Summary of Interviews
Three persons were interviewed to determine their attitudes concerning the use of Facebook by young teens: a 28-year-old mother, a 28-year-old nonparent, and a 42 year-old father.
All three had their reservations regarding the minimum age requirement for registration at Facebook. They felt that 13 was too young an age for children to be able to make certain life-decisions without parental control, and that Facebook might expose them to situations they might not be mature enough to handle. They also all thought that 16 would be a more suitable age for a teen to join a social network. However, they also all agreed that there is a great deal of difference in maturity among children in the very early teens. Basically, they thought that the decision whether to allow a 13-year-old child—or, a 16-year-old teen, for that matter—to join Facebook should be left to the discretion of the parents.
They all believed that Facebook can be addictive but they all agreed that this also applies to adults; one of the adults is addicted to Facebook herself, so she understands the allure. However, neither one of them saw this as a reason to prevent a child from joining Facebook. They all agreed that strong parental control can help curtail Facebook addiction. And, Facebook has become very important to keep children interconnected with their friends.
All three perceived a risk of harm to children from outsiders; they all shared not only the ultimate fear of predators who would wish to inflict bodily harm on their children, but also those that are closer to their children; “friends,” who may want to bully them and inflict emotional pain. There have been too many cases where social networking has led to suicide by a young teen that could not handle the psychological abuse (Bernard, 2009).
There was also consensus regarding the involvement of schools in educating children about the dangers of Facebook, and one of them suggested that schools should set up a program like the D.A.R.E. program that educates children against drugs. But again, they all rested ultimate responsibility on the shoulders of parents.
Can society live without networking sites? This scenario was perceived by all three as a “possibility,” but not as a “probability.” More and more people are connecting to social networks, and it is difficult to avoid it in our society. Networking is here to stay, and there is no going back. What parents must do is exercise greater care in assuring that their children can derive the benefits of networking without incurring any harm (Bernard, 2009).
Transcript of Interview with Male Parent
Q#1.The minimum age to register for a Facebook page is 13 years old. Do you think that this is an appropriate age?
P#3. Not without enhanced parental control. Our daughter was allowed to join Facebook at about 13 but she is limited to one hour or less per day. That was a difficult decision at the time and still leaves me somewhat concerned whether we have provided the best guidance and controls. In my judgment, 16 might be more appropriate.
I believe children should have more experience and opportunities to develop sound judgment than might be the case with early teen children. I also think they would gain much more from this type of social engagement if they are firmly grounded in their peer and other relationships. We have worked hard to make sure our daughter had extensive opportunities for broad and diverse experience with both her friends and within our own social circles. Had that not been the case, I believe we would have waited several more years before granting our permission.
I think that in general this applies to all children. However, I feel that each parent must be the best judge, as to whether or not their child is ready for such an experience. It is much too easy to pick an age that fits for the general teen population when we all know that the level of maturity and self-knowledge varies tremendously at that time of their lives. There can be no firm and fast rule.
Q#2. Do you think it is so easy for children to become addicted to Facebook?
P#3. I am not an expert on Facebook (I use Linked In for business networking) but I do think such sites can become addictive, especially at an early age.
I'm not sure whether this would contribute to other addictions but I would be worried about the sorts of influences to which my children would be exposed that are well outside of any parental guidance. On the other hand, there are positive addictions that come to mind such as reading or exercise. While I wouldn't like for my child to spend hours and hours idly gazing at pictures of her friends, I would be happy to see her immersed for hours in the stacks of books that we make sure appear around the house. Nor do I mind so much if she joins her friends for 30 minutes of running followed by fruit smoothies on a frequent and regular basis. If Facebook fosters that sort of addictions, I might even support lowering the age for her younger sister.
What makes Facebook so attractive to children is easy access to all their "friends", constant exposure to new trends and ideas, facile acceptance into the "In" crowd, etc. While I am not so into these "attractions", I remember as I teen I was driven to follow the crowd to a certain extent myself.
Q#3.What are the biggest dangers of introducing children to Facebook?
P#3. Possible introduction to predators, age group inappropriate material, lost sleep, loss of interests that are more appropriate and beneficial, etc. To avoid this, we need strong parental controls, firm and frequent monitoring and guidance from parents, schools and other responsible adults.
Q#4. How much of a responsibility should schools take in guiding students towards using social media in smart, effective and ethical ways?
P#3. I feel the school system should work hand in hand with parents, PTA's, civic organizations such as Scouts, etc., and yes, I think that this should be a requirement of the school system. Do I think that parents be more involved in getting the schools involved? Absolutely! We have worked to get our daughter's school to enhance their programs along these lines. The other parents in the PTA have been generally supportive and helpful. Of course, there is a broad range of opinions and attitudes amongst the parents. These range from never in my house to whatever. We found that we must work hard to reach and keep some level of consensus among the parents of my child. Otherwise, the pressure to increase Facebook time of level of access, etc. grows ad infinitum. Ultimately the responsibility lies with the individual parent and one must set firm boundaries.
