Psychological Impacts of Using Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter - Research Proposal Example

Title: Marketing Research Project Student No.: Institution: Tutor’s Name: Date of Submission: Executive summary The use of social networks has been popular among people of various demographic characteristics in both rural and urban areas. This has resulted into a number of psychological impacts on regular users. This report provides a study of the psychological impacts of using social networks such as Facebook, twitter and email on participants of various age groups, occupational stats and gender. The main areas studies include the impact of using social media on the relationship with family members, students’ performance in schools and impact on career for those who are in employment. This is achieved through data collection through interviews and surveys. The interviews involve a list of questions that provide the participants with options of answers. The survey involves collection of views of participants with regards to the research questions. The data is analyzed to find descriptive statistics. The discussion includes comparison of data analyzed with studies that have been conducted. From the discussion, it if found that social media has affected users in various platforms such as relationship with families and occupational performance. The limitations of the study are found to be the use of a small sample which does not show the views of the general population. This leads to various recommendations such as the need to create awareness regarding responsible use of social media by various participants. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive summary 2 CHAPTER ONE 4 1.Introduction 4 1.1.Problem Statement 5 1.2.Scope of the research 6 1.3.Objectives of the study 6 CHAPTER TWO 7 2.Methodology 7 2.1.Introduction 7 2.2.Measures during the Research 8 2.3.Methods of sampling 8 2.4.Methods of Data Analysis 9 CHAPTER THREE 9 3.Results 9 Table 1. Responses in terms of age 10 Figure 1. Graphical representation of responses in terms of age groups 10 Table 2. Responses in terms of gender 10 Figure 2. Impacts of Social media on life of respondents 11 Figure 3. Various forms of Social media used by respondents 12 CHAPTER FOUR 12 4.Discussion 12 4.1.Limitations and areas for future studies 15 CHAPTER FIVE 16 5.Conclusions and recommendations 16 6.References 17 Appendix 19 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Responses in terms of age 10 Table 2. Responses in terms of gender 10 Table 3. Responses in terms of occupation 10 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Graphical representation of responses in terms of age groups 10 Figure 2. Impacts of Social media on life of respondents 11 CHAPTER ONE 1. Introduction Present tools of communication used by teenagers and youths have particular names such as wall posts, status updates, activity feeds, and thumbs up which are used by youths during communication with one another. These tools are typical of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and email services (Buffardi & Campbell, 2008). There are also various websites that have been designed so that the participation of a large group of people can be facilitated rather than the participation of a single individual. These sites also aggregate and mix contents from various sources such as advertisements and allow users to use the contents within a single web page. The involvement of the youth in these social networking sites has been a major concern among parents and youth, triggering the need to conduct studies on the impacts of these media platforms on social, psychological and academic outcomes of users (Dika & Singh, 2002). Many parents in the United States have expressed concerns with regards to the involvement of their children in the use of social networking sites. In addition, there are professional organizations that have expressed concerns with regards to the output of their employees as a result of advent of social networking sites. On the other hand, reports from scholars show that social media contributes significantly towards enhancement of educational needs of learners and well as improving their social well-being (Donath, 2007). This paper provides an empirical study in which a sample is selected after which a study of the impact of social networks on the sample is established through analysis of the data collected. The research questions are based on theoretical arguments that arise as a person thinks about the impacts of social media. On the other hand, previous studies on social media show that technology on its own cannot contribute to affect health outcomes (Eccles & Templeton, 2002). O the other hand, there is the need for a social informatics strategy that provides a study of the interaction between technical characteristics of social media and the manner in which teenagers adopt to social media. The compelling question for a young researcher is to consider whether the outcomes are applicable to younger age groups and the areas where differences could be expected. There is the need to conduct the impacts of youth involvement in the media on the society (Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe, 2007). Studies aimed at informing the debates and controversies in this article form a major promise for improvement of access to social media and its better use, in addition to contributing to understanding the effects of social media on the youth and adolescent population. 