using an online platform, to disclose informa- tion about oneself to other SNS users, and to ideally strengthen off- line contacts using online self-disclosure and communication.

The identification of the major motives associated with the development of a SNS in general and Facebook in particular, is an important step in understanding why Facebook has become, prac- tically overnight, an internet based phenomenon. On the other hand, the extent to which Facebook is capable of meeting the social goals of its users is a second, equally important dimension to con- sider. According to Aronson and Mill’s (1959) ‘‘justification of effort hypothesis,’’ users’ satisfaction with Facebook may be derived from the sheer amount of effort put into personalizing one’s Facebook page. More likely however, satisfaction with Facebook is derived from its ability to provide some form of social gain.

Relationships, whether on- or offline, require time, effort, as well as the decision to disclose personal information to others. Facebook offers its users the ability to create an online identity including the disclosure of personal information to other Facebook users, such as daily thoughts, opinions, and feelings (Qian & Scott, 2007). Facebook users also have the option of deciding what type of personal information they would be willing to disclose to others, effectively constructing an online identity that may or may not be similar to their ‘‘real’’ self (Zhao, Grasmuck, & Martin, 2008). Dis- closure of personal information may be done explicitly (i.e., written statements of users’ thoughts and feelings) or implicitly (pictures uploaded to their Facebook page). Previous research has identified that Facebook users tend to construct their online identity implic- itly, using a ‘‘show rather than tell’’ approach in which people post pictures or video clips of themselves, as opposed to more explicit

methods, such as writing self-descriptions (Zhao et al., 2008). Fur- ther, the types of information presented in personal pages, posted on user’s walls, or photos included in albums may be done to con- struct an idealized image of the self that users wish to present to other people (Kim & Lee, 2011). A SNS users’ motivation for estab- lishing an SNS may therefore be related to their self-disclosure lev- els. In turn, levels of self-disclosure may be related to users’ satisfaction with the SNSs’ ability to meet their goals. More recent studies by Sheldon (2008a, 2008b), explored possible motives for creating and maintaining a Facebook page in relation to individual differences. The results indicated that Facebook is generally used to pass the time, maintain relationships, and for entertainment (other less important motives include sense of virtual community, coolness, and companionship). In considering that the internet is be- lieved to potentially provide an avenue for normally shy individuals to communicate (Papacharissi & Rubin, 2000), Sheldon believed per- sonality may be the reason that introverted SNS users feel more comfortable communicating online than in real life. However, Shel- don’s research indicated that people who are actively involved on- line are those who actively communicate in real life as well (Sheldon, 2008b). As SNSs are believed to provide a means for estab- lishing social capital (Ellison et al., 2007), the combination of this and Sheldon’s findings lead the current study to consider self-disclo- sure (opposed to personality) as a mediator of satisfaction.

3. Study goals

The overarching goal of the current study was to examine the motivations of undergraduate students for using Facebook, their levels of self-disclosure on Facebook, and the extent to which lev- els of self-disclosure were linked with satisfaction in Facebook’s ability to meet the users’ goals.

Sheldon (2008a) identified six major goals of undergraduate Facebook users, and part of this study’s goal was to replicate her findings using a new undergraduate sample. As Facebook under- goes periodic changes to its structure and functions, the current study did evaluate perceptions of Facebook using a more up-to- date sample of Facebook users. However it was hypothesized that the underlying motives for using Facebook would remain the same, despite modifications to some of the features of Facebook. As part of our analyses, we similarly examined whether male and female users differed in which goals they assigned as most important just as Sheldon’s study (2008b) did.

The second goal of the current study was to examine the factors that contribute to satisfaction with Facebook. As stated above, two possible explanations for satisfaction with a SNS may be derived by either the sheer amount of time devoted to updating and maintain- ing their network page, but also possibly the level of personal information users choose to disclose to others. The degree to which a Facebook user chooses to disclose personal information on their Facebook page may be related to the social goals and motivations they have associated with the Facebook page. Facebook users have the ability to disclose an array of basic information, personal infor- mation, contact information, and education and work information. In the current study, levels of self-disclosure were examined across each of these categories, and gender differences in self-disclosure was also examined. In a meta-analysis of 205 studies, Dindia and Allen (1992) examined gender differences in self-disclosure. Their study was not about SNS specifically but rather gender differences in self-disclosure in general. Results from their meta-analysis indi- cated that females disclosed more than males. Additional research (see Consedine, Sabag-Cohen, & Krivoshekova, 2007; Hinson & Swanson, 1993; Littlefield, 1974; Sprecher & Hendrick, 2004) has also shown that females do tend to disclose more information than males. In the current study, we examined the relationship between

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frequency of logging onto one’s Facebook page, time spent updat- ing one’s Facebook page, and levels of perceived satisfaction with Facebook across the six motivational goals originally identified by Sheldon (2008a) Possible gender differences in levels of self-dis- closure were also examined.

