ANANALYSISDISCUSSINGTHEIMPACTOFTIMESPENTONSOCIALMEDIABYCURRENTSTUDENTSTHROUGHTHEOPERATIONOFELECTRONICTIME

MANAGEMENT.

RhodriEllisYoungCardiffMetropolitanUniversity

BSc(Hons.)ComputingApril2017

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Declaration“Ideclarethatthisdissertationismyownworkandeffortandthatithasnot

beensubmittedanywhereforanyaward.Whereadditionalsourcesofinformationhavebeenused,theyhavebeenacknowledged”.

……………………………………......

ST20061469:RhodriEllisYoung

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Abstract

Thecreationofthisdissertationhasanaimtoanalyseanddiscusstheimpactsoftimespentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.Itsobjectiveistorevealavarietyoffactorsthathaveoccurredinrelationtosocialmediaanditsgrowth,alongwiththedifferentimpactsithashadonstudentsandtheirsurroundings.Previousresearchhasprimarilyfocusedonthespecificfieldssuchastheimpactsandthegrowthofsocialmedia.However,thisresearchprojectuseselectronictimemanagementtofullyinvestigatethetimeperiodthatsixindividualsspendonsocialmediaduringaseven-dayobservation,andthenumerousimpactsthatfollowinrelationtothis.Primaryresearchcollectionsuchasthiswilldeterminerecentandrelevantresults,displayinganelementofuniquenessthatcanbediscussedandevaluatedthoroughlyinfurtherdetail.Inordertoencounterasuccessfulconclusion,alldatacollectionwillneedtobeassessedandevaluated,specifyingparticularfactsandfiguresthatcanrevealtheexactamountoftimetherecordedstudentshavespentonsocialnetworkingsites,andtheeffectsthathavesubsequentlyoccurred.

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AcknowledgementsFirstly,Iwouldliketoexpressmysinceregratitudetomyinitialadvisor,SimonThorne,priortohisillness,andtomycurrentadvisor,StuartMcNeil,fortheircontinuoushelpandsupportthroughouttheconstructionofmydissertation.Iwouldliketothankmyparentsfortheendlessencouragementandmotivationduringmystudies.Finally,Iwouldliketothankallparticipantswithintheprimaryresearchsectorforenablingpersonaldatacollectionformyresearch.

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TableofContentsDeclaration……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………iAbstract………….…………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………….iiAcknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...iiiTableofFigures……………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………….v1.Introduction…………………….………………………………………………………...………………………………………11.1Background…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…32.0Aims&Objectives……………………………………………………………………………………………………………32.1Aim……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………32.2Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….33.0LiteratureReview……………………………………………………………………………………………………………53.1Analysetheamountoftimespentonsocialmediabystudentsfrompreviousyearstothepresenttime……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………53.2Analyseanddiscusshowthedatacollectionresultscomparewiththequestionnaireanswers.....…………………………………………………………………………………………………………73.3Evaluatingtherealworldimpactsbroughttotheyoungergeneration(students)viasocialmedia.…………………………………………………………………..………………………………….83.4Discussthenegativehealthimpactsonstudentswhospendcopiousamountsoftimeonsocialmedia.………………………………………………………………………………………….…93.5Analyseboththepositiveandnegativeimpactsocialmediahashadonsocietyasawhole....103.6Suggestmoreproductivewaysofcontrollingandimplementingtimemanagement………...….114.0ResearchMethodology………………………………………………………………………………………………..…134.1Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…134.2ResearchPhilosophy&Sampling……………………………………………………………………………………...134.3ResearchStrategies………………………………………………………………………………………………………….144.3.1QuantitativeResearch………………………………………………………………………………………………...…144.3.2QualitativeResearch……………………………………………………………………………………………………..144.4DataCollection………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...154.4.1Questionnaires…………………………...…………………………………………………………………………………154.4.2InformalInterviews………………………………………………………………………………………………………154.5ResearchApproach&Techniques…………………………………………………………………………………….164.6Reliability&Validity………………………………………………………………………………………………………..164.7Ethics……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...174.8Limitations………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………184.9Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………185.0Results,Analysis&Discussion………………………………………………...…………………………………….205.1Partaker1………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..215.2Partaker2………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..225.3Partaker3………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..235.4Partaker4……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…245.5Partaker5………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..255.6Partaker6………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..265.7Estimationvs.Reality……………………………………………………………………………………………………….275.8PrimaryResearch(Questionnaires)………………………………………………………………………………….296.0Conclusion………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………….…30Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………41References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………67

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TableofFigures

Figure1:UseofSocialNetworking,byage……….………………………………………………………5Figure2:AverageDailyTimeSpentonSocialbyGeneralPublic…..……………………………6Figure3:ResearchPhilosophy-ResearchMethodology…………………………………………13Figure4:ResearchChoices……………………………………………………………………………………16Figure5:TimeSpentonSocialinaLifetime……………………………………….…………..………28Figure6:MediaConsumptionLinkedToPoorGrades………………………….…………………32Figure7:WhatDrivesStudents’SocialMediaUsage?………………………….…………………33Figure8:WhatAretheEffectsofSocialMediaonYouth…………….…………...………………35Figure9:Top15MostPopularSocialNetworkingSites…………………….…………………….36Figure10:NumberOfSocialMediaUsersWorldwide2010-2020…………...………………37

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1.0IntroductionThroughoutthisproject,ananalysiswillbecarriedoutdiscussingtheamountof timecurrent students spend on social media through the operation of electronic timemanagement. Primary research will be essential within this task, which involvesgathering continuous data collection, recorded and examined via a free Internetbrowsing software application called ‘RescueTime’. From thedata collection softwareresults, a discussion will be carried out involving numerous real world impacts thatsocial media has had on current students, both positive and negative. Continuousresearchwill be collected throughout the creationof this project,whichwill increasevalidityandwillgatherup-to-dateinformationthatproducesaccurateresults.Themainfocal point will target the various features within the chosen subject, which will bedemonstratedandevaluatedinthesubsequentsub-headings.Theprincipalaimofthisanalysis is to identify both the major and minor impacts that have influenced andencouragedstudentstospendtimeonsocialmedia.Having researched numerous secondary sources, the data collection will enable theresearcher to gather key factual information. In addition to this, the research willindicate how specific current students are encouraged to use their time on socialnetworkingsites.Toguaranteetheresearchwillbeaccuratelyachieved,itisvitaltofindbothstrengthsandweaknesses throughout thisproject,as thegrowthofsocialmediahasexpandedenormouslythroughoutrecentyears.Themaintypeofresearchthatwillbe primarily conducted is primary research, as data will be collected and examinedfrom each individual student for aweek-long period, covering 24 hours of each day.Questionnaireswillalsobecreatedfortheselectedparticipantsaspartoftheprimaryresearch,alongwithinformalinterviewstoseekanyadditionalinformationthatmaybesupportive.‘Primary research refers to research that has involved the collection of original dataspecific to that particular research project’ (Jones and Gratton, 2015: P8). However,secondary research will also be largely significant, as this research will be used tocomparewith theprimary to help inspect information andmake further decisions. Itwillalsoassist theresearcherwith findingswithin thereviewof literature,helping toseekcontradictingstatementsthatmaybeapplicable.Additionally,secondaryresearchisafastprocessingmethodofdiscoveringhighqualityinformation,whichallowsmoretime to be spent finding numerous facts and figures. ‘Secondary research refers toresearchwherenosuchoriginaldataarecollected,buttheresearchprojectusesexisting(orsecondary)sourcesofdata’(JonesandGratton,2015:P8).‘SocialmediasuchasTwitter,Facebook,MySpace,YouTube,Flickr,andothershavebeengrowingatatremendousrateandtheadoptionrateofsuchmediahasbeenskyrocketingwhich,inturn,hasdeliveredastronomicalnumbersofusersinlessthan10years’(Al-Deen,Hendricks,andAl-Deen,2011).Thereferenceaboveprovidesevidencetoprovethattheuseofsocialmediahasbeengrowingsignificantlyduringrecentyears,andthisisduetosocialwebsitessuchasthosestatedabove.Fromthisquotation,furtherdiscussionswillbe delivered to show how this is applicable to current students and how this hasaffectedthelivesoftheyoungergeneration.

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Fromthechosentopic,andthesubsequentsub-headings,themainaimwillbeachievedby ensuring that all aspects of both researchmethodshavebeen explored efficiently,providingvalidmaterialthatcanbediscussedandevaluated.

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1.1Background2.1Whatis‘RescueTime’?‘RescueTime’ isadatacollectionapplicationtoolthattrackstheamountof timespenton specific software applications and websites by an online user. The applicationspecifically records the roamingof the social sites thatareactivelybeingused,whichgenerates higher quality results and outcomes. The application is compatible withWindows,MacOSandAndroid.2.2WhatisSocialMedia?‘Social media is a collective term that describes the means of communicating andengagingwithpeople.It’ssomethingmanypeopleseeasevolutionary,ifnotrevolutionary,inhelpingpeopleconnectwitheachotherinwaysthataregenuine,authenticandnatural’(HollomanandAdeyeri,2012).Pleasenote;theexaminedpartakersallagreedtouseonlyonespecificdevice(eitheralaptop ormobile phone) during the recordedweek, regarding the browsing of socialmedia,toensuretheprovidedoutcomesareasaccurateaspossible.

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2.0Aims&Objectives2.1AimTo analyse anddiscuss the impact of time spent on socialmedia by current studentsthroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.2.2Objectives

- Analyse the amount of time spent on social media by students from previousyearstothepresenttime.

- Analyse and discuss how the data collection results compare with the

questionnaireanswers.

- Evaluatingtherealworldimpactsbroughttotheyoungergeneration(students)viasocialmedia.

- Discussthenegativehealthimpactsonstudentswhospendcopiousamountsof

timeonsocialmedia.

- Analyseboththepositiveandnegativeimpactsocialmediahashadonsocietyasawhole.

- Suggest more productive ways of controlling and implementing time

management.

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3.0LiteratureReview3.1AnalysetheamountoftimespentonsocialmediabystudentsfrompreviousyearstothepresenttimeSocialmedia’spopularityincreasehascriticallyaffectedthetimespentonsocialmediaby students fromall over theworld.Research illustrates that students aged ‘18to29havealwaysbeenthemost likelyusersofsocialmediabyaconsiderablemargin.Today,90%ofyoungadultsusesocialmedia,comparedwith12%in2005,a78-percentagepointincrease’ (Perrin, 2015: P4). According to the figures stated above, the time spent onsocialmedia has amplified extraordinarily, proving that socialmediawithin studentshas been trending at an increasing rate from 2005 to the present time. Thismargingrowthhasescalated,creatingnumerouseffects,bothpositiveandnegative,thathavestimulated the amount of hours students devote to social media. A simplerepresentationofsocialnetworking’susageisshownbelow.

Figure1:UseofSocialNetworking,byage(Perrin,2015:P4)Secondaryresearchalsoshowsthat ‘theaverageglobaldailytimespentonsocialmediasiteshas risen from1.66hoursperday in2013 to1.72hoursperday in2014’ (Curran,Fenton and Freedman, 2012). Although this reference is not related to students inparticular,itindicatestheglobalincrease,demonstratingthetimerisefromoneyeartothe following year, in which the cycle continues. However, the primary researchcollected is student based,which involves only a segment of the average global dailytime,andonlyoneselectedgroupofpeoplei.e.students.

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Figure2:AverageDailyTimeSpentonSocialbyGeneralPublic(Asano,2017).

