Food Blogging
Essay by Suk Leng • August 29, 2017 • Essay • 5,452 Words (22 Pages) • 1,066 Views
Author(s) (Year) | Theory(ies) used | Variables | Methodology | Main Findings | Conclusion | Lim. and Rec. for future research |
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Lofgren 2013 | (aim)1. How food, as a topic of interest, is thriving in an online environment through recipe sharing on food blogs 2. community in action 3. evolution and the response | Food bloggers, community, recipe sharing | Research Approach; Ethnographic approach, Case study, Qualitative research Instrument; Interview questions Population & Sampling Method; Active food bloggers, ad hoc searching across food blog Data collection; Interviews, survey Data Analysis participants observation & textual analysis. | Food blogs provide an insight into the eating habits of ‘ordinary’ people Pull-apart recipe case study understanding how food bloggers share info and experiences, and co-create, participate and interreact with each other, forming a community. Evolution of food blogging – hobby to cottage industry, Pro-Am to professional | Food blogging becoming mainstream. Food blog seen to reflect and shape culture. Potential to influence food trend. | Blogging being decline but far from redundant medium. How ppl now use blogs n other social media tools in concert Image -driven nature of foo-related media Online gender roles Food-related media from health, policy and cultural studies perspective Food trends- Understand ways in which we gain knowledge and info about food |
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Gunden 2017 | To investigate the relative importance of online review attributes in consumer restaurant selection. Particularly, this study focuses on the number of online reviews, the overall restaurant rating, and the following restaurant attributes: food quality, service quality, atmosphere, and price, to address the purpose of the research. | IV: food quality, service quality, atmosphere, price, the number of online reviews, overall restaurant rating DV: restaurant selection | Research Approach; Quantitative approach Instrument; Questionnaire Population & Sampling Method; US resident, judgmental sampling Data collection; Data Analysis Choice-based conjoint (CBC) | results confirm that food quality is the most important attribute in consumer restaurant selection. This factor is followed by overall restaurant rating, price, service quality, the number of online reviews, and atmosphere. Additionally, the overall restaurant rating is determined to be a substantially important factor that influences consumer restaurant selection, while the rest of the attributes vary in their rank. The market simulation calculated the preference estimates for the products for each respondent. This approach predicts the impact of each attribute on the market share. Food quality and overall restaurant rating are used for the market simulations. Therefore, it is also found that in relation to the market simulation, the decrease of food quality influenced the market share by about 58.88%. | overall restaurant rating has a larger influence on restaurant consumer choice 45 than the number online reviews. current study demonstrates that the number of online reviews is less effective in terms of restaurant attributes. In addition, restaurant consumers are found to be more concerned about overall rating rather than both the number of online reviews and other restaurant attributes. the current study reports that price is a less important attribute in consumer restaurant selection. Lastly, service quality is determined as the most important attributes after overall restaurant rating and food quality. | No specific type of restaurant in analyses, restaurant location is requested, the study does not evaluate the reliability based on the researcher’s conclusion on the previous study, reattempt this experiment with the additional factor of restaurant type , software such as Sawtooth. That 48 software also allows the researcher to provide holdout question to evaluate the reliability. Also, future studies may apply internal and external validity to check validity of CBC analysis. |
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Watson 2013 | Serious Leisure theory on Social Identity Theory 1. To critically assess the current state of the literature regarding foodie culture, blogging and communities of consumption. 2. To review and assess the concept of Serious Leisure as an explanation of the development of foodie attitudes and behaviour 3. To analyse the posts and readers’ comments of a suitable blog in order to identify evidence of a foodie interpretive repertoire 4. To identify and critique the shared system of meanings for the foodie “tribe” in these patterns 5. To critically evaluate using Social Identity Theory how meaning is used by the individuals to interpret their experiences and construct self-identity 6. To review and assess how understanding the myths, values, rituals, and vocabulary of the foodie tribe can assist restaurant marketers to better understand their foodie customers. | To critically assess the current state of the literature regarding foodie culture, blogging and communities of consumption. | Research Approach; qualitative approach, ethnography, netnography Instrument; Questionnaire Population & Sampling Method; Small (Grab Your Fork), judgmental sampling Data collection; Data Analysis Thematic Analysis | Helen Yee’s blog Grab Your Fork provides evidence of both foodism and blogging as Serious Leisure pursuits. It has combined two pursuits which on face