First Name:
Tyler
Last Name:
Morton
Major Department:
Computer Information Systems
Thesis Director:
B. Dawn Medlin
Date of Thesis:
May 2014
As human beings, we live for the social nature of our relationships with others. One would be hard pressed to discover a culture in today's global community that does not emphasize the importance of socialization within a society as a means of support and growth in order to advance further into the future. Humanity continues to strive towards a more unified and succinct culture where conversations and ideas are more accessible to anyone that wants to be become involved. With the advances in technology over the past century, the way individuals socialize has changed dramatically. From early civic town hall meetings, to telegraphs, to telephone calls, and most recently to online forums and networking websites, the process by which human interactions occur has been vastly altered and enhanced over the years. The younger generation of adults today has arguably been exposed to the most rapid changes in the way they conduct social interactions via online social media and social networking within their individual personal communities. The purpose of my research is to inquire into the thought process that students engage in when deciding to participate in social media. The relevance of this research is key in the development of online networks that allow individuals to connect, share, and socialize in a collaborative manner. This thesis explores different constructs of human socialization and the many distinctive forces they exert on the level of interaction students engage in using social media websites. Current research in this field can be examined along with my own research to support and pinpoint the factors that embody certain behaviors that are relevant within the societal structure of the current age.