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Abstract:
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The purpose of this study was (1 ) to examine rural residents’ perceived social support from Internet use for communication and (2 ) to understand the meanings associated with rural Internet users’ social media use , particularly with respect to mediating diverse social ties and exchanging different types of social support . To assess how Internet use affects rural residents’ sense of social support , this study investigated dynamic relationships between online communication and perceived social support by looking at interaction effects relative to extroversion , size of social networks , broadband use , and length of time using the Internet . To explore how social media are situated in a rural area , the present study investigated how rural residents use social network sites (SNSs ) to maintain social contacts and exchange social support with members of their networks . |