The Impact of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) On Youth

Transcription

1 Applied Science Reports E-ISSN: / P-ISSN: DOI: /PSCP.ASR App. Sci. Report. 11 (1), 2015: 6-10 PSCI Publications The Impact of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) On Youth Zahid Akram 1*, Maqsood Mahmud 2, Arshad Mahmood 3 1. Lecturer at Department of Sociology, University of Swabi (Pakistan). 2. (Post Doc) Researcher at Department of Information Systems, College of Computer and Information Sciences (CCIS) King Saud University, Riyadh, (Saudi Arabia). 3. PhD student at School of Management University Sains Malaysia, (Penang Malaysia). Correspondence author Zahidaen@gmail.com Paper Information A B S T R A C T this paper aims to examine the impact of social networking sites on youth Received: 19 April, 2015 in twin city (Islamabad & Rawalpindi). The paper is based on quantitative research. Random sample of 270 respondents were selected from four Accepted: 7 June, 2015 universities of Islamabad and two universities of Rawalpindi for collecting relevant data. Questionnaire was employed as a tool of data collection. The Published: 20 July, 2015 paper reveals that majority of the respondents were users of social networking sites (SNSs). The common perception among the population Citation was that the SNSs had both positive and negative impact on them. Mostly respondents were related to face book as the most user friendly SNS. The Akram Z, MahmudM, Mahmood A Impact of study revealed that users of SNS avoid social gathering and had less Social Networking Sites (Snss) No Youth. Applied Science physical interaction with people. Use of SNS had made young generation Reports, 11 (1), Retrieved from more confident, creative, well dressed, social related to each other, well (DOI: /PSCP.ASR ) behaved and brought improved in language. However more use of SNS resulted in different kinds of health problems such as weakness in eye sight, headache, laziness, tension and backache. It is suggested that parents should keep a check on their children to decrease the negative and excessive use of SNS.Today s generation is using various social networking sites on the internet such as Orkut, Facebook, Myspace, Yahoo messenger, Twitter etc. these social networking sites are providing attractive opportunities to avail the facilities provided by them such as making friends, chatting, sharing pictures, videos etc. excessive use of these sites is affecting social life style of people. Excessive use of SNSs resulted in many health problems among youth. It also adversely influenced face to face communication and weakens ties with relatives due to excessive spending time on computer usage for social networking. The other social and health problems are also increasing among the excessive users of SNS. This paper focus on the impact of social networking sites on youth and how their life is changed due to these sites.the primary objective of present study was to explore and analyze the socio economic characteristics, effect of social networking sites on the social relationship, changing behavior and life style of young generation. Moreover, to explore the health issues due to excessive usage of social networking sites, and to suggest appropriate measures to minimize the negative effects of social networking sites on youth PSCI Publisher All rights reserved. Key words: Social Networking Sites (SNSs), Business Networking Sites (BNSs), Twin City, Computer Mediated Communication (CMC), America Online (AOL) Introduction Social networking is the grouping of the individuals in the shape of small communities or a subdivided peer group. Where they can share and get firsthand information from each other. Social network grouping is possible in every field of life; it can be social networking of college, university, work place, or other social activities. It is a sort of online social networking, where mostly social websites are used. These sites such as MySpace, Yahoo, Skype, Facebook etc are design to provide a plate form to the individuals to express their self. To be the active user of these sites an individual can establish a strong tie with his college friend and family member none physically and can obtain the diverse information from the verity of the sources. (Wasko & Faraj, 2005). Social networking that is online, supplies a link to the people on the way to build and maintain feeble, intermediate or a strong tie to each other, its basic function is to exchange information. The structure of internet and its ability enable the people to have a relationship with those people to whom they have not met in their actual life. Such kind of some relations can consider fragile ties as it is based on just information sharing, while some of these can be considered strong ties as it is based on frequent communication, without physical presence even. (Wellman, et., al,. 1996) Therefore one can obtain that

2 social networks have the ability to build a network of the users with having communication to each other by growing one s overall significant network and introduction. The SNSs from the last five years has become a key and rout of Medias cape of the World Wide Web. These sites (Facebook & MySpace are mostly) allow a user to create a personal profile for him.. This profile is filled with personal information, profile picture including his favorite movies, books, music of the user. Some of these profiles are having personal information and pitcher can be partially or completely fake. One user can add another user as a friend with him to whom he can share or send private and public updates and messages. The modern and advance forms of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) are the social networking. This form of communication is based on instant messaging or that is a