value would appear to be mutually exclusive. The Serious Leisure pursuits of foodism and blogging have been amalgamated to the point where the blogging activity drives the leisure pursuit of foodism and vice versa. The two activities co-exist, but would not have the same level of intensity or importance on the Serious Leisure scale without each other. They are in fact symbiotic. Helen’s blog is about more than just discussing food, it is an important part of her life which she does for love, not money and she describes her passion, eagerness to share, intensity in her hobby. Six characteristics of Serious Leisure can be demonstrated by the blog. Hedonic consumption has been discussed as a major element in a foodie’s lifestyle, giving evidence of both historic and fantasy imagery as evidenced in the blog posts and comments. The concept of the Serious Leisure participant moving up the Career Ladder as part of a sacred, personal journey which gains momentum as the blog evolves. The personal journey was considered in terms of the six categories of Belk et al.’s (1989) theory of the sacred and the profane. The Internet is the perfect place for people to explore and develop their alternative identities through the use of pseudonyms This thesis is based on two major areas of theory, and applies them to the concepts of foodism and food blogging for the first time. Firstly the thesis critically examines the key themes of foodism and food blogging as a form of Serious Leisure. Helen Yee is a foodie whose intense interest in food and eating is so strong that she writes a blog, called Grab Your Fork, with almost daily posts on the food which she has eaten. This “citizen journalism” (Bruns, 2007) takes her blogging into the Serious Leisure arena. Secondly, Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) theory on Social Identity Theory has not previously been applied to either foodie communities or blogging communities. In the case of Grab Your Fork the network of individuals who have developed an on-line community are also foodies, so the example was able to be applied to both situations, and was shown to be an 5 | P a g e appropriate model to explain such a community. The attachment of emotional involvement to the group and their values and ethos structure as presented within this theory links to the concept of Serious Leisure in that in Social identity Theory, it is the self-confirmation as being an in-group member or out-group member that defines a person’s definition of themselves | 1. foodism, blogging and food blogging are Serious Leisure activities 2. the group of individuals who have developed into an online community around Grab Your Fork create their social identity through a sense of belonging with other in-members of the group. 3. Yee is a key individual in an information network: she is in a position to disseminate information and shape the tastes of her readers. | 1. ethnographic study, thus not necessarily representative of all other populations, and cannot be replicated 2. results are not transferable- The compensation for this lack of generalisability is the depth of understanding gained in one setting |
Link: file:///C:/Users/Yen/Desktop/Food%20Blogging/2010.pdf (pg501) | ||||||
Watson and Morgan 2010 | Research Approach; qualitative approach, ethnography, netnography Instrument; Questionnaire Population & Sampling Method; Helen Yee, blog Grab Your Fork-“memorable meals”, judgmental sampling Data collection; Data Analysis Thematic Analysis discourse analysis, content analysis | 1. What does the text reveal about the author? story‐teller. guiding others through the experience a, a professional review, skilled consumer with the appreciative and evaluative powers that her community values. The use of photgraphy and the ability to record feedback and enter into a dialogue with readers are two further reasons why user‐generated review sites are gaining in influence over traditional sources of information for consumers. 2. Who are the primary readers assumed to be? What assumptions are being made about the audience? other foodies with a skilled knowledge of food 3. Who and what are viewed as normal or legitimate? What alternative readings might be possible? Some comments suggest an alternative discourse which contests the underly‐ ing assumptions of the discourse of the blog ‐ that these restaurant meals which to an outsider would be seen as conspicuous consumption are worth making considerable sacrifice not only of money but also of time and effort to experience 4. What are the social and cultural conditions from which the text emerges? The on‐line foodie community comes about as a combination of the Internet and consumer cultureThe current generation of restaurant owners and marketers will have to become very aware of the opportunites and the threats that this new form of communication media presents. | The theatrical stage management of the service performance The internet technology allows her to develop her serious leisure career, and establish an identity as a skilled reporter in the eyes of her community of consumption. by the restaurateur is evident in all the restaurants Yee reports Such communities facilitate the emergence of citizen journalists, amateur reviewers who have changed the way in which consumers obtain information as part of their decision‐making process. In the case of the foodie community, it might suggest the need to appeal to the desire for insider knowledge and de‐ velopment of discriminating taste through informative menus, knowledgeable staff and cookery demonstrations in the restaurant or at other events, which let the consumers into the secrets of the trade. However, the case study also shows the importance of stimulating community discussion of how special effects were achieved and of maintaining a dramtic sense of surprise and mystique. | similar techniques could also be fruitfully applied to other forms of user‐ generated content such as commercial review sites, social networks such as Facebook or the new phenomenon of Twitter where short, frequently updated comments by well‐known or unknown individuals are read by those who have chosen to receive them. | ||
