Volume 2, Issue 1, The usage and implications of social networking Sites: A survey of college students

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1 Volume 2, Issue 1, 2011 The usage and implications of social networking Sites: A survey of college students Jason Tham, St. Cloud State University, Dept. of Mass Communications, Minnesota, thja0905@stcloudstate.edu Dr. Niaz Ahmed, Assistant Dean/Campus Director, Springfield College, Wisconsin, nahmed@spfldcol.edu Abstract This study examined the usage and implications of social networking sites among college students. A survey was administered to a non-random sample of 445 college students on SNS use, perceptions of SNS communications, and awareness of the impacts of SNS in academic performance and personal development. Data were collected from a non-random sample of students at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota during the spring semester of Results revealed that female college students spent more time on SNSs than male students. In general, for both males and females, the time spent on SNS decreased as the age of the respondent increased. As for respondents perception of the influence of SNS usage on their academic performance, significant differences were found in terms of age. A greater number of younger students reported negative perception of the effect of SNSs on their academic performance. Significant correlations were found between age and gender, and the influence of SNS on users personal development. Results also revealed that there were significant relationships between users class rank and field of study, and the influence of SNS. Positive correlations were found in SNS usage rate and students networking with friends, family members, and professionals, while negative correlations were observed between SNS usage rate and students search for volunteer opportunities, and awareness of others' improved search for a date. Positive correlations were also found between age and students networking with friends, family, and professionals as well as between age and awareness of others' experience of cyberbullying. On the other hand, a negative correlation was found between age and users awareness of others improved search for a date via SNS. Data also revealed that students perceptions of the influence of SNS were consistent with the actual effects as revealed by the findings. Keywords: Social networking sites (SNS), academic performance, personal development Introduction In recent years, social networking sites (SNS) like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and LinkedIn have become the most visited websites in the world, with Facebook topping the list. With over 90 million active users in 2009, Facebook boasted an 85% market share at universities and colleges in the United States (Hendrix, Chiarella, Hasman, Murphy, & Zafron, 2009). In 2010, Facebook increased its traffic by nearly 70% with more than 115 million unique visitors. Myspace ranked second while Twitter soared immediately after it (Friedman, 2010; Nielsen Market Research, May 4, 2010). Today, Facebook has more than 800 million active users (Figure A). Students are increasingly utilizing these social networks for friends news feeds, personal updates, events and activities, notes, and messages. According to an extensive study by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) of the United Kingdom, almost half (49%) of children aged 8-17 who used the Internet had set up their own profiles on a social networking site (Ofcom, 2008a; Dowdall, 2009). Can the extensive use of SNS in the younger generation affect students academic performance at school? Can the exaggerated usage of SNS influence the patterns of communication among students, and their friends, and families? Tu, Blocher, and Robets (2008) assert that Web 2.0 technology is shaping human communications and is impacting how people present themselves in their interactions with one another. The linkage between individuals on SNSs has opened up channels of communication with people one may not have the opportunity to meet face-to-face. The voluntary messaging function, commonly known as status on Facebook and Myspace, or tweets on Twitter, allows real-time instant messaging any time and anywhere in the world. In many occasions, one-to-many communication pattern is observed if the users choose to invite their friends into a conversation loop or multiple mentions using symbol to include more than one recipient for a message. What are the implications of increased use of SNSs in recent years among college students? Can students academic performance be affected by the increased usage of SNSs which takes away considerable amount of time for studying and completing assigned homework? Can the elevated use of SNSs affect the communication patterns among college students and their friends and family members? In addition to these research questions, this study examined the usage and implications of social networking sites among college students. 1

2 2 Literature Review Though there are negative perceptions about the possible effects of SNS on students academic performance, some studies showed that students found it quite appropriate for a teacher to use Facebook, and for teachers and students to socialize by this means (Baran, 2010). Students also believed that such tools could allow them to share knowledge in formal education contexts. Churchill s study (2009) showed that the use of weblogs or blogs (social publishing) in education facilitated a useful learning atmosphere. Studies of adolescents use of SNS showed that their profiles contained a wealth of intimate, candid, and publicly available information on a wide range of social issues. According to Williams and Merten (2008), university students are often found to be obsessed with their Facebook profile or Twitter page. The researchers matched this path of identity exploration and role experimentation to Erik Erikson s development stages (Erikson 1968). Erikson s theory suggests that adolescents between the ages of will experience a period of psychosocial crisis identity versus role confusion. While undergoing this development stage, adolescents become conscious about sexual identity, peer relationships and other social interactions. Willams and Mertne also suggested that the over-dependency on these media may affect a student s attendance at school (2008). DeBell and Chapman (2006) pointed out that adolescents and young adults are the heaviest users of computers and the Internet. SNS becomes the latest online communication tool that allows these users to create a public or private profile to interact with people in their networks (Boyd & Ellison, 2008). 2