1.1. Problem Statement There is a general addiction to social networking sites among both young and old individuals as well as people of various economic capabilities. For instance, parents have complained that youths who use social networking sites frequently do not dedicate themselves to their families and also do not concentrate in their studies (Eveland, 2003). In some schools, teachers have complained that social networking sites have resulted into inability of students to concentrate in their studies and thus declining in their academic performance. The same convictions have been made by some students who have reported that when they use social networking sites for long periods of time., they do not perform well in academics and are likely to fail in that term or semester compared to the term in which they do not use social networking sites (Feldman & Matjasko, 2005). Similarly, working professionals have reported that using social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter have impacted greatly on their performance at work. For instance, there are those who have reported that they have received warnings from their bosses as a result of overusing social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter. A s result, there has been the association of a number of events taking place in the lives of people such as psychological changes. In some cases, people have associated these psychological changes with being addicted to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and email (Fishman, Lunsford, McGregor & Otuteye, 2005). This has resulted into the need to understand the true information about this argument. As a result, a study has been conducted where the focus is to provide an insight on the manner in which social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter and email have influenced the psychology of users. This has been achieved through the focus in areas such as relationship with family members, performances in a person’s careers and general change of mood as a result of continued use of social networking sites. 1.2. Scope of the research This study focuses on the impacts social media on the psychology of various participants in the study. The main participants who are studies are students and bus9iness men. The study focuses on students because they are the most likely groups of people to be affected by social networking sites such as Facebook and perform poorly in their academics. In addition, business people are studies because they are most likely to be affected by addition to social networking sites and fail to conduct their business activities effectively. This is because as business people, they are responsible for ensuring effective management of their daily tasks that if not monitored effectively can lead to business collapse. However, this study does not involve a study of impacts of social media on corporate employees such as staff of a banking institution. This study also does not involve a study of the impacts of social media on unemployed people or retired people. This is because these are people who have few challenges and their involvement on social media cannot contribute to any impact. In addition, this study provides an empirical analysis of the results of a survey and questionnaire to obtain data which is analyzed and a conclusion regarding the impacts of social media on various people is determined. This study does not involve an analysis of published materials about the impacts of social; media on psychological well being of the individuals involved in the study. This implies that this study is original and not subject to any manipulation before the results is obtained and a conclusion made. 1.3. Objectives of the study The main objective of this study is to determine the psychological impacts of use of social media on people with the focus on students and business need. However, there are specific objectives as illustrated below: I. To establish the impact of social media on psychological well being of users II. To determine various types of social media used by participants III. To determine the impacts of social media on academic performance of students CHAPTER TWO 2. Methodology 2.1. Introduction In order to achieve the objectives of this study, a two-step reach strategy was used. This is where a survey was conducted regarding the views of participants about the use of social media on the psychology of the participants. The views were recorded in the same manner that they were obtained from respondents so that meaning of the message conveyed could not be distorted. The assumption of this study is that both male and female respondents are affected equally and the results obtained are used to give general perceptions of the impacts of social media on psychology of the people (Fredericks, Blumenfeld & Paris, 2004). In addition, this study involves the use of interviews where structured questions are sent to participants during the research and a number of options are given for each question. This allows the participants to answer the questions based on the choices provided. For instance, they can be given the choices of ‘Agree’, ‘neutral’ and “Disagree’ so that they only select one choice. Ina a case where a respondent chooses more than one answer, that answer is considered invalid. The questionnaires were then collected and it was found that there was 100% response to the questionnaire. This enabled easy analysis of the data and comparing the quantitative data pertaining to the research questions with the survey results so that the researcher could guide whether they were closer to a reliable result (Kling, 2007). There are a number of ethical considerations that were made in order to ensure accurate data was collected and respondents were comfortable in providing the answers. For instance, a pre-visit was conducted to the learning institutions and business set up where respondents were informed about the intention to conduct research on the impact of social media on psychology of the users. This was followed by seeking their consent to participate in the research. In addition, the respondents were assured that the information would be used for the purpose of the research and would not be used as methods of defaming them or publicizing their involvement in social media. Finally, respondents were assured that the information would be kept confidential and the researcher would assume the data has been collected from an anonymous individual. The respondents were given unlimited duration to answer the research questions so that they could provide accurate answers based on their experience in the use of social media. The data collected was used to analyze descriptive characteristics of participants such as mean, median and standard deviation. This ensured the