Social Network Analysis on Wisconsin Archival Facebook Community Jennifer Stevenson University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
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University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations August 2017 Social Network Analysis on Wisconsin Archival Facebook Community Jennifer Stevenson University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Library and Information Science Commons, and the Statistics and Probability Commons Recommended Citation Stevenson, Jennifer, "Social Network Analysis on Wisconsin Archival Facebook Community" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 1704. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/1704 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS ON WISCONSIN ARCHIVAL FACEBOOK COMMUNITY by Jennifer Ann Stevenson A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee August 2017 ABSTRACT SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS ON WISCONSIN ARCHIVAL FACEBOOK COMMUNITY by Jennifer A. Stevenson The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017 Under the Supervision of Professor Jin Zhang The purpose of this study was to understand how Wisconsin archives are using Facebook (Wisconson archives Facebook community, WAFC). Few archive studies use quantitative measurements to draw conclusions from social media application use. Quantitative data is needed in order to identify the various ways that social media is being used in an archive. Without the data behind the assumptions, it is impossible to improve service and outreach to the archive users. This study proposed a mixed methods approach to aid in the process, using social network analysis, inferential statistics and thematic analysis. This study measured the effects of implementation of social media in areas of archives in order to begin to identify and evaluate social media for future use by the archive community. These methods provide a better understanding of archives’ use of social media, thus enabling researchers and practitioners with a foundational point to continue research. Social networks allow individuals to connect with individuals and groups with whom they share common interests either personally or professionally. Four research questions and six hypotheses were developed to determine the main actors, the role of the actors, content of each online activity (‘tagging’, ‘sharing’, ‘commenting’, and ‘liking’), and post characteristics. Unique findings of this study were found regarding the information flow of the WAFC and the content. For instance, the research questions determined that archives are a central hub within the WAFC; however, other affiliations like cultural ii institutions and universities are other contributors to the information flow. Four different themes were discovered by the thematic analysis: archive story, communication, information, and outreach. These findings have theoretical, methodological, and practical implications. iii © Copyright by Jennifer A. Stevenson, 2017 All Rights Reserved iv To my husband, Chris. Thank you. I won the lottery when I met you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. To my advisor Jin, words cannot fully describe the gratitude I have for your many years of guidance. Your lessons taught me much more than just learning statistics and quantitative methods. These lessons have helped me achieve so much. To my committee members, Dr. Joanne Evans, Dr. Donald Force, Dr. Dietmar Wolfram, and Dr. Iris Xie, thank you for your support and constant guidance throughout the writing and research process. According to Rachel Carson, “In nature nothing exists alone.” These words are also true for completing a dissertation. Thank you to my gizibes: Ann Graf and Inkyung Choi. My dearest friends Jackie Babe and Lauren Gaines. To my family, my sister Alyssa Stevenski, sister-in-law Brianna Stevenski, and my parents. And the entirety of the Treml family, thank you for your countless support. A special thanks to my constant companions over the years: Charles, Oscar, Gabby K., Gaspar, and P. Madison. Thank you to my AERI writing group. Your words from afar were always supportive and encouraging. There are many others who have offered support along the way, both friends and family, thank you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... xii LIST OF EQUATIONS ........................................................................................................... xiii CHAPER I INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1 1.0 Problem, Research questions, & Hypotheses ...................................................................4 1.1 Research problem..............................................................................................................4 1.2 Research questions ............................................................................................................6 1.2.1 Research question 1 (RQ1) ...............................................................................................6 1.2.2 Research question 2 (RQ2) ...............................................................................................9 1.2.3 Research question 3 (RQ3) .............................................................................................10 1.2.4 Research question 4 (RQ4) .............................................................................................11 1.3 Hypotheses ......................................................................................................................11 1.3.1 Hypothesis Group 1 ........................................................................................................12 1.3.2 Hypothesis Group 2 ........................................................................................................13 1.3.3 Hypothesis Group 3 ........................................................................................................14 1.3.4 Hypothesis Group 4 ........................................................................................................15 1.4 Rationale of research.......................................................................................................16 1.5.1 Social media ....................................................................................................................18 1.5.2 Social media & Archives ................................................................................................21 1.6 Definitions & Concepts...................................................................................................25 1.7 Significance.....................................................................................................................38 1.7.1 Theoretical significance ..................................................................................................39 1.7.2 Methodological significance ...........................................................................................40 1.7.3 Practical significance ......................................................................................................42 1.8 Research design ..............................................................................................................44 1.8.1 Social network analysis...................................................................................................44 1.8.2 Thematic analysis............................................................................................................45 1.8.3 Inferential statistics .........................................................................................................46 1.9 Summary .........................................................................................................................47 vi CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................49 2.1 Archives ..........................................................................................................................50 2.1.1 Digital Archival Outreach & Engagement ......................................................................52 2.2 Social media ....................................................................................................................56 2.2.1 Facebook ...........................................................................................................................59 2.2.1.1 Like ................................................................................................................................59 2.2.1.2 Share ..............................................................................................................................60 2.2.1.3 Comment ........................................................................................................................62 2.2.1.4 Tag .................................................................................................................................63 2.2.2 Social media & Library & Information science ..............................................................65