Social Media Effects on Adolescent Behavior - Research Paper Example

Final Research Report College Introduction Social media are the latest forms of information networking and information technology that uses interactive and user produced substance or content and interpersonal interactions that are maintained and developed. Social media is not a new concept to our society, it has been effect from the 1950’s beginning with the phone era to the evolution of the internet in the 1960’s but has only of late been introduced into our modern culture and business world. Online social networking is becoming very common among with teenagers across the globe. This study will investigate the positive and negative effects of social media on adolescent’s behavior. The study will also a on the effects of Facebook, Whatsapp, and Youtube on adolescent social development and behavior. Research will be the only way to verify different positive and negative effects of social media on adolescents’ behavior. Quantitative methods will be used to collect of data from a large number of respondents because they consume less time and allow confirmation of the result with least prejudice from the researcher. Observations, questionnaires, and interviews are the tools that will be used to collect and gather information regarding their perspective on the effects social media on adolescent behavior. Open-ended questionnaires will be used to give the respondents an opportunity to give the most honest answer to the questions asked. The researcher will select a focus group to observe their activity on the social media. The research questions will be about investigating the positive and negative effects of social media on adolescents’ behavior. Background Social media effects on adolescent behavior Facebook, Youtbe, Whatsapp and other social networking sites are a good avenue for and adolescents and teens who want to communicate and know what is going on with their friends or relatives (Chung and Asher 1996, P. 125). Through opening a website, they can learn many new things and communicate with the people who are important to them. Growing anxiety exists regarding the effects of the Internet on adolescents regarding possible risks to safety, livelihood and skill improvement (Selfhout, Branje, Delsing, Bogt & Meeus 2009). Social networking is a modern experience that entails both web-based communication with Internet users through websites (Facebook, YouTube and Whatsapp) and communication with others through cellular phones. Social networking has become widespread in today’s society, especially among adolescents and continues to grow in popularity. These activities happen among people who are already well versed with each other personally as well as those who have never met in person. Increased use of computers and cell phones to stay in touch, may be changing the means in which young people achieve and practice skills that are essential to their daily lives (Ling 2010, p.1) Adolescents use the Internet more than any other method to communicate and socialize (Mishna, McLuckie, & Saini, 2009). Current studies have revealed that communication technology is growing exponentially with each generation (Mishna et al., 2009). According to ComScore Networks statistics, 715 million people ages 15 to 24 which were 15% of the global population used the Internet in June 2007, with 155 million being in the United States. Further, adolescents use the Internet more but the age of first Internet use is quickly descending Greenfield andYan (2006, p. 391). Literature review Positive effects of social networking It has been established that involvement in social network sites offers a number of possible benefits for adolescents (Hutchinson, 2008). Cited by (Hinduja and Patchin 2008, p. 125) it was established that benefits of online communication provides a means to relate to others, accepting or differing viewpoints, expressing thoughts and approaches in a fit way, and practicing of significant thinking skills. In addition, Lenhart (2002) observes that interacting with others via the Internet is a chance to discover self-identity and improve self-discovery. Another benefit is that the Internet enhances the a fundamental place to spend time and share thoughts and objects with personal meaning, such as pictures and stories, and remain closely linked with friends despite of geographic distance (Hinduja & Patchin 2008). Finally, it was discovered that adolescents with difficulties may exploit online interactions as provisional bridges that bring them into safe and easy face-to-face relationships (Wolak, Mitchell, & Finkelhor 2003). Negative effects of social networking on adolescents A famous study by Kraut and Patterson was one of the foremost to scrutinize the connection between Internet use and the features of social concern and psychological well-being. A total of 255 people participated in the study. It was theorized that the users would enhance their sagacity of social support and experience less loneliness, less stress, and have improved mental health. Conversely, the results of the study showed the reverse. Associations were discovered between increased Internet uses and decreased social involvement, experiencing more loneliness, and an increase in depressive symptoms. Another outcome was that more Internet use was connected to a decrease in communication among family members. Another effect of social networking is the problem of cyber bullying. Much data exists concerning the negative issues of social networking and the occurrence of cyber bullying and oppression among users. Traditionally, bullying has occurred during face-to-face contacts (Marsh, McGee, Nada-Raja, & Williams 2010) RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Methods Research design College students between ages 16-24 who were enrolled at the St. Thomas University will be the target population for this research. Using sampling method, students at this university will be chosen because of their practical access and