distribution of the data pertaining to the respondents could be understood. In order to analyze this data, Microsoft Excel was used. 2.2. Measures during the Research The main areas of focus during the research included the following sections: a) Demographic characteristics of participants: in this process of data collection, the main data collected included the age, occupation and gender of participants. This variable ensured the number of students was distinguished from the number of businessmen and also ensured the impact of social media based on gender could be understood. b) The impact of social media on personal life: this variable involved determination of the use of social media on relationship with family members, impact on career and impacts on friendship of the respondents to people who are closer to them. c) The purpose of using social media: This variable was important because it ensured the driving factor towards the use of social media could be understood. For instance, it enabled understanding the role of social media in communication purposes, conducting business and entertainment purposes. As a result, it was possible to determine which factor affected students most and also the factor that affected business men most. d) The use of statements such as ‘Agree’, ‘neutral’, Disagree’ so that respondents could provide answers to questions in terms of approval no point of view or disapproval of the question asked. 2.3. Methods of sampling During sampling process, the sampling objective was to obtain data form students and businessmen. As a result, the sampling process involved a total of 100 samples where all participants in the sample were either business men or students in colleges in Australia. It was also significant the sampling process include people of various genders among both business people and students so that the impact of the use of social media in terms of gender could be understood. When the sample had been determined, data collection was performed after which the data was analyzed using Ms Excel to obtain descriptive characteristic and an analysis of the responses were classified based on demographic characteristics. 2.4. Methods of Data Analysis Various methods were used to analyze the data such as the determination of descriptive characteristics such as mean and standard. This ensured the descriptive statistics of the variables could be understood and a conclusion made about those descriptive data as well as use of the descriptive data to classify responses. In addition, it ensured the impact of one variable on another variable could be understood. CHAPTER THREE 3. Results From the demographic data about the participants during the research, it was found that in terms of age those aged 18-25 were 37 (37%), 26-36 were 41 (41%) and those aged above 36 years were 22 (22%). This implies that most respondents were aged between 26-35 years. This is the age group of most people in colleges. Thus, most of the respondents were students. In terms of gender, it was found that male respondents were 56 (56%) and female respondents were 44 (44%). Thus, in terms of gender, it is found that male respondents were more than female respondents. Another variable whose information was collected is occupation of the participant. In terms of this variable, it was found that students were 59 (59%) and businessmen were 41 (41%). Thus, it is observed that there were more students than businessmen. These data are summarized as shown in the tables below. What is your age group? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 18-25 37 37.0 37.0 37.0 26-35 41 41.0 41.0 78.0 36 and above 22 22.0 22.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 Table 1. Responses in terms of age Figure 1. Graphical representation of responses in terms of age groups What is your gender? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Male 56 56.0 56.0 56.0 Female 44 44.0 44.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 Table 2. Responses in terms of gender What is your Occupation? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Student 59 59.0 59.0 59.0 Business man 41 41.0 41.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 Table 3. Responses in terms of occupation In addition, respondents were provided with questionnaires which attempted to find answers to a number of research objectives so that variables of the research could be understood. Consequently, the following answers were obtained for some of the research questions. In the variable of the impact of social media in the life of participants, 28 respondents reported impacts on friendship (28%), 31 respondents reported impacts on family (31%), 25 respondents reported impacts on career (25%) and finally 16 respondent reported impacts on privacy (16%). Thus, according to the variable of impacts on life, social media contributed significantly to impacts on friendship compared to its impacts on other impacts. This is explained by the figure below. Figure 2. Impacts of Social media on life of respondents In measurement of the purpose of using social media, respondents who chose communication were 34 (34%); those who chose Business purpose was 38 (38%) and those who chose entertainment were 28(28%). This implies that most people used social media for the purpose of communication. In the measurement of the type of social media used, respondents were provided with the choices of selecting among Facebook, twitter and email. Those who chose Facebook were 41 (41%), those who chose Twitter were 37 (37%) and those who chose email were 22 (22%). Thus, it is observed that the greatest number of respondents used Facebook compared with either twitter or email. This is illustrated by the figure below. Figure 3. Various forms of Social media used by respondents When respondents were required to ‘Agree’, ‘Disagree’ or become ‘Neutral’ about social media having impacts on their psychological well-being, it was found that 36 respondents agreed (36%), 41 respondents were neutral (41%) and 23 (23%) respondents disagreed. Thus, on the basis of impacts of social media on psychological well-being of participants, there was a greater agreement that it