Figure2displaystheaveragedailytimespentonsocialmediaintheyear2017.Overall,thisfiguretotalsto116minutes,whichaverages1.93hoursaday.Thisamountisonceagainanincreasefromtheresearchcollectedin2014,whichclearlyshowsthattheuseof social media is increasing annually.Fromthegatheredprimaryresearch,resultsshowthatthe6selectedstudentsspentatotalof86hoursonsocialmediawithintherecordedweek,whichaveragestoatotalof14hours and20minutes eachweekly, and just over2hours eachduring an averageday.Theseresultsprovethatthechosenparticipantsusedsocialmediaforjustover8%oftheiraverageday(calculatedovera24hourperiod).However,thegivenfigureswereaveragelybased,meaningnotallcontributorsspentthesameamountofhoursasoneanotheronsocialnetworkingsites.From the gathered primary and secondary research collection, we can see that thepopularity of social media is growing continuously, with an even higher popularitygrowthamongstallagesastheyearsproceed,butparticularlyamongstthe18-29agerange.Thecurrentamountofhoursspentonsocialmediabythegeneralpublicisrisingdaily,duetotheappealofthevariousInternetsites,whichluretheyoungergenerationinparticular.Thesestatisticsarepredictedtocontinuetoriseinfutureyears,meaningthat the social networking industry will further develop and attract additionalindividualsinthefuture.

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3.2AnalyseanddiscusshowthedatacollectionresultscomparewiththequestionnaireanswersFromthedistributedquestionnaires,participantswererequiredtostatetheestimatednumberofhoursthattheythoughttheywerespendingonsocialmediaonaverage,onaweeklybasis.Thetotaloutcomewas54hoursonaverage,whichwassplitbetween6individuals. However, the actual data collection provided amuch greater result thananticipated, having examined the participants for seven days. In total, the datarecordingsshowedthatthesixstudentshadactuallyspent86hoursusingsocialmedia,meaning that anadditional32hoursmore than theoriginal estimated timehadbeenspenteitheronalaptoporamobilephone.Participantswerealsoaskediftheyfeltasthoughsocialnetworkingaffectstheirsociallife, and if so, why and how. From the questionnaire results, 5/6 (83.33%) of theparticipants felt as if social networking has affected their social life; however, thesewereallstatedasapositiveapproach.All5participantsstatedthatsocialnetworkingwas useful for communicating and contacting friends; alongside this, a specificparticipant also stated that social networking is a de-stressing activity. One otherparticipant specified that social networking is advantageous when making socialarrangements.Thefinalpartaker,1/6(16.66%)believedthatsocialnetworkinghasnotaffectedtheirsociallifewhatsoever.Another crucial question that was asked within the questionnaire was, ‘What is themainpurposeof youusinga socialnetworking site?’From the results,we found that4/6(66.67%)againsaidthatthemainpurposeofusingsocialnetworkingwastokeepintouchwithfriends.However,1/6(16.66%)statedthattheyusesocialnetworkingforsportsnewsonly.Thefinalparticipant1/6(16.66%)statedthattheirmainreasonforusingsocialnetworkingsiteswasforentertainmentpurposesonly,suchasdailyvideoson YouTube. Participants also specified that they used other online features, such asnews feedsandsocial trends,whenusingsocialmedia.Although itwasn’tpossible toviewthetotalamountoftimeparticipantsspentonsocialmediawhencommunicatingwith others, the short face-to-face informal interviews provided evidence that 4/6partakersuseFacebooktocommunicatewithfriends,familyanduniversitycolleagues,spendingverylittletimebrowsingsocially.Finally, the partakers were asked if they felt as though social networking sites areimportant in this day and age. The results indicated that 5/6 (83.33%) of thecontributors answered ‘yes’ to this question, meaning that they do find socialnetworking important. However, 1/6 (16.66%) said that they didn’t find socialnetworkingsignificant inthisdayandage.Coincidentally,thiswasthesameapplicantthat uses social networking for sports news only. From the data collection, socialnetworkingisshowntobeasignificantfeatureinthedailylivesofthepartakers,whichisclearlyshownfromthenumberofhoursthat isspentonline.Onepartakerbelievesthat ‘socialmedianetworkinghasbecomea fully integratedpartofsociety in the21stcentury. Not only are we more informed due to social media but we are also moreentertainedbyitscontents’.Fromtheaboveresults,ananalysisisrevealedstatinghowaspecificsetofparticipantsutilizesocialnetworking,and themainreasons for itsuse.Although therearesimilar

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reasons why the selected individuals use social networking, the results also outlineother characteristics that are involved when browsing the web. The data collectionresultsandthequestionnaireanswerscorrelatewell,meaningthevalidityoftheresultsis very high. Due to the continual growth of social networking, the figures above arepredicted to escalate, and results will continuously vary depending on whether thepartakerswerechangedorincreased.3.3Evaluatingtherealworldimpactsbroughttotheyoungergeneration(students)viasocialmedia.Real world impacts involving social media has a major influence on the youngergeneration of today, and their daily lives. Factors such as communication, contentsharingandinformationaccessinghavechangedimmenselyoverrecentyearsthroughthe development of socialmedia, allowing users to connect and transfer informationinstantaneously. These elements were extremely time consuming prior to theadvancementofsocialmedia,meaningtheoldergenerationwerenotasadvantageousastheyouthnowadayswhenaccessingthesefeatures.Onlinerelationshipsarealsoanaspectwithin theworldof current socialmedia.Friendshipsandrelationshipscanbecreated online based upon text, video, audio or even virtual characters. Internetrelationships are a regular and common occurrence. Furthermore, there is thepossibility that these individualsmaynoteverhavemeteachother inperson. ‘Today,though, the combinationof peoplemeeting first through socialmedia sites, then in reallife,allowseveryonetomakemorefriendsandacquaintancesmuchfaster,allowsdealstobebrokeredmorequickly,andmakeslifeingeneralaloteasier’(Wolff,2014).Conversely, thereareaspectsofrealworld impacts thatmaynotbe favourable to theyounger generation with regard to the rapid growth of social media. These factorsinclude the lack of privacy, the social detriments and misinformation, which are allconstantthreatsthatcaninfluencelivesworldwide.Onlinerelationships,asmentionedabove, are continually rising, enabling individuals from all over theworld to developfriendshipsandrelationships,possiblywithouteverknowingormeetingoneanother.Thiscouldpotentiallyposeaseriouspersonalrisk.Anonlinefriendshipcouldenableastranger todiscover specific, personal informationaboutothersbybrowsing throughtheirsocialmediapageandobservingtheironlineposts.Additionally,thiscanleadtoalackofprivacyandmisinformation,whereonlineuserscancontactotherindividualsatany timeof thedayornight, andhave theability to frequently spameachotherwithmessages or online posts. False information, and inaccurate, misleading descriptionsregardingage,sex,genderandaddressescanposeaseriousthreattoindividuals.Cyber bullying currently has a major impact involving online social media users,through ‘sayingordoing intentionallymeanorhurtful thingsvia the internetormobilephone,meanttomakeothersfeelbad.Inaddition,thevictimcannoteasilydefendhim-orherself’ (Walrave et al, 2016: P199). This can be considered as a frequent worldwideoccurrence,andfiguresshowthat’11.7%(N=161)oftherespondentsindicatedthattheybulliedsomeoneatleastonceintheprevious6monthsviatheInternetormobilephone’(Walrave et al, 2016: P200) and ‘for victimisation, 10.2% (N=140) was involved incyberbullying’ (Walrave et al, 2016: P200). Cyber bullying has a consistently adverseaffectontheyoungergeneration,impactingontheirself-worth,theirmentalhealthandtheirstability.

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Both of the above real world contradicting statements have their own value, whichhave, or may, heavily affect the younger generation’s lives. Although the negativeoutcomeshave,andcurrentlyare,affectingtheyoungergenerationseverely,therearecontinual guidelines and restrictions imposed, meaning that these impacts can beminimisedbyonlineusersintheforthcomingyears.Therefore,Iagreewiththepositiverealworldimpactsastheyhaveinfluencedtoday’schildhood, and the advancement of interaction has become increasingly significantthroughsocialmedia.Socialmediaoffersnumerouselementsthatcurrentlybenefittheyouth, as outlined above, and with this continuous evolution, social media will onlyexpandduetoitscontinualincreaseinpopularity.3.4Discussthenegativehealthimpactsonstudents’livesthatspendcopiousamountsoftimeonsocialmediaResearch illustrates that ‘Social media addiction has been linked to feelings ofloneliness, generalized and social anxiety, depression, and insomnia’ (Landers andSchmidt,2016:P91).Thesenegativefactorsarelinkedtothoseindividualswhospendcopious hours of their time on socialmedia on a daily basis,which can affect theirhealth and the way they live. However, even without an addiction, some ‘Studentsgenerally think that the social media makes them lazy, which may cause physicaldevelopment in a negativemanner’ (Issa, Isaias and Kommers, 2016: P210). Impactssuchasthesecanaffectallagesratherthanstudentsspecifically,yetreducinghealthriskswhilst at ayoungeragewouldbebeneficial for their futurehealth,physically,mentallyandsocially.(Hales,2016:P88)displayedresearchstatingsocialmedia’seffectandhow‘studentsalsoreportedthatsocialnetworkinghadanegativeimpactontheirsocialinteractions,emotionalhealth,andworkcompletion’.Thesenegativefactorsillustrateexactlyhowsimplea specificelement isable to completely influence lives, especially thosewhospend numerous hours on social networking every day, and those who sit at acomputer screen for a living. Due to social media’s heavy growth, there are manybenefits that assist students with their daily procedures, however; in regards tohumanhealth,theimpactsareallsteeredtowardsthenegativesector.Studentsrelyonsocialmediaforgeneralinformationobservationandtocommunicatewithothersrapidlynowadays.However,althoughtheymaynotbeawareofthis,socialmediacanbecome very addictive, with students constantly checking their devices countlesstimes a day, either when browsing or contacting others online, which effectivelyincreasestheamountoftimespentonthesenetworkingsites,andalsoincreasestherisk to their health.Althoughthereareseveralaspectsofnegativehealthimpactsregardingtheexcessiveamountoftimestudentsspendonsocialmedia,Ifeelthatthepositivesoutweighthenegatives, as these networking sites provide the younger generationwith technicalknowledge, which in my opinion is essential in this day and age as the world’stechnical advancement develops. However, with more students dedicating severalhours of each day to social networking websites, and with the number of hoursincreasing annually, the greater chance they have of developing negative healthimpacts,whichmaycollectivelyandadverselyaffecttheminthefuture.

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3.5AnalyseboththepositiveandnegativeimpactsocialmediahashadonsocietyasawholeThere are numerous impacts related to socialmedia that have heavily affectedoursociety during the rapid growth of its recognition. Social networking benefitsbusinesses in a variety ofways, from engagingwith their targeted customers cost-free, toadvertising their servicesandgoodsat a lowermarketingcost. ‘Itshouldbenoted that socialmedia affects the entire spectrum of business functions beyond justmarketing.SocialmediaisanintegralpartofITstrategyaswellasmarketingstrategy’(Lee,2014:P284).Socialmediaattractscountlessclientsforbusinessesnowadays,andEvans believes that ‘If social media is the vehicle for success, social business is theinterstatesystemonwhichitrides intoyourorganization’(Evans,2010). Socialmedia’sgrowthhasalsobeenveryadvantageoustowardstheeducationalsectorwithteachersandlecturersabletoaccessnumerousonlinesourceslinkedtosocialnetworkingsites.

