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TITLE/TOPIC: Social Networking

PROBLEM STATEMENT: The impacts of social networking sites on the social life, of

students of St Stephens College, between the ages of 11- 18yrs?

INTRODUCTION:

Only recently in Trinidad and Tobago have social networking become a prominent issue. Great

deals of speculation have been made about the impacts of social networking sites (SNS) such as

Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter on users lives particularly on youths. Some fear that SNS

would diminish proper communication skills, human relationships and contacts, as well as cause

social seclusion. However others believe that with the advent of social networking sitesespecially the modern day marvel Facebook, this facility could be described as a social utilitythat helps people communicate faster and more efficiently with their friends, family and co-

workers all over the world.As could be expected, researchers have begun to put to empirical

test these claims, reaching a more balanced understanding of SNS.

The research which this study would pursue investigates both the positive and negative impacts

of social networking on youth, with emphasis on security, communication skills, and formal

education. The age group to be studied is between 11 to 18 years, while the physical space of the

research focus is St. Stephens College, Craignish Village, Princes Town, Trinidad.

The purpose of this study is to discover the extent of the influence of social networking sites on

the social lives of youths and to assess the involvement of parents in their childs use of social

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networking sites. This will serve to facilitate the evaluation of beliefs made by individuals about

the pros and cons of social networking.

The value of the research would be to help parents and guardians to be more aware of the

impacts of social networking on the lives of their children and as such monitor their childrens

use of these sites more stringently. It can also help youths to be more mindful of how these sites

should be used to their benefit without placing themselves and their future at risk.

Research questions:

1. What are the positive impacts of social networking on youths lives?

2. What are the negative impacts of social networking on youths lives?

3. How aware are parents are of their childs use of social networking sites?

Definitions:

Social network sites: web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-

public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a

connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within

the system.

Facebook: A social networking website on which users can connect with friends and develop new

ones and can send messages or update their personal profiles to notify others about whats going

on in their lives.

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Twitter: This is a social networking and microblogging site that calls itself a real time information

network powered by people all around the world that lets you share and discover whats

happening now. Messages are called tweets.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

Social networking sites are virtual communities (Lenhart and Madden, 2007). Just like chat

services, SNS incorporate a list of other users with whom individuals can share a connection. But

unlike any other web service, SNS allow individuals to make visible their list of connections to

others and to traverse their social networks (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Hence, more than other

virtual communities born online, SNS are usually online communities created and maintained to

reflect offline relationships.

Social networks are also being used by teachers and students as a communication tool. Because

many students are already using a wide-range of social networking sites, teachers have begun to

familiarize themselves with this trend and are now using it to their advantage. Teachers and

professors are doing everything from creating chat-room forums and groups to extend classroom

discussion to posting assignments, tests and quizzes, to assisting with homework outside of the

classroom setting. Social networks are also being used to foster teacher-parent communication.

These sites make it possible and more convenient for parents to ask questions and voice

concerns without having to meet face-to-face.

"Benniger (1987) describes how mass media has gradually replaced interpersonal communication

as a socializing force. Further, social networking sites have become popular sites for youth

culture to explore themselves, relationships, and share cultural artifacts".

Many teens and social

networking users may be harming their interpersonal communication by using sites such as

Facebook and MySpace. Stated by Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University Neuroscientist, "My

fear is that these technologies are infantilizing the brain into the state of small children who are

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attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for

the moment." The convenience that social network sites give users to communicate with one

another can also damage their interpersonal communication. Sherry Turkle, the founder and

director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, stated, Networked, we are together, but

so lessened are our expectations of each other that we feel utterly alone. And there is the risk

that we come to see others as objects to be accessed--and only for the parts we find useful,

comforting, or amusing. Furthermore, social network sites can create insincere friendships,

Turkle also noted, They nurture friendships on social-networking sites and then wonder if they

are among friends. They become confused about companionship.

Parents are unaware of the dangers their children face by posting details about themselves on

social networking sites, according to research commissioned by Ofcom.