contributed to an impact on their psychological well-being. In the measurement of the impacts of social media on grades of students, it was found that 36 respondents agreed (36%), 37 respondents were neutral (37%) and 27 respondents disagreed (27%). Thus, it is observed that there were more respondents who agreed that participation in social media had an impact on their grades. These data are summarized in appendix 1. CHAPTER FOUR 4. Discussion There are a number of characteristics of demographic variables which can enable understanding of the impacts of social media on participants in this study. For instance, it is found that most participants were aged sweeten 2-35 years. This implies that most people who use social media sites are students because this is the age bracket for people in colleges and other institutions of higher learning (Lenhart, Madden, Macgill & Smith, 2007). Thus, it can be deduced that most college students use social media sites compared to those in employment situations or younger people. This can lead to the deduction that some students are unable to control the manner in which they use these social media thus impacting their academic performance. Those in businesses are usually more pre-occupied with ensuring particular demands are met thus; find little time to use social networking sites. In terms of the variable of gender, it was found that there were more male participants in social networking sites compared with female. This can be associated with the fact that male individuals are more likely to use technology equipment such as mobile handsets, Smartphone, laptops and cyber cafes compared to female individuals. In the process, they are likely to access social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter compared to female counterparts. This is coupled with the fact that most male individuals conduct a number of activities through the internet such as advertising which enables them access social media. There were also more students than Businessmen who took part in the study. This implies that there are more students who use social networking sites compared with businessmen or people in working class. This is because, students are likely to have plenty of free time which gives them the opportunity to use social media such as Facebook and twitter to communicate with their friends and also just pass time as a form of pleasure (Lewis, Kaufman & Christakis, 2008). On the other hand, people in business environment are less likely to have free time. This greatly affects their involvement in social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter. When the variable of the impact of social media on the life of each participant was investigated, it was found that most people reported that it affected their friendship. This is true because when a person uses social media such as Facebook, twitter and email, all communications with friends take place through these media platforms. As a result, the users do not need to meet face-to-face with friends. This has a significant impact on their relationships with friendship. This condition is worsened when a person is unable to get gadgets that allow social media communications such as access to the internet (Pappacharissi, 2009). In addition, increased addition to social networks can influence an individual to sideline members of their families without discovering that this is happening. This can only be discovered when a person loses the gadgets and connects with family members to discover that they have neglected their families as a result of distractions cause by the use of social media (Peter, Valkenburg & Schouten, 2006). In some cases, a person can lose his career objectives and ambitions as a result of addition to the use of social media. For instance, an employee may fail to meet his output targets as a result of being more interested in social networking sites. This can affect the relationship with the employer thus jeopardizing the career and the consequences can be dire to the individual. In some cases, confidential information can be accessed by people as a result of addiction to social media. This can have an impact on security of a person and the possibility of being vulnerable to harm such as through being robed is high. The impacts of such an activity can have considerable negative impacts on the affected individual. On the variable of purpose for the use of social media, it was found that there were more respondents who used social media for the purpose of communication. This is because social media has a number of less expensive methods of communications compared to making phone calls and text messages. For instance, the chat application in Facebook and email enables people exchange information at low cost which enhances their use (Portes, 1998). This is coupled by the fact that most students look for methods of minimizing the use of funds so that they do not overspend while in colleges’ or schools. In some cases, the use of social media can be a form of entertainment. This is based on the fact that it contains a number of applications which enables access to images, videos and musical applications. Thus, people tend to use social media to access the latest movies, music and videos. This result into addiction which impacts the ways in which they associate with others (Putnam, 2000). However, social media may also be used for other purposes such as communicating with client through e-mails. This is mainly common among people involved in business environment. When various forms of social media were used, it was found that a greater percentage of respondents used Facebook than either twitter or email. This is based on the fact that majority of users of social media are people aged between 25-36 years. Studies show that there has been an increase in subscribers for Facebook accounts with the greater percentage being those aged between 20 and 35 years. Thus this study is in compliance with this study. It also supports the argument that most youths subscribe for Facebook accounts so that they can connect with their friends (Roberts & Foehr, 2008). This is because most users of twitter and email