Whilenumerousstudiesbelievethatsocialmedia’sevolutionhashadanegativeimpactonpupilsandtheireducationasawhole,Sobaihbelievesthat ‘socialmediaactivitiesinhighereducationarevaluableforimprovingacademicperformancethroughcollaborativelearningwherelearnersandfacultyusesocialmediathatareappealingtothem’(Sobaihetal,2016:P297).Onlinecommunicationgivespupilstheopportunitytocontactotherstudentsregardinganyenquiry instantly.Thiscouldassisttheirknowledgeofspecificelementsoftheircoursework.Withreferencetothesocialmediapage,Twitter,‘theuseofTwitterforacademicandcurriculardiscussionswasfoundtohaveapositiveeffectongrades for college students. Students who used Twitter showed higher levels ofengagementandobtainedahighersemestergradepoint(GPA)thanstudentswhodidnot’(Brunty,HelenekandMiller,2013:P91).However,althoughsocialmediahasbeenproven tobeanextremelyvaluable tool forbusinesseswithin our society, there are also associated downfalls. Theseweaknessesarenotspecificallybusiness-related.Socialnetworkingsitescanhaveanegativeeffectonchildrenandteenagersthroughtheaspectsofphotosharingandvideosthatcontaininappropriate violence and sex, which can lead to future behaviour issues. ‘Internetpornography is affecting the lives of children, aswell asadults’ (WhatParentsNeedToKnow About Internet Pornography, 2015: P5). Online security issues are also anenormoushazardintheworldofsocialmedia.Toomuchpersonal informationcanbesharedonline,whichmayposeathreattotheseonlineusers. ‘WiththeInternet,peoplecan now leak information to third-party sites that make the information available toeveryone’(MichaelCross,2014:P141).Factorssuchasthesecanleadtogreatdistressforonlineusers,whichcanhappenatanyhourofthedayornight,onanydevicethathasthe ability to connect to the Internet. ‘Onlinetauntingandharassmentdonot juststopwhen one decides to go to sleep. Cyberterrorists do not stop planning just because it isafter work hours. Identity thieves can steal information at any hour of the night – theavailability of social sites is always constant’ (Brunty, Helenek and Miller, 2013: P91).Studieshavealsoshownthedamagetobusinessproductivitythathasbeencausedbysocial networking. ‘Nucleus Research reported that Facebook shaves 1.5% off officeproductivitywhileMorseclaimedthatBritishcompanieslost2.2billionayeartothesocialphenomenon’(Matthews,2014:P30).According to the statistics, bothproductivity andbusiness income have been affected by this social occurrence. Due to the lack ofefficiency produced within the workplace and the loss of money from companies to

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social phenomenon, this could further result in business closure,which could lead tonumerousemployeessufferingjoblosses.Toconclude,bothstatementsabovehavevalueintheirownsense,expressingboththepositiveandnegativeimpactssocialmediahashadonoursociety.Duetobothtypesofimpacts being very important to humanity in this day and age, both statements needequal promotion, as the benefits equal the drawbacks. Nevertheless, the negativestudieswillalwayshaveroomfor improvement, toensurethatthereisareductionintherisktowardschildrenbeingaffectedbyinappropriatemedia.Onlinesecurityshouldalsobeprioritisedwhenimprovingonlinesafetymeasuresforspecificusers.However,duetothecontinualsocialnetworkingincreasewithinbusinesses,specificdutieswithinthe workplace will always produce productivity absence, which cannot be avoidedwithinbusinessesthatpresentmarketingorpermanentcommunication.3.6Suggestmoreproductivewaysofcontrollingandimplementingtimemanagement‘Timemanagementiskeytosuccess.Thosewhomanagetimeefficientlywillgetrewards;thosewhofailtodoso,willfacedisappointments’(Panse,2014). Having questioned the selected participantswithinmy research, the partakers statedmoreproductiveandefficientwaysinwhichtheycouldmakeuseofsocialmedia.Fromthe questionnaire results, 4/6 (66.67%) of the contributors provided feedbackinformingthattheycouldspendthebrowsingtimeoftheirsocialmediausageinamoreproductivemanner,withthecompletionoftheiruniversitycourseworkbeingprimarilystated. This statistic shows that the majority of the partakers find social media isdistracting them from completing their courseworkwithin the specific time scale, astheyarenotmanagingtheirtimeefficiently.‘Nowyou’vegotabetterideaofwhereyou’respendingyour timeeachday.Youcanprobablyalready see ina fewobviousareas thatyou’renotusingyourtimeveryeffectively’(Evans,2011).Thecollectedprimaryresearchalso indicates the amount of hours spent on specific social media websites within atypicalgivenweek.Thefeedbackdisplayedacollectedtotalof86hoursthatwasspentonsocialmediasharedbetweensixindividualstudentswithinthedatacollection.Thisfiguresuggeststhatthesubstantialtimequantitycouldbeallocatedtowardsadditionalrudiments, to help achieve better timemanagement skills, and to effectivelymanageproductivityonadailybasis.‘Individualsare far toounique forme tobelieve thata single timemanagement systemworksforeveryone’(Crane,2015).Thisreferenceclarifiesadifferenttechniqueoftimemanagement, illustrating how each individual can handle their personal timemanagement ability in distinctive ways. Although setting specific goals to completecertaintasksmaysoundconstructive,thissuggeststhatnumerouspeoplecanworkinavariety of differentways according to theirmost suitable approach, andwhatworksbestforthem.Thecontrolandexecutionoftimemanagementasawholeiscriticalwhenitcomestoproductivity in personal lives, and when managing businesses. ‘Effective timemanagement has many benefits. These include reduction in wasted time, mitigation ofworkoverloads,andhigherlevelsofpersonalproductivity.Perhapsmoreimportant,time

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management ensures that themost important tasksgetdone’ (Luecke, 2005). Researchshowsthatimplementingtimemanagement,asadailyprocedureforthevastmajorityofhumans isextremelyadvantageous,due to thebenefitsofcompletingspecific taskson time. Successful task completion within an allocated time scale gives individualsgreatjobandpersonalsatisfactionandafeelingofachievement,andtimemanagementabilitiesplayakeyroleinthis.

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4.0ResearchMethodology4.1IntroductionThepurposeofthisresearchmethodologyistoclarifythedifferentmethodsthathavebeenused, inorder to see if theyareeffective research fundamentals. In this section,primaryresearchmethodswillbediscussed,suchasquestionnairesandshortone-to-one communications (informal interviews), alongside secondary research such asbooks, journals, articles and online reports. Reliability and validity throughout thisprojectiscrucial,asthiswilloutlinetheefficiency.Withinthisstudy,bothpositiveandnegative aspectswill need to be acknowledged to assist any grey areas, reducing thechance of further repetition. The ethical facet throughout this project shouldcontinuouslybemonitored,ensuringthatall informationiskeptconfidential. Inorderto accomplish the aims above, valuable data will need to be collected to regulate astrategicoutcomeforthechosentopic.Themainfocalpointthroughoutthisprojectisto study the amount of time spent on social media by a specific group of currentstudents,andtheassociatedeffects.Havingobservedthecolossal impactsocialmediahasconveyedduringmyupbringing, the topic,and theevidencediscussed, shows theexpansion is continuously occurring, and social media’s status as a whole is stillcurrentlyescalating.4.2ResearchPhilosophy&Sampling‘Research philosophy deals with the source, nature and development of knowledge. Inessence, addressing research philosophy in your dissertation involves being aware andformulatingyourbriefsandassumptions’ (ResearchPhilosophy -ResearchMethodology,2016.)

Figure3:(ResearchPhilosophy-ResearchMethodology,2016).

Within the thesis, the choice of research philosophy involves both Positivism andInterpretivism. ‘Positivism adheres to a view that only “factual” knowledge gainedthroughobservation,includingmeasurementistrustworthy.Inpositivismstudiestheroleof the researcher is limited to data collection and interpretation through objectiveapproach and the research findings are usually observable and quantifiable’ (ResearchPhilosophy - Research Methodology, 2016). Although Figure 2 above displays largesampling in the positivism method, due to the downloading software demand, thisfeature was not fully possible, meaning slight interpretivism was involved throughsamplingasmallerfocalgroup.Asstated,theinterpretivismmethodinvolvessmall,in-

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depthsamples.Also, ‘interpretivismvaluessubjectivity.Interpretiveresearchersattempttodevelopanin-depthsubjectiveunderstandingofpeople’slives’(RubinandBabbie,2010:P37). Interpretivist methodology is based on a realistic approach of specific datagathering. These involve interviews and observations. The way data is collectedthroughoutmythesisisbyusingthesoftwaretorecordandexamineparticipants’usageofspecificsocialmediawebsites.4.3ResearchStrategies4.3.1QuantitativeResearch‘Quantitative research uses numbers and statistical methods. It tends to be based onnumericalmeasurements of specific aspects to phenomena; it abstracts from particularinstancestoseekgeneraldescriptionortotestcasualhypotheses;itseeksmeasurementsandanalysesthatareeasilyreplicablebyotherresearchers’(Thomas,2014:P2).Quantitative data involves discovering facts about social phenomena, and data isanalysedthroughnumericalcomparisonsandstatisticalinferences.Quantitativedataistheprimary focusof this thesis.The informalandcomfortabledatacollectionmethodincreasesthelikelihoodofresponses.Thequestionnaireusedfordatacollectionwithinthis project will help gather specific information that will provide current datacollectionandup-to-datestatistics for theresearcher. ‘Questionnaireshaveadvantagesoverothermethodsofdatacollection’(Downs,AdrianandDowns,2004P106).Ensuringthatresponsesarecollectedfromstudentsaloneisessentialtosupportanyevaluationthatwillbeundertaken.Thedatacollectionwillbecollectedfromtheparticipantsonasetdate,helpingwiththeschedulingofspecifictasks,benefittingthetimemanagementprocessthroughoutthisproject.Quantitativeresearchwillbeusedtoprovideevidencefor specific topics using facts and figures. Secondary analysiswill be usedwithin theproject tohelp support statements and contradictwithother statements, bybringingvalidreferences,alongwithfactsandfigures,whichwillprovidevaluableinformation.The data collectionwill involve published books, reports, journals and articles, alongwith the roaming of the Internet for related material. ‘Secondary data can provideexploratory information that can aid in the planning design of the instruments used togather primary data’ (Wrenn, Stevens and Loudon, 2007: P72). Secondary analysis isquickandefficient,therefore,morevalueddatacanbefoundinashortperiodoftimeinrelationtoanyspecifictopic.4.3.2QualitativeResearchQualitative research is ‘a formof social inquiry that tends toadopta flexibleanddata-drivenresearchdesign,touserelativelyunstructureddata,toemphasizetheessentialroleof subjectivity in the research process, to study a small number of naturally occurringcases indetail,and touseverbal rather thanstatistical formsofanalysis’ (Hammerslay,2013:P12).Qualitative data is collected through participant observation and interviews in thisdissertation. Qualitative data refers to another person’s outlook, generating massquantity of high quality responses that can be used as evidence. The generatedinformation allows us to expand on any requested questions, which may not be

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availablewithin the secondary research field, helping towiden theknowledgewithinthespecificfield.Also,thisallowstheparticipantstoprovidetheirownopinionwithouthavingtoselectfromanyspecificpre-requestedanswers,asitistheirpersonalopinion.The use of short one-to-one communications between researcher andparticipant arerequiredwithinthisthesis,relatingtotheuseofqualitativeresearch.Fromtheevidencegatheredbytheseinformalinterviews,secondaryresearchcanbeusedtoadditionallyassistthesupportingknowledge,byprovidingcriticalstructuretothereasoningofanyinformation that has been collated. Face-to-face communications helps to ‘gatherinformationfromthepeopleyouareinterestedin’(EvansandRooney,2014:P251).Thismethodwillbeusedwithinmyproject to interactwithspecificstudents inregardstothedatacollection,oranyfurtherunknownaspectsthatneedtobediscussed.4.4DataCollection4.4.1QuestionnairesCreatingbespokequestionnairesfortheselectedparticipantsenablesahighervalidityof results aswell as a rapid responsewithin the given time scale. All responses arecurrent,accurateandup-to-date.Thequestionsaskedwithintheprimaryresearchwillincludeavarietyofquestions involving thespecific taske.g.useofsocialmedia.Bothqualitative and quantitative research questions are asked, ensuring that responses ofbothfiguresandqualitativedatasuchaspersonalinformationareprovidedforanalysis.Bothquantitativeandqualitativedataareessentiallyneededfortheprogressionofmydissertation. Very fewmultiple-choice questions are provided, as answers need to bepersonallyspecified.Althoughthereisnosummaryprovidedwithinthequestionnairesthathavebeendistributed,allinformationhasbeenprovidedtotheparticipantswithintheshortinformalinterviews,ensuringtheyknowexactlywhyithasbeencarriedout,andwheretheinformationwillbeheld,alongsidetheconfidentialityfundamentals.Itisrelatively easy to analyse questionnaires, and distribution tends to be verystraightforward and at a moderately low cost. The main requirement of thequestionnaire sharing would be the response of the participant, meaning that theresearcher would need to ensure that he/she knows exactly who to share thequestionnairewithtoguaranteeareplye.g.closestudentfriends.However,tocertifyacomplete response, it is important that communication is prearranged prior to thequestionnaires being distributed. These questionnaires will be distributed to thepartakers online, by sending them a brief description along with the questionnaireattached as a .doc file.Questionnaireswill beuseful to gain any answersprior to thesoftware data collection, which will aid the debate between research studies andprimary results. ‘Questionnaireshaveadvantagesoverothermethodsofdatacollection’(Downs,AdrianandDowns,2004:P106).4.4.2InformalInterviews(Shortone-to-onecommunications)Informalinterviewswillbeheldtofurtherdiscussanyinformationthattheparticipantmay not have provided in the questionnaire, and will be an opportunity for theparticipant to expand and explain any further thoughts on their current use of socialmedia. These short one-to-one communications are aimed towards local, currentstudents,focusingonaspectsinvolvingsocialmedia,andhowtheyhavebeenimpactedbyitsmassdevelopment.Duetothequalityofdataprovidedfromthequestionnaires,

