Theme 4, part 1: Quantitative research

For this theme I selected a paper called:

The Benefits of Facebook ‘‘Friends:’’ Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites

by Nicole B. Ellison, Charles Steinfield and Cliff Lampe

Summary of the paper:

This paper examines the relationship between use of Facebook and the formation and maintenance of social capital. The conclusion of the study says that there is a strong connection between use of Facebook and social capital. The use of Facebook was also found to interact with psychological well being, suggesting that Facebook might provide greater benefits for users with low self-esteem.

1. Which quantitative method or methods are used in the paper? Which are the benefits and limitations of using these methods?

The study is based on a quantitative method where a online survey was sent out to a random sample of 800 undergraduate students at Michigan State University. 286 students completed the survey. The survey contained questions about the students demographics, age, gender, year in school and if they where Facebook users or not. Further questions measured Facebook intensity, psychological well-being and social capital. All questions could be answered on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The benefits with using this quantitative method with sending out a survey are the large amount of data that can be extracted. The researchers got a lot of information and statistics over the research areas, which they used to create a lot of diagrams and tables. A limitation with this kind of method is that the researchers do not get any detailed or quality information. The fact that the responders “only” had to answer with a number and that they got paid (5$) for participation could have resulted in unserious, quick answers just to earn some money.

2. What did you learn about quantitative methods from reading the paper?

Qualitative methods are great to carry out when you have a large group of participants and if you are after a large amount of data and numbers. The response rate of the survey was only 36 %, meaning that a really large number of possible participants are required. Since this study aimed to examine Facebook users, I think it was a good choice of choosing a quantitative method because of the large number of Facebook users.

3. Which are the main methodological problems of the study? How could the use of the quantitative method or methods have been improved?

I think the biggest methodological problem in this study is the answering 1 to 5 scale that can be interpreted differently by different participants. I personally think it is pretty hard to answer questions on a scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Also I think there is a uncertainty about if a question really gives the answer to what the researches want to find an answer to.  There is a risk that the researchers are biased and are interpreting the answers to get the wanted results.

4. Which are the benefits and limitations of using quantitative methods?

One benefit with using quantitative methods is that it is a cheap method of reaching a lot of people from the target group with a survey, through e-mail or phone. It is also a good way of getting a lot of data from surveys where the participants have been answering the exact same questions which makes it possible to make generalized conclusions.

A limitation is that the answers might be too simple or thin, and if there are not as many participants as required, it is hard to make any conclusions.

5. Which are the benefits and limitations of using qualitative methods?

The main benefit with qualitative methods is that you get a deeper understanding of your target group. Interviews, for example, give opportunity to rephrase a question if the participant does not understand it and follow up questions can be asked in order to get detailed information.

The limitations are that it is a time consuming method giving results from just a few people.

Theme 3, part 2: Research and Theory

During this week we have discussed what theory is. We read two texts, the first one was about what theory is and the other one was about what it is not. After reading these two texts, one of our tasks was to try to explain (to a first year university student) what theory is. Even though it can be quite hard to explain what theory is in a short amount of words, I think I have a pretty good idea of what theory means. This is how I explained it in my pre reflection text: ”I would explain theory as a way to organize abstract thinking, making meaningful generalizations of a phenomena or the world.” As an example of what theory is not I wrote “hypotheses”. However, the meaning of a theory and a hypothesis is quite similar. During the lecture I got a better understanding of the differences between theory and hypotheses. You can have a hypothesis about something that is unproven and speculative. Theory can have many different explanations, but it involves a process of stepping back from that which you are viewing and is about the connection between phenomena and explaining why something occur. I think that the fact that the same object or event can have different theories depending on from whose perspective we are watching is very interesting. That is an evidence of that theory is something that we construct, it does not exist by itself.

During the seminar we focused on which theory type had been used in our self-picked papers. After discussing my paper during the seminar I still believe that the theory type in my paper was mainly based on type II, the explanation type. I learned that theories are seldom only one of these theory types. Instead theories used in an article are hybrids, with different level of complexity of different theory types in it. For example, an article using an explanation theory type, usually use some analysis as well.

Over all I think this week´s topic was a lot more easier to grasp and I thought it was very positive that we where able to choose our own text to reed. In that way you can choose something that you are interesting in and in the same time learn something.

