Constraints, Communities, and Collective Efficacy in Social Media Usership: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

• In Event: Social Aspects of Learning With Technology

Abstract

Our paper uses Structural Equation Modeling to help understand how intentionally designed learning/work environments can foster development of collective efficacy (CE) between users rather than adhering to fixed tool constraints, and may enable social connection and exploration on media platforms. Our model, derived from responses of undergraduate students and adult professionals to both social media use and online CE scales suggests social presence (used to operationalize CE) shows strong positive correlation with social connection and exploration on social media, but not with tool design. Our results suggest mirroring online cultural experiences of college students and adult professionals in technology-assisted learning/work environments may foster CE in helping users navigate formal and informal digital ecologies in an information-saturated, post-truth society.

Authors

• Menglin Xu, Boston Medical Center

• Shantanu Tilak, The Ohio State University

• Marvin Evans, Coastal Carolina University

• Michael Glassman, The Ohio State University