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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Utilizing Facebook to Articulate Self and Sustain Community: Experiences of Undergraduate Students on a Midwestern Campus

Abney Korn, Karen L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1354555912

Abstract Details

2012, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, Educational Leadership.
Facebook is an online social networking site that connects people through intentionally constructed virtual social relationships. It has been an integral component in campus life throughout the world since 2006, extending outside of higher education networks and into mainstream society (Moral & Sandhu, 2009). Facebook has changed the landscape of human social, political and romantic interactions. This research explores the impact this online platform has on college students, by studying the behaviors, experiences, and perspectives of undergraduate students at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. The primary question guiding this research is: How do college students use Facebook to fulfill social needs in the creation and maintenance of community while attending college? The methodology used in this qualitative study is a blend of netography (Kozinets, 2010) and face-to-face individual interviews. It examines their cultures as mediated and articulated online and in person. The data consists of an analysis of transcribed interviews, email communications, and the interactive content of student Facebook users' Facebook Walls. The results indicate that students use Facebook for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to: fostering and maintaining community; nurturing relationships; making public statements and protecting privacy; establishing a personal identity; building social capital; establishing cultural competency; coping; and critiquing their peers and campus. The data is situated within literature on student development, and recommendations for faculty and campus personnel are offered.
Darla Twale (Committee Chair)
Caroline Ridenour (Committee Member)
Molly Schaller (Committee Member)
Arthur Jipson (Committee Member)
253 p.
Higher Education
Social Media; Facebook; College Student; Residential; Netography; Qualitative; Identity; Critique; Capital; Relationships

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Abney Korn, K. L. (2012). Utilizing Facebook to Articulate Self and Sustain Community: Experiences of Undergraduate Students on a Midwestern Campus [Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1354555912

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Abney Korn, Karen. Utilizing Facebook to Articulate Self and Sustain Community: Experiences of Undergraduate Students on a Midwestern Campus. 2012. University of Dayton, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1354555912.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Abney Korn, Karen. "Utilizing Facebook to Articulate Self and Sustain Community: Experiences of Undergraduate Students on a Midwestern Campus." Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1354555912

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

dayton1354555912
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© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.