The relationship between levels of user self-disclosure and per- ceived satisfaction on Facebook was the third goal of the current study. Sheldon (2008a) examined users’ satisfaction with Facebook using a single question: ‘‘How satisfied are you with Facebook?’’ Given that users’ motivations for creating a Facebook may be di- verse, the current study sought to compare both the specific moti- vations for creating a Facebook page with users’ reported satisfaction with Facebook to achieve each of these six goals, as well as whether users that were higher on levels of self-disclosure and lower on privacy settings reported higher levels of satisfaction with Facebook across the six main goals compared to those who were lower on self-disclosure and higher on privacy settings.

4. Method

4.1. Participants

Participants included 127 (N = 90 females) undergraduate stu- dents from a small south-eastern university. Ages ranged from 18 to 24 years, (M = 19.24 years, SD = 0.862 years). Participants were Introductory Psychology students recruited by teacher announcement in their Introductory Psychology class who were at least 18 years of age at the time of participation and had a cur- rent Facebook account. Participants were given research credit for their participation.

4.2. Materials

Participants were administered a computer-based 128-item survey and given instructions to access and complete the com- puter-based questionnaire. Questions included general demo- graphics (age, gender, class year), motives for using Facebook, overall satisfaction with Facebook, activities on the site including frequency of logging onto and modifying their Facebook profile, and to describe the type of personal information included on their online profile. The section of the survey that dealt with the motives for joining and maintaining a Facebook page were drawn directly from Sheldon’s (2008a) Internet Motives Scale and were adapted to be applicable to Facebook’s ability to satisfy participants in terms of their reasons for using the site to begin with.

4.3. Procedure

The survey was conducted in a small, on-campus computer lab where only the participants and survey proctor were present. Par- ticipants completed paper consent forms in order to participate and were given the opportunity to ask questions. The survey was computer-based and participants were directed to the proper web-link for completing the survey. After completing the experi- ment, participants received debriefing statements, were given the opportunity to ask questions again, and thanked.

4.4. Measures

Questions about how often and when participants use Face- book, the frequency that Facebook users modified their profile, and whether or not certain personal information was present on their profile were used to determine general Facebook usage as well as how much users disclose about themselves through their profile. The questions related to self-disclosure came from doing

a line-by-line breakdown of the possible fields and items that users can choose to complete and include in their profile.

4.4.1. Motives for using Facebook Participants rated statements that corresponded to one of six

motives for using Facebook (relationship maintenance, passing time, virtual community, entertainment, coolness, and companion- ship) using a five-point Likert scale. Sample statements that partic- ipants rated include: ‘‘I use Facebook for the following reason: (1) To interact with others through Facebook groups. (2) To send a message to a friend. (3) To post a message on my friend’s wall.’’ This measure was adopted from Sheldon’s (2008a) motives for Facebook use. Higher scores represent that the participant strongly agrees with the statement and lower scores represent that the par- ticipant strongly disagrees with the statement. The scores from the statements that corresponded to the same motive were summed together to create a total endorsement score for each motive. These scores were then averaged across all participants to provide an indication of endorsement for each motive.

4.4.2. User satisfaction ratings To obtain a more detailed understanding of how satisfied par-

ticipants are with Facebook, user satisfaction was also assessed through questions about Facebook’s ability to fulfill their motives for using the site. Participants rated the same 38 motives using a five-point Likert scale based on how satisfied they were with Face- book’s ability to perform the given motive. For example, the partic- ipants rated how satisfied they were with Facebook’s ability to ‘‘occupy my time’’ varying from very satisfied to not at all satisfied. Each of the 38 statements related to one of the six main motives people have for using Facebook.

A satisfaction score was generated similarly as the motives score in which each of the 38 satisfaction questions received a score (1–5) based on the degree to which the participant felt that Facebook was able to satisfy that particular need. These scores were then summed together to create the six different satisfaction scales based on the original six motives for using Facebook identi- fied by Sheldon (2008a).

