Date of Award

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Business Honours

Faculty

Faculty of Business and Public Management

First Supervisor

Marie Ryan

Second Supervisor

Elaine Leong

Abstract

The ability of the Internet to connect users across diverse locations has resulted in the use of the Internet for social purposes, such as to communicate and interact with others online. This has created the need to study the impact of the Internet on community attachment. Motivated by conflicting views relating to the impact of the Internet on community attachment, this study addresses the relationship from a social perspective, in order to investigate the motivations for social Internet use and to assess the impact of social Internet use community attachment. A quantitative design was utilised and a self administered questionnaire employed to capture data on usage patterns, motivations for social Internet use and community attachment. Stepwise regression analysis was used within the data analysis stage of the study to determine the predictors of online community attachment, while factor analysis was performed on the motivations scale to identify underlying dimensions. T-tests and ANOVA were then used to determine the impact of social Internet activity on community attachment levels. The findings reveal that online community attachment can be predicted by seven variables. In particular, it found that motivations and type of activity performed online were the strongest predictors. In relation to community attachment and social Internet use, the study reinforces the dystopian perspective towards the impact of the Internet on community attachment and highlights the underlying motivations for social Internet use, providing depth to this finding.

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