Effects of using social networking sites in different languages: Does Spanish or English make a difference?

Although a large volume of research on social networking sites (SNS) and their effects has been accumulated in the literature over the past few years, empirical studies examining how people use SNS in languages other than English are somewhat limited. Particularly, the use of Spanish SNS has rarely been investigated. To shed light on this research direction, the current study compared the effects of using Spanish and English SNS on individuals' cultural orientations and attitude formation. A total of 113 adult consumers participated in a laboratory experiment where they were asked to evaluate either of two experimental websites, one with Hispanic cultural connotations and the other with American cultural meanings. Their SNS usage and cultural orientations were measured. It was found that more frequent usage of Spanish SNS was significantly associated with a higher level of Hispanic cultural orientation and a more favorable attitude toward the website with American cultural meanings. However, the use of English SNS did not significantly influence people's American cultural orientations and their website evaluations. Usage of both Spanish and English SNS was found to be motivated by individuals' social play dependency on such media platforms.