Abstract

This study examines post-adoption behaviors (i.e., frequency of use, routinization and infusion) and their effects on the sense of community in the domain of social network sites. In particular, this contribution formulates mediation hypotheses, which posit how frequency of use affects social integration via routinization and infusion. The data was collected from 278 users of Tuenti, a highly-popular social network site among the Spanish college student population during the period 2006–2012. Results from partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) show these sophisticated types of usage are interrelated in such a way that routinization and infusion (a) fully mediate the effect of frequency of use on social integration, and (b) exert significant influences on social integration, as an active sense of belongingness to a social network site. In order to attain social integration, it is therefore essential for managers to devise strategies to foster advanced post-adoption behaviors.

Abstract

A deliberative democracy should be characterized by the principle of justice regarding the participation of those affected in matters of interest to them. However, this principle is not always satisfied in many areas of social communication. This becomes particularly serious in the case of those who are affected by such matters but are in a vulnerable condition. This is the case in the area of information concerning older people, who remain underrepresented in terms of both quantity and quality in content related to them. This article presents data that highlight this fact, obtained from a questionnaire sent to 100 media professionals specialized in content for the elderly in Spain. The results of this questionnaire reflect, among other aspects, the extent to which professionals specialized in this field consider the presence of older people in the media to be low or very low and also serve to raise awareness of the discriminatory image that the media often transmits. The data obtained from the questionnaire sent to professionals also confirm that the image transmitted by the media is stereotyped, does not show the plural image of this group, and therefore does not fit its reality.

Abstract

The increase in dropout rates in higher education is a phenomenon that has generated a lot of interest because of the need to deal with its economic, personal, and social consequences, and because of its prevalence, estimated around 30% in Spain. There is a similar interest in violent behavior in university classrooms, which has also been seen to have increased in recent years. Given that, and the fact that research has shown personal variables to be more influential in dropout from higher education, the aim of this study is to explore whether those students who are the victims of bullying (both traditional and cyberbullying) are closer to dropping out from their degree courses. To that end, 1,653 first-year students doing various degree courses in the north of Spain were asked to complete a questionnaire. The results of a Bayesian analysis showed that students who were victims of bullying were more likely to consider dropping out than students who were not victims of bullying. In addition, variables related to social integration (support from friends and teachers) exhibited a moderating effect. These findings raise the urgent need to include intervention strategies in relation to bullying in university plans to prevent dropout.