HIDDEN SOCIAL ISSUES AND UNSATISFIED HUMAN NEEDS ADDRESSED THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS: A SPECIAL STUDY ON FACEBOOK

Authors

  • K. A.N. R. Kariyapperuma Lecturer Department of Business and Information Management Sri Lankan Institute of Information Technology Sri Lanka
  • Yelani Rathnayaka Department of Business and Information Management Sri Lankan Institute of Information Technology Sri Lanka
  • Anitha Athukorala Department of Business and Information Management Sri Lankan Institute of Information Technology Sri Lanka
  • S. C. Weerasekara Department of Business and Information Management Sri Lankan Institute of Information Technology Sri Lanka

Abstract

Globalization and advances in information technology created a global village, where there is no man who is isolated from the larger society. Social network is a global phenomenon which touches thousands and millions of people’s lives through the world. From such social networks facebook won the first priority in many people’s lives including Sri Lankans. “Why people are so attached to the facebook?”, was the very first question raised by the research team, through the primary research it was revealed that facebook satisfied many human needs apart from need for belongings, love and care. General objective was to identify different levels of human needs satisfied through the facebook applying to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory. Specific objective was to identify hidden social issues that revealed through the above unsatisfied needs. Population of the research consisted of facebook users of Sri Lanka. Research team used cluster sampling method and selected 300 facebook users as the sample. Research team used three main methods to collect information that was through online surveys,observations and interviews. Qualitative and secondary data were collected through newspapers, magazines, online articles, blogs etc. The research started on July 2010 and completed at the end of September 2010.Limited time period to collect data was the main limitation of the research. The researchers apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of need theory as the model. 20 questions were raised in the survey covering all the 5 levels of human needs. It was concluded that working parents, late marriages, increasing divorce rate, unsatisfied sex and family life, busy working style, migration of educated population and loneliness are some of the critical hidden social issues in current Sri Lankan scenario.

Key Words: Social Networks, Human Needs, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need Theory, Social Issues

For full paper: fmscresearch@sjp.ac.lk

Published

2012-02-25

Issue

Vol. 8 (2011): Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Business Management – 2011

Section

Articles