چکیده (انگلیسی):

Millions of people around the world use social network sites (SNSs). SNSs have caused a new way of interaction among people. In this respect, it is important to understand the SNSs users' activities and also it is substantial to explain the main reasons behind the SNSs usage. This paper investigates key factors determining social network site usage and characteristics of SNSs users. A sample of 1393 SNSs users from Izmir which is the third biggest city of Turkey were surveyed. Results revealed that there are seven factors - business oriented, create, socializing, entertainment, status seeking, communication, and information seeking - behind the SNSs usage motivation. Besides this, cluster analysis has been conducted to explore the SNSs users’ characteristics and four groups - advanced users, business-oriented users, communication seekers, and dawdlers - were identified. Additional analyses conceived that people in different clusters show contrasts about their SNSs usage motivations and these differences are statistically significant. Motives behind SNS usage, clusters with their characteristics and differences among clusters are discussed.