4.4.3. Participant disclosure Levels of participant self-disclosure were assessed by examin-

ing the number of personal items (i.e., photo albums, personal biography) that were present on their Facebook profile, privacy settings, frequency of status updates, and the number of uploaded photo albums. Each time a personal item was present on a person’s Facebook profile it was assigned a value of ‘‘1’’ and the absence of a personal item was assigned a value of ‘‘0.’’ For features on a profile that were not as straightforward as ‘‘present’’ or ‘‘absent’’ (i.e., number of photo albums), participants were instructed to respond using a series of categorical response choices (i.e., having 5 or few- er photo albums versus 10 or more). The total possible number of items that could be included on a participant’s profile page was 29. A median split was used to categorize participants into ‘‘high’’ and ‘‘low’’ self-disclosure users.

Privacy settings are controlled by the user and determine which other Facebook users can view information on their profile. Partic- ipant’s privacy level score was calculated by assigning a numerical score to whom the participant allows view their profile and other information, and whom the participant adds as a friend on Face- book. A lower score indicates the participant is more selective of whom they add as a friend and whom they let view their profile (i.e., they only add their real friends from real life and only allow friends to view their profile) whereas a higher score indicates the participant is less selective (i.e., they may add anyone and allow any user to view their profile and information). A median split was then used to create ‘‘high’’ and ‘‘low’’ privacy users.

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5. Results

5.1. General information on Facebook use

The majority of Facebook users (76.6%) log into Facebook sev- eral times a day and spend approximately 5–10 min each time they log in (30.5%). 14.8% of participants log in once per day, 5.5% 3–5 days a week, 2.3% 1–2 days a week, and a mere 0.8% every few weeks. 29.7% of participants spend 11–20 min using Facebook each time they log in, 16.4% spend between 20 and 30 min, 7% less than 5 min, 7% between 30 and 40 min, 3.9% more than an hour, 3.1% between 50 min and an hour, and 2.3% between 40 and 50 min.

A chi-square test was performed to examine the relation be- tween gender and frequency of Facebook use and how long was spent on Facebook. The relation between gender and frequency was not significant, X2 (4, N = 128) = 2.48, p = .65, nor was the rela- tion between gender and time spent using Facebook, X2 (7, N = 128) = 12.77, p = .08.

5.2. Motives for Facebook use

The first hypothesis was intended to examine the main reasons individuals have for using Facebook and to compare these results with those of Sheldon (2008a, 2008b). The factor relationship main- tenance (M = 4.08; SD = 0.619) was the strongest motivator for using Facebook followed by passing time (M = 3.79; SD = 0.799), and entertainment (M = 3.60, SD = 0.725). Less important motives were coolness (M = 2.89; SD = 0.807), virtual community (M = 2.19; SD = 0.758), and companionship (M = 2.16, SD = 0.903).

A one-way ANOVA suggests there is no significant gender difference for most motives for using Facebook (relationship main- tenance, passing time, virtual community, coolness, or companion- ship). However, there was a significant effect for gender and the entertainment aspect of using Facebook, F(1, 125) = 6.44, p = .012, with females indicating they use Facebook more for the entertain- ment value it provides (M = 3.71, SD = .680) than do males (M = 3.35, SD = .779).

5.3. Level of satisfaction with Facebook

In terms of general satisfaction with Facebook, users derive most satisfaction from relationship maintenance (M = 4.39, SD = .516), passing the time (M = 4.04, SD = .669), entertainment (M = 3.95, SD = .582). Users are less satisfied with Facebook’s cool- ness factor (M = 3.23, SD = .750), virtual community (M = 3.20, SD = .634), and companionship (M = 2.95, SD = .831).

A gender difference in user satisfaction across the six motives was also observed, F(1, 125) = 4.78, p = .031, with females

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2.5

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Relationships Maintenance

Pass Time Virtual Community

*

* p < .05

M ea

n

Motives for

Fig. 1. Mean differences representing gender differences in perceived

(M = 4.46, SD = 0.461) more satisfied with Facebook’s ability to help maintain relationships than males (M = 4.24, SD = 0.611). Females were also more satisfied with Facebook’s ability to entertain (M = 4.02, SD = 0.564) than males (M = 3.77, SD = 0.595), F(1, 125) = 5.13, p = .025. Females were more satisfied with the cool- ness of Facebook (M = 3.33, SD = 0.749) than males (M = 3.01, SD = 0.714), F(1, 125) = 4.81, p = .030. No significant differences in satisfaction were obtained for: passing the time, F(1, 125) = 3.67, p = .058; virtual community, F(1, 125) = 1.46, p = .228; and compan- ionship, F(1, 125) = 3.53, p = .063 (see Fig. 1).

