Season's Greetings: An Analysis of Christmas Card Use

Christmas is the time of year when people reaffirm social connections through the medium of Christmas cards. Although much communication in the modern age is conducted via electronic means, many people continue to send and receive paper-based cards during the festive season. With a view to understanding practices surrounding the use of digital and paper-based media, this paper explores the use of paper-based and electronic Christmas cards among a sample of university students. We describe students' practices regarding Christmas cards, examining motivations of use and perceptions of value associated with paper and electronic cards. Our analysis leads to a number of potential opportunities for enhancing the perception of electronic alternatives to paper-based cards.

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