Case of Facebook: Account adoption and maintenance motivational factors in Greece

Abstract

The current study explored proposed factors (enjoyment, usefulness, relationship initiation and maintenance, social influence, ease of use) affecting the creation and maintenance of Facebook accounts in Greece, as well as their relationship with age and gender. Participants were Greek adult, active Facebook users (n=87; Females/Males: 46/61; mean age: 26-35). An online Greek questionnaire was created to test the abovementioned relationships, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was found to be internally consistent (Cronbach’s Alpha =.830). Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed to test the factorability of raw data, where three factors emerged: Creation of Social Capital (Relationship Initiation and Social Influence), Communication Continuity (Relationship Maintenance and Enjoyment), Research Usefulness (Usefulness). Ease of Use did not emerge as a statistically significant factor. Females reported using Facebook for research purposes more than males, with no other factor showing any statistically significant in difference of use between genders. Older age groups reported using Facebook in order to meet new people and not to be alone. Results of the current study can assist in a variety of settings, such as managerial promotion of social promotion of social networking and clinical decisions regarding Facebook use.