5.4. Self-disclosure levels on Facebook

Facebook offers users the ability to disclose different categories of information on their Facebook pages, including basic informa- tion (e.g., user’s sex, birthday, hometown, relationship status), per- sonal information (i.e., favorite activities, interests, and music), contact information (i.e., emails, IM screen names, mobile phone, website), and work and educational info (i.e., college/university, class year, high school, work). Self-disclosure was evaluated in terms of whether or not items were included on a user’s profile across these four before-mentioned categories. Overall, 56% of users include basic information on their profile, 71% include per- sonal information, 28% include contact information, and 81% in- clude work and educational information.

A one-way ANOVA to investigate gender differences in self-dis- closure across the categories revealed a significant effect for basic information, F(1, 126) = 5.65, p = .019, and contact information, F(1, 126) = 4.63, p = .033. Males disclosed more basic information (M = 4.87, SD = 1.14) than females (M = 4.27, SD = 1.37). Males also disclosed more contact information (M = 3.03, SD = 2.17) than fe- males (M = 2.26, SD = 1.70).

5.5. Privacy settings on Facebook

Privacy settings were used as another indicator of self-disclo- sure on Facebook. Users could vary their privacy settings to allow just their personal Facebook friends, or all users to view their Face- book profile. To obtain a more clear representation of who users let view their information (privacy level) on Facebook, it was evalu- ated in terms of many categories: the user’s profile (as a whole), basic information, personal information, status updates, photo al- bums, tagged photos, tagged videos, friends, wall posts, education information, and work information. Overall, about half (54.2%) of Facebook users only allow just friends to view their profile; 25.8% allow users from all of their networks and all of their friends to view their profile; 16.4% allow users in their main network and

Entertainment Coolness Companionship

Males

Females*

*

Facebook Use

levels of satisfaction across the six motives for using Facebook.

628 W.P. Special, K.T. Li-Barber / Computers in Human Behavior 28 (2012) 624–630

all of their friends to view their profile; and 3.1% allow friends and friends of friends to view their profile.

A one-way ANOVA indicated a significant effect for gender on privacy levels, F(1, 121) = 6.70, p = .011, with females indicating having higher privacy settings (M = 20.90, SD = 11.67) than males (M = 27.05, SD = 13.00).

5.6. Time spent Facebook and satisfaction levels

A series of Pearson correlations were run to examine the rela- tionship between frequency of logging onto Facebook, the duration of time participants spent on Facebook, and perceived satisfaction across the six motives.

The results indicated a negative correlation between frequency of logging onto Facebook and perceived satisfaction with Face- book’s ability to pass the time, r(128) = �.29, p = .001, as well as a negative relationship between frequency of logging onto Face- book and satisfaction with Facebook’s ability to entertain, r(128) = �2.84, p = .001.

Duration of time spent on Facebook each time the user logged on was positively associated with perceived satisfaction in Face- book’s ability to past the time, r(128) = .24, p = .007, and a strong trend was observed with perceived satisfaction in Facebook’s abil- ity to entertain, r(128) = .17, p = .05.

5.7. Levels of self-disclosure and privacy settings on satisfaction with using Facebook

The relationship between level of self-disclosure and ratings of overall satisfaction across the six motives for using Facebook indi- cated that level of self-disclosure and satisfaction with Facebook’s ability to entertain was significant, F(1, 126) = 5.19, p = .024. Users high in self-disclosure were more satisfied (M = 36.66, SD = 5.19) with the entertainment element of Facebook than were users with low self-disclosure scores (M = 34.56, SD = 5.21). Also significant was level of self-disclosure and satisfaction with Facebook’s ability to pass the time, F(1, 126) = 4.64, p = .033. High self-disclosers (M = 29.22, SD = 4.79) were more satisfied than low self-disclosers (M = 27.45, SD = 4.48). No significance was obtained for relation- ship maintenance, F(1, 126) = .116, p = .73; virtual community, F(1, 126) = .66, p = .42; coolness, F(1, 126) = 1.25, p = .265; and com- panionship, F(1, 126) = .235, p = .63 (see Fig. 2).