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the interviewswillnotneed tobe formallyarranged,allowing freedomofspeechandadditionalpersonalviewstoprevail.Interviewssuchasthesearecommonlyknowntobe the most appropriate method of collecting specific types of information from aspecificindividual,withouthavingtospendasubstantialamountoftimesearchingforthenecessaryrequirements.Face-to-facecommunicationshelpsto ‘gatherinformationfromthepeopleyouareinterestedin’(EvansandRooney,2014:P251).Onlinesecondarydatacannotalwaysprovidespecificinformation,meaningthatprimaryresearchsuchasthiswillbringextremevalidityandsuccessful informationtotheresearcher, fromthecandidate.Informalinterviewingcanbeused‘tocross-checkpiecesofinformation,tofillin details, to explore new areas as they arise, and to take advantages of unexpectedopportunities’(Kane,1997:P162).4.5ResearchApproach&Techniques

Figure4:ResearchChoices(Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009: P152).

‘Mixed methods research is the type of research in which a researcher or team ofresearcherscombineselementsofqualitativeandquantitativeresearchapproaches(e.g.,use of qualitative and quantitative viewpoints, data collection, analysis, inferencetechniques) for the purpose of breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration(Creswell,2011:P4).Both the above strategies, quantitative and qualitative, were research methods usedwithin thisproject. Figure4demonstrates exactlyhow the chosen researchapproachoccurred,showingthedifferentstagesusedtoproducetheoutcome.MultiplemethodswasthefirstchosencategoryrelatingtoFigure4,asthemonomethodwouldnothavebeen an option due to the researcher’s use of both questionnaires and informalinterviews to collect and analyse the provided information.4.6Reliability&ValidityToensure theconstructionof the thesis issuccessful,datacollectionwithin thestudywillneedtobevalid,certifyingpreciseresults.Bothreliabilityandvalidityconnect tocreatesuccessfuloutcomes,whichwillbeneededforcontinualprogression.Toensure

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theaccuracyoftheresearchcollectionisgainedappropriately,thequestionswithinthequestionnaireswillneedtobeclarifiedinadvanceinordertoensurepreciseresponsesandgoodcomprehensionof thequestions.Also, the informal interviewquestionswillneedtobeevaluatedbeforehand,outliningthemainelementsthatwillbediscussed,ifneeded.Byundertakingthesetaskspriortotheexamining,researchwillbecomeclearandvalid,enablingthedatacollectionprocesstorunsmoothly.(LeonardCargan,2007)believes that ‘if your data collecting instruments are not valid and reliable, then theresultscollectedwillalwaysbeindoubtandlittlecanbedonetosavethestudy’.The questionnaire preparation needed to certify specific questions that will bedelivered, ensuring the adaptation between the questions and the partakers aredesigned clearly, and are understandable in relation to social media’s usage. Usingquestionnairesisanachievablesourceofdatacollectionwithinaparticularfield,asisbeing able to select exactly who should receive them. E.g. students, pensioners,teenagersetc.Itisalsobeneficialtouseself-administered,open-endedquestionnaires,as open questions can providemuchmore clarification and detail towards themainfocus.For the informal interviews, participants were given the opportunity to provideadditional data if required. Alongside this, if the interviewees needed any assistanceduring the completion process of their questionnaires, this assistance would beprovided through face-to-facemeetings, as all participants are local and livenear theresearcher.Asmentioned, these interviewsareaimedtowardsstudents involvedwithsocialmediaand itsusage.Conferencessuchas thesealsoallowboth the interviewerandintervieweestogettoknowoneanotherinaninformal,relaxedsetting;thiscouldbeadvantageouswhenforminganoutcome.However,informalcommunicationmeansthat questions do not necessarily need to be rehearsed beforehand, as the answersprovide additional information. Formal interviews involve more specific questions,which may require a large quantity of data that would need to be noted. Thequestionnaireswouldprovidespecific, formalanswers,whilst the informal interviewswould also allow the participants to expand orally on these answers, allowing theresearchertwoopportunitiestoensurevalidity.Also, as stated above in the thesis, an agreement was made with the examinedparticipants,statingthateachindividualwouldonlyuseonespecificdevicetobrowsesocialmediawithin therecordedweek.Due to this, thedatagatheringwouldprovidehighervalidity,meaningthatallinformationcanbereliedupon. 4.7Ethics‘EthicsisthescienceofConduct.Itconsiderstheactionsofhumanbeingswithreferencetotheirrightnessorwrongness,theirtendencytogoodortoevil(Mackenzie,2005:P1).The quotation above states that ethics are moral principles that administrate theconductingofanactivity,suchashowinformationwithindatacollectioniskeptisolatedandsafeguarded.Duetothis, thepartakers involvedwithinthegatheringofdatamayfinditmorecomfortingwhenknowingthatallinformationiskeptanonymous,helpingthe researcher to gain the maximum amount of material and allowing completeconfidentiality on theparticipants’ behalf. ‘Allowingrespondentstobeanonymousmay

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beimportantifyouwanthonestanswerstohighlypersonalquestions’(MitchellandJolley,2013: P263). The principles of ethics within research involve minimising the risk ofharm, obtaining informed consent, protecting anonymity and confidentiality, avoidingdeceptivepracticesandprovidingtherighttowithdraw.Thesefivevaluesmustalwaysbereferredtowhenresearchediscollected.Duringtheprimaryresearchassemblingforboththequestionnaireandtheinformalinterviews,thecontributorswerefullyassuredthat all information, including names, would be kept completely anonymous. At thebottom of each questionnaire, a clear notewas provided, confirming that all contentwouldbeapproached ina secureandunidentifiedmanner, ensuring that theCodeofConfidentialitywasadheredto.4.8LimitationsLimitations for both research methods have associated drawbacks, which can rangefromfeedbackdelaystothelatesubmissionofappropriatedata.Astherewasasetdateprovidedforthedissertationsubmission,itmeantthatthecollectionofdataneededtobeestablishedpromptlyyetproficiently.The reasoning behind having a relatively small focal group in the research collectionwas primarily because the partakers needed to download specific software thatrecordedtheamountoftimetheyspentonsocialmedia.Duetothis,onlyasmalltargetgroup,knowntotheresearcher,wouldbeabletotakepart,asonlineuserswouldnotdownloadanunknownsoftwareapplication.Trust levelsbetween the researcherandtheparticipantswerehigh,astheywerefamiliarwitheachother.Efficient,trustworthyresponses produce constructive results,which defines the importance of ensuring alldata is kept incognito. ‘To collect trustworthy data, the researcher must have ameaningful relationship with the participants, which may require time to develop’(MacneeandMcCabe,2008:P170).Thepossibledrawbacksrelatingtotheinformalinterviews,whichcouldleadtoalackofdata, or a reluctance to provide full and honest answers, involve the participantsdecliningorignoringcontactwiththeresearcher.Thiswouldbemorelikelytooccuriftheparticipantswereunknownorunfamiliarwiththeresearcher.Thiswouldbeeasilyavoided by ensuring that the interviewees were local and known associates. Also,havingotherpartakers inreservewouldbenefit theresearcher, incaseofachange incircumstances. It is crucial to reassure each partaker that all information will bemaintained securely, avoiding any data leakage. Finally, as these interviews will notcontainalargeamountofdatacollection,therewillbenoneedforanyvoicerecordings,whichcouldenhancetheparticipants’confidence,andgainfurtherinformation.4.9SummaryThe research methodology displays a strong demonstration of the different types ofresearchthatwillbecarriedoutwithinthedatacollection,andthetechniquesusedbythe participantswhenproviding their personal feedback. Both researchmethodswillcontainqualitativeandquantitativedata,andthesewillhelptoevaluateandconcludespecific observations, with subsequent evidence. The above also presents how theresearch methods are conducted, and how the avoidance of data leakage will bemanaged to secure all information gained. Reliability and validity highlight the

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importanceofhowthecollectionofdatacanassistwiththecompletionofbothresearchmethods.Alongsidethis, theabove limitationsdisplaytheaspectsofavoidance,whichwillguidetheresearcherinthecorrectdirectionwhenplanningtheconclusionsofthesoftwarereadings.

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5.0Results,Analysis&DiscussionSofar,thisthesishasprovidedananalyticalreviewofliteratureconcerningtheamountoftimespentonsocialnetworkingsites,andthevariousimpactssocialmediahashadon students has been examined, as has the discussion of research methodology.Furthermore,aclearguidancehasbeendisplayed,involvingtheresearchmethodsthatwereapplied.Withinthissegment,apresentationofalldatacollectionwillbeexposed,evaluating the period of time each student spent on social media during theexaminationweek.Acomparisonwillbedelivered,comparingtheamountof timethespecificstudentsestimatedtheyhadspentonsocialmedia(questionnaireresults),withthe actual amount of time they had spent on socialmedia during the recordedweek(RescueTimedata collection).Also, anexplanationwill bedelivered in relation to thegathered data for each participant, analysing and discussing the results with precisefigures.Pleasenote;someresultsincludespecificapplicationsthathavenotbeenusedforsocialnetworking, which may show a variance from the collected results, and the resultsnoted.Thetimespentonnon-socialnetworkingapplicationshavebeendeductedfromeachpartaker.Allresultshavebeenroundedtothenearest30minutes.

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5.1Partaker1

From the results provided above, this specific student spent a total calculation ofslightly under 20 hours on socialmedia during the examinedweek period.However,fromthequestionnaireresults,partaker1estimatedthathe/shespendsatotalofonly7hoursperweekonsocialmedia.Theresultshowsthatthispartakerspentanadditional13-hoursmore than theyhad anticipatedon social networking sites.Theseoutcomeswererecordedviatheparticipant’smobilephone,indicatingclearlythatanaverageofalmost3hoursperdaywasspentonsocialmediaaloneduringtherecordedweek.

*ThisPartakerstatedthatall12hoursofFirefoxAndroidwas

spentonFacebook,ashedoesnothavethe

Facebookapplication*

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5.2Partaker2

Theseresultsdisplaya totalof35hoursspentonsocialmedia in the inspectedweek,which is anaverageof5hoursperday.Thisparticipant admits thathe/she is a veryheavy user of social networking sites. From the questionnaire data collection, theparticularstudentestimatedthattheyspent20hoursaweekonsocialmedia,buttheactualresultshowsa15-hourincreasecomparedtotheirestimate.Again,theseresultswere recorded by amobile phone, and the outcomes show us that this partaker hasspentamuchlongerperiodoftimeonsocialnetworkingsitesthanallotherexaminedpartakers.