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Lynch 2010 | describes the virtual socialization, behaviors, and attitudes being promoted in one community of food bloggers. | Research Approach; qualitative approach, Exploratory study Instrument; Questionnaire Population & Sampling Method; 45 online blogs written by young adult women self-identified as over the age of 19 and linked to one another through the food-blogging community, judgmental sampling Data collection; Data Analysis Coding of the blogs Blog reading and preliminary analysis Blog analysis new codes developed as new themes emerged, and some initial codes were revised. Data saturation was determined after analyzing 45 blogs, as no new findings were emerging | food-blogging community has an established set of conventions for both acceptable blogging and dietary practices, with bloggers discussing how much support and dietary information they receive from the community. food bloggers promote quite specific attitudes and behaviors, which are questionably healthy at best, though these same practices are often encouraged as essential to long-term weight loss and maintenance success 1. research has established that dietary restraint is most prevalent among women from Western cultures that promote dieting as the way to an ideal of thinness. 2. women practicing dietary restraint have been shown to follow meal plans low in both variety and calories 3. restrained eaters are more affected by food cravings and are preoccupied with food and eating 4. Fourth, women practicing dietary restraint place a high significance on food type, even more than on caloric content, and hold rigid beliefs regarding certain foods 5. women who score high in dietary restraint also show a commensurate degree of body dissatisfaction in spite of their beliefs that food blogging has afforded them a supportive community, encouraged healthy nutrition, and reinforced their commitment to the practice, bloggers frequently expressed anxiety about their offline friends and family finding out about their food blogs Analysis revealed widespread group practices as well as the promotion of attitudes and behaviors associated with dietary restraint. | Following a close reading of this community of blogs, analysis revealed that these blogs are not as encouraging of healthy dietary practices as the authors claim. Major themes identified in this explorative study include the identification of a virtual food blogging community that maintains and promotes specific attitudes and behaviors that resemble manifestations of dietary restraint | examine if the identities presented on blogs are in fact true reflections of the authors, or if the mediation present and the established communal practices have altered how these individuals present themselves online While the present study discovered a significant number of similarities between this community of food bloggers and individuals practicing dietary restraint, other symptoms of dietary restraint were not identified on the blogs and could be further examined in another food blogging community Further research into other food blogs is needed to determine the existence of similar or differing practices and socializations. need to educate the public on the inconsistencies found on the Internet regarding health information generally | |
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Blanchard 2004 | Should blogs be considered virtual communities | IV: How long reading ,How often read,Read comments , Post Comments DV: predictors of sense of community | Research Approach; quantitative approach, case study Instrument; a web survey Population & Sampling Method; 501 readers, judgemental sampling Data collection; Data Analysis Descriptive analyses and correlations | It is certainly a virtual settlement but moderate only (abt 3/5). First, the Julie/Julia Project does appear to be a virtual settlement. However, it is limited in the amount of public interaction which may occur more frequently in other forms of group CMC. Public interaction occurs only in the comments section of this and most other blogs. It is telling that members who participated in the comments section of the blog had a higher sense of community. But is it a virtual community? Using a traditional measure of FtF sense of community, for the most part, it is not. However, for a vocal and active minority of the respondents, it is. Blog lacked a large enough group of people who considered it a virtual community | Blogs are the newest popular form of group CMC technology. As shown by the participants who expressed a sense of community within the Julie/Julia Project , blogs have the potential to evolve into socially beneficial, self-sustaining virtual communities | Future studies of blogs as virtual communities should continue to assess not only members' sense of community, but also how members adapt to and modify the CMC technology to meet their needs in developing a vibrant virtual community. |
