Social Networking Sites Withdrawal

Osorio, C; Wilson, R; Papagiannidis, S

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67217-5_24

Social Networking Sites Withdrawal

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Rob Wilson ORCiD, Professor Savvas Papagiannidis ORCiD

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Abstract

© 2017, Springer International Publishing AG. The importance of the users for the survival of a social networking site is vital. For this reason, most of the research about this topic is focused about how to make the user to participate on the network. However, little has been researched about the reasons why a user would decide to close its account and leave the network for good. This research is aimed to study this phenomenon based on the Social Identity Theory, specifically the disidentification concept. The research implemented the means-end chain methodology using the data collected from in-depth interviews to 26 adults who have closed an SNS account. This data was analyzed through content analysis and using Social Network Analysis as an alternative to map the chains suggested by the means end chain methodology, as well as providing more information based on the centrality measures. The findings suggest that impression management, friendship, time management and emotional stability play a central role to take the withdrawal decision.