their likely experience of the research topic. The goal of this study will be to precisely represent social networking connection and experiences in adolescents. Therefore, to be qualified for this study, an age limit of 16-24 will be set by the researcher. However, to concentrate on an interest in social networking among the high school population, an approach of asking respondents to respond to survey questions based upon their high school experiences will be initially considered for a range of reasons. First, it may be a frequent practice for students who stay away from college to be in contact with friends through the use technology (Facebook, Whatsapp and Youtube). Therefore, to more precise in capturing the possible impact of social networking, the researcher will measure attitudes and practices of social networking at the time participants are available in their constant and accessible social environments in school. Second, entering college can increase an individual’s social network to vast lengths, both in true life and in the practical world. This theatrical increase in social networking prospects may not be accurate of the high school experience, as not everybody pursues post-secondary education and is introduced to such an instant extension of their social networks relationships between high school students are believed to be more constant and predictable. Finally, the intention of this research will be to explore the impact of social networking practices on the communication skills. Therefore, since high school students are still in a developmental stage and in the course of learning and attaining communication skills, focusing on students will allow examination of the effects of social media during this influential stage. However, the approach of having respondents replicate on their senior year of high school while responding to survey questions will not be used because o the potential inaccuracy of estimations. In order to balance the goal of evaluating social networking between adolescents and the need for accurate data, the researcher will focus on 16-24 years who attended the University of St. Thomas. Further, the simplicity of access to these respondents will be the most realistic option. The questions that will be used in this survey will pose little risk to the respondents. The questions will gather information on approaches toward social networking and actual practices within this context. This topic will be neutral in nature and unlikely to cause discomfort. However, some respondents may have never been asked to report on their attitudes and reactions regarding social networking and how they use this means to communicate. Therefore, this may have result in some sensitivity to the questions. Further, information on the topics of friendships and relationships will be gathered, which may result in self-reflection and unexpected feelings. Given that fact that the survey is online, participants will have the choice of stopping any time or skip questions without consequences in case they become uncomfortable. Participation in the study will be completely voluntary. There will be few risks and no actual benefits for participating in this research. Once informed about the study through reading the university’s online Bulletin, each participant will have the choice of clicking on the link to the survey. If an individual proceeds, a letter of informed permission will first appear Clicking on the “Yes” button will indicate that a respondent agrees to the requirements outlined in the letter of informed consent. At that time, the survey items will appear and the process will begin. A respondent will be able to stop participation at any time by either clicking on “Exit” or by exiting their browser window. Data Collection The survey will consist of a variety of items including 5-point and 7-point scales asking participants to rate their attitudes on several statements involving issues of social networking. Other items on the survey will include listing anticipated time spent in social networking activities, interactions ending using social networking, and two questions will be asked to participants to rank their preferences in the areas of communication. The only demographic information that will be gathered will be the gender of the respondents. The majority of the questions concerned the social networking activity of texting and the social network site Facebook and Whatsapp. Estimated time for completing the survey will be 20 minutes. Data Analysis The data from this research will be analyzed using both Qualtrix and Minitab 15 data-analysis software. The researcher will use descriptive statistics to explain the results from the survey. Frequency distributions and measures of central tendency will be used to report on nominal variables such as gender of respondents, the amount of time spent texting and on Facebook and Whatsapp numbers of texts posts sent and received, and status of intimate relationships. The 5-point Likert scales will be developed using two formats. One scale will range from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree” and the other scale will range from “Never” to “Always” for answer options regarding communication. There will also be two ranking questions on the survey. The first ranking question from the survey will be “I prefer to keep in touch with others by:” containing five options and the second ranking question “I prefer to let someone know I’m mad at them by:” containing six options. These ordinal level variables will be displayed in figures. The final 7-point Likert scale ranged from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree” and its six items inquired about general attitudes towards social networking. Preliminary Suppositions and Implications Results The purpose of this research study will be to investigate the impact of the social networking activities of texting and using Facebook, Whatsapp and Youtube on communication. Demographics Students attending the University of St. Thomas