Adolescents’ voices on organization via social media

• Background: Adolescents are industrious users of social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and most of 9-16 years old in EU´s 25 countries have a profile on a social network where they can socialize, express their thoughts and feelings. In Sweden there have been recent actions where adolescents have organized themselves with help from social media very quickly and with many participators. Studies have shown both positive and negative effects of using social media. Positive, since almost everyone can share experiences or make their voice heard. Negative, since young people can expose themselves and others to situations that can be difficult to manage. There are concerns that adolescents online can be socially isolated from their friends in “real life”, while others mean that social media increases the possibility for adolescent to make new friends and develop existing relationships. Significance: Earlier studies have focused on use of social media in school and social resisting gatherings, but not as many studies on adolescents’ use of social media for organizing their activities in everyday life. Young people can be considered to be digital natives and adults, that constitute a certain power in the society, can be considered as digital immigrants. From that perspective it is important to let young people’s own voices be heard on a central arena for daily activities. Hence, the aim the presented study was to examine how adolescents describe social media as an arena for organizing themselves and how the organizational actions affect their everyday life. Data derives from interviews with 13-19-year old pupils, and were recruited from the Western part of Sweden. The interviews were analyzed with thematic analysis in several steps. Results revealed that social media is perceived both positive and negative. Social media was described as an arena where young people can experience feelings of being free, but also as an arena that contributes to major problems. The adolescents describe social media as a platform where social power is performed, but that the users are unaware about the responsibilities that follow such power. Conclusions drawn from this study is that young people reason about the complexity of what social media means for organizing events and relationships in everyday life and social medias are seen as both problematic and enabling. The study contributes, by letting young people´s own voices being heard, a better understanding of adolescents’ experience of social organization in new medias.Adolescents' voices on organization via social media. Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/281280719_Adolescents'_voices_on_organization_via_social_media [accessed Oct 29, 2015].

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Psychology

Psykologi

Barn- och ungdomsvetenskap

Child and Youth studies

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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