Q#5 Do you think we (as a society) or you (as yourself) also could live without Facebook or even other social networking sites?
Of course I think that we, as a society, can live without Facebook or even other social networking sites. However I'm sure that would be difficult, if not impossible, to bring about. Besides, it is too early for us to judge whether Facebook or any other social networking scheme is a net negative. We may find in ten or twenty years that society has been greatly improved through these mechanisms. We can only monitor our children and do our best to guide them.
Before social networking, there was much more face to face networking. People met less often and it took quite a bit more effort to build and maintain networks. Given the long term rewards (both personal and business) of most of those hard won relationships, I can only hope our children enjoy the same benefits on an even wider scale.
Analysis of Interviews
There were three interviews; two separate interviews of a 42 year-old father and a 28-year-old mother, and one of a 28-year-old female nonparent. I interviewed the 38-year-old father because I knew he had two daughters, one of whom is a 14-year-old who had been using Facebook for a year. The other two interviewees were chosen for the similarity of their demographics, with the only variable being parenthood.
Since I knew the gentleman had a family, to establish a rapport and make contact, I began by asking him about his wife and daughters (Stewart and Cash, p.92). After a brief exchange I asked him if he could spare the time to help me with my field research, which I proceeded to describe in some detail to serve as an orientation (Stewart and Cash, p.92). I also explained why this interview was important to me. The rapport and orientation helped me establish a comfortable relationship conducive to the interview (Stewart and Cash, p.92).
When my interview with the father was coming to a close I simply listened to him a while longer, and during a pause I thanked him, telling him how much I appreciated his help, that his answers were insightful and that they raised a lot of interesting questions I had not thought of before, and which I thought would help me write a better field report. I also thanked him and apologized for having taken more of his time than I expected; the interview took more than half an hour, instead of the predicted 15 minutes, because the gentleman spent more time considering each question. Thanking him ended the interview on a positive note, and would allow an opening should I need to go back to have him clarify some questions (Stewart and Cash, p.101).
The two women were sitting together when I approached them at random, introduced myself, and asked them whether they would mind participating in a brief interview. I then gave them a short description of my research and proceeded with the first interview. To establish a relationship of mutual trust, and to avoid their influencing each other, I asked for their agreement to be interviewed separately, and they complied.
The 28-year-old mother was interviewed before the 28-year-old nonparent. It was clear from her answers that she had given the subject of Facebook a lot of thought. She was relaxed during the interview, and was able to provide perceptive answers during the 15- minute interview. Although the interview with her friend took a little less time, 12 minutes, she too provided insightful answers to each of the questions.
I used a small and unobtrusive tape-recorder to impress on the interviewees that their interview was important to me, which allowed me to relax and focus on their mannerisms instead of having to worry about what they were saying, and of course, so that I could have a record of the material for later review.
The communication between myself, and each of the interviewees was courteous and positive because we understood and felt comfortable with each other. All three were eager to help and pleased to be able to talk to someone about a matter that they felt was having a great impact in our society.
The only problem that came up, though briefly, was that they would occasionally try to turn the interview into a conversation. When that happened I would answer their questions, politely, and then quickly brought the focus back to them (Stewart and Cash, p.100). One other issue was the constant message “buzz” of the 28-year-old nonparent’s iPhone, although it did not seem to distract her; it also made the interview more relevant to her as she confessed that she is a bit addicted to Facebook herself. I closed both interviews with polite thanks.
The interviews were impromptu, outdoors, in neutral ground, and face-to-face. The fact that it was impromptu meant that their answers were sincere and I could tell whether they had really thought about some of the issues before. The fact that it was outdoors and in neutral ground made for a more relaxed atmosphere between us. Having a face-to-face interview helped me read them better, and study their body language.
I learned that it pays to be prepared, both in the type of interview that you are going to conduct, and the types of questions that you are going to ask. A well-structured interview, but one that allows some latitude in answering questions, worked well. I also learned that it is important to establish good rapport with the people you are going to interview, because it motivates the interviewees to participate more and inspires them to provide sincere answers. A courteous closing was also important because it signaled to the interviewees that their efforts had been very much appreciated.
If I had to do this assignment all over again I would combine the interview with a survey. I would then be able to ask more questions while focusing on the most important ones.
Works Cited
Stewart JC, and Cash WB. (2011). Interviewing: Principles and Practices. (13th ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Print.
Bernard D, et al. (2009). Facebook and Online Privacy: Attitudes, Behaviors, and
Unintended Consequences. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 15(1):83-108.