A one way ANOVA was used to explore the relationship be- tween user privacy levels and satisfaction with Facebook’s ability to fulfill user motivation for using Facebook. Results indicated no significant effect between privacy level and satisfaction across any of the six motives for using Facebook: relationship mainte- nance, F(1, 122) = 2.70, p = .10; passing the time, F(1, 122) = .004,

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Fig. 2. Mean differences in levels of self-disclosure and ratings of

p = .95; virtual community, F(1, 122) = .246, p = .62; entertainment, F(1, 122) = .40, p = .53; coolness, F(1, 122) = .094, p = .76; and com- panionship, F(1, 122) = .191, p = .66.

6. Discussion

The development of SNSs has dramatically changed the way indi- viduals use the internet to communicate with others. Most popular among these is Facebook, a SNS that permits users to upload per- sonal information such as photos, videos, statements, and links to favorite websites for other Facebook users to view and comment on. Research examining the utilization of Facebook and similar SNSs has indicated that users see such websites as a method of establish- ing social capital (Ellison et al., 2007) in the form of new social con- tacts created online as well as the maintenance of off-line social contacts using online methods. More recent research has provided support for this theory through an examination of the motivations and social goals users have for establishing a Facebook page (Bum- garner, 2007; Joinson et al., 2008; Sheldon, 2008a, 2008b). One ques- tion not fully explored however is the extent to which users’ own decision to disclose personal information to other users via posting of photographs, contact information, and personal statements on Facebook is at all linked with users’ perceived satisfaction with Face- book’s ability to meet their social goals.

In the current study, we (1) replicated the findings of Sheldon’s (2008a) research identifying the goals for creating and maintaining a Facebook page, (2) examined the levels of self-disclosure and pri- vacy levels of Facebook users, and (3) examined the relationship between satisfaction with Facebook to meet social goals and levels of self-disclosure. The majority (77%) of students access Facebook every day. Regardless of how many times someone may log into their Facebook account, for most individuals accessing Facebook occurs daily, indicating that Facebook plays a large role in the so- cial interactions among college students. Further, the majority of Facebook users spend 5–10 min using Facebook each time they log into the site. No gender differences for frequency of use of amount of time spent using the site was observed.

Findings from the current study replicate Sheldon’s study about user motives for maintaining a Facebook account. The leading mo- tives for using Facebook were relationship maintenance, passing the time, and entertainment; and less important motives were coolness, virtual community, and companionship. These findings provide additional evidence that the main reasons for utilizing Facebook are socially derived, and that despite recent changes to some of the features of Facebook, users’ motivations for creating and maintaining a Facebook page stay the same.

With respect to levels of self-disclosure, males disclosed more basic information and more contact information than females.

Entertainment Coolness Companionship

High Self-Disclosure

Low Self-Disclosure

overall satisfaction across the six motives for using Facebook.

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Generally speaking the majority of users include basic information, personal information, contact information, and work and educa- tional information on their profile. This study provides a basic understanding of what and how much college Facebook users dis- close about themselves on their Facebook profile. Our analyses examining the relationship between satisfaction with Facebook and self-disclosure levels revealed an inconsistent relationship be- tween each of the six scores of satisfaction with Facebook and de- gree of self-disclosure. Although users who disclose more were more satisfied with Facebook’s ability to entertain, there was no support for the other five motives. Although entertainment was not a primary motive for using Facebook, its relationship to self- disclosure is worth consideration. Entertainment on Facebook can be obtained in a variety of forms and for some users this enter- tainment may come from browsing through friend’s profiles and photos, reading through the mini-feed updates of what their friends are doing on Facebook (and in their real life), or using appli- cations on Facebook. Users that have a high level of self-disclosure on Facebook may be more entertained because they appreciate when other users provide disclosure about themselves as well.

