A survey of information sharing on Facebook

Introduction. This study sought to identify the types of information shared by Facebook users with different categories of friends. Method. A questionnaire survey was administered to a sample of students at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The questionnaire listed the following types of information: school, health, entertainment, shopping, food, hobby, work, fashion and sports-related information. The categories of friends were defined as schoolmates, family and relatives, colleagues, close friends, friends with a common interest, and online friends. Analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out using cross-tabulations and Chi-squared test of independence. Results. Of the 314 respondents, 305 (97%) indicated they had a Facebook account. Entertainment-related information was the most common type of information shared, followed by food-related information and hobby-related information. There were significant age and gender differences in the types of information shared. Females, younger users, undergraduates, frequent Facebook users and users with more friends were more likely to share entertainment information. Women were also more likely to share shopping and fashion information, whereas men were more likely to share sports-related information and reviews of mobile devices. Facebook users in the 26-35 age group were more likely to share reviews of mobile devices than the younger or older users. Conclusions. Information shared on Facebook is of the more frivolous variety, but there is some indication that as people distinguish between types of friends and the closeness of the relationships, they will share more serious types of information such as health, work-related, school-related and product review information.