The factors affecting social network platform engagement for online information search and collection

Abstract

Günümüz koşullarında gerek firmalar gerekse internet kullanıcıları online olarak varlıklarını yoğun olarak sürdürmektedir. İnternette var olmak özellikle firmalar oldukça önemli olsada son yıllarda hızla yükselen sosyal platformlarda kendilerini nasıl konumlandıracakları, kendileriyle ilgili bilgi akışını nasıl yönetecekleri konusunda yeterli bilgi bulunmamaktadır. Bu çalışma ve online bilgi araştırması ve edinilmesi için sosyal mecralara bağlılığı etkileyen faktörler ve online dünyada tonlarca bilgi olmasına rağmen kullanıcıların elde ettikleri bilgilerden hangisine güvenip hangisini göz ardı ettiği üzerinde durmaktadır.İlk çağlardan bu yana iletişim insanların tarihsel gelişiminde çok önemli bir rol oynamıştır. İnsan'ın konuşması ve yazmasını takiben kitlesel olarak gerçekleştirilen toplu iletişim yöntemleri kullanan insanlık, teknolojik gelişmeler neticesinde kitlesel iletişime geçebildi. İletişim tarihinde çığır açan kitlesel iletişimi değiştiren İnternet, iletişimi interaktif bir hale sokarken tüm sektörler için sarsıcı ve kökten değişiklikler getirdi. Sosyal mecralar ise firmalar için yeniliğe, açıklığa, birebir iletişime yönelterek bilgi aktarma mantığının tümden değişmesini sağladı.Tüketicilerin yaptıkları bilgi araştırması internet öncesinde gazete, dergi ilanları, televizyon reklamları, WOM gibi offline iletişim araçlarıyla olmaktaydı. İnternet ise tüketicilerin ilgileri ve ihtiyaçları doğrultusunda kendi iletişim gruplarını kurmalarına olanak verdi, virtual communities. Sosyal mecralar ise tüketicilerin kendi aralarında edindikleri bilgi akışını bir adım daha öteye götürerek doğru bilgiyi, hizmeti ve ürünü direk kullanan kişiden yani birinci ağızdan bilgi edinmeye olanak sağladı.Tüketicilerin bilgi edinirken farklı tüketici gruplarının neye dikkat ettiği, neyi önemsediği araştırıldı. Tüketicilerin Online bilgi araştırması ve edinilmesi için sosyal mecralara bağlılıklarını etkileyen faktörler ve bilgi edinme biçimini şekillendiren unsurlar, algılanan risk, müşterilerin internet kullanma kapasitesi, online bilgi araştırmasına kişisel bağlılık, sosyal platformlara karşı açıklık, online bilgiye karşı algılnan güven, sosyal mecralar ve internetten algılanan yararlardır..Bu çalışma akademik literatür detaylıca incelendikten sonra yukarıda sayılan unsurlar göz önünde bulundurularak tüketicilerin hali hazırda yoğun bir biçimde kullandıkları sosyal mecralara karşı bağlılıklarını etkileyen faktörleri ortaya çıkarmak için yapılmıştır. Sosyal mecralar üzerinden yapılan araştırmayı etkileyen faktörleri bulmak ve bulgular neticesinde bu faktörlerin sosyal mecralara karşı bir bağlılık yaratıp yaratmadığı incelenmiştir.Sosyal mecralara bağlılığı etkileyen faktörlerin ortaya çıkarılması için niceliksel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmış olup bu faktörlerin sosyal mecralara olan etkisini ölçen maddeler oluşturularak anket formu hazırlanmıştır. Katılımcılar hazırlanan anketi internet ortamında yanıtlamışlardır.Bu çalışmadan elde edilen en temel bulgulardan ilki tüketicilerin araştıracakları hizmete karşı olan ilgileri ve internet kullanma becerileri arttıkça online bilgi kaynaklarına karşı duydukları güvenin artmasıdır. İkinci olarak tüketicilerin sosyal mecralara karşı olan olumlu tutumu online bilgi kaynaklarından elde ettikleri bilgiyi faydalı olarak algılamalarını sağlamaktadır. Son olarak tüketicilerin satın alacakları hizmete karşı hissettikleri kaygı seviyesinin artması sosyal mecralara olan bağlılıklarını olumsuz; online bilgi kaynaklarına karşı algıladıkları güven hissi sosyal mecralara bağlılıklarını olumlu; internet ve sosyal mecralar aracılığıyla elde ettikleri fayda ise sosyal mecralara bağlılıklarını olumlu yönde etkilemektedir.İnternet tabanlı bir anket kullanıldığı için katılımcılar üzerinde kontrolün az olması ve anket süresince katılımcıların düşebilecek olan dikkatleri çalışmanın kısıtlılıkları olarak özetlenebilir. Teorik modelin güvenilirliğinin ve geçerliliğinin arttırmak için araştırmadan elde edilen bulgular kalitatif araştırma yöntemlerinden biri kullanılarak da araştırılabilir ve sonuçlar birlikte değerlendirilebilir.