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Medaas 2014 | 1. It aims to both explore and describe phenomena in the online food blogosphere with the 2. ultimate goal of generating knowledge about how relationships between humans, food and the planet are communicated 3. & why food is a space in which individuals feel they can exercise citizenship. | Research Approach; quantitative & qualitative approach, non-experimental, descriptive and exploratory, case study Instrument; Email interview, survey, close reading Population & Sampling Method; 39 members of the Association of Food Bloggers (surveymonkey), Six informants (email) Data collection; Data Analysis Descriptive analyses and correlations | Foodie as a Contested Term The findings show that not all food bloggers are foodies, and one can reasonably assume, that not all foodies are bloggers. This thesis focused on the food blogosphere and its authors as a source of data, but foodies take many forms, not all of whom participate in the online world of food. Environmental concern and the communication of an environmental ethic was not a trait of all food bloggers, Although their blogs make reference to and use a discourse of environmental ethic, the interviewees did not list messages relating to environmental themes as the single most important thing communicated via their blogs. Their responses suggest that communicating the ease, joy, and the adventure of trying new things relating to food supersede messages that communicate the practice of sustainability. Food and Pleasure Pleasure was communicated via the frame of education and that of creativity Frames in Environmentally Minded Food Blogs education and creativity The desire to share knowledge The frame of creativity was employed to inspire readers The Aesthetics of Food Blogging The aesthetics of the blogs are instrumental in communicating alternatives to the mass-produced foods of today, and construe food as simple, straightforward and natural. (photo, video) Eating Well and Well Being Themes that were identified through the close reading of blogs as being linked in some way to the communication of an environmental ethic were always portrayed as being not only more beneficial to the environment, but also to health and well-being. Not only were they portrayed as being better for the environment and better for you, but also as better tasting. Locating the Source the source of food was defined not as the ecological environment as a whole, but instead as farms, farmers and agriculture, all of which contain a human element Good Life in the Food Blogosphere portrays them as avenues towards a higher standard of living, and better well-being over all The Food Blogosphere: A Reincarnation of Class Based Food Habits, or a Manifestation of Reflexive Thought? individuals make reflexive choices in the procurement, preparation and communication of food. However, despite the blog’s lack of foundation in specific geographic or temporal space, the bloggers themselves do operate within differing structures The findings suggest that considering the ways in which bloggers communicate environmental awareness and sustainability as wholly a manifestation of class based food habits is too simplistic. It fails to allow for the complexity of the multitude of factors which guide food choice, and to account for the evidence of deliberate thought and reflexivity portrayed on food blogs. Despite this, structure continues to exist and in part, affects agency The Use of the Blogosphere to Convey Messages about the Link between Food and the Environment The data collected in the online questionnaire and the email interview suggest that the understandings of what it means to be a foodie vary widely and do not always imply a commitment to changing the current, unsustainable food system. Creating and Communicating Identity in the Food Blogosphere bloggers communicated sustainable ways to procure, prepare and relate to food. These ways can be perceived as examples of the exercise of community and citizenship, and the creation of identity. The Food Blogosphere: A Source of Empowerment? The unprecedented scale and anonymity of the food system has resulted in a sense of alienation The ways that freedom through eating with an environmental awareness are communicated on the blogs varies, but the most obvious way it is expressed is through allusions and references to eating conscientiously, which in turn is related to better tasting food, better feeling bodies and a diminished environmental impact. One important characteristic of food bloggers is their identification as active producers | the blogosphere is a space of transformation and also a space in which meanings, values and messages about food and eating can be shared with a wider public. Narratives about food, featured on food blogs, are explored in this thesis as microcosm of a much larger debate about culture, identity and citizenship in the face of environmental crisis. How the food blogosphere portrays some foods as ‘good’ and others as ‘bad’ and the effects of this classification on readers and audiences is something that should be further considered. | food media represents an area that has great potential for further research. The ways in which television shows featuring food competitions are changing perceptions of food and eating, the appeal of food magazines, the emergence of new trends and food buzzwords, and the ways in which the environment is portrayed and discussed in food media discourse all present interesting opportunities for scholarship. | |
