General validity of both exploratory and empirical
research conducted in the course of this thesis is primarily limited due to applied snowball
sampling. Due to small sample sizes and the need to conserve degrees of freedom, various
potential moderating effects of demographic characteristics were not evaluated or included in
the conducted analyses. Evaluating design principles and prototype configurations in experimental
settings gives rise to limitations that are inherent to this research methodology. Hence,
IS and HCI researchers are invited to modify and extend established structural models and
further enhance applied measurement items in order to broaden our theoretical understanding
of socio-psychological implications in the SNS use. Future research should more intensely
focus on negative effects of online social networking (SNS use) among the elderly such as