| The creation and subsequent use of third-party applications has grown quickly since the introduction of application programming interfaces and software development kits. This study investigates the creation of third-party applications for the social networking site Facebook and the Apple iPhone from the developer perspective. In the study, 11 developers were interviewed via real-time chat or email. The developers described how their applications shape the experience of communicating, their motivations for creating applications, their perspectives on the reasons for the use of applications, and the future of applications. The interviews were coded and keywords were used to categorize data. Analysis identified 3 reasons for developing applications: financial motivations, creativity, and testing ideas. Explanations for the use of applications were: added value/function, convenience/integration, entertainment/engagement, and expression. Predictions for the future included an increased number of platforms and ubiquitous and cloud computing. |
