MOTIVATIONS FOR USING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES: THE CASE OF ROMANIA

Abstract: Social networking sites (SNS) have been experiencing a growth boom in latter years, consequently drawing marketers ’ attention as an important medium for meaningful interaction with the consumer. But achieving brand effectiveness on SNS begins with understanding users ’ motivations for online social networking. This paper sought to explore Romanian users ’ motivations, and reports findings from a qualitative study consisting of face-to-face in-depth interviews and participant observation. We determine the main differences in motivations for using four major Romanian social networking sites. Implications in terms of brand communication within the context of SNS are also discussed. Key words: social networks in Romania, social networking motivations, social media motivations JEL classification: M31 1