The survey of 5,000 adults and 3,000 children found that nearly half of children aged between

eight and 17 have a profile on one or more of the popular social networking sites. Despite two-

thirds of parents saying they set rules for their children regarding the use of social networking

sites, one in five parents said they were unaware that their child may have made their profile

public. (http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-

networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHt)

Privacy concerns with social networking services have been raised growing concerns amongst

users on the dangers of giving out too much personal information and the threat ofsexual

predators. According to a study conducted by the information Commissioners Office (ICO)

http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHthttp://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_concerns_with_social_networking_serviceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_concerns_with_social_networking_serviceshttp://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHthttp://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/1911962/children-putting-danger-social-networking-sites#ixzz1f25sgAHt

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(2006), more than half of those social network users polled revealed that the majority of their

information was available for public consumption on a social networking page. Citizens and

governments have been concerned by a misuse by child and teenagers of social networking

services, in particular in relation to online sexual predators. A 2008 panel concluded that

technological fixes such as age verification and scans are relatively ineffective means of

apprehending online predators.

A common misuse of social networking sites such as Facebook is that it is occasionally used to

emotionally abuse individuals. Online bullying, also called cyber-bullying, is a relatively common

occurrence and it can often result in emotional trauma for the victim. Depending on the

networking outlet, up to 39% of users admit to being cyber-bullied. Danah Boyd, a researcher

of social networks quotes a teenager in her article, Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites. The

teenager expresses frustration towards networking sites like MySpace because it causes drama

and too much emotional stress. There are not many limitations as to what individuals can post

when online. Individuals are given the power to post offensive remarks or pictures that could

potentially cause a great amount of emotional pain for another individual.

Social networking can also affect the extent to which a person feels lonely. In a Newsweek

article, Johannah Cornblatt explains Social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace may

provide people with a false sense of connection that ultimately increases loneliness in people

who feel alone. John T. Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago, claims that social

networking can foster feelings of sensitivity to disconnection, which can lead to loneliness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_fixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebookhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-bullyinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danah_Boydhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danah_Boydhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-bullyinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebookhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_fix

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However some scholars have expressed that concerns about social networking are often

exaggerated and poorly researched.

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RESEARCH DESIGN

In this research paper I will be using quantitative data. Quantitative data usually takes the

form of statistical or numerical information. My main reason for choosing to employ the use

of this type of data is the fact that quantitative research facilitates theory formation because

as a large amount of data is collected the data can display cause and correlation and therein

makes the formation of theory is possible. The use of this type of data is also advantageous in

that it provides objectivity; therefore respondents will not in any way be influenced by my

personal views.

The instrument used to collect data was questionnaires. A questionnaire is a number of

preset questions that can contain open-ended, fixed choice or a combination of both types of

questions. 54 students (27 girls and 27 boys- 6 from each age group ranging from 11-19 years

old) were chosen by stratified random sample from St Stephens College from forms 1 to 6.

They were approached individually and asked whether they would like to participate in the

study. All agreed. A 17 item questionnaire was administered to all students on the 29th

of

February during the lunch break and was collected after school. 15 items were of forced-

choice type and two were open-ended.

The advantages of the questionnaire are that the data can be easily tabulated, measured

and analyzed, and they are easy to administer. However some disadvantages are that fixed

choice questions can possibly force a respondent to choose an answer that does not capture

his/her feelings about an issue and that some respondents may provide erroneous

information or treat the issue too lightly. However these problems were overcome by

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incorporating open ended questions in my questions and secondly in order to prevent

respondents from treating the issue lightly I made an effort to impress upon the respondents

the importance of the research and the necessity for them to answer all questions honestly

and seriously.

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DATA ANALYSIS

Figure.1

93%

7%

PIE GRAPH SHOWING THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ON A

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE (SNS)

Students on a SNS

Students not on a SNS

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Figure 2. Table showing the percentage of youths on SNS with respect to the age

groups

AGE GROUPS

PERCENTAGE

On A Social Networking Site Not On A Social Networking

Site

11-13 100 0

14-16 94.4 5.6

17-19 83.3 16.7

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FIGURE 3

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

11 to 13 14 to 16 17 to 19

55.60%

76%

67%

44.40%

24%

33%

GRAPH SHOWING THE AWARENESS OF PARENTS ABOUT THE

THEIR CHILD'S SNS USAGE

Aware Unaware

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Figure 4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

10.00%

0

90.00%

0

AREA GRAPH SHOWING THE PERCENTAGE OF PARENTS WHO

GIVE THIER CHILDEN ADVICE ON WHAT TO POST ON SOCIALNETWORKING SITES

no advice

advice

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Figure 5

.