In today?s conditions, both companies and Internet users intensely carry on their online existence. Being present on the Internet is especially important for companies. Yet there isn?t enough information available on how they will position themselves in the social platforms that are rapidly growing in recent years and how they will manage the flow of information about themselves. This study focuses on the factors affecting social network platform engagement for online information search and collection and what kind of information Internet users trust and what information they disregard, in spite of the tons of information available in the online world.Since the dawn of time, communication has played a very important role in mankind?s historic progress. After beginning to speak and write, mankind aggregately used mass communication methods and went on to exercise mass communication as a result of technological developments. The Internet changed mass communication, which marked a new era in communication history, by making communication interactive. The Internet also brought with it radical, far-reaching changes for every industry. Social platforms, on the other hand, caused companies? approach to communication flow to change drastically by paving the way for innovation, transparency and one-on-one communication.Prior to the Internet, consumers conducted information search via offline communication tools such as newspapers, magazine advertisements, television commercials and word-of-moth. The Internet, however, allowed consumers to form their own communication groups, called virtual communities, based on their interests and needs. Meanwhile, social platforms took the information flow between consumers one step further and gave people the ability to receive accurate information, services and products directly, or firsthand, from users.Research was done on what different consumer groups paid attention to and what they cared about when receiving information. Factors that shape consumers? method of getting information and social media engagement are anxiety level, the Internet usage capacity, personal involvement with online information search, openness to social platforms, perceived credibility of online information, perceived benefit of Social Platforms and the Internet.Following detailed examination of the academic literature and keeping in mind the elements stated above, this study was conducted to determine the factors that determine the factors affecting consumers? engagement in social platforms that they already use intensely. The factors that affect the research done via social platforms were found, and whether these factors lead to engagement with social platforms was examined as a result of findings. A quantitative research method was used to set forth the factors that affect social platform engagement, and a questionnaire was compiled based on items that measure these factors? effects on social platforms. Participants answered the prepared survey on the Internet.The first fundamental finding that as consumers? interest in the service they research and their Internet usage capacities increase, the credibility they feel for online information sources also increases. Secondly, consumers? positive approach to social platforms allows them to perceive the information they receive from online information sources as beneficial. Lastly, an increase in consumers? anxiety level towards a service they will purchase affects their social platform engagement negatively, while the sense of credibility they feel towards online information sources affects their social platform engagement positively. Additionally, the benefits consumers experience via the Internet and social platforms positively affect their social media engagement, as well.Since a Web-based survey was used, the study?s limitations could be summarized as very little control over participants as well as the fact that participants? attention could easily be diverted during the survey. In order to enhance the credibility and validity of the theoretical model, the findings of this study could be further researched using one of the qualitative methods of research, and the results could be considered together.Since the dawn of time, communication has played a very important role in mankind?s historic progress. After beginning to speak and write, mankind aggregately used mass communication methods and went on to exercise mass communication as a result of technological developments. The Internet changed mass communication, which marked a new era in communication history, by making communication interactive. The Internet also brought with it radical, far-reaching changes for every industry. Social platforms, on the other hand, caused companies? approach to communication flow to change drastically by paving the way for innovation, transparency and one-on-one communication.Prior to the Internet, consumers conducted information search before making a purchasing decision via offline communication tools such as newspapers, magazine advertisements, television commercials and WOM. The Internet, however, allowed consumers to form their own communication groups, called virtual communities, based on their interests and needs. Meanwhile, social platforms took the information flow between consumers one step further and gave people the ability to receive accurate information, services and products directly, or firsthand, from users.Research was done on what different consumer groups paid attention to and what they cared about when receiving information. Factors that shape consumers? method of getting information are the price of the service to be purchased, whether it has been used before, the consumer?s interest in the service and the risk that he or she feels.Following detailed examination of the academic literature and keeping in mind the elements stated above, this study was conducted to determine the factors that determine the factors affecting consumers? engagement in social platforms that they already use intensely. The factors that affect the research done prior to the act of purchasing via social platforms were found, and whether these factors lead to engagement with social platforms was examined as a result of findings. A quantitative research method was used to set forth the factors that affect social platform engagement, and a questionnaire was compiled based on items that measure these factors? effects on social platforms. Participants answered the prepared survey on the Internet.The first fundamental finding that as consumers? interest in the service they research and their Internet usage capacities increase, the credibility they feel for online information sources also increases. Secondly, consumers? positive approach to social platforms allows them to perceive the information they receive from online information sources as beneficial. Lastly, an increase in consumers? anxiety level towards a service they will purchase affects their social platform engagement negatively, while the sense of credibility they feel towards online information sources affects their social platform engagement positively. Additionally, the benefits consumers experience via the Internet and social platforms positively affect their social media engagement, as well.Since a Web-based survey was used, the study?s limitations could be summarized as very little control over participants as well as the fact that participants? attention could easily be diverted during the survey. In order to enhance the credibility and validity of the theoretic model, the findings of this study could be further researched using one of the qualitative methods of research, and the results could be considered together.