Title: Motivations for using social media: comparative study based on cultural differences between American and Jordanian students

Authors: Heba AL-Quraan; Emad Abu-Shanab; Shadi Banitaan; Heyam Al-Tarawneh

Addresses: Department of Management Information Systems, College of Information Technology and Computer Science, Yarmouk University, 21163, Irbid, Jordan ' Department of Accounting and Information Systems, College of Business and Economics, Qatar University, P.O. Box. 2713, Doha, Qatar ' Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Software Engineering, College of Engineering and Science, University of Detroit Mercy, 48221, Detroit, MI, USA ' Counseling Department, Hayat Universal School, P.O. Box. 6124, Doha, Qatar

Abstract: Social network sites (SNSs) have gained popularity over the last decade. Students use SNSs according to their personal differences, which are influenced by cultural and demographic factors. This paper proposed a model that included four basic factors that act as predictors of continuous use of SNSs. The factors are personal, social, educational and entertainment. The first objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the predictors on the dependent variable. Results indicated a full support of our proposed model, with an R² = 0.296. The second objective is to explore the differences between US and Jordanian students. An Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was conducted and results yielded significant cultural differences and stronger than gender differences. The test yielded 17 significant differences compared to 10 based on gender. This research calls for more research that tries to explore what cultural factors cause such differences.

Keywords: comparative study; continuous use of SNs; cultural differences; Jordan; social networks; USA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMILE.2017.086093

International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 2017 Vol.5 No.1, pp.48 - 61

Received: 25 Jul 2016
Accepted: 29 Dec 2016
Published online: 24 Aug 2017 *

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