the impact of social network sites(2)

1 Introduction

Social media refers to Internet-based applications that enable people to connect, communicate, collaborate, and to create and exchange user-generated content (UGC) (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010; Russo & Peacock, 2009). These media have changed how information is produced and consumed online (Hoegg et al., 2006). By creating new pathways and links between users and information, people now have the ability to shape both their own experiences and those of others (Russo & Peacock, 2009). Within the domain of social media, the widespread adoption of social network sites (SNS) is particularly notable (Lewis et al., 2008). SNS provide an online space for the creation of personal information profiles; they provide tools for interacting with other people and for the exchange of UGC (Boyd & Ellison, 2007; Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Users of SNS are often deeply personally invested in the technology, making “virtual and actual communications, relationships, and identities become virtually indistinguishable” (Lewis et al., 2008). Just as the emergence of the web and electronic commerce changed the way people shopped and provided new tools for information gathering and making purchasing decisions (Haubl & Trifts, 2000), social media further alter consumer behaviour, enabling new and often unanticipated activities (Russo & Peacock, 2009). Specifically, social media have created an environment of co-creation and interactive cultural experiences (Russo & Peacock, 2009) which are affecting the consumption of cultural goods. Online interaction and networking has become a form of self-expression whereby people convey their identity, lifestyle and social relations (Liu, 2007; Livingstone, 2008).

Throughout the preceding decade, cultural goods have experienced profound technological change (Potts, 2006), accompanied by a shift from a product-based economy to a service-based economy, with particular emphasis on digital services (Williams et al., 2008). The diffusion of these technologies has had a direct impact on the production, distribution and consumption of cultural goods (Healy, 2002; Molteni & Ordanini, 2003). It is now possible to search, download, and share digital cultural goods over the Internet (Molteni & Ordanini, 2003) thus altering people s relationship to these goods; this type of consumption is a form of enjoyment and social interaction (Throsby, 2003). Music in particular has been one of the most popular cultural goods exchanged over the Internet (Healy, 2002). The consumption of music as a cultural good is viewed as a leisure activity whereby music and music discussion are seen as important elements in creating and maintaining friendship networks (Singh et al., 2006). The consumption of these goods is occurring across different technological contexts where they can be accessed, shared and collected (Singh et al., 2006). This paper presents early stage research-in-progress investigating the impact of SNS on the consumption of cultural goods, specifically the consumption of music. In the paper, we define SNS in more detail, deriving a set of key SNS affordances (section 2) and describe the nature of cultural goods and evolving consumption behaviours (section 3). This is followed by a description of our research objectives and proposed research model (section 4). We conclude by describing our planned activities for the next stage of the research project (section 5).

2 Affordances of Social Network Sites

SNS (e.g. Facebook) provide web users with an environment for both hedonic and functional social interaction and collaboration. SNS allow individuals to: (1) construct a public/semi-public profile within a bounded system; (2) list other users with whom they share a connection; and (3) view and traverse their connections and those made by others within the system (Boyd & Ellison, 2007, p. 2). These “egocentric” networks are structured around an individual who is at the centre of their own community, not according to topics or content (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). SNS have experienced an extraordinary growth in popularity, notably Facebook, which has over 500 million active users of which 50% use Facebook on any given day (Facebook 2010). Through SNS, users create and share a wide variety of content (Boyd & Ellison, 2007; Agichtein et al., 2008) and embed content from other SM and web sites (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). As well as dedicated SNS, UGC-focused web sites (e.g.