*ThisPartakerstatedthatall9hoursof

EntertainmentwasspentonYouTube*

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5.3Partaker3

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Duringtherecordedweek,theresultsclearlyshowthatPartaker3spentanactualtotalof justunder11hoursonsocialmedia, including thewebsitesTwitter,FacebookandYouTube.However, fromPartaker 3’s questionnaire results, an estimation of 8 hourswas provided. This result differs by an increase of almost 3 hours from Partaker 3’sestimation.Theseoutcomesweremeasuredonalaptop,whichwastheprimarydevicechosen by the selected participant. The results displayed also present the specificamountoftimethathasbeenspentoneachsocialnetworkingsite.Theaverageamountoftimespentbythisparticularparticipantperdaywas94minutes,whichtotals1hourand34minutesperaverageday.5.4Partaker4

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Fromtheaboveresults,againtakenfromalaptop,atotalamountofslightlyunder14hours and 30minuteswas spent on socialmedia by this selected participant, whichaverages to just over 2 hours each day. From the provided questionnaire results,partaker4providedanestimationof10hoursaweek,whichhe/shethought,wasspenton social media. This delivers an actual increase of just over 4 hours more thananticipated, meaning that the figures stated in the questionnaire are far lower thanwhatwas actually gathered. As demonstrated, the figures above show that FacebookandYouTubewerethetwoprimarysitesusedwithinthegatheringofthisparticipant’sdata collection, as theotherwebsites involved arenot classified as social networkingsites.5.5Partaker5

Thisresultdiffersslightlyfromtheabovepartakers’resultsduetoadecreasefromthedata collection compared to the questionnaire results. As shown above, a total ofslightly less than3hourswasspentonsocialmedia in theexaminedweek.However,from the questionnaire results provided, partaker 5 estimated that he/she wouldusuallyspend5hoursonsocialmediaperweek,deliveringareductionof2hours.Also,from the logged outcomes, this partaker spent numerous hours on a variety of othersites,however;thesesitesarenotclassedassocialnetworkingwebsites.Onanaverage

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day, this partaker spent a total of just under 25minutes on socialmedia,which is amuchlesserfigurethantheotherpartakers’averages.5.6Partaker6

Listed above is partaker 6’s result, with a total amount of slightly less than 3 hoursspentonsocialmedia.Thisagainconverts toanaverageofslightlyunder25minutesperdayforthisonlineuser.Fromthequestionnairedeliveredbythispartaker,atotalestimationof 4hourswasnotedper averageweek.This showsan actual decreaseofexactly1hourcomparedwiththeirestimation.Asstatedinpartaker5’ssummary,theuserhasspentnumeroushoursonwebsitesthatarenotassociatedwithsocialmedia.Although he/she has spent over 17 hours online, the actual time spent on socialnetworkingsitesisrelativelylow.

*TheonlyrelevantsiteinthisgraphisYouTube(33mins)*

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5.7Estimationvs.Reality

Theabovetableandlinechartdisplaysboththeestimatedamountofhoursspent,andthe actual amount of hours spent by each participant in the examined week of datacollection.Fromtheresults,wecanseethat4/6partakers(66.67%)usedsocialmediamore than they had anticipated.We can also see that 2/6 (33.33%) of the partakersused socialmedia less than anticipated.At thebottomof the table, a total estimationand the actual amount of hours spent of social media are presented, with a totalestimationof54hoursandtheactualfigureof86hours.Fromthis,wecanacceptthatanadditional32hoursaweekintotalwasspentonsocialnetworkingsitesbythesixparticipants in comparison to the lower estimated time that was provided.As stated above, the ‘estimated hours spent’ figureswere provided by each partakerwithinthequestionnairegathering,andthe ‘actualhoursspent’ figuresweregatheredresultsfromtheRescueTimesoftware,usedasprimarydatacollectiontocomparethesestatistics. Although these results display very diverse outcomes, each participant 6/6(100%)listedinthequestionnairethattheythinktheyspendapproximatelythesameamountoftimeonsocialnetworkingsitesastheirknownpeers.Thechartaboveshowsthediverseamountsof timeeachparticipantactuallyspendsonsocialmedia,rangingfrom the least amount, 3 hours perweek, to themost amount of time, 35 hours per

EstimatedHoursSpent ActualHoursSpentPartaker1 7 20Partaker2 20 35Partaker3 8 11Partaker4 10 14Partaker5 5 3

Partaker6 4 3Total 54hours 86hours

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Partaker1Partaker2Partaker3Partaker4Partaker5Partaker6

EstimatedHoursSpent

ActualHoursSpent

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week.Fromthese figures,anactualaveragetimecanbecalculatedbydividingthe86actual hours spent on social media during the observed week by the 6 participants,providing a weekly average of 14 hours and 20 minutes each, which translates toslightlymorethan2hoursperaveragedayeach.A report finding from 2015 exposed that ‘the average person has five social mediaaccountsandspendsaround1hourand40minutesbrowsingthesenetworkseveryday,accountingfor28pcofthetotaltimespentontheInternet’(Davidson,2015).Inrelationto the primary results collected, this figure is very accurate. The primary researchshowsaslightlyhigherusageofanadditional20minutesmorethanthe2015report,andthisfigureiscontinuingtorise.‘Astonishingly, the average person will spend nearly two hours (approximately 116minutes)onsocialmediaeveryday,whichtranslates toa totalof5yearsand4monthsspentoveralifetime’(Asano,2017).

Figure5:TimeSpentonSocialinaLifetime(Asano,2017)

Figure5providesup-to-dateinformationthatdemonstratestheaveragetimespentonsocialmediainalifetimebyatypicalonlineuser.Theimageabovestatesthatatotalof5yearsand4monthsintotalisspentonsocialnetworkingsitessuchastheseoveranaveragelifetimeperiod.Althoughthesestatisticsareprecise,particularonlineusersusesocialmediaaspartof their job,or for students, aspartof academic learningand/orcontactingothers about certain school, collegeoruniversitywork.Figure5 relates toglobal online users of all ages, and not students in particular. However, this is a

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guidance fact, and because themajority of online users nowadays are the youth, thisfigureseemshighlyrelevant.5.8PrimaryResearch(Questionnaires)

The questionnaire feedback on this question provided an interesting result from theselectedparticipants.Asseenabove,abasicpiechartdemonstratesthat2/6(33.33%)ofthepartakersfeelasiftheamountoftimespentonsocialmediadoesnotneedtobespentmorewisely,meaningthattheyarehappywiththecurrentamountoftimetheyare spendingon these sites.However,4/6 (66.67%)of thepartakersbelieve that theamountoftimespentonsocialmediacouldbeusedmorewiselyintheirgeneraldaytoday lives. The next question, leading from this question, will specify how the 4/6(66.67%)ofthepartakersbelievetheycouldbespendingtheirtimemoreproductively.

Doyoufeelasiftheamountoftimespentonsocialmediacouldbeused

morewiselyingeneral?

Yes

No

33.33%

66.67%

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For all four partakers that answered ‘Yes’ in the above question, the chart providesevidence stating that 100% of these participants stated that their browsing time onsocial media could be spent more productively by allocating this time towardsuniversity work. ‘Researchers found a negative relationship between hours of socialmedia use and students’ grades. Because the students do not spend time studying, andduringlecturestheyarefocusingonFacebook,theirgradesarelower’(PaliszkiewiczandKoohang,2016:P44).(Sullivan,2016)hasalsostatedthat‘SocialMediaisatoolandyouhavetouseittoyouradvantage.Don’tletitsuckyouin–youcanbeincontrolanduseittoyouradvantage’.Thisreferencecouldbeinfluentialtowardsthesefourpartakers,asall four admitted they could be spending more time studying and improving theiruniversity grades rather than browsing socialmedia sites. A simpleway of achievingthiswouldbe to limit the amountof daily time they spendon socialmedia sites. E.g.between10-11pmoncetheirstudieshavebeencompleted.

Ifso,pleasestatehow:

UniversityWork100%

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In relation to socialmedia affecting students’ education, the questionnaire requestedinformationbyasking thepartakers if they thoughtsocialnetworkingsitesareusefulfortheirlearning/studiesornot.Theresultswereasfollows:

Theaboveresultspresentseveraloutcomesinrelationtotherequestedquestion.Fromthis,wecandeducethatoneperson,1/6(16.67%),saidthattheydonotfindtechnologyuseful for their learning. Another 1/6 (16.67%) suggested that they find socialnetworkingonlyslightlyuseful for thesamereason.However,on theotherhand,1/6(16.67%) partaker implied that he/she feels as if social media is and is not usefultowards their education, and the reasoningbehind thiswas, ‘we can learn a lot fromeach other, making this platform a valuable learning tool. On the other hand, socialnetworking offers an enticing distraction from work’. Finally, 3/6 (50%) of theparticipants mentioned that they feel as if social networking is a very useful tooltowards their learning/studies, which shows us that the time period spent by thoseusersisregardedbythemselvesasbeneficialtotheirlearning.Apublishedarticlefrom2012statesthat‘thestudentsbecomevictimsofsocialnetworksmoreoftenthananyoneelse.Thisisbecauseofthereasonthatwhentheyarestudyingorsearchingtheircoursematerialonline,theygetattractedtothesesitestokilltheboredomintheirstudytime,divertingtheirattention fromtheirwork’ (NegativeEffectsOfSocialNetworking Sites For Students – Performancing, 2012). Although social media ineducation is a contradictive topic, and is exposed above to be a useful element forleaning/studying,italsohasdisadvantagesregardingstudents’performancewithintheclassroom. (Gazzaley and Rosen, 2016) believe that ‘in-class technology use includingemail,texting,laptop,socialmediaandmore,decreaseclassroomperformance,regardlessof how that performance is measured (grades, work productivity, etc.), and across allgradelevelsrangingfromelementaryschooltocollege’.

Doyoufeelasifsocialnetworkingtechnologyisusefulforyourlearning/

study?

Yes

No

Alittle

Yes&No

16.67%

16.67%

16.67%

50%

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Figure6:(MediaConsumptionLinkedToPoorGrades,2010).

Figure6presentsalistthatwaspublishedin2010involvingthemediaconsumptionofstudentsaged8-18yearsoldandtheirconnectiontopoorgrades.Fromthestatistics,itisshownthattheheavierusersofsocialnetworkingareprovidedwithlowergradesinregardtoeducationcomparedtothelightusers.Atrendoccursdemonstratingthefactthat themore social networking is used, the lower grades each studentwill achieve.Light social networking users are more likely to achieve the highest grades, whichsuggests that social networking sites are not providing intellectual information inregards to academic qualities within the classroom. Although Figure 6 provides out-dated information, social networking has increased since the date of study, meaningthat thesestatisticswillhaverisen fromthepublisheddate,andasmentionedabove,gradesarestillaffectedbysocialnetworkingincurrentyears.

Whatisthemainpurposeofyouruseofsocialnetworkingsites?Partaker1 Tostayincontactwithfriends.Partaker2 Entertainment(YouTube)&browsingReddit.Partaker3 Tokeepup-to-datewithsportsnews.Partaker4 Contactingfamily&friends,andentertainment.Partaker5 News,socialtrendsandhelpstokeepintouchwithfriends.Partaker6 Socialise,contactfriendsandhelpseducationonthecourseto

communicatethroughgroupemails.This table demonstrates the exact purpose why the selected participants use socialnetworkingsites.Theparticipants’primaryaspect forusingsocialmedia is tokeepincontactwithothers,suchasfriendsandfamily.Entertainment,suchasYouTube,playsabigrole,asstatedinthetable.Thiscanalsobeseenwithinthesoftwaredatacollectionresults.