substitute of physical interaction to maintain the communication process more fast and easy. (Nyland, 2007). Literature Review The base of social networking sites was being established by launching a website Classmates.com in By the time social networking has been getting popularity and rapidly growing. Since that time till now more than 200 sites are being launched. The usage of these SNSs has been increased by the individuals, and now MySpace has become more popular in the American communities. (The Economist, Sep. 2006). In spite of SNSs becoming famous rapidly among individuals, the study of the effect of SNSs is very necessary, because SNSs are the phenomena mostly related to the youngster. SNSs popularity in the young, demanded to do more research on its effects on them. The research on the online SNSs has done previously resulted that online SNSs establish weak tie, instead of a strong relationship. (Donath & boyd, 2004). Still this quarrel has never been examining thoroughly and it has lack of a crystal clear apparent. Because the communication of SNSs has diverted into business networking sites (BNS). These business networking are change from the MySpace & co. the users are having a strong professional tie on these website. (Ellison et al., 2006). The past ways of communication has been quickly and dramatically changed by the inventions of the latest technologies. According to American Life & Pew internet Project data, 92% of internet user receive or else send s via message. Electronic mail enables the users to connect to the people of the world to share or get the opinion on a huge numbers of topics, with almost all of the issues of the world. The Healingwell.com a website has 50,000 or more members, providing a plate form to the user for asking or giving answers of numbers of medical conditions. In the mid of 1990s the instant messaging got popularity among the people. Not just among the friend, but also in the business people America Online (AOL) has become a common application. The websites which are for made of dating online, get 40 million distinctive users every month, which is best substitute, easy and a quick way to an individual in his private activities then the traditional physically ways. (Ellison et al., 2007). Social networking provides environment of grouping to the individuals. These grouping can be made online and it is just like the small communities. These groups can be in the universities, high schools, college, or work place where they share their firsthand information, experience and knowledge to each other. SNSs such as Yahoo and Facebook are very famous among the users which allow them to create their own profile containing his own pitcher and personal information. It is also having a privacy setting that what should show to whom and what shouldn t. The profile pitcher and the information a user maybe fake. On these sites one can communicate with other numerously like to comment on pitchers, sending messages or posting information. A user can maintain or create communication with his friends by these characteristics of social networking sites. (Vitak, 2008) Lots of the research has been conducted on impact of social networking sites in both fields of literature and media. Maximum of these researches are always focusing the youth, because of their altering behavior with respect to their privacy and openness with other adults. (Acquisti & Gross, 2006).Many factors are there in the research to focus on the youngster as the SNSs users. The one and main factor of the research on youth SNS user is this that they are adopting these sites very early that s why they are studied as a first group. Due to lack of awareness of SNSs technology, the use of SNS became a risk associated with privacy issue because of its using everywhere. (Brandtzeag et al., 2010). A dramatic increase has been found from the last five years in the use of social networking sites that are network base services to enable the users (1) to create a bounded system public profile, (2) to eloquent a catalog of other user to whom they allocate an association, (3) view as well as navigate their catalog of links and those prepared by others inside the system. (Boyd and Ellison, 2007). Social networking sites using became a very comment act among the youngster. Facebook, Twitter an MySpace are considered those websites which are used of social interaction, blogs and You Tube are the sites to share or watch videos, Second life and Club Penguin are the sites of games. These kinds of sites are used for the interaction and entertainment by the youth. It is very necessary to the parents to be aware of the nature of such websites, because these social networking sites are also containing that material which is not providing a kind healthy environment to the youth. (Keeffe et al., 2011). Among the youngster especially in the college students the Facebook has become much dominated. The youngster appears to be related in the political activities and makes participation in social activities by the usage of Facebook. One can easily say that social awareness and engagement in those activities to change the behavior of youngster and getting satisfaction of sharing information to one another is the specific feature of Facebook. (Valenzuela et, al., 2009) The websites of social network just like YouTube & MySpace have significant role during the general election campaigns of United States in 2006.On these websites the age of voter, total population and the method of poling vote were shown, which represent the youth as the generation of internet in U.S. These sites provide an environment to the candidate to be known or being popular, by sending their motives and message to the local citizen. SNSs helped the less known candidates to be known and more popular to the local people. It allow the candidates and their party members to do fast campaigns by SNSs and 7