are older people who do not have friends on Facebook or not interested in the use of Facebook. When the impact of social media on psychological well-being was investigated, it was found that 50% of the respondents agreed with the research question while only 16.7% disagreed. This can lead to deduction that most people who have used social media are affected psychologically in one way or another. The impacts can vary from stress as a result of having focused attention on the social networking sites and inability to cope with challenges which have been neglected as a result of being addicted to social networking sites (Schmidt &Vandewater, 2008). ` When the variable of the impact of social media on student grades was investigated, it was found that there were a greater number of respondents who agree to the question (41.7%). This is mainly as a result of views of students during the study. This is based on the fact that most students who use social media such as Facebook and twitter neglect their studies and are more likely to fail to concentrate on the teacher’s instructions. As a result, they are unable to apply the concepts given by teachers in examination situation (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2008). In other cases, their addiction to social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter makes them avoid studying for examinations or doing assignments. This contributes greatly towards their failure during examinations. 4.1. Limitations and areas for future studies There are a number of limitations that can be observed in this study. First, the sample size was limited thus it was not possible to get an accurate data about the impacts of social media on users of these social media. There were also few control variables which affected the possibility of providing information which could ensure the outcomes of the study provided a better understanding of the impacts of social media on users. This result to the recommendation that future studies should be conducted with the focus on variables such as race, socioeconomic status and previous academic performance variables. Another limitation of this study is that it ignored the views of media literacy researchers. It would be more convincing if future studies were conducted with the focus on the views of media professionals regarding the impacts of social media on users such as students and businessmen. Another limitation of this study is that it does not explain the impact of social media on educational perspectives of users such as improvement in IT skills or communication skills. This results into the recommendation that future studies should provide views regarding the impacts of social media on attainment of educational goals of users of these social networking sites. Another limitation of this study is that it focuses mainly on the disadvantages of social media but does not explain the role of social media in helping students synthesize and mix contents. CHAPTER FIVE 5. Conclusions and recommendations This paper provides an emerging view pertaining to social media on both the youth and the working professionals. It is found that the most affected people by the use of social media are the youth with the most affected being those in colleges and higher learning institutions. Based on the impacts of social media systems, there has been a concern among parents with regards to privacy, safety, psychological well-being and social well-being or academic performance of their children. While it is generally observed that the youth are the most common users of social networking sites, there are no reliable studies to establish the truth about this assumption. Most written materials focus on qualitative accounts and cross-sectional analyzes which are not relevant towards understanding the impacts of social media on users. Thus, it is recommended that there should be a combination of longitudinal and experimental designs so that effects of social networking sites on youth outcomes can be understood. A relationship should be made between these studies and the contribution of youths towards the use of social networking sites, build a culture in the use of social networking sites and enactment of methods of communication which is related to their development. It is also recommended that there is the need to take an integrated approach towards the study of impacts of social media. Technology on its own does not contribute to social outcomes, but the technical features and infrastructure of a specific social media has an impact on the user. During the process of investigating technical features of social networking sites, it is necessary to account for social factors. There is a high possibility that adolescents are likely to bring the already emotional, social and psychological characteristics into online environment. The interaction between these human factors and with the respective social environment influences the manner of interaction among the youth. As a result of these communication behaviors, a causal link may be drawn to the social outcomes of interest to a person. It is recommended that future studies should be conducted with the aim of modeling these interactions to develop a social network site conditions. There are few empirical studies on the impacts of social media, but fortunately, there are a number of previous studies which can provide an insight to the impacts of social media on users of these media platforms. The study of impacts of social media provides a new opportunity for expanding studies on social media through extension of previous internet use studies and application of a range of perspectives that have not been studied. Irrespective of the method of study, there has been the general agreement among social media providers to utilize research and examine the impacts of social media on the current generations such as the youth and working class middle age generations. Finally, it is recommended that studies should be conducted to determine the positive impacts of social media with the focus on improvement of IT skills and the possibility of compliance to school standards. 