Facebook is a social networking platform founded by Mark Zuckerberg of Harvard University in 2004. The platform has more than a billion active users worldwide, most of them accessing it through mobile applications. Initially, it was meant to serve only the Harvard University students, but gradually its application was adapted to other universities. Users could compare two ladies' photos, and they could comment on who was more attractive (Aydin, 2012). It underwent many transformations to turn it from a university-based platform to one of the most perverse social network platforms globally. Facebook enables users to virtual link with friends and relatives and publishes and shares content such as videos and information updates to create social awareness (Alexandrou, 2012). It provides more than a social arena for people to interact as it is also widely applied as a marketing strategy for organizations
Facebook users must appropriately utilize the different features in the site to realize the networking experience it offers. Facebook app is open for anyone with a valid e-mail address and has many communication features that facilitate the user's experience. The platform provides a prearranged layout web page where the interested user can fill in their details such as sex, age, and area of residence, occupation, schooling, hobbies, and photos. With the profile, the user can send and receive messages, seek friends, publish images and videos, and create a virtual joint occasion (Nawafleh et al., 2012). The user can also interact with another user privately through the use of direct messaging. It can classify users with similar profile information, for example, students who graduated from the same college, and it will recommend them to connect. The Facebook layout enables ease of use for both the young people and the aged for social interactions or even commercial objectives, promoting a broad scope of users for communication.
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In many ways, Facebook has impacted users' communication behavior, which is consistent with communication theories. First, users tend to think that the media do not affect them. Instead, only others are susceptible to the media's influence, consistent with the third person effect theory. Users perceive themselves differently from others regarding the social network (Tsay-Vogel, 2016). Facebook users believe that others are more susceptible to the numerous side effects of social networks than they. Facebook users have a biased perspective of other users, which significantly affects how they communicate.
Secondly, Facebook, being a global social network, promotes intercultural interaction and information sharing. Facebook provides a platform for users across different cultural settings worldwide, linked with the social information modeling theory and cultural dimensions theory (Bouvier, 2012). The platform provides a central place where users worldwide can converge, share information, and interact with each other, thereby eliminating the huddles commonly associated with meeting new people or adapting to different societies. Facebook fosters intercultural development among users, which positively enhances their communication and association with one another.
Thirdly, Facebook provides psychological support by allowing people to communicate their emotions linguistically. Assessing the information posted on the platform is a feasible method for monitoring and taking the meaning of peoples' exploits and intentions, which is consistent with the social cognitive theory (Yoon & Tourassi, 2015). Users get a sense of belonging and wellbeing from the interactions, and therefore they use it as a tranquilizer to express their emotions. Facebook has enhanced user communication abilities to the psychological details, which is hard to attain in traditional communication.
Also, Facebook provides a channel with numerous features to address the specific needs of its users. The users' motives to engage in a Facebook feature like interaction, games, and entertainment are distinct with their needs and purpose, which affects the use platform in general (Lai, 2016). The users are goal-oriented when interacting with the forum's particular features, consistent with the uses and gratifications theory. Facebook presents its users with different communication and interaction methods to suit distinct individual needs, which fosters communication to the details.
Nonetheless, Facebook has evolved as one of the most prevalent social media, thereby offering to supplement communication barriers such as linguistic barriers, unreliability, and information delays associated with traditional communication. Sensitization of the Facebook user's experience expressed via local channels over a while to society's general members has enabled the widespread application of Facebook deep into communities (Mustaffa et al., 2011). Similarly, individuals or regions with technological advancements such as greater online access are likely to be early adopters than those without access, which can be associated with the diffusion of innovation theory. The distribution of Facebook innovations has promoted a new paradigm of information sharing and communication, which positively implicates society in general and generations to come.
Finally, Facebook has promoted optimism and unreservedness among users by creating a localized virtual location that enables the transmission of reliable and accurate information. The platform provides direct dialogic communication consistent with the two-way communication theory, thereby increasing communication integrity and mutuality (Nordström, 2012) . Dialogic communication is riveted upon esteemed contact and reciprocated conception among the interacting users rather than a segmented communication channel. Two-way communication theory provides a synergetic, collaborative, and symmetrical communication medium, thereby eliminating the transmission of distorted information to the users. Facebook offers open communication between the users, therefore facilitating the flow of first-hand details instead of traditional communication where a few chosen individuals receive the first-hand information then called upon to reach the larger community. Facebook provides dialogic communication features enabling users to interact actively and effectively.
References
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