3 3 Figure A. Facebook statistics on October 16, Since its establishment in 2004, Facebook has spread like wildfire throughout the entire globe. To date, there are more than 800 million active users on Faxcebook. Statistics show that 75% of Facebook users are outside the United States, and hence, Facebook has become a marketing tool for advertisers and marketers to reach overseas audience. The current statistics also show that: (1) 50% of Facebook users log on in any given day, (2) an average user has 130 friends on their friends list, (3) there are 900 million objects that people interact with (including pages, groups, events, and community pages), (4) more than 70 translations are available on Facebook site, and (5) there are more than 350 million active users currently accessing Facebook via their mobile devices. As of January 4, 2010, there were 26,075,960 users on FB who belonged to the demographic, showing a 51.7% growth in number as compared to January 4, 2009 (istrategylab.com, 2010). With this huge number of young users, it is presumed that Social Networks may have some impacts on college students academic performance. lifestyle, and personal development. 3

4 4 Research Questions Based on previous research about students use of SNS, this study poses the following research questions: RQ 1: Is there a statistically significant relationship between the use of SNS and college students academic performance? RQ 2: Are there any statistically significant relationships between the use of SNS and various facets of students personal development? Methodology To address the research questions, a survey was group-administered to a non-random sample of 445 students at the Saint Cloud State University campus in Minnesota. The population of this study included freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students of all ages. The survey contained 11 closed-ended and two open-ended questions. Variables SNS usage rates. The rates of SNS usage was defined by the self-reported amount of time students spent on SNS (e.g. chatting, checking updates, messaging, browsing feeds, photos or videos). To measure the usage rates, participants were asked questions about the average amount of time they spent with a logged-in profile during different time periods. Academic performance. The academic performance was defined by participants reporting of past semester CGPA/GPA and their expected GPA for the current semester. Personal development. Personal development of students was defined by the nature of networking, face-to-face communication, management of daily schedule, public speaking skills, search for internships and jobs, and seeking of romantic partners. Results The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data for this study. The completion rate of the survey was 89.9 percent. Approximately 53.3 percent of the respondents were males, and 46.7 percent females. About 20.4 percent of the subjects were freshmen, 13.0 percent sophomores, 23.6 percent juniors, 26.5 percent seniors, and 0.7 percent graduate students. Results (as shown in Figure 1) showed that 191 males used SNS, while 171 females used SNS. A total of 187 males and 170 females identified themselves as Facebook users. About 43.7% of male respondents (N= 199) reported less than one hour usage of SNS in a typical day, while 36.9% of female respondents (N= 176) reported 3-4 hours SNS usage in a typical day. The difference between gender and rate of SNS usage was significant (p <.001). There was also a significant difference (p <.024) between gender and the time spent on studying or revising academic-related materials outside of class sessions. About 44.8% of male respondents (N= 201) indicated 1-2 hours of studying while 41.8% of female respondents (N= 177) reported 3-4 hours of studying outside of classrooms. Majority of male respondents (58.4%, N= 202) and female respondents (63.1%, N= 176) reported taking 5-6 classes in a typical semester. 4

5 5 SNS Usage Comparison between genders Male Female Freq. Count % Freq. Count % Less than 1 hour hours hours hours More than 6 hours I do not use any SNS X 2 = p <.001 Figure 1. Comparison of genders and rate of SNS usage. All participants were categorized into two age groups: Group 1 (20 years and below), and Group 2 (21 years and above). Results showed that 96.3% of Group 1 respondents and 94.8% of Group 2 respondents used SNS. Statistical tests revealed a significant difference (p <.002) between age and the use of SNS. For the older students (Figure 2), the frequency counts decreased as the amount of time spent with SNS increased. In other words, the time spent on SNS decreased as the age of the respondent increased. SNS Usage Age Differences Group 1 (20 and below) Group 2 (21 and above) Freq. Count % Freq.Count % Less than 1 hour hours hours hours More than 6 hours I do not use any SNS X 2 = p <.002 Figure 2. Comparison of age and rate of SNS usage. 5

