Motives for using Social Network Sites (SNSs) –

Social Network Sites (SNSs) are widely used and have been object of research for some years. Existing studies have investigated single Social Networking (SN) phenomena or the usage of particular SNSs. However, only little research has been conducted on the motives for using SNSs. The paper at hand will present a survey for gaining insight into the motives of SNS usage and potential contextual factors that might shape these moti-ves. The study was conducted in two steps: 1) Generation of hypotheses by guided interviews; 2) Test of hypotheses by two online surveys. Drawing on the results as well as the current body of research, the authors will identify different motives for the usage and none-usage of SNSs and determine potential contextual factors