Alpha Socialisers and Attention Seekers
View PDF | Print View
by: TedHastings
Total views: 4
Word Count: 685
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom published a report on 2nd April 2008 which reveals that 49% of children aged 8-17 who have access to the internet have their own personal profile on a social networking site. The minimum age for major social networking sites is supposedly 13 or 14, but 27% of 8-11 year olds who are aware of social networking sites claim to have a profile on a site.
The research shows some amazing discrepancies between what parents think is taking place and what is really happening. Two-thirds of parents say that they set rules for their children's use of social networking sites, but only 53% of children agreed that their parents did so. 50% parents have installed some form of content blocking, and 80% of them think it works, but 67% of children believe that they can overcome it and access any content they want to. 24% of teenagers have a computer in their bedroom, so their parents can't see what they're doing in any case.
22% of adult internet users aged 16 and above have at last one online profile and many have a profile on more than one site. 50% adult social network users say that they access their profile at least every second day. Facebook is easily the most popular site amongst adults, followed by MySpace and Bebo. MySpace appeals more to adults in lower socio-economic groupings, but Bebo is the site used most by children aged 8 to 17.
Social networking sites are altering the normal meaning of the word 'friends' to include anyone a user has an online connection with, even those that they have never met or spoken to offline. Details of online friendships are often displayed publicly via friend lists, meaning that users are sharing personal details like political views, sexuality, religion and date of birth with people they barely know.
Ofcom's research involved 5,000 adults and 3,000 children. It suggests that there are five discrete groups of people who use social networking sites:
* Alpha Socialisers - these are mostly males under 25, who use sites in intense short bursts to flirt, meet new people and find entertainment.
* Attention Seekers - generally females looking for attention and comments from others, often by posting photographs and customizing their profiles. Some younger women claimed to create fake profiles for fun.
* Followers - males and females of all ages who join sites to keep up with what their peers are doing.
* Faithfuls - older males and females, generally aged over 20, who typically use social networking sites to rekindle old friendships, often from school or university.
* Functionals - generally older males who use sites for a specific purpose.
The research also suggests that there are three discrete groups of people who do not use social networking sites:
* Concerned about safety - these are often older people and parents worried about safety online, particularly making personal details available online.
* Technically inexperienced - usually people aged over 30 who lack confidence in using computers and the Internet.
* Intellectual rejecters - these are often older teens and young adults who have no interest in social networking sites and perceive them as a waste of time.
Despite being one of the main reasons cited for not using social networking sites, privacy and safety are not a major concern for those who do use social networking sites. The research found that:
* 41% of children and 44% of adults leave their privacy settings as default 'open' which means that their profiles are visible to anyone
* 34% of 16-24 year olds are happy to give out sensitive personal information such as their email address or phone number
* 17% of adult users said that they talked to people on social networking sites that they didn't know and 35% spoke to people who were 'friends of friends'.
Some teenagers and young adults in their early twenties felt 'addicted' to social networking sites and realize that their use was reducing the time available for studying. Some users reported being aware of bullying through social networking sites and a minority of younger users admitted using social networking sites to take revenge on people they had had disagreements with.
About the Author
Ted Hastings has 35+ years of experience of IT and education. He has written a textbook on Internet Safety Skills and writes a popular blog called Surf Safely. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory
HTML For Publishers
Please note: This article is free to reprint but all links must remain active.
Rating: Not yet rated