3 also enable the campaign staff for the new volunteers recruitments online. On the other hand these sites (YouTube & Myspace) also raised hurdles to the staff of campaign because the same SNSs have been used too by the other parties members for the election campaign and to send the message and picture of their party s candidate. The main benefit and also a big challenge o the campaign staff of the different parties and to their candidates were the image and the message to the local citizen, by the candidates, which was a great influence of the SNSs have on the general election of U.S in These social networking sites also boost up the awareness in the citizen of the people to pole their vote to the right candidate. (Gueorguieva, v., 2007). Methodology The present study was conducted in twin cities namely, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Universe of this study comprised of six different universities, four located in Islamabad i.e.(international Islamic University, Quaid-e-Azam University, Bahria University and Iqra University), and two located in Rawalpindi i.e. (Arid Agriculture University and Fatima Jinnah Women University). A random sample of 270 respondents had been selected (45 respondents from each university) from the six sampled universities. 180 respondents were selected from four universities of Islamabad and the rest 90 respondents were selected from two universities of Rawalpindi. Analysis and interpretation Analysis and interpretation of data are mainly important steps involved in scientific research. Without these steps, generalization level and prediction cannot be achieved. The data collected for the following paper enabled about social networking effects and its usage. Moreover, its advantages and their other output of usage have been discussed in the following. Table 1. Average Hours Used For SNS, Age When Started Using SNS And Time Frequently Used For SNS Average Hours Used For SNS Sr. No. Categories Frequency Percentage 1. Less Than One Hour a Day hours hours hours hours Age when started using SNS Sr. No Categories Frequency Percent years years years years years Time Frequently Used For SNS Sr. No Categories Frequency Percent 1. Morning After Noon Evening Night Any Time Table 1 represents number of hours, the respondents for SNS. The majority (44.1 %) of the respondents use 1-3 hours daily for SNS and 41.9% use less than an hour a day. From the remaining respondents, 8.5% use 4-6 hours, 4.1% use 7-9 hours and 1.5% respondents use more than 10 hours a day for SNS. This illustrates that majority of the respondents use 1-3 hours a day for SNS. The table also presents the age distribution of respondents when they started using SNS. It discloses that majority (48.5%) of the respondents started using SNS at the age group of years and 28.1% started at the age of years. Among the rest of the respondents, 21.1% started at the age group of years, 1.9% from years and only 0.4% started at the age of 30 years and above. This shows that majority of the respondents started using SNS from the age of years. Table further elaborates the time schedule of the respondents regarding SNS usage. It shows that majority (3.1%) of the respondents use SNS at any time, this means they have not specified any time for SNS usage. From the remaining categories, 25.9% of the respondents use SNS frequently at night, 25.6% in evening, and 16.3% in afternoon while 1.1% uses SNS in morning time. This shows that majority of the respondents have no time schedule for SNS usage, they use it at any time. 8

4 Table 2. SNS Used By the Respondents and Most User-Friendly SNSs Which SNS The Respondents Use Sr. No. Categories Frequency Percent 1. Face book MSN messenger Orkut Twitter Yahoo messenger Skype messenger Face book + MSN messenger Face book All above (plus yahoo, chat rooms, community forums ,my space) Most User Friendly SNS Sr. NO Categories Frequency Percent 1. Face book MSN Messenger Orkut Twitter Yahoo Messenger Skype Messenger Ovoo Messenger Chat Rooms Community Forums My Space The table 2 shows the Social Networking Sites (SNS) used by the respondents. The majority (31.1%) of the respondents use Facebook while 15.2% use all the above mentioned SNS. About 4.8% of the respondents are using Yahoo messenger while 10.4% are using MSN messenger along with Facebook. From the remaining, 5.6% are using Skype messenger, 4.1% use MSN messenger, while Orkut and Twitter is being used by 3.3 and 2.2% respondents respectively. The above table further demonstrates the most user friendly SNS according to survey respondents. This shows that majority that majority (64.4%) of the respondents have rated Facebook as the most user friendly SNS, 8.5% considered Skype and 7.8% Yahoo messenger as the most user friendly SNS. MSN messenger was considered to be the user friendly SNS by 4.4% respondents. 3.7% respondents think Orkut and Twitter and 2.2% considered chat rooms and my space as most user friendly SNS. Least user friendly SNS was considered to be Community Forums and Ovoo messenger as marked by 1.9 and 1.1% respectively. This shows that Facebook is the most user friendly SNS. The tables under discussion show that we are living in an ever more networked globe. People be linked to everyone throughout various type of tie, by social networking sites contribution one of the most accepted method is that public presently occupy to tie themselves jointly, except performed traditional way of increasing and maintaining interaction bear since the progression of PC- mediate. Interaction online social networks supply a mean of persons to maintain well-built, transitional and feeble tie, by the main job of online communication became the substitute of information. For