As the popularity of social media increases, the number of online relationships people have are increasing

Photo by Kate Knibbs

Popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter offer features where one can "add a friend" or "follow" another user online. 

While many users use social media as a way to connect with individuals that they know in "real life", many have used Social Media to create new, virtual
friendships.

According to Emarketer, about 2.55 billion people around the world are connected to social media in some way. This number is at an all time high and is increasing daily as new users join online communities. 

As the membership in online communities grow, the more people have the ability to connect with people that they have never met in a face- to - face situation.  People now are now faced with the task of balancing their 'cyber friends' (friends met on online forums) and 'real life friends' (friends met in face-to-face communication situations). 

Statistics for social media usage are increasing with time

Adolescent Internet Practices

There are now nearly 850 million active Facebook users, 465 million Twitter accounts and over 30 million Instagram accounts, according to these statistics.  

It is possible that a number of these users are adolescents may engage in communication with individuals on the internet who they do not know in offline life.

The numbers concerning teens internet usage from Toptenreviews.com suggest that teens are more likely to make themselves vulnerable online, even if it is unintentional. According to these numbers, 93% of teens are online, and 69% of those teens go online every day. 

These numbers are significant and show that the majority of teens are using the internet. Also, 73% of teens are on some form of social media, and have an average of 201 Facebook 'friends'.

The statistics regarding Facebook Friends is contradictory to something known as Dunbar's Number which states that humans can only maintain relationships and communication a maximum of 150 people. This means that many teens are sharing information with people that they essentially have no relationship to, which could be a potential threat to privacy online.

People tend to disclose more personal information online due to anonymity

While online, people have a deeper sense of anonymity than they do in face to face encounters. A study done by Samantha Henderson and Michael Gilding discusses how people tend to create more online friendships because they are more apt to disclose personal information over the web.

Henderson and Gilding described a phenomenon known as "Hyperpersonal Communication" which referred to the way in which people exchanged personal information through digital methods.

According to Dr. Jennifer Wessel, who has a PhD in organizational psychology and teaches social psychology at the University of Maryland, people tend to disclose more personal information online when they sense lower levels of risk. In this case, as she says, being anonymous online lowers risk factors for many people, allowing them to disclose more personal information.


This can either be a good thing for people who have a desire to open up to others, but may have trouble doing so in real life. The desire to connect with others is of psychological importance.

                                         

While people claim to be satisfied in their online relationships, they may not be very psychologically satisfying

Dr. Wessel also mentions that people should not have online friendships as replacements for real life realtionships, because online friendships lack the intimacy that people need.

Another study conducted by Duane Buhrmester found that, especially in adolescents, the intimacy of face-to-face friendships was important for positive psychological development.

This finding would mean that adolescents who are engaging more in online relationships than face to face relationships are not having their needs fully met for proper psychological development. 

Jim Taylor, PhD on Psychology Today agrees that online relationships, especially for adolescents are missing important factors. These are "Facial expressions, voice inflection, clear emotional messages, gestures, body language, physical contact and pheromones." Since these factors are missing from online communication, adolescents are deprived of real, solid social relationships.

Quiz 11: Video Interviewing

Online Harassment is an Issue on Social Media Platforms, Especially For Women

In this article, it is reported that with the prevalence of social media in many peoples lives, online harassment is becoming a serious problem, especially for women. The article also touches upon the recent issues caused by gamer-led attacks by the online group "Gamergate" which has specifically been targeting females who are a part of the gaming world. 

Compared to the UK, the US is More Inclined to Engage in Visual Journalism

By Rachel63 and Sharon69


Visual journalism is on the rise world wide, but is common in some countries more than others. Through social media and other online news outlets, access to visual journalism is more widespread. The US is relatively high on the list of visual news engagement, especially compared to other countries such as the UK.


