創新科技資訊領先使用者資訊行為上的社會資本角色

Abstract

本研究以臺灣癮科技網站使用者為研究對象，試圖了解網路將社交與資訊尋求結合的狀況下，使用者滿足這兩種需求時的交互作用狀況。本研究先以癮科技部落格上發文和回文數量最多的前三十位使用者為受訪目標對象，並於臺灣最大的論壇PTT 徵求受訪者，最後共邀請二十位使用者進行深度訪談。研究發現，創新科技資訊領先使用者扮演「資訊廚師」的角色，透過國外原廠網站，掌握快、新、準的資訊；受訪者線上和線下社會網絡的流動並不普遍；對受訪者而言，資訊管道間是「互補」不是「取代」；受訪者之資訊行為與社會網絡互動是相互交融；影響使用者線上網友能否結為好友的原因有，個性、對朋友的定義、平台屬性、分享訊息的目的和內容特質、共同的生活經驗。本研究的貢獻為整合資訊行為與社會網絡研究，由「群體」取代「個人」角度來了解資訊行為，發掘「人」作為資訊取得來源在資訊行為上的角色，並提出人們的網路使用不再以蒐尋資訊解決問題為主要目的、社會網絡中的弱連結在資訊支持上的功能、弱連結與社交支持和資訊支持等概念上的不可分割性、情感與訊息設計等議題與資訊行為的整合。此新研究取向對未來資訊行為的模式或理論提供方向。

With the users of Taiwan Engadget Web site as its object, this study seeks to understand the interaction between social communication and information seeking when users become involved in both activities that are made real through the network. In this study, 30 former users who posted the most articles and made the most responses on the Engadget blog were interviewed. Twenty users of the biggest forum PTT in Taiwan were also invited for interview. This study found that lead users of innovative technical information play the role of "information cooker," or one who obtains the latest information from Web sites abroad in a fast and accurate manner. Among the interviewees, the flows of online or offline social networks were not a common phenomenon. To the interviewees, information channels were complementary but not substitutive. The information behavior and social network interactions of the interviewees were harmonious. Several factors, including personality, definition of friendship, attribute of platform, purpose and content of the information share, and common life experiences, affect the way online friendships are transformed to real-life interactions. This paper intends to integrate information behavior and social networking, which could provide direction for further study of information behavior models or theories.