6 6 As for respondents perception of the influence of SNS usage on their academic performance, significant differences were found in terms of age (p <.013) as shown in Figure 3. Perceived Impact of SNS on Academic Performance Group 1 (20 and below) Comparison of age Group 2 (21 and above) Freq. Count % Freq. Count % Has negative impact No negative impact (-14.2) (-40.2) Has positive impact No positive impact (-38.4) (-63) Negative: X 2 = p<.008 Positive: X 2 = p<.006 Figure 3. Comparison of age and perceived impact of SNS on academic performance A comparison was done between the reported hours spent on using SNS and the respondents GPA in previous semester (spring semester 2010). Of 366 valid respondents to this item, 127 (34.7%) indicated they spent less than 1 hour using SNS and earned at least 3.01 GPA on a 4.00 grade scale. Alternatively, 4.4% of the 366 respondents reported using SNS for more than 6 hours in a typical day and earned a 3.01 GPA in the same semester. In total, 66.4% of these valid respondents earned at least a 3.01 and above GPA in Spring semester Based on the results, no significant relationship was obtained between time spent on using SNS and GPA earned in Spring semester Similarly, of 390 valid respondents who reported their earned GPA for Fall semester 2010, 63.8% indicated getting at least 3.01 GPA for that semester. There was no statistically significant relationship between SNS usage and GPA earned in Fall semester In terms of SNS usage and demographics, significant correlations were found between age and gender and the influence of SNS on users personal development. As shown in Figure 4, age and gender were correlated with networking, cyberbullying, and face-to-face communication. Influence of SNS Sig. Yes No Not certain Demographics Age - Group 1 (Below 21) Awareness of others experience with Age - Group 2 (Above 21).000 cyberbullying Male Female Age - Group 1 (Below 21) Networking with friends, family members, Age - Group 2 (Above 21).008 and professionals Male Female Age - Group 1 (Below 21) Personal experience with cyberbullying Age - Group 2 (Above 21) Male Female Age - Group 1 (Below 21) Decreased face-to-face communication Age - Group 2 (Above 21) Male Female Figure 4. Demographics and SNS influence 6

7 7 Results also revealed that there was a significant relationship between users class rank and the influence of SNS. The two strongest influences that relate to users class rank were: 1) Networking with friends, family members, and professionals, and 2) Awareness of others experience with cyberbullying (Figure 5). More juniors and seniors indicated that they found SNS helpful in networking with friends, family and professionals as compared to freshmen, sophomores, and graduate students. On the other hand, more freshmen stated that they knew someone who experienced cyberbullying as compared to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Data also indicated that there was a significant correlation between students field of study and influence of SNS. Influence of SNS Sig. Yes No Not Class certain Rank Freshman Sophomore Networking with friends, family members, and Junior professionals Senior Graduate Freshman Sophomore Awareness of others experience with cyberbullying Junior Senior Graduate Figure 5. Class ranks and influence of SNS 7

8 8 Influence of SNS Sig. Yes No Not certain Field of Study The use of SNS to search for internships.008 Awareness of others experience with cyberbullying.012 The use of SNS to find a date.015 The use of SNS to search for jobs Education Fine Arts & Humanities Science & Engineering Social Science Business Undecided Education Fine Arts & Humanities Science & Engineering Social Science Business Undecided Education Fine Arts & Humanities Science & Engineering Social Science Business Undecided Education Fine Arts & Humanities Science & Engineering Social Science Business Undecided Figure 6. Field of Study and influence of SNS Results of correlation tests also showed that there were significant relationships between SNS usage rate and the variables of GPA, networking, search for volunteer opportunities, awareness of others search for dates through SNS, and awareness of others experience with cyberbullying. Variables Pearson Correlation GPA achieved Sig. (2-tailed) Hours spent using SNS Variables SNS Usage Rate Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) Networking with friends, family members, and professionals Search for volunteer opportunities Awareness of others' search for dates Pearson Correlation 0.05 level (2-tailed). Figure 7. Field of Study and influence of SNS 8