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Figure7:WhatDrivesStudents’SocialMediaUsage?(Bridgestock,2013)

Figure7relatestotheusageofFacebookbycontinent,demonstratingthemainreasonsfor using socialmedia. The study abovewas approached through sampling over 900students from all around the world. Figure 7 clearly states that themain reason forFacebook’susageis‘tokeepuptodate’;thisisrevealedby4/5oftheselectedregions.The second most common reason within social media’s usage was because ‘it’sinteresting’andthefactthatit’s‘usefulforconnections’.Thefinalregion,LatinAmerica,actually states that themain reason for Facebook’s usage is because ‘it’s interesting’,followedby‘tokeepuptodate’.Althoughthisregiondiffersfromtheotherfour,bothofthemain elements attract students touse socialmedia; however, theyareprioritiseddifferentlywith50%ofLatinAmericachoosing‘it’sinteresting’.

Theprimarycollectionshowsthat5/6(83.33%)oftheexaminedpartakersfindsocialnetworkingsitesimportantnowadays.However,1/6(16.67%)oftheparticipantssaidthat they do not find social networking sites important. Partaker 3 announced thathe/she did not find social networking sites important within the questionnaire.

Doyouthinksocialnetworkingsitesareimportant?

Yes

No

16.67%

83.33%

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However, this partaker spent just under 11 hours of his/her week on social media,whichshowsthatitisusedmuchmorethantheyanticipated.Also,havingdiscussedthetime period spent on social media with Partaker 3 in the informal interview, it wasmentioned thathe/shewasextremely surprisedwith theoutcome.Thisuser thoughtthat far less time had been spent on social networking sites. This proves that usersfrequentlyspendmoretimethattheythinkonspecificsocialsites.(Tella,2015:P198)believesthat‘itcanalsobeconcludedthatsocialnetworkingsitesareas importantas Internetuse’.However, this statement is controversial as the Internetprovides a tool for the expansion of learning and finding factual information to aidstudiese.g.Google,Yahoo.Socialnetworking,however,although itdoesnotprovideatoolforlearning,doesenableuserstocommunicatewithcolleaguesandfriends,sharinginformationthatmayalsoprovideusefulmaterialtowardslearninge.g.articles.

Fromtheabovetable,theresultsaredisplayedforeachpartaker,havingaskedthemifthey feel as though social networking sites affect their social life. Partaker 3was theonly participant that stated social networking does not affect his/her social life;however;theother5partakersfeelasifthesesiteshavehadaninfluenceontheirsociallife, and stating themain reasons above. All six partakers have responded positivelywhen stating that social networking does/does not affect their social life. Again, thisquestionwasrepeatedtoPartaker3duringtheinformalinterview,askingforareasonwhyhebelievedthatsocialmediadoesnotaffecthis/hersociallife.Thepartakerstatedthat the total amount of hours spent on socialmedia by him/herwas spent viewingonline sporting news only. They did not state that they used socialmedia to contactfriends,andthereforefelttheirsociallifedidnotrevolvearoundsocialmediausage.

Doyoufeelasifonlinenetworkingaffectsyoursociallife?Ifso,whyandhow?Partaker1 Yesitdoes.ItallowscontactwithfriendsIwouldotherwisenot

beabletostayincontactwith.Partaker2 Yes,becauseit’shelpfulforstayingincontactwithfriends.Partaker3 No,itdoesnotaffectmysociallife.Partaker4 Yes,easiertomakearrangementsandtocontactcolleagues.Partaker5 Yes,Ibelieveitaddspositivelytomysociallife.Inthisdayand

agesocialisingismorethanjustfacetofaceinteraction.SocialmediahelpsmekeepuptodatewithtrendsandpeopleIwouldn’tbeabletocommunicatewithotherwise.

Partaker6 Yes,itactsasade-stressandsavestimewhencontactingpeople.

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Figure8:WhatAretheEffectsofSocialMediaonYouth(McGillivray,2015).Figure8displaysboththesocialbenefitsandsocialdetriments involvedwithinsocialmedia’syouthnowadays.Thesediverseeffectsshowtheexactfactorsthatarecurrentlyhappening, with figures increasing even higher from the 2015 published date.Comparingtheprimaryresearchtothesecondary,itisclearthatsocialnetworkingsiteshave had, and currently are having, an enormous influence on the social lives ofstudents/youth.Figure8’ssocialdetrimentsoutweighthesocialbenefitsabove,withahigher amount of negative factors stated than positives. Although the stated reasonswithin the primary research are positive, negative elements such as those stated inFigure8maynothavebeendisclosed,asnegativepersonalinformationmaynecessitateconfidentiality.E.g.cyberbullying,friendshiploss,personaldisordersandthefeelingofdepressionetc.

36

The final question that was enquiredwithinmy questionnairewas the above. Theseresultsshowthat1/6(16.67%)hadeachchosenoneoftheoptionsbetweenFacebook,Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.However, twopartakers selected theReddit option,meaningthatthiswasthemostcommonsocialmediasiteselectedbytheparticipantswithinmy primary research data collection. Although Redditwas stated as themostpopularhere, these results could easily alterdependingon the audience scopeof thedatacollectione.g.6otherparticipantsmayhavechosenFacebookoranotherastheirprimarychoice.

Figure9:Top15MostPopularSocialNetworkingSites(Kallas).

Figure9abovepresentsthe15mostpopularcurrentlytrendingsocialnetworkingsitesintheyear2017,withfiguresshowninmillions.Asshownabove,thefivemostpopularsites are the five chosen by the examined participants. Facebook is by far the most

Outofthefollowing,whichsocialmediasitedoyoumostlyuse?

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Instagram

Reddit

16.67%

16.67%

16.67%16.67%

33.32%

37

popularsocialmediawebsiteinthisstudy;however,itwasnotthemostpopularchoicewithintheselectedpartakers.

SocialNetwork MonthlyVisitorsFacebook 1,860,000,000YouTube 1,000,000,000Instagram 600,000,000Twitter 313,000,000Reddit 234,000,000Table1:Top15MostPopularSocialNetworkingSites(Kallas)

Table1 is linked toFigure9,displayingnumeroussocialnetworkingsites inorderofpopularity. The five most popular visited websites involve the main sites that werecollectedintheprimarydatacollectionwithinmyresearch.Thisprovesthatthetrendis continually occurring for these specific sites, meaning that the popularity of thesewebsitesarecontinuouslyincreasingbyonlineusersannually.Althoughthesitesfromtheprimary researchdonotmatch thehighest to lowest popularity orderwithin thesecondaryresearch, theprimaryresearchdatacollectionwouldchangedependingontheamountandtypeofparticipantsthatwereexamined.E.g.ifatotalof10participantswereexamined,theprimarycollectionwouldchangeaccordingly.From the above figures, we can conclude that the use of social media worldwide iscontinuing to increase rapidly, particularly amongst the younger generation. Thefollowing table shows actual readings for the general public as far as 2016, and thepredictedgrowthinbillionsasfaras2020.

Figure10:(NumberOfSocialMediaUsersWorldwide2010-2020|Statista)

38

Figure 10 displays a projection of statistics from the year 2010 to 2020. From thesestatistics, aworldwidereading isdisplayedwith thenumberofonlineusers stated inbillions.Thereadingsareaccurateuptotheyear2016;however,futureprojectionsarepredicted from that date onwards. Although Figure 10 is not focusing on the targetdemographicwithinthethesis,thedataisrelevanttoexpressthecurrenttrendthatisoccurring,alongwiththefuturetrendthathasbeenprojectedasacontinual increase.From this chart, an estimation climb is occurring, providing an analytic rise in thenumber of users fromunder a billion in 2010, to nearly two and a half billion at thehalfwaypointof2015,andjustshortof3billionin2020,providingapredictedincreaseofalmost2billiononlineoperatorsinjusttenyears.

39

6.0ConclusionThisdissertationhasundertakenresearchthathasanalysedanddiscussedthecurrentamountoftimespentonsocialnetworkingsitesbyaselectedgroupofcurrentstudentsthrough the operation of electronic time management. Alongside this, a literaturereview was produced displaying numerous occurring impacts that have influencedstudentsduetothetotalamountoftimespentonthesesites.Bothpositiveandnegativeaspects have been discussed, along with a detailed discussion in relation to theproceeding real world impacts that have, and still are, happening. The research hasimprovedourknowledgeinregardstotheeffectsocialmediahashadontheyoungergeneration. It also delivers awareness for future years, due to the continuous masspopulationgrowth,withthenumberofonlineusersincreasingannually.Theresearchresults provide constructive information to both the younger and older generation,allowingthemtoreviewandpossiblyreducetheamountoftimetheyspendonsocialmedia.Findings suchas theabove canalsoallow theoldergeneration toobserve thegrowth that is occurring, and possibly monitor the younger generations, influencingthemtospendanappropriatelymeasuredamountof timeonthesesocialnetworkingsites.It is proven that social media’s trend is continuously developing, and from the datacollectedwithintheresearchgathering,figuresshowthatalltheexaminedstudentsarecurrentlysigneduptosocialnetworkingsites,spendingvariousamountsofhoursperindividual on them each day. Although there are a number of proven benefits anddownfallsassociatedwithsocialmedia,Ibelievethattheadvancementoftechnologyisdeveloping positively, allowing the younger generation to engage with the onlineenvironment,aslongastheyensuretheyapproachitinasafeandappropriatelytime-managedmanner.The creation of this dissertation has been extremely stimulating in areas, yetchallenginginotherareas.However,continuousdatacollectionthroughoutthisprojecthas helped produce valid, up-to-date information, which has provided accurateoutcomes.Astheyearsprogress,furtherexaminationwillpossiblybeneededtoassessthe targeted users, and to see if the trend increase is still occurring. Although theresearch has proven to be a success, I believe that a wider target audience wouldprovide enhanced figures and a wider range of results, as a limited study can onlyprovideasomewhatrestrictedevaluationduetodatacollectionlimitations.Infuture,overanextendedperiodoftime,Iwouldbeveryinterestedincontinuingthisresearchstudy,analysingawidertargetaudienceoveralongerperiodoftimeinorderto collect and deliver a more comprehensive range of results. Provided an extendedperiodoftimewerepossiblei.e.sixmonths,andthetargetgroupwerelargerandmorediverse i.e.60participants, the resultswouldbemore informativeand theevaluationwould show a possible contrast to the original research. Additionally, any futureresearch might stipulate that all participants use the same device throughout theresearchperiod.ThereasoningbehindthisisthatspecificapplicationssuchasSnapchatand WhatsApp are not available on laptops/PCs, but are available to mobile phoneusers.The main aim of this research project has been successfully met, examining and

40

displayingcurrentresultsalongwithidentifyingboththemajorandminor,positiveandnegative impacts that are influencing all current and future students, including theselectedparticipants.

