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How do people in cyberspace picture one another? More specifically, how do individuals engaged in text‐based computer‐mediated communication (CMC), with its paucity of visual and auditory cues, form impressions of those with whom they interact? And how do expectations formed online compare with offline experiences? Researchers have begun to answer these questions, drawing primarily on theories of stereotyping. This paper uses prototype theory and related models to extend previous research and to account for discrepancies between online image and offline reality. It draws on interviews with individuals who first met others online and subsequently moved to face‐to‐face interaction; it also utilizes comparisons between text‐based impressions formed online and photographs displayed on web pages.

Social support promotes mental and physical well‐being. Yet research on it and on the social networks in which it occurs remains problematic. Focusing on the role that culturally based assumptions and expectations play in defining the meaning of social support and in the mobilization of support networks begins to clarify unresolved questions. Studies of support and support networks among the elderly exemplify this perspective.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine both the Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ social media adoption (SMA) for business purposes and the influence of culture on personal versus business social network platform (SNP) selection. Design/methodology/approach The Technology Acceptance Model’s (TAM) factors of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU) as drivers of Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ social network platform selection are examined as well as the effect of SMA on revenue. Data was collected from 633 small business owners across the United States via an online survey administered in English and Spanish. Findings Results indicate that Latino/Hispanic business owners use personal SNP more than business SNP for business purposes. PU and PEU were not found to predict personal SNP for Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs. However, for Non-Latino/Hispanics, PU was significant while PEU was marginally significant. Findings for PU and PEU as predictors of business SNP indicate similar results for both Latino/Hispanic and non-Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs, where only PEU was significant. Finally, there was no relationship between either business or personal SNP and revenue for either Latino/Hispanic or non-Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs. Practical implications This research provides more insight into Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ self-directed engagement in personal SNP (Facebook) and business SNP (LinkedIn) for business purposes and invites future research in this population to further examine cultural influence and business performance. The findings support the need for Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ strengthening their competency in social media usage to remain competitive, as doing so will enhance their capability for building customer relationships, brand development, and equity financing. Originality/value This investigation 1) examines SMA’s role in Latino/Hispanic small and medium enterprises (SMEs); 2) distinguishes between personal and business social network platforms; 3) investigates TAM’s relevance for Latino/Hispanic entrepreneurs’ use of social media for business; and 4) explores SME social media usage as a predictor of revenue. We seek to provide practitioners with a greater understanding of how they may influence business success and sustainability through better competency development and usage of social media platforms.

Although the relative paucity of social cues in computer-mediated communication poses problems for the organization of social relations in cyberspace, recent studies have begun to focus on the ways in which this deficit is managed. This article contributes to this research by addressing the question of how participants distinguish between contexts in online discourse Data on cues, and on naming practices in particular in text-based virtztal realities called MOOs illustrate the structure o f contexts and the dynamics of contextualizing communication and interaction in cyberspace. PARTICIPANTS IN SOCIAL INTERACTION orient themselves by attempting to understand "what's going on." They do this by analyzing the contexts in which interaction occurs. This is true offline and online, but in the case of the textbased interaction that takes place in cyberspace, with its relative paucity of social cues, interpreting a context is particularly problematic. Nevertheless, studies have begun to focus on the ways in which this deficit is managed.