The Daily Experiences of Facebook for Visually Impaired Users

Abstract

Prior research into using social networking sites (SNSs) by visually impaired (VI) users has focused primarily on their competencies and accessibility barriers in its usage. We argue, however, that there exists insufficient research into the daily pattern of use of SNSs by VI users and benefits unique to this population. To address these limitations, we conducted two empirical studies, a diary study and a follow-up in-depth interview study, to further explore the social experiences of VI users’ everyday Facebook engagement. Our findings show that VI users were motivated to use Facebook by the prospect of connecting with family and friends and that Facebook offers unique benefits to VI users in terms of improved quality-of-life through social capital building, knowledge obtainment, and entertainment.