Author:
Nove E. Variant Anna
Affiliation:
Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Keyword(s):
Information sharing, social media, social network sites, instagram, facebook
Abstract:
Social network sites (SNSs) are widely used by students to access information and to publish information, especially information related to personal matters and daily activities. The use of SNSs is believed to have many benefits, including convenience in the processes of both creating and using information. Nevertheless, the information presented on SNSs also generates much controversy, such as unclear sources and hoax information. This study aimed to reveal students’ activities in information sharing through SNSs such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. It also investigates what types of information they share on SNSs and what considerations are used before using or uploading content to SNSs. The theory used in this research was the information-sharing concept, including information creation, storage, usage, and exchange. The method used was a descriptive approach, where the writer described and analyzed the data. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 200 Faculty of
Vocational Study students from ten study programs. The results show that Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were the most widely used SNSs among the students. The respondents used SNSs to access information, upload photos, and read the statuses of others; the majority of them uploaded content 1–3 times a day and downloaded or read information 1–3 times a day. The type of information uploaded was mostly about personal factors and hobbies. The sources of the information used by the respondents were SNSs and the Internet. The respondents also believed that the information found through SNSs was appropriate and that SNSs were suitable for sharing information. Future research could investigate the information quality on SNSs.
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