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Cox and Blake 2011 | Serious leisure | Research Approach; Qualitative approach, small-scale exploratory study Instrument; in depth, hour-long interviews Population & Sampling Method; 6 food bloggers Data collection; Data Analysis thematic, developing themes grounded in the data, but also driven by our interest in information concepts and the serious leisure perspective and analysis of activity on the UK Food Bloggers Association web site. | Food blogging as a leisure pursuit resulted in the creation of new information sources, for which existing information is a source of inspiration. The content, and style of blogs, and so their nature as information sources, were influenced by the extent of involvement in a professional-amateur-public (PAP) system. Information about publics or audiences was of great concern and a focus of collegial information sharing. The management of content implies greater personal information management needs, but the data did not show great awareness of this, rather interviewees were concerned with access management. Pre-professionals had an intensified concern with Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). | Collecting more interview data could explore personal information management activities that could help fill out that part of the picture. The paper has not explored perspectives from the media itself, except through a few published newspaper articles, or the point of view of other players in the social world of food. | ||
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Lynch 2010 | Research Approach; Qualitative approach, Instrument; in depth, hour-long interviews Population & Sampling Method; 45 bloggers from food-blogging community, criterionl Data collection; Data Analysis comparative analysis, | Analysis revealed that bloggers discussed three themes, mainly prior to and following exercise: food as fuel, food restricted and worked off through exercise, and food intake as justified by exercise. | These findings provide insight into how a community of food bloggers views the relationship between food and exercise, suggest ways that women practising dietary restraint perceive food and exercise, and encourage further research on food blogging. | understand better the cyber-talk taking place regarding exercise and diet. productive to combine interviews with food bloggers and the study of their blogs. Other food-blog communities need to be investigated to determine whether similar views of food and exercise pertain and to compare the bloggers’ attitudes to those of unrestrained eaters. | ||
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Julie Henderson, Annabelle M. Wilson, Webb, McCullum, Meyer, Coveney, Ward 2017 | Research Approach; Qualitative approach, Instrument; semi-structured interviews Population & Sampling Method; 105 media actors, food regulators and food industry rep purposive sampling Data collection; Data Analysis Thematic analysis | While food regulators and representatives of the food industry identify advantages of social media including two-way communication and speed of transmission of information, they maintain concerns about information provided via social media fearing the potential for loss of control of the information and sensationalism. There is evidence, however, that media actors use social media to identify food stories, to find sources, gauge public opinion and to provide a human interest angle | three groups of actors are not necessarily on the same page when it comes to their motivations for using social media. Further, consumer trust is likely to be improved by a social media presence by food regulators ensuring that food regulatory agencies are the first port of call for food safety information when food crises occur. | how consistency in reporting food risk by the different actor groups could be obtained Assess what strategies to maximise the use of social media whether the use of social media by actors in the food system improves public trust and how, and whether, it improves consumer engagement with the food system. | ||
Link: https://era.library.ualberta.ca/files/cg158bh38h/Funabashi_Eric_201603_Master.pdf | ||||||
Funabashi 2016 | Research Approach; Qualitative approach, Instrument; online survey and a quali-questionnaire Population & Sampling Method; bento blog authors, judgemental Data collection; Data Analysis Thematic analysis | Motivation in Posting and Desire for Communication and Recognition desire to communicate and be recognized Assessing the Argument of Use of Bento Blogs as Tool for Communication, Expression and Recognition. record, transmit and express the important meaning that even housework possesses” illustrates the argument of Japanese women‟s use of blogs to get social recognition for their work virtual recognition through their blogs could possibly represent a gain of social status or value Evaluating the Reader’s Importance encourages my confidence | history of bento and illustrated how influences from Japanese media in bento aesthetics enhancing food arrangement and colors balance promoted bento as a communication tool between maker and eater. The combined results of both surveys revealed that Japanese women are using their personal webpages to communicate and express in social media motivated by: 1) an opportunity to express opinions and communicate with other people from different prefectures and countries interested in the same hobby and 2) a chance to create a virtual social arena where Japanese women can be recognized for their effort in cooking and possibly gain social status and value. | closer approach based, for example, on a topic evidenced by a participant‟s answer in the last question of the online survey: “there is a big difference between bento blogs of housewives and single office workers such as backgrounds, motivation, daily life etc…” the difference suggested in participant‟s response was not previously identified and therefore, was not considered for this study male or single women bento bloggers mother imprinted labour. massive use of celebrities in Japanese media and constant presence of Japanese food | ||