Two possible explanations for satisfaction in using Facebook had been proposed: first, that satisfaction with Facebook could be derived purely through the amount of time and effort exerted in developing a Facebook page (Aronson & Mills, 1959), and second that levels of self-disclosure, potentially related to the desire to present a desirable online image to other Facebook users, may be related to perceived satisfaction with Facebook. Results indicated that interestingly, users who frequently logged onto their Facebook account reported being less satisfied with Facebook’s ability to pass the time, and provide entertainment. On the other hand, the more time users spent updating their Facebook page each time they logged on was associated with higher levels of perceived satisfac- tion in Facebook’s ability to pass the time. This provides some sup- port for Aronson and Mill’s justification of effort hypothesis (Aronson & Mills, 1959) as putting in more effort updating and maintaining Facebook was associated with some degree of in- creased satisfaction.

With respect to levels of self-disclosure and satisfaction, users high in self-disclosure were more satisfied with the entertainment element of Facebook as well as with Facebook’s ability to pass the time. Subsequently if self-disclosure levels (rather, the presumed effort of disclosing) on Facebook does not lead to people feeling more satisfied, what factors, if any, could predict satisfaction? Sheldon (2008a) investigated the trait of unwillingness-to-com- municate in relation to the pleasure users seek and obtain from using Facebook. Although her findings suggested that Facebook benefits extraverts (those willing to communicate), satisfaction may be related to other ‘Big 5’ personality traits such openness to experience, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Another personality trait that could be a predictor of satisfaction is narcissism. It would seem plausible that those high in narcissism may be more satisfied with Facebook because it provides another outlet for them to admire themselves. The development of social contacts and the establishing of social capital is an important goal for many people. The development of SNSs provides individuals an alternative method of creating and maintaining social relationships using an online method. Facebook in particular has been especially popular because of its ability to provide users a great deal of flex- ibility in determining what information is disclosed to other online users, and to what extent this information is made available to oth- ers. While the majority of existing research examining Facebook has focused on understanding the social motivations associated with the creation of a Facebook page, the current study sought to identify factors relating to users’ perceived satisfaction with Face- book’s ability to meet these same goals. Our findings indicate that both the effort exerted in maintaining a Facebook page, as well as

the degree of personal information made available to other users partially explains users satisfaction with Facebook.

6.1. Limitations

A limitation of the current study and a possible reason the third hypothesis was not supported, is the number of participants and that they were predominantly female. In the current study, the percentage of female participants was roughly 71% and although a larger, more gender-balanced participant pool may have pro- vided further insight into any existing gender-based differences in Facebook motivation and use, it is important to remember par- ticipation in the study was voluntary and actually representative of the population at the university (more females than males). Addi- tional limitations include the possibility that participants were not completely accurate in the reporting of the contents and level of privacy of their Facebook page. The researchers of this project were unable to personally examine the Facebook pages of each individ- ual for ethical reasons, thus our data collection relied on partici- pant self-report, which may be prone to error.

6.2. Future research

The results of the current study have indicated that satisfaction with Facebook is somewhat related to levels of self-disclosure and time spent maintaining one’s Facebook page. One area yet to be ex- plored however is to what extent specific motivations are associ- ated with users’ conscious decision to disclose specific types of information to others. For example, if a Facebook user’s motivation is to find a romantic relationship, does that lead to the conscious decision to post information about his/her relationship status, per- sonal and work contact information, and personal interests? Such information could be valuable for SNS administrators in seeking to provide users with more specialized tools that are dedicated to meeting specific goals.

Recent modifications to Facebook have allowed users to access their Facebook pages on their cellular phones and other mobile de- vices, dramatically increasing the ability of individuals to access and update their Facebook pages. Future studies may consider examining if how people use Facebook has changed due to the in- creased mobility and portability of the site. Although Facebook rep- resents a much more modern method of social interaction, a second direction for further research could be examining changing motiva- tions for using Facebook. For example, do older individuals have the same motivation for using Facebook as younger individuals?

Another final possible direction of inquiry could be whether or not the social networks established through this site are enduring or prove beneficial in later years. Currently, the majority of SNS users are adolescents or young adults (Lenhart, 2009). However, one of the fastest growing demographics of online users is people 35 years of age and older (Facebook, 2009). In fact, approximately 35% of all adults over 35 years of age are members of at least one SNS (Lenhart et al., 2009). To date there is no known research that examines poten- tial age differences in user motivation to create and maintain SNSs.

As the popularity and usage of Facebook continues to increase, the current study enhances the existing research about SNSs and, more specifically, Facebook. Such results provide valuable informa- tion including why and how such sites are used, what and how much users disclose on them, and user satisfaction with these sites in relation to motives for using the site.

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