24 research outputs found
Understanding Perceptions of Problematic Facebook Use: When People Experience Negative Life Impact and a Lack of Control
While many people use social network sites to connect with friends and
family, some feel that their use is problematic, seriously affecting their
sleep, work, or life. Pairing a survey of 20,000 Facebook users measuring
perceptions of problematic use with behavioral and demographic data, we
examined Facebook activities associated with problematic use as well as the
kinds of people most likely to experience it. People who feel their use is
problematic are more likely to be younger, male, and going through a major life
event such as a breakup. They spend more time on the platform, particularly at
night, and spend proportionally more time looking at profiles and less time
browsing their News Feeds. They also message their friends more frequently.
While they are more likely to respond to notifications, they are also more
likely to deactivate their accounts, perhaps in an effort to better manage
their time. Further, they are more likely to have seen content about social
media or phone addiction. Notably, people reporting problematic use rate the
site as more valuable to them, highlighting the complex relationship between
technology use and well-being. A better understanding of problematic Facebook
use can inform the design of context-appropriate and supportive tools to help
people become more in control.Comment: CHI 201
Digital inequalities and social media: Experiences of young people in Chile
Purpose – This paper aims to report the findings from a survey of secondary school students in Chile by
exploring their use of social networking services for information-seeking purposes.
Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was distributed via Chile’s Ministry of Education
and 12,354 responses were received.
Findings – The results indicate that young people in Chile extensively use SNSs, but there are differences in
the ways in which they use these services, specifically for information purposes. When considering schoolrelated
activities, there are differences in the use of SNSs by students in different types of schools. Those in
academic-focussed institutions are more likely to use SNSs for school-related information purposes and are
more likely to publish most types of information on SNSs than their counterparts in vocational schools.
Research limitations/implications – The sample was self-selecting and excluded students without
online access to the survey.
Practical implications – The findings indicate more needs to be done in schools serving lower socioeconomic
communities to support students’ use of SNSs for information-seeking, especially for academic
purposes.
Social implications – The findings suggest that school-associated social capital may have a role in
shaping students’ use of SNSs for information and learning purposes and, potentially, in exacerbating digital
inequalities.
Originality/value – The focus on the use of social media specifically for information-seeking distinguishes
this research. The findings challenge possible assumptions about the links between social media use and
social class and suggest that differences may be exacerbated by school practices