The abundance of social networking platforms has increased the frequency and the availability for which individuals communicate with one another. The feasibility and accessibility to go online to find sexual partners ...The abundance of social networking platforms has increased the frequency and the availability for which individuals communicate with one another. The feasibility and accessibility to go online to find sexual partners pose opportunity for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the absence of safe sexual practices. Low condom use has been reported among young adults who seek sexual partners online. African American young adults have some of the highest rates of infection for certain STIs. In order to mitigate the incidence and prevalence of STIs in at-risk populations, sexually active young adults must use condoms consistently and correctly during sexual activities. The present study sought to uncover the heterogeneity within African American young adults regarding their online networking utilization, STI knowledge, and sexual risk behavior. African American young adults (N = 236), ages 18 - 23, completed private online survey administration. Using latent class analysis, three classes were identified: Social Network Communicators (43%;N = 101), Social Networking Daters (36%;N = 83), and Media Sharers (21%;N = 52). Social Networking Daters exhibited the highest probability of using online dating sites daily, low STI knowledge, and a zero probability of consistent condom use. All three groups exhibited relatively low STI knowledge. Furthermore, having a history of STI increased the likelihood of being classified into the Social Networking Daters class relative to the other classes. Findings highlight the need to capitalize upon online platforms for African American young adults who utilize online dating sites and other online environments.展开更多
Online dating sites are growing steadily in popularity, despite challenging economic times. In addition, online dating sites are facing increasing competition for their services from free social networking sites. Desp...Online dating sites are growing steadily in popularity, despite challenging economic times. In addition, online dating sites are facing increasing competition for their services from free social networking sites. Despite these harsh economic times and the increasing competition, online dating websites have continued to increase in popularity. This growth justifies the need to better understand how these volitional and paid websites have been so successful. By addressing the call for research in emergent information systems （IS） contexts, this study proposes a theoretical framework for investigation in a purely volitional website context. A framework based on the DeLone and McLean＇s IS success model is developed. Implications for practice and research are discussed.展开更多
文摘The abundance of social networking platforms has increased the frequency and the availability for which individuals communicate with one another. The feasibility and accessibility to go online to find sexual partners pose opportunity for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the absence of safe sexual practices. Low condom use has been reported among young adults who seek sexual partners online. African American young adults have some of the highest rates of infection for certain STIs. In order to mitigate the incidence and prevalence of STIs in at-risk populations, sexually active young adults must use condoms consistently and correctly during sexual activities. The present study sought to uncover the heterogeneity within African American young adults regarding their online networking utilization, STI knowledge, and sexual risk behavior. African American young adults (N = 236), ages 18 - 23, completed private online survey administration. Using latent class analysis, three classes were identified: Social Network Communicators (43%;N = 101), Social Networking Daters (36%;N = 83), and Media Sharers (21%;N = 52). Social Networking Daters exhibited the highest probability of using online dating sites daily, low STI knowledge, and a zero probability of consistent condom use. All three groups exhibited relatively low STI knowledge. Furthermore, having a history of STI increased the likelihood of being classified into the Social Networking Daters class relative to the other classes. Findings highlight the need to capitalize upon online platforms for African American young adults who utilize online dating sites and other online environments.
文摘Online dating sites are growing steadily in popularity, despite challenging economic times. In addition, online dating sites are facing increasing competition for their services from free social networking sites. Despite these harsh economic times and the increasing competition, online dating websites have continued to increase in popularity. This growth justifies the need to better understand how these volitional and paid websites have been so successful. By addressing the call for research in emergent information systems （IS） contexts, this study proposes a theoretical framework for investigation in a purely volitional website context. A framework based on the DeLone and McLean＇s IS success model is developed. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
