The use of social networks by students: the possible risks and implications - Claire Wright B.A. (Hons) Business and Marketing

The New Researcher2010, Volume 4, 2011, pp. 1-5ISSN 2041-7349 (print)

ISSN 2041-7357 (online)

Laura MorganUse of Social Networks

The use of social networks by students: the possible risks and implicationsClaire Wright B.A. (Hons) Business and Marketing Digital Economy module, 2010, Level 5Keywords:Social Network Sites, Facebook, Student Usage, Implications

IntroductionThis paper focuses upon the use of social network sites by students, and the affect they have on education and the personal life of users. The majority of the study will be focusing on the use of Facebook, as it is the most popular and well known social network site available, however other sites will be addressed in the study to ensure it has a comprehensive view of social network sites today. It is widely acknowledged that social networks are a big part of modern day society and are widely used, with almost half of children aged 8-17 having an active profile on at least one social network site. (Bicen and Cavus, 2010. p.17) There are many discussions and arguments as to the impact that social networks have had on the lives and the education of students and young people that will be identified in this review. With social networks playing an important part in the lives of students, a full understanding of their usage, or non-usage is needed in order to examine the impact that such sites have on the lives of their users.

The Advantages of Social Network Sites Social networking sites improve the confidence of students due to the social interaction and the ability to create friendships. Cheung et al (2010) describe how social networks were created for students at university to connect with others on campus, and how it has now transformed so users can stay in contact with billions of others all over the world. Theyexplain how membership of social network sites has risen exponentially, and is still growing with the leading social network site having 500 million active users (Facebook, 2010). They argue how this resource helps form bonds with others through becoming friends on the sites, and helps users, especially the younger ones, understand social and cultural differences which are invaluable in later life.

The Risks Associated with Social Network SitesThere is however, an argument as to whether the development of social networks has increased the potential for bullying and more serious crimes. Hew (2011) believes that social networks do not pose a huge risk to student users, with the sample he selected for his research stating that they have not encountered any serious problems with social network sites, such as stalking or bullying. He does however conclude that students should be cautious of divulging private information, such as addresses or telephone numbers on their personal pages, to ensure that they do not encounter any of these problems in the future. However, Kim et al (2010) do not have the same opinion on this matter, instead highlighting major cyber bullying and stalking situations, such as the suicide of a man in the UK which was encouraged by his online friends, to emphasize the risks that social networks pose. A major point they make is that although a user may have hundreds of friends on their social network page, this does not mean that these relationships transcend any further than the computer, which in young people, may affect their real life relationships and decrease their employability due to a lack in basic social skills. They also point out that social networks have been used to create and spread false news stories, which could lead to libel charges being made. Kim et al (2010) also hold the view that the perils of the internet have opened the way for an increase in bullying. They say that it makes it easier to victimise others and can be more severe in nature than personal bullying, with over half of the teenagers in the USA suffering from cyber bullying at some point in their life.Impact on Communication and Study LevelsIt could be argued that the use of social networking sites improves the interaction of students with their peers, allowing an improved communication structure. Roblyer et al (2010) believe that the implementation of social networks has led to the improvement of communication with other students, allowing them to actively chat on sites and exchange ideas. Through conducting a survey, they have established that although Facebook has been banned in many schools and workplaces, teachers believe that it is valuable tool to be utilised, but they do recognise that students are much more likely to use social network sites than teachers. Also, it is a belief of Mazer (2007) that understanding why students use online social networking sites is crucial for the academic community as it can be utilised when encouraging students to engage in their own personal studies. This allows teachers to set work that will interest and challenge students in more innovative ways to keep students engaged. He also states that schools that create their own social network site to allow students to contact peers, if monitored correctly, could improve relationships between teachers and pupils, and also have a positive affect on study levels.