The US Is a Top Consumer of Video/Audio Journalism
In comparison to other countries, the US has the highest percentage of its population engaging in video news formats. The US has 34% of its users engaging in video journalism for news, while the UK only has 18% of its users engaging. However, the rise in this type of engagement has been facilitated by the rise of technology. More people are viewing news through mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, especially in the US, which is consistent with the numbers shown. The percentage of people that do not seem to engage in visual news sources in this way say that it is due to screen size, and that not everyone is comfortable viewing news on a small screen.

Social Media Outlets Such as Facebook and Youtube Continue to Grow
While social media has been on the rise for a few years now, it is now becoming more and more prominent as a social media outlet. Websites such as Facebook and Youtube have the most viewership for online news. Facebook has the most users engaging in news with 35% of the 60% of people who use Facebook are using the site for news. Youtube has 15% of the 52% of people who use its site engaging in news. Youtube especially has been a growing platform for visual journalism as people can watch videos of news either on the computer or on mobile devices. In the US, 17% of people use Youtube as a news source, while only 6% of users in the UK use Youtube as a news source.

More People In US Share and Participate in Social Media News

Sharing is a huge part of Social media. Many sites now have "share" buttons on articles and news stories where users can "share" stories with their Facebook friends or email contacts, thus speeding up the rate at which news travels. The US is among the topmost sharing countries, with 35% of people actively engaging in this type of news participation. In the UK, the participation is significantly lower, with numbers only at 16% of people sharing


The US is Mostly Partial to Accessibility of News Subscriptions
Most US users claim that the reasons they subscribe to different news sources are influenced by how easily and quickly they can access the news. People want to be able to access their favorite news sites at any given time. This also goes along with the rise of social media in the news and the rapidly growing use of mobile devices. The US has 49% of people that value the accessibility of their news, and the UK has slightly less people valuing this at 42%.

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The Percentages of Students Who Use Email, Instant Messaging, Communication, Cell Phones, Social Networking and Video Chat For Communication

Cell Phones in Some Schools Seen as Learning Tools Instead of Distractions

Most academic institutions place some sort of a ban on the use of cellular devices in the classroom. Cell phones, with their multitasking capabilities, are thought to cause distraction to both the students using the devices as well as the students around those using the devices. With the recent rise of technology, the issue of use and possession of cellphones in the classroom is becoming increasingly controversial.

Major concern about the use of cellphones in class are that they could distract students

According to a study published in the Journal of Media Education, 89.8% of students surveyed admitted that "not paying attention" was the biggest disadvantage to use of cellphones in the classroom. However, this might be due to students putting more energy into hiding their devices so they may text, email, etc. in secret. 

What if, instead of banning cellphones and having students go out of their way to secretly use their devices, teachers embraced them as learning tools?

Some schools in Texas have been using cellphones in the classroom in a positive way

As an alternative to banning cellphones, some schools have begun to accept technology into their classrooms as a tool for learning rather than a distraction.  For example, a school district in Texas has partnered with a company called GoKnow to integrate learning and cellphone use. GoKnow software works on students' phones to aid in discussion and more in-depth involvement with the lesson.

 In the same article, teacher Carla Dolman explains that cellphone use in the classroom has been useful to her because students can record their group discussions and send them to her. This makes her more aware of what is going on in her own classroom. Dolman also notes that the cellphones cause very little distraction.

Other teachers note that sending out text messages to students as reminders for assignments and tests has been helpful. This allows both teachers and students to stay organized.

The Guilford school district in Connecticut is also working to get cell phone use approved in schools. As many seem to agree, cell phones can be integrated for classroom use. One student being interviewed even mentions that being able to look up information during class that is relevant can add to the quality of her learning environment.

Still, many people are skeptical about the use of any type of technology in the classroom. Parents especially wonder if their children will receive an adequate education with the integration of technology in classrooms. While studies show that, for example, laptop use for note taking is not beneficial to learning, technology can be beneficial in other ways. As previously discussed, technology can be very useful when properly applied.

It is possible that teachers and professors can blend different methods for learning together. Students can still take hand-written notes while using technology to further explore topics discovered in class. Whether students are asked to research information or keep track of assignments using cellular devices, technology may be a way to keep students involved with their own learning.