9 9 Positive correlations were found in SNS usage rate and students networking with friends, family members, and professionals, while negative correlations were observed between SNS usage rate and students search for volunteer opportunities, and awareness of others' improved search for a date. Positive correlations were also found between age and students networking with friends, family members, and professionals as well as between age and awareness of others' experience of cyberbullying. On the other hand, a negative correlation was found between age and users awareness of others improved search for a date via SNS. Variables Pearson Correlation Age Sig. (2-tailed) Networking Awareness of others' experience of cyberbullying Awareness of others' improved search for a date Pearson Correlation 0.05 level (2-tailed). Figure 8. SNS Usage Rate and Age Data also revealed that students perceptions of the influence of SNS were consistent with the actual effects as revealed by the findings discussed in the previous sections. About 45.2% thought that the use of SNS had a negative impact on their life while 29.7% thought that the use of SNS had a positive effect on their life. Both forcedchoice questions were followed up by two open-ended questions (how and why). The responses to the open ended questions revealed nine common themes as shown in Figure 9. Themes Impact of SNS Has negative impact Has positive impact Freq. Count % Freq. Count % Time consumption/dependency Self-control/discipline Distraction Friends/networking/connection Assistance News/knowledge/updates Not relevant (to academic performance) Relaxation/recreation Communications Total Figure 9. Perceptions of the Impact of SNS 9

10 10 Discussion and conclusions This study examined the usage and implications of social networking sites among college students. Results found that female college students spent more time on SNSs than male students. In general, for both males and females, the time spent on SNS decreased as the age of the respondent increased. As for respondents perception of the influence of SNS usage on their academic performance, significant differences were found in terms of age. A greater number of younger students reported negative perception of the effect of SNSs on their academic performance. Significant correlations were found between age and gender, and the influence of SNS on users personal development. Results also revealed that there were significant relationships between users class rank and field of study, and the influence of SNS. Positive correlations were found in SNS usage rate and students networking with friends, family members, and professionals, while negative correlations were observed between SNS usage rate and students search for volunteer opportunities, and awareness of others' improved search for a date. Positive correlations were also found between age and students networking with friends, family, and professionals as well as between age and awareness of others' experience of cyberbullying. On the other hand, a negative correlation was found between age and users awareness of others improved search for a date via SNS. Data also revealed that students perceptions of the influence of SNS were consistent with the actual effects as revealed by the findings. This research was based on a non-random sample and thereby limiting the ability to generalize the results to the larger population. Future research with a random sample could focus on additional dimensions of SNS usage and students extracurricular activities, work schedules, and their interrelationships. This research has explored the issue of social networks and its implications in terms of only a few variables. Future research could focus on a much wider spectrum of dimensions relating SNS usage and its implications for the lives of all demographics. References Baran, B. (2010). Facebook as a formal instructional environment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(6), E146-E149. Bassford, M., & Ivins, J. (2010). Encouraging formative peer review via social networking sites. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(5), E67-E69. Boon, S., & Sinclair, C. (2009). A world I don t inhabit: disquiet and identity in Second Life and Facebook. Educational Media International, 46(2), Bosch, T. (2009). Using online social networking for teaching and learning: Facebook use at the University of Cape Town. COMMUNICATIO, 35(2), Churchill, D. (2009). Educational applications of Web 2.0: using blogs to support teaching and learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(1), Corbett, P. (2010) Facebook demographics and statistics report Retrieved February 7, Available from year/ Dowdall, C. (2009). Impressions, improvisations and compositions: reframing children s text production in social networks sites. Literacy, 43(2), Gunawardena, C. N., Hermans, M. B., Sanchez, D., Richmond, C., Bohley, M., & Tuttle, R. (2009). A theoretical framework for building online communities of practice with social networking tools. Educational Media International, 46(1), Haridakis, P., & Hanson, G. (2009). Social interaction and co-viewing with Youtube: blending mass communication reception and social connection. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(2), Hendrix, D., Chiarella, D., Hasman, L., Murphy, S., & Zacfron M. L. (2009). Use of Facebook in academic health sciences libraries. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 97(1), Judd, T. (2010). Facebook versus . British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(5), E101-E103. Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2010) Facebook and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 26,

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