Teachers must be aware of the availability of computers and internet for students before engaging students to participate on social network sites. Boyd (2007) states that there are 2 main non-users of social networks in youth, those who are banned from accessing the internet by parents and then conscientious objectors, those who refrain from accessing social networks due to their own political or non-conformist beliefs. Boyd deliberates that social networks are part of modern society life for the younger generation and they should be actively encouraged to participate in activities with their peers. The issue of cultural differences such as ethnicity has no real differentiation with regards to the number of members of social network sites but it is highlighted that gender has a big influence on participation of social network sites, with older girls more likely to have active profile pages than older boys.However, Hew (2011) believes that social network sites like Facebook have no real academic or education related activities, as students do not perceive it to be such a tool. It is argued that students use social network sites to procrastinate from educational activities such as revision, therefore they try to keep boundaries in place to separate the two activities. He adds if students mention their studies online it is usually just statuses depicting their views on assignments or teachers, usually in a negative way, and bantering with other classmates about these subjects. He explains how Facebook follows an offline to online trend, where users have met their online friends face to face before adding them online, and that users spend at least 60 minutes a day on the sites, with the aim being to keep in contact with friends, not for educational use. Kirschner and Karpinski (2010) agree with this view stating that students who used Facebook often, had on average a worse academic performance than those who did not, even though their internet usage was comparatively equal, due to the type of sites that were being accessed instead of spending time on the social network sites. It also reveals how students who report that they use Facebook admitted that they use it as a procrastination technique to avoid studying, and even boast about such activities on their personal webpage.Yilmaz and Orhan (2010) disagree that the internet has no academic value, instead saying that with the correct guidance, the internet can be an invaluable asset for learning purposes. In a study they conducted, the results show that teachers who direct their students to the internet to complete research or produce documents, have a strong positive influence on the internet usage of the student, making them less likely to procrastinate on social network sites. They believe that this also gives the students the ability to control their own learning, thus improving their overall academic performance.

Social and Personal DevelopmentThe technological advances of the current age have had a positive affect on students and their ability to learn. Prensky (2001) identified that students and children today are born in to a world surrounded with various new technologies and therefore have an innate technological competence, which can be seen as multitasking, thus helping the academic performance of students whilst using social networking sites together. Also he has investigated the new technologies and their usage by very young children, which he believes may be crucial to early schooling success and overall development in the current digital world due to their ability to retain images sounds and texts. Boyd (2007) agrees with this stating that the development of social networks online has allowed young people to experience real life problems and learn how to deal with these problems in an effective way whilst learning from their mistakes, and strongly believes that adults should not prevent students from using these sites, but should be there as a guide.

Wallis (2006) disagrees with the concept of multitasking, instead making the point that if a teenager is doing homework whilst also on a social networking site, their efficiency will decrease and that it is impossible to overcome the natural limitations in the brain for processing information during multitasking. During experiments made on a student, who was completing algebra homework whilst on the internet and watching television, they established that the grades lowered dramatically from those who fully concentrate on their work. The Student / Teacher Relationship

There is a debate as to whether teachers and students becoming friends on social network sites negatively affect education. Maranto and Barton (2010) believe that the development of social network sites have undermined the basic pupil teacher relationship. They believe that teachers who become friends with their pupils online, will lose their authority over those children in the classroom, and may also lead to their credibility being questioned as a result, negatively affecting the education of the students. However, in a study carried out by Hew (2011), in which 3 teacher profiles were created, each with a different level of information disclosure and then students were asked to assess their view of the teachers, the results were very different. Students stated that they had more trust and belief in the teacher who revealed more personal information and photos to them, as they thought they were more relatable and saw them as a real person and not just a figure of authority, which changes the teacher-student relationship. Mazer et al (2007) agree with this view after conducting research with undergraduates in relation to university lecturers use of Facebook. They examined the affects of disclosure by lecturers, and gathered feedback from students with regards to the information provided, and the results showed that most students believe that teachers using the sites are a good idea. They observed that the students who accessed the profiles of a teacher who disclosed a lot of information about themselves had a higher concentration and motivation level, and were more positive in their learning. The students however did state that teachers must be careful with the content of their sites so they do not lose their credibility (2009, pg.1715).Information DisclosureThe development of social network sites has led to excessive amounts of personal information being made available on the internet. In their study, Nosko et al (2010) highlight the security issues attached with the vast array of information available on personal profiles on social network sites. It explains how simple information, like gender, age and marital status can easily be manipulated by other users. It warns of the fact that there is no checklist with regards to the information made available on these sites, making it easier for serious crimes like identity theft to be committed. They also point out that identity theft is not the only risk, but also the threat to those in minority groups who may be victimised or persecuted for postings on their personal pages, or information made available by themselves, such as sexual orientation.The emergence of new technologies inevitably gives rise to ethical concerns. (Light and McGrath, 2010, p.2) It is argued by Light and McGrath (2010) that although the amount of information supplied to a persons profile is determined by the user, it explains how the registration process and individual applications can lead to more information being supplied than the user realises. They comment on the fact that games available on these sites, mainly used by students and children, collect data on users for advertisements and research, without the user being aware of this process. Another point they address is the fact that privacy even if wanted by the user is very difficult to be created, maybe even impossible, due to the need for social networks to make money through sponsorship deals and due to the fact that pictures and profiles are accessible through search engines such as Google. Weiss (2009) considers that the speed of the development of the applications available on social network sites, and the viruses and spyware that have infiltrated them, has been too rapid for anti virus software to be developed, leaving systems open to major security problems.Due to the ever-expanding social network market, social network sites need to entice new users in various ways. Shin (2010) states that for social network sites to be competitive and successful the role of privacy and security is vital. He discusses how, with the variety of social network sites available, such as MySpace, Bebo and Twitter, the need for higher security is becoming a factor for the user choosing which site to use. He also reveals that standards need to be set by the sites in order for users to trust them, and that these standards need to be promoted and implemented throughout the site. Hoadley et al (2009) agree that privacy is vital for users. However, they think this is due to the publicity surrounding the recent news feed change, which sparked a string of complaints about Facebook privacy. When Facebook users were surveyed, they stated that they did not consider the privacy issue a problem until it was reported heavily in the media.The establishment of social network sites has left users more susceptible to the perils of internet security. Mansfield-Devine (2008) warns that users of social networking sites, especially students and children, are more vulnerable to malicious content and spammers. The author explains how the traditional way of spreading malicious viruses, via emails and attachments is slowly been phased out, as social networks are becoming an easier target, via posting links on personal profiles, which then spreads within that friends network. They also state that some social network sites are not rigorous enough in the guarding of their users from such threats to their systems, and that the threat is higher due to the perceived trust by the users of the sites. However Boyd and Hargittai (2010) believe that young people, particularly students have an active role in the security of both their computer as a whole and their privacy settings on Facebook. She concludes how although some young people do not change their security settings after the initial setup of their Facebook profile, a lot do regularly check their privacy settings and are aware of threats to their internets security, such as spam messages posted to friends profile pages.

