Introduction to disseration - Dissertation Example

Based on the Pew Internet Project, the most dominant social network is MySpace and popular among teens; in fact, this site is used by 85% of them since it allows users almost unlimited flexibility in order to create and to customize profile pages (share music, videos,posts, etc.). The next most favorite social networking site is Facebook, which puts a bigger emphasis on people that users have been connected with. Other popular social networking sites include Yahoo, Xanga, and Bebo (Hall, 2007).

PEW reports also that around 50% of teenagers also use the sites for the purpose of making new friends, create social plans with friends; and sometimes to flirt. Like most teenagers, other Individual users are known to vary their tendency to adopt and use new technologies like the internet; it is also unclear which personality 2 traits of users are more innovative in information technology than others. This is essential (Nov & Ye, 2008) because personality traits are useful in psychology; in order to provide explanation about behaviour and human beliefs.

In fact, there have been growing interest on this discipline being very useful as explanatory tool of social users' behavior. On the contrary, there is limited understanding about the interaction between the unique behaviors of the various Internet users, so with the variety of ways that information in the Internet must be presented (Amichai-Hamburger, Kaynar, & Fine, 2005). Studies have shown the connection between the internet users' behaviors on line and individual personality of the user and such connection is highly significant.

Moreover, along with the social network's benefits come some risks. Majority of the social networking sites are wide-open to the public, which implies that “minors” could be exposed to bullying, harassment, or sexual advances. Cyber-bullying, as well as harassment are primarily often perpetrated by other individuals and tend to occur or experience among girls who have a strong sense of online presence that may take several forms like: publicizing private instant messages, posting threatening messages, text messages or e-mails, spreading rumors, and posting photos that will lead or cause embarrassment.

Much of the evident academic research on Facebook has focused towards identity presentation and also on privacy concerns ( Stutzman, 2006; Gross & Acquisti, 2005). Upon observing the amount of information Facebook users provide about themselves, lack of privacy controls by the users, and the relatively open access of information 3 Gross and Acquisti (2005) point out that users may be placing themselves at risk both online (e.g., identify theft) and offline (e.g., stalking). Other current Facebook research reviews student perceptions of instructor temporal patterns of utilization (Golder, Wilkinson, & Huberman, 2007), self-disclosure and presence (Hewitt & Forte, 2006; Mazer, Murphy, & Simonds, 2007), and the relationship between friendship articulation and( profile structure Lampe, Ellison, & Steinfield, 2007).

There are also cases (Hall, 2011) that put teens in greater danger such as when this age group become targets of many pedophiles. The anonymity of various social networking sites can make it easier for unscrupulous people to victimize young