Carpe Noctem: Social Media and the Sharing of the Night Skies

Abstract

The emergence of astrocasting on the Internet offered an opportunity to study the creation of a Social Media site, and determine the influence of the participants’ perception of this leisure activity and their motivation for it. The Night Skies Network was examined under a Social Media theoretical framework. The motivation for astrocasting was studied using the Self-Determination Theory of Motivation, and its perception as a leisure activity using the Serious Leisure Perspective. The methodology used included a focus group that provided a qualitative perspective, and an on-line questionnaire using the Serious Leisure Inventory and Measure and the Leisure Motivation Scale for quantitative data. The results showed that the Night Skies Network did meet the requirements for a Social Media site, that the participants considered astrocasting as a serious leisure activity, and that they were intrinsically motivated towards it, with a strong emphasis on the Intrinsic Motivation to Know.