DefamationThere is the possibility that information posted by students on social network sites may lead to libel or criminal charges being filed. A study in to the use of twitter by Kierkegaard (2010) reveals that tweets posted by users are a legal minefield, with many cases being fought in court. It is stated that many cases of defamation come from casual postings insulting others, which can be interpreted as malicious. In several cases legal action has occurred.In addition, the contents of students social network sites may cause difficulties when they are looking for jobs in the future. Smith and Kidder (2010) explain how students in school and university do not realise that the information they are posting on their profiles and the pictures they are uploading of their experiences can, and are, being used by employers as a means to check up on possible recruits. They state how it is the students responsibility to ensure that the information uploaded to their profile is not offensive or degrading but they do question the ethical issue of employers spying on future and current employees. They do however, agree with the use of social networks as an employment tool, and believe that the source is needed in current society.

ConclusionThis study was performed to establish whether the use of social networks by students affects their learning ability, as well as their day to day life. According to the results of the research currently available, Facebook and other social network sites do hold a threat to the learning ability of students, due to the fact that many use these sites for the sole use to keep in contact with friends and to procrastinate from their educational activities. However it has been revealed that if utilised in the correct way, social network sites, and the internet in general can be invaluable to the development and individuality of students personalities and can improve their confidence both in the classroom and in later life.A major point that has been highlighted in this study is the ability for postings on social network sites to be accessed by potential employers whilst interviewing candidates, which may have an influence on the final employment decision. This is argued as being ethically wrong but does occur in society so students must be aware of this and make sure that all information that is openly accessible online is coherent with the image they want to portray, otherwise innocent postings whilst in school or university may have devastating affects on their employability in the future.

The study also illustrates that students and young people are not as oblivious to the perils of social network sites as people, especially the media, believe. In fact many students take a highly active role in the privacy of their personal profiles by only allowing friends to access their pictures or information, and this should be the subject of a further study to highlight the attitudes of students towards this issue. The development of information technology, especially social networks, has become a playground for those wishing to make money from schemes such as phishing and identity theft. The cyber bullying problem related to social networks is another serious issue that has been highlighted during the study and the high amount of students who have suffered this issue in the USA is replicated throughout the world. This is highlighting the need for social network sites to help protect their users, and a further study in to this area in the future would be recommended, to make members of the sites aware of the risks they contain.With the development of more social networks recently such as twitter, and Facebook still expanding exponentially, the affect of these sites is going to be a subject of discussion by scholars for many years to come.

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