Socializing and learning in social media - An empirical case of conflict in Facebook learning communities

Abstract

Social network sites (SNSs) provide new avenues for self-expression and connectivity and have great potential to strengthen social capital and psychological wellbeing. Inspired by these benefits, SNSs have become deeply rooted in our daily lives. In the context of learning, SNSs also play an essential role in facilitating cooperative learning environments and enhancing learning performance. However, after the extraordinary growth of SNSs, the number of users has recently been declining. Reasons for the declining trend of SNS usage is that many users find they are confronted with various kinds of overload that lead to negative emotional responses. The same also occurs in online SNS based learning communities established in SNSs. This study applies DANP to investigate the relationships between overload, social network fatigue, and discontinuous intention. The research findings offer a valuable complement to conventional SEM approaches. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.