Social Network Sites’ Influence on Americans of Different Ages

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Summary
Analysis
References

Introduction

Social network sites (SNS) are of great importance in the life of a modern person. Through social networks, humans not only communicate but also share tips, professional skills, promote their services, enter into transactions, and conduct scientific activities. However, there has been no shortage of debates on whether the overall effect of SNS on people’s lives is mostly positive or negative. On the one hand, some fear that the use of SNS can ruin and worsen interactions. On the other, many rejoice at the prevalent digital connectivity, which brings the SNS users many social benefits. This paper summarizes and analyzes the influence of SNS on American individuals of different ages; the use of popular SNS, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, MySpace, are revealed. Thus, the results of the three studies disclose a complex image of the role played by digital technology in shaping people’s worldviews.

Summary

Hampton, Goulet, Rainie, and Purcell (2011) discussed how reliance, personal connections, civic and political engagement are affected by the SNS use by surveying 2,255 American adults. In this report, the authors provided a detailed overview of what SNS users look like, what SNS channels people use, and the relation between software uses, and the scale and scope of social networks across all people. It was also examined whether SNS users mostly benefit from their social ties, their capacity to take into account other points of view, and their engagement with the culture and politics. In order to provide a clearer picture of SNS impact, the authors compared users to non-users as well. One of the key findings in this study revealed that the median age of SNS users among adults has risen from 33 years in 2008 to 38 years in 2010. Moreover, approximately half of all adult social network users are older than 35.

The report presents that more than 90% of SNS users have a Facebook account, whereas only around 15% of those are registered on LinkedIn and Twitter. Furthermore, the way people use SNS is significantly varied: Facebook and Twitter users more tend to communicate on the platforms on a daily basis than on other SNS. LinkedIn and Facebook users are found to be more politically engaged, while people on MySpace are the most likely to accept different points of view. Additionally, the study revealed that individuals with more years of education, who already have significant social media networks, are more likely to have an account on LinkedIn and Twitter. Hence, the authors suggest that concerns about individuals using SNS possessing smaller social networks and experiencing less closeness or less diversity are not valid. Americans’ social ties in 2010 were stronger than two years ago, as they were found to be less isolated and more actively using SNS.

An article by Lenhart (2015) investigated the tendencies of social media and technology use among adolescents. Pew Research Center has interviewed individuals from 13 to 17 years old, based in the United States, online. One of the key findings includes the fact that the majority of adolescents actively use more than one SNS. Besides SNS, the survey shows that apps like Snapchat and Instagram are popular among many teens. However, Facebook remains the dominant social media and is reported to be most commonly used, especially by lower-income youth. Mid-to-upper-class adolescents, on the contrary, tend to prefer Instagram and Snapchat. Moreover, the study found that teenagers have a significant gender disparity in online and gaming behavior. Boys are dominated by girls in their use of text messaging, social media platforms, and visual apps, such as Tumblr and Pinterest. However, male teenagers prevail over young females in video gaming. In addition, there is a gap in the frequency of Internet and smartphone use between the whites and representatives of other races. Afro-American and Hispanic youth report to have smartphones more often and be online longer than white adolescents.

An article “Social media update 2016” by Greenwood, Perrin, and Duggan (2016) illustrates the main SNS and technology use tendencies. The study included in this report is based on a survey of 1520 adults across all of the 50 states. The majority of participants were interviewed via cellphone in English or Spanish. The study revealed that young adults still have high rates of Facebook use, but older adults are joining this social network as well. Furthermore, a significant rise in the Facebook users of the 65 and older cohort has occurred; women in all of the age groups remain to use the SNS more frequently. The use of Instagram among youth is particularly high, whereas only one-third of adults have an account on this platform. Additionally, LinkedIn was found to be popular with high-income graduates and college students in 2016. Half of the adults with a degree possess a LinkedIn profile, and only approximately 15% of high school graduates use the SNS.

Analysis

The advantage of digital media is the ability to measure various metrics and indicators for the success of product campaigns. As far as I am concerned, a lack of a target audience is one of the crucial mistakes in online communication as, for example, some companies attempt to impose their goods on disinterested persons. After all, the better the understanding of the audience, the easier it is to find common ground and interest the end consumer. According to the summaries of the studies, Facebook is most popular with middle-aged, politically active individuals, particularly females. Instagram, on the contrary, is frequently used by young adults and adolescents. Politically engaged college graduates and people with high incomes tend to use LinkedIn often than those with other payor education levels. Therefore, it might be considered more reasonable to popularize election candidates and other political content via LinkedIn and Facebook than other platforms. In addition, products for youth might be more effectively advertised via Instagram or Snapchat. Consequently, I think the information from the chosen articles might be found useful with aspiring online marketing specialists.

Nowadays, Facebook is the most popular and most discussed Internet project in the world. While the popularity of new social media apps and websites is rising, Facebook has remained the most widely used SNS since 2011. For many Facebook users, the SNS has numerous benefits, as it is possible to find old friends, a new job, or expand a business. However, I suppose the success of Facebook is also due to the fact that it has been particularly popular with adult low-income individuals, as stated by the authors of the SNS reports. In other words, with the appearance of apps that can only be accessed via smartphones, Facebook can also be used from laptops or desktop computers, which have increased availability for those individuals who do not use smartphones.