Participants
The survey research activity had a total of 30 participants with 13 of them being females and 9 being males and 8 respondents who did not indicate their gender. While the respondents age range from 16 or younger up to 66 or older, the majority of them were within the 25 to 55 age range, with only one respondent who is either 66 years old or older. A large number of the respondents are divorced, and most have 3 or more children. About 33% and 26% of the respondents have an associate degree and bachelor’s degree respectively, one who holds a master’s degree and the rest have lower educational attainment. The majority of them are skilled workers, followed by specialist, entrepreneurs, head of the enterprise and employees without higher education. There are also a few who are either a housewife or unemployed and one who is a student. Of the 30 respondents, 18 answered that they belong to the marketing sector, while 12 left the question blank. About 33% of them are not employed and are not looking for employment, 20% are retired, 16% who are employed and are working for 41 hours or more per week, 13% who are employed and are working for 40 hours or less in a week, another 33% are not employed but are looking for work while 3% are disabled. The use of questionnaire is the main research instrument used in this survey activity. It was conducted online using the survey monkey, thus ensuring that the questionnaire was answered independently. The following pie charts below shows the socioeconomic categorization of the respondents as provided in this paragraph:
Figure 1: Marital Status of the Respondent
Figure 2: Employment Status of the Respondent
Figure 3: Social Status of the Respondent
Data Collection
The research was conducted using questionnaires that consist of 28 questions sent out to respondents through the Survey Monkey, which is an online survey development cloud-based company. The questionnaire was designed to gather descriptive information such as the socioeconomic status and other questions that asked for the opinion of the respondents. An analysis of the data resulted to the claims in the following discussion:
Result and Discussion
Point A: Social media helps to ease socialization and communication.
In the survey, respondents were asked whether they think that different social media helps in easing the process of socialization and communication. Various studies have been conducted to determine what effect social media has on socialization and communication. In a study conducted by Baruah on the effectiveness of social media as a communication tool, he found that “social media have the potential to fundamentally change the character of our social lives, both on an interpersonal and community level.” (Baruah, 1). Another study also found that social media has become a tool to assist in the exchange of information among scientists (Osterrieder, 2013).
The survey revealed that more people perceive social media as a helpful tool in easing the process of socialization and information exchange. Social media serves as an effective tool in promoting social campaigns because it reaches a broad audience. The wide ranging scope of social media allows people to share and exchange information across communities. Social media also provides teenagers with an avenue to express themselves and eases any social anxiety
Respondents were asked whether they think that different social media helps in easing the process of socialization and communication. Just over half of the respondents agreed that social media assist with socialization and communication. Figure 4 indicates these findings. 53.85% of the respondents answered in the positive. More people believed that social media is helpful in easing the process of socialization and communication.
Figure 4: Social Media as a means of Easing Communication
Point B: Information on social media is more positive than negative.
In the survey, Respondents were asked whether they found the information on social media to be more positive than negative. The data revealed similar results as past studies that have been conducted to determine the impact of social media . These studies have revealed that the use of Facebook and other social media are said to help in the promotion of “social campaigns and share positivity, engaging others and encouraging them to do the same” (6 Ways Social Media Helps People Help People, 2012).
The information being disseminated by social media is more on the positive than the negative. This finding is in line with the results in the literature review suggesting that social media has helped ease our lives by becoming a great tool not only for families, but also the community. Moreover, another study indicated that the use of social media is helpful in maintaining connections with family and friends, with about 67% of users who believed that this is the primary purpose of social media (Fraustino et al, 2012).
Figure 5 shows how the respondents view the nature of social media information. In the case study, it was found that 72.41% of the respondents indicated that they found the information disseminated by the social media to be more on the positive than the negative.
Figure 5: Nature of Social Media Information
Point C: The negative impact from social media can be turned into positive outcomes.
In the survey, Respondents were asked whether they agree that understanding the nature of social media platforms can turn the negative impacts into a favorable outcome. While there is fear about the prevalent use of social media among teens, it was found that they are in fact “cognizant of their online reputations and take steps to curate the content and appearance of their social media presence” (Madden et al, 2013). However, many teens have encountered cyberbullying through the use of social media.
The negative impact of social media can be turned into a favorable outcome for the parents and their children by each gaining a thorough understanding of the nature of social media platform. Many teens are making the decision to not post things online due to the concern that these postings will eventually reflect badly on them (Madden, et al., 2013). Moreover, adults can do so much to positively influence the youngsters in the responsible use of social media.
The popularity of social media, especially among the youth resulted in several negative implications, however, balancing the use of this tool can lead to positive results in the end. According to the result of the conducted research as shown in Figure 6, a large majority (90%) of the respondents agrees that understanding the nature of social media platforms can turn the negative impacts into a favorable outcome.
Figure 6: Understanding the Nature of Social Media
References
Anderson, C., Johar, E., & Key, J. (n.d.). Teenagers on Social Media: Socialization and Self-Esteem. Retrieved from John Jay University: http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/sites/default/files/contentgroups/sasp/poster_gallery/pg04.pdf
Baruah, T. (2012). Effectiveness of social media as a tool of communication and its potential for technology enabled connections: A micro-level study. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 2(5), 1-10. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.376.5533&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Fraustino, J., Brooke, L., & Yan, J. (2012). Social media use during disasters: A review of the knowledge base and gaps. Retrieved from U.S Department of Homeland Security website: http://www.start.umd.edu/sites/default/files/files/publications/START_SocialMediaUseduringDisasters_LitReview.pdf
G oldberg Goff, K. (2009, January 28). Social networking benefits validated. Retrieved from The Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/28/social-networking-benefits-validated/?page=all
Kang, C. (2012, June 26). Teens in survey pain positive picture of effect of social media on their lives. Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/teens-in-survey-paint-positive-picture-of-effect-of-social-media-on-their-lives/2012/06/26/gJQAOszA5V_story.html
Madden, M., Lenhart, A., & Cortesi, S. (2013). Teens, social media, and privacy. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2013/05/PIP_TeensSocialMediaandPrivacy_PDF.pdf
Osterrider, A. (2013). The value and use of social media as communication tool in the plant sciences. Osterrieder Plant Methods, 9(26), 1-6.
Rice, W. (2014, November 5). Why Parents Can't Be Dumb About Soical Media. Retrieved from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-wendy-rice/why-parents-cant-be-dumb-_b_6108004.html
6 Ways Social Media Helps People Help People [Web log post]. (2012, April 17). Retrieved from http://blog.hootsuite.com/6-ways-social-helps-people/