11.00%

17.00%

72.00%

29.00%

24.00%

47.00%

47.00%

33.00%

13.00%

0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00% 120.00% 140.00%

11 to 13

14 to 16

17 to 19

BAR GRAPH SHOWING HOW STUDENTS PROFILE ARE SET UP ON

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Private

Partially private

Public

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Figure 6

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

11 to 13 13 t0 16 16 to 19

PERCENTAGE

AGE GROUP

GRAPH SHOWING THE HOW AWARE STUDENTS ARE ABOUT THE DANGERS

RELATED TO THE EXPOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ON SNS

unaware

aware

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Figure 7

0%

11%

22%

28%

39%

0%

29%

18%

24%

29%

0%

40%

13%

20%

27%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

LINE GRAPH SHOWING THE AMOUNT OF TIME STUDENTS SPEND

DAILY ON SNS

11 to 13

14 to 16

17 to 19

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Figure 8

KIND UNKIND

60%

40%

COLUMN GRAPH SHOWING HOW YOUTHS RELATE TO EACH

OTHER ON SNS

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Figure 9

10%

20%

10%

60%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

0 1 2 3 4 5

BUBBLE GRAPH SHOWING HOW OFTEN STUDENTS WITNESS

ONLINE INTIMIDATION

Frequently

Sometimes

only once in a while

never

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Figure 10

TABLE SHOWING THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS INTIMIDATED/ ABUSE ON SNS

AGE GROUPS

IMITATED OR ABUSED

YES NO

11-13 83% 17%

14-16 77% 23%

17-18 53% 47%

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Figure 11

From graph:

A=Resulted in face to face argument or confrontation

B= Caused a problem with your parents

C= Resulted in a physical fight with someone else

D= Ended your friendship with someone

E=Made you feel nervous about going to school

F=Made you feel closer to another person

G=Made you feel good about yourself

0.00%20.00%

40.00%60.00%

80.00%100.00%

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

8.00%

12.00%

20.00%

6.00%

15.00%

24.00%

58.00%

92.00%

88.00%

80.00%

92.00%

85.00%

76.00%

42.00%

GRAPH SHOWING THE STUDENTS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

ON SNS

NO

YES

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(a)INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGSFigure 1 indicates that the majority of students are on a social networking site. Figure 2

shows the youths between the ages of 11-13 are more active users in social networking than

youths between the ages of 14-16 and 17-19. The age group 17-19 is the least involved in social

networking. Thus this indicates a trend that students involvement decreases as their age

increases.

Figure 3 indicates that most parents are aware of their childs involvement on SNS. However,

it also indicates that the highest unawareness of their childs involvement is in the age group of

11-13. Although the majority of parents are aware of their childs involvement on social

networking sites, most parents neither check their childs account nor give him/her advice on

what he/she should post on their account as indicated in figure 4.

Figure 5 indicates that students between the ages of 11 to 16 opt to have their profiles on

social networking sites public whereas the majority of students between ages 17 to 19 have their

profiles private. Figure 6 indicates that the majority the students are unaware of the dangers

related to the exposure of personal information with the most unaware group being age 11-13

and the most aware group being ages 17 to 19. The awareness increases sharply from age 11 to

19. This therefore shows that most of those who have their profiles public are ignorant of the

dangers related to exposure of their personal information on these sites. From the responses

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received from the questionnaire it was also noted that most students are unconcerned about the

effect of what the place on social networking site would have on their social life.

On average most students spend more than 3 hours on social networking sites daily, the

majority of them being between the ages of 11 to 13. Most students between the ages of 17 to

19 spend on average less than 30 minutes daily as shown in figure 7.

From the results obtained figure 8 shows that youths are mostly kind to each other on SNS,

70%, with the minority being unkind 30%. This therefore indicates that youths have relatively

good relations with each other on these sites.

. Most students do not witness online intimidation however they themselves are abused as

shown in figure 9 and 10. Students in the age group of 11-13 experience the most abuse on SNS,

83% of them.

The majority of teens have positive online experiences, but some are caught in an online

feedback loop of meanness and negative experiences as seen in figure 11. The majority of

students felt that social networking sites improved their self-esteem.

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