6. References Agosto, D.E., & Abbas, J. (2010). High school seniors’ social network and other ict use preferences and concerns. Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 47(1), 1–10. Ahn, J. (2010). The influence of social network sites on high school students’social and academic development. Dissertation, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Ahn, J. (in press). Digital divides and social network sites: Which students participate in social media? Journal of Educational Computing Research. Bandura, A. (2002). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. In J. Bryant & D. Zillman (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (pp. 121–153). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Barker, V. (2009). Older adolescents’ motivations for social network site use: The influence of gender, group identity, and collective self esteem. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(2), 209–213. Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Enhancing child safety & online technologies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Bernard, R.M., Abrami, P.C., Lou, Y., Borokhovski, E., Wade, A., & Wozney, L. (2004). How does distance education compare with class-room instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 379–439. Buffardi, L.E., & Campbell, W.K. (2008). Narcissism and social net-working web sites. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(10),1303–1314 Dika, S.L., & Singh, K. (2002).Applications of social capital in educational literature: A critical synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 72(1),31–60. Donath, J. (2007). Signals in social supernets. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 12. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/donath.html. Donath,J.,&boyd,d.(2004).Publicdisplaysofconnection.BT Technology Journal, 22(4), 71–82. Dwyer, C., Hiltz, S.R., & Passerini, K. (2007, August). Trust and privacy concern within social networking sites: A comparison of facebook and myspace. Paper presented at the Thirteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Keystone, CO. Eccles, J.S., & Templeton, J. (2002). Extracurricular and other after-school activities for youth. Review of Research in Education, 26, 113–180. Ellison, N.B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of facebook “friends”: Social capital and college students’use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 1. Eveland, W.P. (2003). A “mix of attributes” approach to the study of media effects and new communication technologies. Journal of Communication, 53(3), 395–410. Feldman, A.F., & Matjasko, J.L. (2005). The role of school-based extracurricular activities in adolescent development: A comprehensive review and future directions. Review of Educational Research, 75(2),159–210. Fishman, J., Lunsford,A., McGregor, B., & Otuteye, M. (2005). Performing writing, performing literacy. College Composition and Communication, 57(2), 224–252. Fredericks, J.A., Blumenfeld, P.C., & Paris, A.H. (2004). School engage-ment: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. Kling, R. (2007). What is social informatics and why does it matter? The Information Society, 23, 205–220. Large, A. (2005). Children, teenagers, and the web. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 39(1), 347–392. Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A.R., & Smith, A. (2007). Teens and social media. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social media & mobile internet use among teens and young adults. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Lewis, K., Kaufman, J., & Christakis, N. (2008). The taste for privacy: An analysis of college student privacy settings in an online social network. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 79–100. Pappacharissi,Z.(2009).The virtual geographies of social networks: A comparative analysis of facebook, linkedin, and asmallworld. New Media & Society, 11(1), 199–220. Peter, J., Valkenburg, P.M., & Schouten, A.P. (2006). Characteristics and motives of adolescents talking with strangers on the internet. Cyber psychology & Behavior, 9(5), 526–530. Portes, A. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 1–24. Putnam, R.D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. NewYork: Simon & Schuster. Roberts, D.F., & Foehr, U.G. (2008). Trends in media use. The Future of Children, 18(1), 11–37. Schmidt, M.E., &Vandewater, E.A. (2008). Media and attention, cognition, and school achievement. The Future of Children, 18(1), 63–85. Ybarra, M.L., & Mitchell, K.J. (2008). How risky are social networking sites? A comparison of places online where youth sexual solicitation and harassment occurs. Pediatrics, 121(2), 350–357. Appendix 1. Research questions How do social media affect your life? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Friendship 28 28.0 28.0 28.0 Family relationship 31 31.0 31.0 59.0 Career 25 25.0 25.0 84.0 Privacy 16 16.0 16.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 Purpose of using the social media Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Communication 34 34.0 34.0 34.0 Business purpose 38 38.0 38.0 72.0 Entertainment 28 28.0 28.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 Which social media do you use Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Facebook 41 41.0 41.0 41.0 Twitter 37 37.0 37.0 78.0 Email 22 22.0 22.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 Participation in social media affects psychological well being Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Agree 36 36.0 36.0 36.0 Neutral 41 41.0 41.0 77.0 Disagree 23 23.0 23.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 Participation in social media affects students’ grades Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Agree 36 36.0 36.0 36.0 Neutral 37 37.0 37.0 73.0 Disagree 27 27.0 27.0 100.0 Total 100 100.0 100.0 2. Demographic characteristics of participants 1. What is your age group? (Tick where appropriate) a. 18-25 b. 26-35 c. 36 and above 2. What is your gender? (Tick where appropriate) a. Male b. Female 3. What is your occupation? (Tick where appropriate) a. Student b. Businessman Read More