41

Appendix

Partaker1

42

43

Partaker2

44

Partaker3

45

46

Partaker4

47

48

49

Partaker5

50

51

Partaker6

52

53

EthicsNumber:2016D0337DEVOLVEDETHICSAPPROVALAPPLICATIONSUMMARY

StudentName:RhodriYoung StudentNumber:ST20061469ModuleName:Dissertation ModuleNumber:BCO6022ProgrammeName:Computing SupervisorName:StuartMcNeilTobecompletedbystudentandsupervisorbeforesubmissiontoEthicsApprovalPanel

StudentSignature;

SupervisorSignature;

Yes N/A Yes N/AApplicationforethicsapprovalParticipantinformationsheetParticipantconsentformPilotinterview/sLetter/stoparticipatingorganisation/sFocusgroupquestionsQuestionnaire

[X][X][X][X][X][][X]

-[][][][][X][]

[][][][][][][]

-[][][][][][]

FirstSubmission [X] Resubmission []Date:_________Forusebythedevolvedethicsapprovalpanel:PanelMembers_______ Name ____________ Signature__________Moduleleader: Supervisor: CSMEthicsCommitteeRepresentative: Date: DateofReassessment: Outcome:ProjectApproved [] Referencenumber: ProjectApprovedinPrinciple []Applicationnotready/incomplete[] (Decisiondeferred)Commentsforprojectsnotfullyapproved:Theoriginaltoberetainedbythemoduleleaderandacopygiventothestudent

54

Whenundertakingaresearchorenterpriseproject,CardiffMetstaffandstudentsareobligedtocompletethisforminorderthattheethicsimplicationsofthatprojectmaybeconsidered.Iftheprojectrequiresethicsapprovalfromanexternalagency(e,g.,NHS),youwillnotneedtoseekadditionalethicsapprovalfromCardiffMet.YoushouldhowevercompletePartOneofthisformandattachacopyofyourethicsletter(s)ofapprovalinorderthatyourSchoolhasarecordoftheproject.ThedocumentEthicsapplicationguidancenoteswillhelpyoucompletethisform.ItisavailablefromtheCardiffMetwebsite.TheSchoolorUnitinwhichyouarebasedmayalsohaveproducedsomeguidancedocuments,pleaseconsultyoursupervisororSchoolEthicsCoordinator.Onceyouhavecompletedtheform,signthedeclarationandforwardtotheappropriateperson(s)inyourSchoolorUnit.PLEASENOTE:ParticipantrecruitmentordatacollectionMUSTNOTcommenceuntilethicsapprovalhasbeenobtained.PARTONENameofapplicant: RhodriEllisYoung

Supervisor(ifstudentproject): StuartMcNeil

School/Unit: CardiffSchoolofManagement

Studentnumber(ifapplicable): ST20061469

Programmeenrolledon(ifapplicable): ComputingBSc(Hons)

ProjectTitle: Ananalysisdiscussingtheimpactoftimespentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.Expectedstartdateofdatacollection: 21/11/2016

Approximatedurationofdatacollection: 3-4months

FundingBody(ifapplicable): N/A

Otherresearcher(s)workingontheproject:

None

WillthestudyinvolveNHSpatientsorstaff?

No

Willthestudyinvolvehumansamplesand/orhumancelllines?

No

Doesyourprojectfallentirelywithinoneofthefollowingcategories:Paperbased,involvingonlydocumentsinthepublicdomain

No

Laboratorybased,notinvolvinghumanparticipantsorhumansamples

No

Practicebasednotinvolvinghuman No

55

participants(egcuratorial,practiceaudit)Compulsoryprojectsinprofessionalpractice(egInitialTeacherEducation)

No

Aprojectforwhichexternalapprovalhasbeenobtained(e.g.,NHS)

No

IfyouhaveansweredYEStoanyofthesequestions,expandonyouranswerinthenon-technicalsummary.Nofurtherinformationregardingyourprojectisrequired.IfyouhaveansweredNOtoallofthesequestions,youmustcompletePart2ofthisformInnomorethan150words,giveanon-technicalsummaryoftheprojectInthisproject,ananalysiswilltakeplacediscussingtheamountoftimespentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthroughcollectingdatausingsoftwarecalled‘RescueTime’.Duringtheanalysis,IwillbeaskingaspecificgroupofstudentstodownloadthefreesoftwarethatIwillassignthemwith,whichwillrecordandcollectdatathatwillbeusefulasmyprimaryresearch.Thedatacollectionwillprovidemewithconstant,validinformation,whichwillallowmetodivertintodifferentaspectsregardingthetimespentonsocialmedia.Prosandconswillalsobediscussedinrelationtotheresultoutcomes,andhowtimemanagementcanbebalancedorusedefficientlywhichmayinvolveachievingdifferenttasks.

DECLARATION:IconfirmthatthisprojectconformswiththeCardiffMetResearchGovernanceFrameworkIconfirmthatIwillabidebytheCardiffMetrequirementsregardingconfidentialityandanonymitywhenconductingthisproject.STUDENTS:IconfirmthatIwillnotdiscloseanyinformationaboutthisprojectwithoutthepriorapprovalofmysupervisor.Signatureoftheapplicant:REYoung

Date:18/12/16

FORSTUDENTPROJECTSONLYNameofsupervisor:

Date:

Signatureofsupervisor:ResearchEthicsCommitteeuseonly

Decisionreached: Projectapproved Projectapprovedinprinciple

Decisiondeferred Projectnotapproved

Projectrejected Projectreferencenumber:Clickheretoentertext.

56

PARTTWOARESEARCHDESIGNA1Willyoubeusinganapprovedprotocolinyourproject?

No

A2Ifyes,pleasestatethenameandcodeoftheapprovedprotocoltobeused1N/AA3DescribetheresearchdesigntobeusedinyourprojectPrimaryresearchwillbethemainfocalpointthroughoutthisdissertationasIwillbeexaminingandrecordingtheamountoftimeagroupofcurrentstudentsspentonsocialmedia.Thisdatacollectionwillbegatheredwitharecordingsoftwarecalled‘RescueTime’.Questionnaireswillalsobecreatedasprimaryresearchalongwithface-to-facecommunication(shortinterviews)toseekanyadditionalinformationthatmaybehelpful. Informalshortinterviews(face-to-facecommunication)willbeconductedbytravellingtostudenthousingasthiswilllimitlowattendancelevels,whichwillavoidanycancellations.Adjacenttothis,closeconnectionswiththestudentsinvolvedintheprimaryresearchwillallowstrongcommunicationbuildinguptothestudy,meaningtheprobabilityofattendancelevelsdroppingwillbeminimised.Theparticipantswillbeapproachedregularly(possiblyonceaweek),whichmeansdatacollectionwillbegatheredefficientlyandfrequently.Purposivesamplingwillbeused,meaningtheresearcher(myself)willselectparticipantsaccordingtothecriteriathatisset.Therewillbe6participantstakingpartwithinmyprojectresearch;thisnumberwillhelpgatherenoughinformationtoproceedwiththeliteraturereview.‘Interviewsarepracticalresearchtoolsforincorporatingfirst-handperspectivesonatopicorgainingprimaryinformationfromknowledgeablesources.Insomecases,theinterviewee’sresponsesprovidedatathatcanhelpyouexpandyourresearchquestions’.(GailletandEble,2015) Questionnairesisagreatstartingpointtogetfeedbackwiththethoughtsofeachparticipant,thiswillincreasethevalidityoftheproject.Thesewillbegiventoaspecificamountofstudentspriortothecreationoftheresearch.Eachquestionnairewillbesimplydistributedasthelocationofeachstudentisnearby,thiswillhelpthetimemanagementforthequestionnairecompletion.Thequestionnaireswillbesenttoeachparticipanteitheronlinethroughemail,orbyhand,dependingontheirpreference.Thesameamountofparticipantswillbegiventhequestionnaires,whichwillbeinvolve6people.Purposivesamplingwillalsobeusedwithinthequestionnaires;thisisbecausetheparticipantsthathavebeenselectedbytheresearcher(myself)arehandpicked

1AnApprovedProtocolisonewhichhasbeenapprovedbyCardiffMettobeusedundersupervisionofdesignatedmembersofstaff;alistofapprovedprotocolscanbefoundontheCardiffMetwebsitehere

Name:Clickheretoentertext. Date:Clickheretoenteradate.

Signature:Detailsofanyconditionsuponwhichapprovalisdependant:Clickheretoentertext.

57

individualsfromthepopulationbasedontheresearcher’sknowledgeandjudgement.‘Aquestionnaireconsistsofasetofquestionspresentedtorespondentsfortheiranswers.Thequestionnaireisveryflexibleinthatthereareanumberofwaystoaskquestions’.(Glimmann,Julia,2003)Secondaryresearchwillincludeonlineresearchalongwithspendingtimeinlibrariesstudyingbooksandarticles.Thiswillbebeneficial,asitwillenhancethespeedofdatacollectionforthesecondaryresearchthatisneededforthisproject.‘Secondaryresearchisthegatheringandanalysingofinformationanddatathathavealreadybeenpublishedinsomemannerorresideinpersonal“libraries”’(MichaelsonandStacks,2014). ‘Universitylibrariestendtocarryacademicallyrelevantmaterials’(StewartandKamins,1993). Alloftheaboveprimaryresearchwillremainconfidentialandwillbesafelysecuredinapasswordprotectedcomputersystem,whichwillpreventanyoutputtothepublic.Nameswillbeanonymousthroughouttheprojectcreation,andanydataprovidedwillnotbetraceablebacktospecificpeople.Interpretiveapproachwillbeusedwithintheprojectasthisleanstowardsthecollectionofqualitativedataandusesmethodssuchasunstructuredinterviewsandparticipantobservationthatprovidesthistypeofdata.Inductiveapproachwillalsobeused,thismeanstheresearcherbeginsbycollectingdatathatisrelevanttothetopic;onceasubstantialamountofdatahasbeencollected,theresearcherwillthenstepbacktoviewthedata.Havingcollectedthedata,itwillthenbereviewedandtheorywillbedevelopedexplainingthedifferentpatternswithinit.Thesepatternscanthenbediscussed,comparingandcontrastingthequalitativedatawithpreviousresearchstudies.Thisleadstothethematicdataanalysistechniquethatisoneofthemostcommonformsofanalysisinqualitativeresearch.Itemphasizedpinpointing,examiningandrecordingpatternswithindata,whichwillbeusedthroughouttheconstructionofthisproject.Researchmethods:Primaryresearch–Face-to-facecommunications(shortinterviews),questionnaires.Secondaryresearch–Online,books,articles,library.A4Willtheprojectinvolvedeceptiveorcovertresearch?

No

A5Ifyes,givearationalefortheuseofdeceptiveorcovertresearchNoA6Willtheprojecthavesecuritysensitiveimplications?

No

A7Ifyes,pleaseexplainwhattheyareandthemeasuresthatareproposedtoaddressthemN/A

58

BPREVIOUSEXPERIENCEB1Whatpreviousexperienceofresearchinvolvinghumanparticipantsrelevanttothisprojectdoyouhave?Previousexperiencehasbeenachievedthroughoutmytimeatsecondaryschool,whichincludedbothinterviewsandthedistributionofquestionnaires.Also,secondaryresearchhasalsobeenassignedthroughoutmyALevelsubjectsincludingAppliedBusinessandTravel&Tourism.B2StudentprojectonlyWhatpreviousexperienceofresearchinvolvinghumanparticipantsrelevanttothisprojectdoesyoursupervisorhave?

+16yearsofstudentsupervisionCPOTENTIALRISKSC1Whatpotentialrisksdoyouforesee?

1) Consensualresearchisvitalforthisprojecttoavoidbreakingtherulesandobligationsoftheethicsform.

2) Questionnairesarethemainprimaryresearchthatwillbecarryingoutbeforehand;therefore,littleornoresponsescouldresultinlackofvalidityandreliabilityofthemission.

3) Timemanagementforbothprimaryandsecondaryresearchisvitalastheriskofrunningoutoftimemayresultintheprojectbeingafailure.

C2Howwillyoudealwiththepotentialrisks?1) Ensuringeachparticipantiswillingtotakepartwithintheprojectpriortothe

creation.2) Conductingquestionnairesintheearlystagesoftheprojectandobeyingthe

rulesoftheethicsformwillenabletheprojecttoavoidtheriskswithminimaldamage.

3) Researchingbothprimaryandsecondaryresearchintheearlystagesoftheprojectcreationwillalsobebeneficialalongwithtimemanagement,asthiswillhelpgainavarietyofdifferentresearchsourcesbeforehand.

WhensubmittingyourapplicationyouMUSTattachacopyofthefollowing:

• Allinformationsheets• Consent/assentform(s)

AnexemplarinformationsheetandparticipantconsentformareavailablefromtheResearchsectionoftheCardiffMetwebsite.