Theme 2, part 2: Critical Media Studies

The texts of the second theme where easier to read than last theme´s texts, but still there where some complicated concepts to work out. I think the most interesting topic of this theme was the connection between culture and the politics of a society. t

Unfortunately, I missed this week´s seminar, since I had another mandatory lecture in another course. I think that the lecture, by Henrik Åhman, this week was interesting and therefor I feel that I might have missed a good seminar. I liked that the lecture was sort of a history lecture, based on the different “isms” that have affected our society, Communism, Nazism and Liberalism.

One of the things I bring with me from the lecture is the importance of reading a text in the light of the author´s perspective. Åhman begun to speak about Benjamin, Adorno and Horkheimer by saying in what context they had published their texts. For example Benjamin, who was Jewish, was tortured in a prison camp by the Nazis. As Åhman said, the fact that Nazis and fascism affected Benjamin is something that shows in his texts.

Another topic that Åhman talked about was culture´s role in society during this period. For example, with the help of smart photographers there was a great fandom created around Hitler. Films of Hitler was made to speak to people´s hearts, not brains, in an aim of creating a appealing picture of Hitler. It was very interesting to see the propaganda film “Triumph des Willens”.

Theme 3, Part 1: Research and Theory

For this theme I picked a paper from the journal Computers in Human Behavior. The paper is called Understanding families´ motivations for sustainable behaviours by Mary L. Barreto a Agnieszka Szóstek, Evangelos Karapanos, Nuno J. Nunes, Lucas Pereira and Filipe Quintal.

A summary of the journal Computers in Human Behavior:

Computers in Human Behavior is a scholarly journal dedicated to examining the use of computers from a psychological perspective.  It addresses both the use of computers in psychiatry, psychology and related disciplines as well as the psychological impact of computer use in society, groups and individuals.

A summary of the paper Understanding families´ motivations for sustainable behaviors:

This paper aim to understand families´ motivations for sustainable behaviors. The writers mean that though the interest in eco-feedback technologies has peaked over the last decade, research increasingly highlights that simply providing information to individuals regarding their consumption behaviors does not guarantee behavior change. Therefor research has been made in an attempt to characterize individuals´ latent motivations that drives sustainable behaviors. The writers of this paper aim to expand that body of work by analysing such motivations in the context of families. This is done be reporting findings from 15 families who used an eco-feedback interface over a period of two years. The study shows that motivations for sustainable behaviors are not only rooted in individual´ environment concerns. They also argue that in order for eco-feedback technologies to attain long-lasting behavioral change they need to address basic family needs that go beyond individual ideals of pro-environmental behavior.

The study involved semi-structured interviews with 15 families. To get more reliable results the number of interviewed families could be higher. Other than the interviews the study is based on existing scholar literature. The writers are making a summary of the existing foundings in the area and the writers own foundings are quite small. Thus, the orientation of the study is interesting since I it looking at how motivations differ between different family types: families with or without children, and families with younger and older children. Their founding is also something to think about; that you should focus on families’ needs rather than individuals´ when attaining sustainable behavioral change.

1.     Briefly explain to a first year university student what theory is, and what theory is not.

It is pretty hard to explain what theory is. According to Gregor, The Nature of Theory in Information Systams, there are five different types of theories: (1) theory for analyzing, (2) theory for explaining, (3) theory for predicting, (4) theory for explaining and predicting and (5) theory for design and action. Though this is just different types of theory, we can learn what characteristics theory have and what it is used for.

I would explain theory as a way to organize abstract thinking, making meaningful generalizations of a phenomena or the world. As a tool in supporting a theory we can use diagrams, tables, data, hypotheses and references to establish knowledge. All those things are not, however, theory per se.

2.     Describe the major theory or theories that are used in your selected paper. Which theory type (see Table 2 in Gregor) can the theory or theories be characterized as?

I think that the theory in my selected paper can be characterized an explanation theory (II) according to Gregor´s definition of different theory types. The paper contains two tables and two diagrams showing facts of the families’ energy consumption and characteristics of the families, collected from the interviews. Therefor the paper says, “what is” and “why”. The theory provides explanations but does not aim to predict the future in the researched area.

3.     Which are the benefits and limitations of using the selected theory or theories?

The benefits of the explanation theory type is that it put forward how it is right now within the research area, and why this is. It does not say anything about what we should do with this information or what the information will mean for the future. That is up to future researcher to investigate. On the positive side, this can contribute with an increased interest from the reader of doing further research within the area.