TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Research on social networking sites and social support from 2004 to 2015: a narrative review and directions for future research
JO  - Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking
A1  - Meng, Jingbo
A1  - Martinez, Lourdes
A1  - Holmstrom, Amanda
A1  - Chung, Minwoong
A1  - Cox, Jeff
SP  - 44
EP  - 51
VL  - 20
IS  - 1
N2  - The article presents a narrative review of scholarship on social support through social networking sites (SNSs) published from 2004 to 2015. By searching keywords related to social support and SNSs in major databases for social sciences, we identified and content analyzed directly relevant articles (N = 88). The article summarizes the prevalence of theory usage; the function of theory usage (e.g., testing a theory, developing a theory); major theories referenced; and methodologies, including research designs, measurement, and the roles of social support and SNS examined in this literature. It also reports four themes identified across the studies, indicating the trends in the current research. Based on the review, the article presents a discussion about study sites, conceptualization of social support, theoretical coherence, the role of social networks, and the dynamic relationships between SNS use and social support, which points out potential avenues for shaping a future research agenda.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2152-2715
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0325
ID  - ref1
ER  -