Use of Facebook: A Comparative Study of U.S. American and Ghanaian College Students

Individuals' cultural orientations influence their use of Facebook. This study focused on Facebook users in U.S. American and Ghanaian universities to investigate the differences in their attitude toward self-disclosure and their use of interactive features. The U.S. American sample consisted of 47 males and 75 females; the Ghanaian sample consisted of 99 males and 59 females. The findings show that, compared to the U.S. American students, the Ghanaian students tend to have more positive attitudes toward self-disclosure on Facebook and are more likely to use the interactive features of chatting and sending messages on Facebook. However, the U.S. American students are more likely to use the "like'' function on Facebook than their Ghanaian counterparts. The cultural dimension of individualism and collectivism help understand these differences.