59

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET – INTERVIEWEE Ananalysisdiscussingthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.ProjectoverviewThepurposeofthisstudyistoanalyseanddiscussthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudents,reviewingbothpositiveandnegativeimpactsthatareassociatedwithinandsurroundingthistopic.WhyyouhavebeenaskedtotakepartYouhavebeenaskedtoparticipateinthisprojectasapartofaresearchstudytoanalysetheamountoftimeyouarespendingonsocialmediathroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.Thedatacollectionwillbeaccumulatedviaafreesoftwareapplicationcalled‘RescueTime’.Theinterviewswillbecontinuous,short,face-to-faceconversationsregardingtheresultsthathavebeenexaminedthroughouttherecordingprocess.Therewillnotbeanysetquestionsasked,onlygeneralcommunicationregardingtheresultoutputs.ArethereanyrisksandwillIbementioned?Therearenorisksintakingpartintheseoccasionalinterviews.However,iftheapplicantfeelsuncomfortableansweringanyofthequestionsasked,theyhavefullpermissiontorefuseanswering.Allinformationanddatacollectedwillbekeptconfidential,alongwiththenamesofeachapplicant.ACOPYOFTHISPAGEWILLBEAVAILAVLEFORYOUTOKEEPANDLOOKOVERATANYPOINT.Ifyourequireanyfurtherinformationaboutthisprojectpleasecontact:RhodriYoung,CardiffMetropolitanUniversitysmcneil@cardiffmet.ac.ukStuartMcNeilBA(Hons),PgC(ASR),MBCS,FRSA,FHEAst20061469@cardiffmet.ac.ukRhodriYoung,ComputingBSc(Hons)

60

INTERVIEWPARTICIPANTCONSENTFORMCardiffMetropolitanUniversityStudentNumber:ST20061469TitleofProjectAnanalysisdiscussingthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.NameofResearcher:RhodriYoung_______________________________________________________________________________ParticipantMUSTcompletethissection: Pleasetickeachbox.

1. I can approve that I have read and agreed to the information on the

studyandtoanswerquestionsregardingthetopictosupporttheproject.

2. Asavolunteertothestudy,IhavefullcontroltorefusetoanswerquestionsatanytimeifIfeeluncomfortable.

3. Iam18+.

4. Icanconfirmthatanyrecordingsandquotesareavailabletobeusedto

helpthestudy,aslongasitisconfidentialandidentitiesarenotrevealed.

5. Iwouldliketotakepartinthisstudy. _______________________________________ ___________________ParticipantSignature Date_______________________________________ ___________________NameofParticipant Date____________________________________SignatureofResearcher

61

Lettertostudentregardingparticipationinthisstudy

DearSir/Madam,

IamacurrentstudentinCardiffMetropolitanUniversitylookingfor

completionofmydissertationinyear3(finalyear).Iamrequiredtotakeon

aresearchprojectandprovidenewrelevantdatainrelationtomycourse.In

ordertodothis,Iamlookingforsomeprimaryresearchtomaximisemy

opportunitytoreachmytargetgrade.

TheresearchquestionIhavedecidedtofurtherevaluateis‘Ananalysis

discussingthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthrough

theoperationofelectronictimemanagement’.Thepurposeofthisistogain

validprimaryresearch,collectingspecificdatatoenableanalysisand

discussionthroughoutthisproject.Thereforethestudywillallowavarietyof

discussionsandconclusionstobemade,involvingnumerousaspectsaround

thechosentopic.Oncethestudyiscompletedthentheresultscanbe

providedtoyourself,ifthisisofanyintereststoyou.

Finally,Iwouldliketostatethatanydatawouldbekeptconfidentialtoboth

theuniversityandmyself,andyournamewillnotbedistributedatall

throughoutthisproject.

Iamlookingforwardtohearingbackfromyou.Thankyouforanysupport

andguidanceyoucanprovidemewith.

Yoursfaithfully,

RhodriYoung

CardiffMetropolitanUniversity

Email:ST20061469@outlook.cardiffmet.ac.uk

62

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET - QUESTIONNAIRE/OPEN QUESTIONNAIRE Ananalysisdiscussingthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.ProjectoverviewThepurposeofthisstudyistoanalyseanddiscussthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudents,reviewingbothpositiveandnegativeimpactsthatareassociatedwithinandsurroundingthistopic.WhyyouhavebeenaskedtotakepartYouhavebeenaskedtoparticipateinthisprojectasapartofaresearchstudytoanalysetheamountoftimeyouarespendingonsocialmediathroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.Thedatacollectionwillbeaccumulatedviaafreesoftwareapplicationcalled‘RescueTime’.Thequestionnairewillconsistofnumerousquestionsthatwillneedtobefilledinpriortothedatacollection.Thiswillallowdatacomparisonanddetailedevaluationtobecarriedout,bringingvalidresultstothespecifictopic.ArethereanyrisksandwillIbementioned?Therearenorisksinvolvedwhenfillingoutthisquestionnaire.However,iftheapplicantfeelsuncomfortableansweringanyofthequestionsasked,theyhavefullpermissiontorefuseanswering.Allinformationanddatacollectedwillbekeptconfidential,alongwiththenamesofeachapplicant.ACOPYOFTHISPAGEWILLBEAVAILAVLEFORYOUTOKEEPANDLOOKOVERATANYPOINT.Ifyourequireanyfurtherinformationaboutthisprojectpleasecontact:RhodriYoung,CardiffMetropolitanUniversity.smcneil@cardiffmet.ac.ukStuartMcNeilBA(Hons),PgC(ASR),MBCS,FRSA,FHEAst20061469@cardiffmet.ac.ukRhodriYoung,ComputingBSc(Hons)

63

OPENQUESTIONNAIRE/QUESTIONNAIREPARTICIPANTCONSENTFORM

CardiffMetropolitanUniversityStudentNumber:ST20061469TitleofProjectAnanalysisdiscussingthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthroughtheoperationofelectronictimemanagement.NameofResearcher:RhodriYoung_______________________________________________________________________________ParticipantMUSTcompletethissection: Pleasetickeachbox.

6. I can approve that I have read and agreed to the information on the

studyandtoanswerquestionsregardingthetopictosupporttheproject.

7. Asavolunteertothestudy,IhavefullcontroltorefusetoanswerquestionsatanytimeifIfeeluncomfortable.

8. Iam18+.

9. Icanconfirmthatanyrecordingsandquotesareavailabletobeusedto

helpthestudy,aslongasitisconfidentialandidentitiesarenotrevealed.

10. Iwouldliketotakepartinthisstudy. _______________________________________ ___________________ParticipantSignature Date_______________________________________ ___________________NameofParticipant Date____________________________________SignatureofResearcher

64

Lettertostudentregardingparticipationinthisstudy

DearSir/Madam,

IamacurrentstudentinCardiffMetropolitanUniversitylookingfor

completionofmydissertationinyear3(finalyear).Iamrequiredtotakeon

aresearchprojectandprovidenewrelevantdatainrelationtomycourse.In

ordertodothis,Iamlookingforsomeprimaryresearchtomaximisemy

opportunitytoreachmytargetgrade.

TheresearchquestionIhavedecidedtofurtherevaluateis‘Ananalysis

discussingthetimeperiodspentonsocialmediabycurrentstudentsthrough

theoperationofelectronictimemanagement’.Thepurposeofthisistogain

validprimaryresearch,collectingspecificdatatoenableanalysisand

discussionthroughoutthisproject.Thereforethestudywillallowavarietyof

discussionsandconclusionstobemade,involvingnumerousaspectsaround

thechosentopic.Oncethestudyiscompletedthentheresultscanbe

providedtoyourself,ifthisisofanyintereststoyou.

Finally,Iwouldliketostatethatanydatawouldbekeptconfidentialtoboth

theuniversityandmyself,andyournamewillnotbedistributedatall

throughoutthisproject.

Iamlookingforwardtohearingbackfromyou.Thankyouforanysupport

andguidanceyoucanprovidemewith.

Yoursfaithfully,

RhodriYoung

CardiffMetropolitanUniversity

Email:ST20061469@outlook.cardiffmet.ac.uk

65

Questionnaire

1.Areyouacurrentstudent?

2.Whatsocialmediasitesareyousignedupto?

3.Onaweeklybasis,roughlyhowmanyhourswouldyousaythatyouspend

onsocialmedia(thisincludesbothlaptopsandmobilephones)?

4.Fromtheaboveanswer,howmanyofthesehoursarespentonsocial

mediaregardingtoimportantessentials(e.g.Universitywork,work

Facebookgroups/chatsetc.)?

5.Fromyouranswerinquestion3,doyoufeelasifthisamountoftimespent

onsocialmediacouldbeusedmorewisely?Ifso,pleasestatehow:

6.Comparingtoyourclosestudentfriends/housemates,doyouthinkyou

spend‘less’time,‘more’timeor‘roughlythesame’amountoftimeonsocial

mediaasthem?

7.Howlonghaveyoubeenusingsocialnetworkingsites(monthsoryears)?

8.Whatisthemainpurposeofyouusingasocialnetworkingsite?

9.Doyoufeelasifonlinenetworkingaffectsyoursociallife?Ifso,whyand

how?

10.Doyouthinksocialnetworkingsitesareimportant?

11.Doyoufeelasifsocialnetworkingtechnologyisusefulforyour

learning/study?

12.Outofthefollowing,whichsocialmediasitedoyoumostuse?

Facebook()Twitter()YouTube()Instagram()Flikr()MySpace()

Tumblr()Reddit()

Submissionofacompletedquestionnaireistakenasinformedconsent.

66

ParticipantAgreement1

ParticipantAgreement2

67

EthicsReferences

Glimmann, Julia (2003) Questioning strategies in marketing research questionnaires. Diplom.de.

Gaillet, L.L. and Eble, M.F. (2015) Primary research and writing: People, places, and spaces. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

Michaelson, D. and Stacks, D.W. (2014) A professional and practitioner’s guide to public relations research, measurement, and evaluation, Second edition. New York, NY, United States: Business

Expert Press.

Stewart, D.W. and Kamins, M.A. (1993) Secondary research: Information sources and methods. 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA, United States: Sage Publications.

68

References

1. Al-Deen,H.N.S.,Hendricks,J.A.andAl-Deen,N.(2011)Socialmedia:Usageandimpact.EditedbyHanaNoorS.Al-Deen.UnitedStates:Rowman&LittlefieldPub.

2. Asano,Evan."HowMuchTimeDoPeopleSpendOnSocialMedia?[Infographic]".SocialMediaToday.N.p.,2017.Web.8Apr.2017.

3. Bridgestock,Laura."WhatDrivesStudents'SocialMediaUsage?".TopUniversities.N.p.,2013.Web.16Apr.2017.

4. Brunty,Joshua,KatherineHelenek,andLarryMiller.SocialMediaInvestigationForLawEnforcement.1sted.Cincinnati,Ohio:Anderson,2013.

5. Cargan,Leonard.DoingSocialResearch.1sted.Lanham:Rowman&Littlefield

Publishers,2007.

6. Crane,Mary.100ThingsYouNeedToKnow.1sted.Portland,OR:BookBaby,2015.

7. Creswell,JohnW.DesigningAndConductingMixedMethodsResearch.2nded.

London:SagePublicationsInc,2011.

8. Curran,James,NatalieFenton,andDesFreedman.MisunderstandingTheInternet.1sted.London:Routledge,2012.

9. Davidson,Lauren."IsYourDailySocialMediaUsageHigherThanAverage?".

Telegraph.co.uk.N.p.,2015.Web.12Apr.2017.

10. Downs,CalW,AllysonDAdrian,andCalWDowns.AssessingOrganizationalCommunication.1sted.NewYork:GuilfordPress,2004.

11. Evans,AnnabelNessandBryanJRooney.MethodsInPsychologicalResearch.3rd

ed.California:SAGEPublications,2014.

12. Evans,Clare.TimeManagementForDummies-UK.1sted.Somerset:Wiley,2011.

13. Evans,Dave.SocialMediaMarketing.1sted.Indianapolis,Ind.:WileyTechnologyPub.,2010.

14. Gazzaley,Adam,andLarryDRosen.TheDistractedMind:AncientBrainsInA

High-TechWorld.1sted.Cambridge,London:TheMITPress,2016.

15. Hales,Dianne.AnInvitationToHealth,BriefEdition.10thed.Boston,MA:CengageLearning,2016.

16. Hammersley,Martyn.WhatIsQualitativeResearch?.1sted.London:Bloomsbury,

2013.

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