The importance of the Whatsapp family group: an exploratory analysis
| Published date | 21 March 2016 |
| Date | 21 March 2016 |
| Pages | 174-192 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-09-2015-0142 |
| Author | Noa Aharony,Tali Gazit |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval |
The importance of the
Whatsapp family group:
an exploratory analysis
Noa Aharony and Tali Gazit
Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to focus on WhatsApp, a mobile messaging service for
smartphones that began in 2009. The study uses attachment theory, a social support perspective and
one personality characteristic derived from the Big Five theory of personality (“openness to
experience”) and attempts to predict how these variables influence the importance of the WhatsApp
family group.
Design/methodology/approach –Research was conducted in Israel during the first semester of the
2015 academic year and encompassed 191 undergraduate communication students. Researchers used
six questionnaires to gather personal details, WhatsApp use, WhatsApp importance, attachment,
openness to experience, and social support.
Findings –The findings confirm that the personality characteristic of openness to experience and
social support significantly predict the importance of WhatsApp family group. Findings present a
complex and ambiguous relationship between the attachment variables and the importance of
WhatsApp family group.
Originality/value –The literature has not yet dealt with the issue of WhatsApp groups. Hence, the
current study highlights associations between WhatsApp family group and attachment theory,
the personality characteristic of openness to experience, social support, and family frequency use.
Keywords Social support, Attachment, Openness to experience, Exploratory study, Parents’use,
WhatsApp
Paper type Research paper
Introduction: WhatsApp
Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is a form of communication transaction that
takes place through the use of computer networks and enables people to communicate
with one another through different media, including face-to-face, telephone, and
internet communication. CMC has become a popular sphere for social interactions and
it continues to grow parallel to ICT development and modernization (Sheldon et al.,
2011; Walther, 2011). The environment of CMC can be associated with the new theory
of polymedia where the major concern shifts from the constrains each technological
medium imposes to an emphasis upon the social, emotional, and moral consequences of
choosing between the various media (Madianou and Miller, 2013).
Previous studies that explored the positive and negative effects of CMC have
focussed on e-mail and instant messages (Chen et al., 2004), the internet (Davis, 1989;
Huang et al., 2007), and text messaging (Harrison and Gilmore, 2012; Hosking et al.,
2009). Focussing on text messaging, Harrison and Gilmore (2012) suggest that mobile
text messages have modified interpersonal interactions, as more people use text-bas ed
communication, rather than face-to-face encounters in order to be up-to-date with their
friends, family members, social issues, and news. Past studies that dealt with
messaging systems state that they are usually used by teenagers and young people to
keep social connections and to contact distant friends and family. Further, these
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 68 No. 2, 2016
pp. 174-192
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-09-2015-0142
Received 12 September 2015
Revised 30 November 2015
Accepted 7 December 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2050-3806.htm
174
AJIM
68,2
platforms are popular because they are not complex, quick, and inexpensive (Barkhuus,
2006; Faulkner and Culwin, 2005; Grinter and Eldridge, 2001, 2003; Grinter et al., 2006;
Hall and Baym, 2011).
However, less attention has been given to newer CMC technologies such as WhatsApp
(Sultan, 2014). Hence, this study focusses on WhatsApp, a mobile messaging service for
smartphones that began in 2009. WhatsApp users can send each other text messages,
images, video, and audio messages. WhatsApp enables individuals to socialize and stay
connected using their smartphones without having to pay for a network operator’sshort
message service (SMS) charges. Furthermore, WhatsApp is a closed platform in which one
can see and accept posts and videos from people who are known, and part of one’s contacts.
In addition, people can create groups and belong to certain closed groups on WhatsApp.
As was reported in DMR (2015), there were about 800 million users of WhatsApp in April
2015. WhatsApp has become the largest mobile text messaging service in the world and is
very popular in South Africa, Malaysia, Argentina, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Spain.
Several studies that focus on WhatsApp were carried out recently. Sultan (2014),
who investigated addiction to mobile text messaging, suggested that individuals who
use WhatsApp turn to it for maintaining contact with family and friends, information,
as well as for entertainment. In another study, O’Hara et al. (2014) showed that
WhatsApp use is a major element in individuals’ways of dwelling with others,
associating it with forms of commitment, faithfulness, and knowledge that can be
presented while using WhatsApp. Further, Church and de Oliveira (2013), who
compared WhatsApp and SMS use, showed that WhatsApp messages are exchanged
more often, are more conversational, are used to communicate within closer social
circles, and are used more often for group-based communication. The genera l feeling
was that WhatsApp messages are immediate compared to SMS. A further study
(Aharony, 2015) that focussed on the social capital that students gain from WhatsApp
use, showed that well-being variables, as well as WhatsApp attitudes and intention to
use, affect the social capital students gain while using WhatsApp.
So far, the literature has not yet dealt with the issue of WhatsApp groups.
The current study will focus on a very unique type of groups: a WhatsApp family
group[1]. Below is a print screen of a WhatsApp group.
The current study uses attachment theory, a social support perspective and one
personality characteristic derived from the Big Five theory of personality (“openness to
experience”) and attempts to predict how these variables influence the importance of
the WhatsApp family group. The importance of the WhatsApp family group is
associated with respondents’feelings about the significance they attribute to
WhatsApp family group in their daily routine.
The objectives of this study are: to what extent do the attachment variable s explain
the importance of a WhatsApp family group?; to what extent does the personality
variable “openness to experience”explain the importance of the WhatsApp family
group?; and to what extent does the social support perspective explain the importance
of a WhatsApp family group?
Literature review
Attachment theory
One of the theories that may help us understand the importance of the WhatsApp
family group is the aspect of attachment theory that focusses on the influence of early
relationships between a child and caregiver on the child’s personality and life style
(Bowlby, 1969). The quality of a child’s attachment impacts both the level of security
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The
importance of
the Whatsapp
family group
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