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Sahelices-Pinto, Gutierrez-Rodriguez 2015 | dialogic theory (mutuality, propinquity, empathy, risk, and commitment) grounded theory methodological approach | Research Approach; Qualitative approach, inductive Instrument; online questionnaire Population & Sampling Method; @foodrev, judgemental Data collection; Data Analysis 1. reviewing the data in the sample or population to generate themes 2. collection and analysis of concurrent data generation 3. writing memos which are essentially written records of the researcher’s thought process during the analysis of the sample 4. theoretical sampling 5. Constant comparative analysis 6. theoretical sensitivity which asserts that researcher are the sum of their experiences as they continuously immerse themselves in the data and takes this into consideration | RQ1: How does the @foodrev Instagram account represent the mission of Jamie’s Food Revolution? 20 of the emergent themes directly related to the mission statement of Jamie’s Food Revolution campaign The category labels of sustainable movement, educate children, inspire families, and empower everyone include themes that correspond to each of these statements that are included in the campaign mission statemen RQ2: In what ways, if any, do the messages contained in the content posted in the @foodrev Instagram account generate dialogic communication between the account and Instagram users? 16 of the emergent themes represented these principles (mutuality, propinquity, empathy, risk and commitment) RQ3a: What, if any, dialogic responses are evident in the @foodrev Instagram posts? Although this is a negative finding, it does provide an opportunity for further research pertaining to the use of Instagram in food reform campaign dialogic responses | This thesis project provides an example of how Instagram can be used as an extension of a food reform campaign, successfully communicating the mission statement of Jamie’s Food Revolution campaign. Utilization of both dialogic principles of public relations, as well as dialogic principles pertaining to social media, revealed which principles were the strongest and weakest in reference to Instagram. Furthermore, it was revealed that responses to dialogic engagement from publics does not always match the initial efforts made by the organization, but that justification for this is not completely clear | 1. whether different social media platforms utilize different principles of the theory to generate dialogue between users impact on the 2. decision to like or comment on a post 3. | |
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Miura, Yamashita 2007 | Hypothesized Causal Model 1. benefits to self and relationships with others 2. relates to information handling skill, as examined in the present study through a survey of Japanese blog authors | Research Approach; Quantitative approach, Instrument; online questionnaire Population & Sampling Method; Japanese bloggers from Hatena Diary, convenient Data collection; Data Analysis multivariate analysis, CA, Regression, reliability, structural equation modeling | Two final models with good fit were obtained. Both models confirmed that being satisfied with the hypothesized benefits had a significant positive effect on the intention to continue blog writing Positive feedback from readers had a positive effect on all kinds of satisfaction Negative feedback did not have significant effects on satisfaction with information provision and acquisition, although it did have significant negative effects on satisfaction with self-understanding and acceptance from others attribute negative feedback not to themselves but to the quality of their information Negative feedback from others would have a stronger meaning for one’s emotions and behavior in interdependent Japanese culture, where there is a great need to cooperate with others, than in an independent, individualistic culture. As a consequence, individual behavior, such as self-expression in blogs, would be more strongly impacted. | In the context of cultural psychology, people in Western cultures have independent self-construals and tend to think of themselves as autonomous individuals separate from others. In contrast, those in non-Western, primarily Asian, cultures have interdependent self-construals and are more likely to think of themselves in the context of the larger social world, tending to define themselves in terms of their group memberships and relationships with others. Such cultural differences in self-construals have a strong influence on behavior in daily life | 1. To clarify whether there are cultural differences in social influences on blog writing, a cross-cultural survey needs to be done. 2. self-selected convenience sample 3. Another survey with more appropriate sampling and a detailed case study targeting a wider range of users is needed to determine the sources of web behaviors, such as wanting to write blogs in the first place, or wanting to stop blog writing 4. consider the effects of blog writing on the social lives of the authors | |
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