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New forms of social and professional digital relationships: the case of Facebook

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Abstract

In recent years social media are becoming ubiquitous and important for social networking and for sharing content and knowledge; they are increasingly used for professional purposes beyond personal and home use. Social networks are spreading so much that they now represent one of the most relevant and interesting social phenomena. The study presented in this paper aims to analyse how Facebook is used by researchers, by means of a quantitative method, and the experiences and perceptions of changes and trends of professionals and researchers towards professional use, by means of a qualitative method. In particular, the study analysed: (i) how and why researchers of the National Research Council (CNR) in Italy in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Cultural Identity (IC) Departments use social networks, and more specifically Facebook (ii) their attitude towards risks and privacy concerns (iii) professional use and perceptions by CNR researchers and professionals of changes over time in using Facebook for professional purposes.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNR-IRPPS, National Research Council, Institute of Research on Population and Social Policies, Via Palestro, 32 00185, Rome, Italy

    Fernando Ferri, Patrizia Grifoni & Tiziana Guzzo

Authors
  1. Fernando Ferri
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  2. Patrizia Grifoni
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  3. Tiziana Guzzo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tiziana Guzzo.

Appendix

Appendix

Questionnaire given to participants

1.1 Survey

  1. 1.

    Department

    • IC

    • ICT

  2. 2.

    Sex

    • Male

    • Female

  3. 3.

    Age

    • Under 25

    • 25–35

    • 36–45

    • 46–55

    • 56–60

    • 61–65

    • Over 65

  4. 4.

    Indicate the number of hours spent at the computer

    • From 1 to 4 h

    • From 5 to 8 h

    • More than 8 h

  5. 5.

    Indicate how many social networks you are registered with apart from Facebook

    • None

    • 1

    • Less than 5

    • More than 5

  6. 5a.

    If yes, can you specify which ones?

    (You can give multiple answers)

    • MySpace

    • Netlog

    • LinkedIn

    • Anobii

    • Twitter

    • Viadeo

    • Del.icio.us

    • Orkut

    • Hi5.com

    • Other

  7. 6.

    Talking about Facebook, how frequently do you log in?

    • Several times a day

    • At least once a day

    • At least once a week

    • At least once a month

  8. 7.

    When you access Facebook, on average how much time do you spend looking at the wall and photos of your contacts?

    • Less than 15 min

    • From 15 to 30 min

    • From 30 min to 1 h

    • From 1 to 2 h

    • More than 2 h

  9. 8.

    When you access Facebook, on average how much time do you spend writing on your wall and/or on the wall of your contacts?

    • Less than 15 min

    • From 15 to 30 min

    • From 30 min to 1 h

    • From 1 to 2 h

    • More than 2 h

  10. 9.

    From which of the following mobile devices do you access Facebook?

    (You can give multiple answers)

    • Handheld

    • I-phone

    • Mobile phone

    • Netbook

    • None

    • Other

  11. 10.

    What motivated you to join Facebook?

    (Tick a maximum of 3 options)

    • Curiosity

    • Because it is the social network used most

    • To share interests

    • To work

    • To keep in touch with my friends/colleagues

    • To strengthen old friendships

    • To make new friendships

    • To feel part of a group

    • Other

  12. 11.

    Why do you use Facebook?

    (Tick a maximum of 3 options)

    • To maintain professional relationships

    • To keep in touch with my friends

    • To chat

    • To let others know what I am doing

    • To see what my contacts are doing

    • To pass the time

    • To escape from the real world

    • To play games/do quizzes

    • Other

  13. 12.

    In your opinion, Facebook is:

    (Tick a maximum of 3 options)

    • A tool useful for socialising

    • A tool useful for work

    • A tool for free time

    • A secure tool

    • An unnecessary tool

    • An alienating tool

    • A waste of time

    • A dangerous tool

    • Other

  14. 13.

    What do you like about Facebook?

    • The possibility of always keeping in touch with my friends

    • The possibility of having new friendships

    • The possibility of finding friends I have lost touch with

    • The possibility of keeping in touch with my professional network

    • The speedy interaction

    • The games/quizzes/tests

    • The possibility of being part of a group and participating in events

    • The possibility of seeing what my contacts are doing

    • The possibility of allowing my contacts to see what I am doing

    • The possibility of inserting photos and personal videos and seeing those of my contacts

    • Other

  15. 14.

    What you do not like about Facebook?

    • It violates personal privacy

    • It is an alienating tool

    • It is a waste of time

    • It nullifies real-life friendships

    • The wrong use of Facebook (e.g. paedophilia, criminal enterprises, holy rollers)

    • The use of Facebook as a showcase

    • Other

  16. 15.

    Which functions provided by Facebook do you use more frequently?

    (You can give multiple answers)

    • News

    • Messages

    • Events

    • Photos

    • Chat

    • Applications

    • Games

    • Groups

    • Other

  17. 16.

    Your Facebook contacts are mostly:

    (You can give multiple answers)

    • Friends that I usually meet in real life

    • Friends that I hardly ever meet in real life

    • New virtual friendships

    • Friends of friends

    • Acquaintances

    • Colleagues

    • Unknowns

    • Other

  18. 17.

    Have you joined any Facebook groups?

    • Yes

    • No

  19. 17a.

    If yes, which groups have you joined?

    (Tick a maximum of 2 options)

    • Art/music

    • Science

    • Politics

    • Sport

    • Tourism

    • Social

    • Recreational/Humour/Satire

    • Other

  20. 18.

    What impact have these groups had on your real life?

    • They have helped me to keep social relationships

    • They have helped me to develop new friendships

    • They have encouraged me to participate in events

    • They have helped me to develop professional relationships

    • They have helped to keep updated on fields of professional interest

    • Other

  21. 19.

    In your opinion, are there any risks in sharing information publicly?

    • Yes

    • No

  22. 19a.

    If yes, what are they?

    ……………………………………………………………………

  23. 20.

    What information did you put in your profile?

    • Real name

    • Personal photo

    • Schools attended

    • University attended

    • Date of birth

    • Personal address

    • Phone number

    • Email address

    • Job

    • Interests

    • Political orientation

    • Sexual orientation

    • Name of partner

    • Names of relatives

    • Other

  24. 21.

    Do you know about the policies on privacy?

    • Yes

    • No

  25. 22.

    Do you know that you can change your privacy settings?

    • Yes

    • No

  26. 22a.

    If yes, have you applied restrictions to your privacy settings?

    • Yes

    • No

  27. 22b.

    If yes, which of the following privacy settings did you modify?

    • Information in profile

    • Information on contacts

    • Application and website

    • Research

    • List of blocked users

    • Other

  28. 23

    Did you agree that Facebook can share your information with other people or organisations external to Facebook for business purposes?

    • Yes

    • No

Thank you for your collaboration!

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Ferri, F., Grifoni, P. & Guzzo, T. New forms of social and professional digital relationships: the case of Facebook. Soc. Netw. Anal. Min. 2, 121–137 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-011-0038-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-011-0038-4

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