the reason that the composition of the internet and the capacity toward together surf huge amount of information as well as to stay unspecified, individuals have been capable on the way to shape the relations in the company of individuals to whom might not meet within actual living. Numerous of the relations will consider feeble relations, when relationships that based only on allocation or exchange of information; on the other hand, numerous, only-online associations can consider well-built association, as it let together regular and shared communication, with lacking of bodily presence. SNSs online are having extra ordinary potential on the way to raise an individual generally and considerably through different kinds of latest SNSs by his personal information available on it. These SNSs like Facebook, Skype, Myspace, etc. are designed generally to establish new friendship relations in this global world, and to maintain interaction and communication with the old friends and relatives with those who are for away from you. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Skype, MSN and yahoo messenger have engrossed millions of individuals, lots of whom contain incorporated to the websites within their everyday practice. There are more than hundreds of Social networking sites, having a variety of hi-tech affordances, sustaining an extensive vary of wellbeing and put into practice. Whereas the key technical advantages are moderately reliable, the culture to appear about Social networking is speckled. It s none fine understands that how seclusion alarm and belief manipulate societal connections inside societal network websites. Facebook users expressed considerably better confidence in together Facebook and its users, as well as further eager to allocate identifying information. Conclusion and discussion It is concluded that majority of young people in twin city have access to the social networking sites and most of the people have availability of internet at home. SNS is becoming popular medium of entertainment in the study area. Young generation is spending a significant part of their time using social networking sites. While is partly responsible in wastage of their precious time and bringing isolation in youth. Usage of SNS is influencing negative societal norms and values. Its excessive usage results many health problems among young generation. It is concluded that many of the youngsters were using social 9

5 networking sites such as Facebook, MSN, Yahoo, and Skype to connect with their relatives, family and friends. Access usage of SNS is affecting the studies and relations of the young people. Future Direction The government should ban those SNS which are showing activities spoiling the youth and the value of the society. All of those parents whose children are the user of SNSs, must keep a strong check on their children that how, why, whom and on what purpose they are having online interaction. The need of such online software is there, by which the parents of the children can check and measure the access of SNSs, to reduce the negative impact of social networking sites. Each and every one of the websites wherever public networks to one another online ought to let user to manage entrée to their private information, and also supply instinctive way to discontinue and report any contact swiftly. Acknowledgment This paper supported by the Research Center of College of Computer and Information Sciences (CCIS), King Saud University. The authors are grateful for this support. References Acquisti A, Gross R imagined communities: awareness, information sharing and privacy on the facebook. [Online] available from: (accessed 6 September 2009) Boyd Danah M, Nicole B, Ellison social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship, journal of computer-mediated communication, 13(1) article 11. Retrieved December 3, 2008 Brandtzaeg PB, Luders M, Skjetne JH too many facebook friends? Content sharing and sociability versus the need for privacy in social network sites. Journal of human-computer interaction, 26(11-12), Donath, Boyd Kavanaugh, Reese, Carall, & Rosson, 2005; Ellison, Steinfield, Lampe, Ellison N, Steinfield C, Lampe C spatially bounded online social networks and social capital: the role of Facebook. Annual conference of the international communication association, June-12-13, 2006, Dresden, Germany. Ellison NB, Steinfield C, Lampe C the benefits of facebook friends. Social capital and college students use of online social network sites. Journal of computer-mediated communication. 12(4), Gueorguieva V Voters, Myspace and Youtube the impact of alternative communication channels on the 2006 Election Cycle and beyond. Sage journals. 26(3), Keefe GS, Pearson KC The impact of Social Media on children, adolescents and families. Official journal of the American academy of pediatrics, 127(4). Nyland R, Marvez R, Beck J.2007 Feb. Myspace: social networking or social isolation? Paper presented at the midwinter conference of the association for education in journalism and mass communication, remo, nv. The economist (2006, September 16), social networking. Hanging with the incrowed, p Velenzuela S, Park N, Kee KF is there social capital in a social network sites? Facebook use and college student s life satisfaction, trust and participation. Journal of computer-mediated communication, 14(4). Vitak J Facebook friends : how online identity affects offline relationships. Master s thesis, Georgetown University, Washington DC. Wasko M, Faraj S Why should I share? Examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice. Mis quarterly 29(1) Wellman B, Quan Haase A, Witte J, Hampton K Does the internet increase, decrease or supplement social capital? Social networks, participation, and community commitment. American behavioral scientist, 43(3):