Motivational Factors in Using Virtual Social Networks

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the motivational factors in face book users and approximate number of users, approximate number of friends and friends of the opposite sex. The method of the research is descriptive survey and has been done among semnan university students in academic year of 1390-91 among whom 460 persons have been selected at first section and 300 persons at second section at twenty classrooms. The participants are selected according to multiple stages clustering sampling method. The tools of the study is questionnaire of motivations for using face book (golnar, balsi and kakayer, 2010). The results of the present study showed that the most important reason for inclination of users toward using face book is narcissism and self-expression (72/56 percent). The second motive to use this site is the personal status with agreement of 65/5 percent. The third motivation is media drenching and performance because of which 68/41 percent of people are the users of the site. The forth motivation is information seeking with 53/54 percent. The fifth motive is pastime with 52/46 percent. The sixth one is relationship maintenance in touch with 37/8 percent, and the seventh motive is entertainment with agreement of 35/35 percent. All the descriptive results indicate that boys and girls differ from each other in amount of using face book with different motivations. Moreover, about two-thirds of students in the virtual social networks are fixed; each having about 10 friends or contacts and almost 4 of them from the opposite sex. The authors of the survey conclude boys and girls are different in using face book with various incentives. The results of the present paper can be useful in analyzing the needs of youth and their circumstances.