| Social networking is the practice of expanding person-to-person contacts by making connections through social networking sites (SNS). In recent years, widespread use of computers and smartphones has facilitated escalating social and professional connections on the Internet. Despite the popularity and functionality of social networking, however, many still question its overall value, especially in marketing.;Based on the assumption that the difficulty of SNS use in marketing comes from the complexity of the medium, this study was designed to describe the complex emotions SNS users have in a qualitative way. Twenty-six interviews were conducted with college students in Japanese universities. The interviews consisted of two parts: creating a collage to express how each interviewee felt about SNS using the Google image search function and discussing images and search words after completion of the collage. The collage allowed interviewees to express their feelings about SNS freely, and enhanced conversations between interviewer and interviewee. There were three major results of the study. First, the study showed the complex and contradictory emotions felt by most of the interviewees. The words used in the image searches ranged from individual to social, and from positive to negative. Second, three codes helping anticipate factors causing complex feelings about SNS by SNS users were found through context analysis. These codes were privacy control, risk management, and needs. Finally, the three codes were developed into the following practical hints for effective use of SNS in marketing: the importance of target segmentation, compliance with manners in SNS communities, and added value for SNS users. |