who will meet research criteria will respond to the survey. The initial declaration of the survey link in the Bulletin will yield respondents. With approval from the university’s IRB the researcher posted the survey link in the Bulletin a second time with an additional statement will encourage participants to share the link with fellow 16-24 year-old peers. This effort will result in an additional 10 respondents. Of the predicted student respondents, 17 (77%) will be female and 5 (23%) will male. 1. Social Networking Accessibility Respondents will be asked three closed ended questions regarding access to cell phones, Computers, and profiles on the social networking site Facebook, Whatsapp and Youtube. Time Spent in Activities Respondents will be asked to report on minutes spent each day in different social networking activities that will be the focus of this study. That is, respondents’ estimates of the amount of time in minutes they will participate in texting, using Facebook and Whatsapp as well as face-to-face interaction with others. As a point of clarification, the survey will specify face-to-face interaction as being leisure. This distinction will be important to include because the target population will consist of college students and time spent in other activities, such as attending classes or doing homework, will not be considered as interpersonal interaction Facebook and communication. Respondents will be asked to rate their level of agreement to various statements regarding their use of Facebook, Whatsapp and Youtube to communicate with others. The most common response to will be “I rely too much on Facebook to stay in touch with people” Social networking and communication. Respondents will be asked to rate their level of agreement to a statement regarding their perception on how social networking has affected their interpersonal relationships. Research limitations Problems in research A limitation of the study is that the research will be conducted using only 16-24 year-olds at a faith-based university in a metropolitan area. Although no other characteristics will be specified for participants to qualify, this group may not be characteristic of the general population of adolescents. Further, many schools and universities have their own IRB rules and policies and, for sake of time restraints, conducting the survey using other post-secondary student population will not be feasible. Again, due to separate IRB requirements and the need to obtain parent consent, time will be an issue and therefore the high school population will not be a reasonable option. Future possibilities of conducting this research will include expanding the parameters of the study and making the survey available and accessible to a broader group. Another limitation of this research will be lack of existing tools to measure the interaction between social networking and communication. Therefore, the researcher will have to develop the survey using expert judgments, personal experiences, and team contribution regarding social networking. Not all of the survey questions will reflect existing research because of the exploratory nature of the study. Therefore, it will be important to note that reliability and validity for this survey will not be established. A final limitation of the study will be the low number of respondents. The researcher will not know the total number of students who will meet the research criteria beforehand. If this will be discovered, the age range may be expanded to increase the number of potential respondents. The low number of students who will take part in the survey will result in the inability to conduct inferential statistics to look at any statistically significant relationships between variables. Literature search Terms in research and their meaning 1. Purpose of the Paper – The reasons for writing the paper or the aims of the research 2. Design/Methodology/Approach – How are the objectives achieved? What are the main methods used for the research. What is the approach to the topic and what is the theoretical or subject scope of the paper 3. Findings – Refers to analysis, discussion, results 4. Demographics: Current statistical characteristics of a population, including gender, race, age. 5. Surveys: A method of collecting data from respondents 6. The variable- characteristic that has two or more mutually exclusive values or properties. References List Chung, T., & Asher, S. 1996. Children’s goals and strategies in peer conflict situations. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 42. 125-147. Greenfiled, P. & Yan, Z. 2006. Children, adolescents, and the internet: A new field of inquiry in developmental psychology. Developmental Psychology, 42 (3). 391-394. Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. 2008. Personal information of adolescents on the internet: A quantitative analysis of MySpace. Journal of Adolescence, 31. 125-146. Hutchison, E. 2008. Dimensions of Human Behavior (3rd Eds). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Lenhart, A. 2007. Social networking websites and teens: An overview. Pew Internet & American Life Project. 1-10. Ling, R. 2010. Texting as a life phase medium. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 15. 277-292. Marsh, L., McGee, R., Nada-Raja, S., & Williams, S. 2010. Brief report: Text bullying and traditional bullying among New Zealand secondary students. Journal of Adolescence, 33. 237-240. Mishna, F., McLuckie, A., & Saint, M. 2009. Real-world dangers in an online reality: A qualitative study examining online relationships and cyber abuse. Social Work Research, 33 (2). 107-118. Selfhout, M., Branje, S., Delsing, M., Bogt, T., & Meeus, W. 2009. Different types on internet use, depression, and social anxiety: The role of perceived friendship quality. Journal of Adolescence, 32. 819-833. Wolak, J., Mitchell, K. & Finkelhor, D. 2003. Escaping of connecting? Characteristics of youth who form close online relationships. Journal of Adolescence, 26. 105-119. Read More