CO4820n Research Report

Aim

The main aim of this research is to analyse the social media applications which are used for communication.

Objectives

To evaluate the influences of social media on adults.
To evaluate the impact of social media on the study of children.
To analyse the use of social media for communicating.

Research Questions

Q1: How does social media influences adults in their daily life?

Q2: What are the impacts of social media on the study of children?

Q3: What are the uses of social media for communication in today’s world?

Hypothesis

H0: Social media has no impact on daily life communication among people

H1: Social media creates huge impact on the daily communication of people

Literature Review

According to research paper, Young people can now connect and interact with their peers like never before thanks to social media [1]. In fact, researchers attempting to comprehend how social media is affecting today’s youth are particularly interested in this significant shift in everyday communication. Recent research has primarily focused on the relationship between social media use and negative outcomes like depressive symptoms. The media has covered this question a lot, so terms like “Facebook depression” have been used to warn parents about the dangers of using social media [1]. Positive sentiment was predicted to rise as a result of increased Facebook use at a given time. In addition, the study found that social media use did not cause poorer emotional health.

As per the research work, the various internet-based networks that enable users to communicate with one another verbally and visually are collectively referred to as “social media.”[2] The age group is the most active on social media, with 87% accessing their devices via computers and 58% via tablets. 68% of 13- to 14-year-olds and nearly three-quarters of 15- to 17-year-olds use smartphones [2]. There are a number of contributing factors to the ambiguous relationship between mental health issues and social media. Internet use is sedentary, and it can lead to health issues if done excessively. Young people’s mental health is negatively impacted by physical inactivity, but the direction of this association is unclear.

According to Viţelar, 2019, In this day and age, when generation and social systems redefine how people interact, creating a personal brand has become a necessity, particularly for the younger generation of technology Z, who are becoming increasingly involved in the online medium [3]. A private emblem is a crucial tool for young people to use to achieve fulfilment regardless of their status because it conveys an individual’s identity and area of expertise: They could be young professionals looking for work, public speakers, bloggers, managers, or business owners.

Methods

This study is based on the uses of different social media applications for communication in today’s world. The social media applications like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are majorly used by people for communications. Mostly, young generations are addicted to these social media applications. Today’s young adults are not only using these social media applications for communications, but they are also using these social media applications for their daily entertainment. Young generations are sharing memes, and following celebrities by using social media and this is a part of their daily entertainment [8]. In this research, a survey is conducted to analyse the uses of different social media applications. In order to conduct this survey a questionnaire is prepared with 10 basic questions related to the uses of social media applications. A total of 20 participants are selected for this survey and responses from all the participants are collected through the survey.

Results

The result of the survey is analysed in the excel spreadsheet which is given below:

The first question of this survey was about Instagram flyers and their usefulness in the business. As per the result of the survey, 5 participants totally disagree that Instagram filters help in business. 7 participants stayed neutral in the response to this question whereas 8 participants stated that Instagram filters help in business. [Referred to Appendix 1]

The next question of the survey was about Twitter. In response to this question, 1 participant strongly disagreed that most people do not use Twitter to follow celebrities, while 2 participants strongly agreed that most people use Twitter for following celebrities. Only 1 participant remains neutral in the response to this question. 11 participants agreed that most users of Twitter use this social media platform to follow celebrities, whereas 5 participants disagreed with this argument. [Referred to Appendix 2]

The third statistical question of this survey was about the use of social media by children for the study. In the response to this question, 7 participants disagreed with this argument and 1 participant strongly disagreed. Only 2 participants remain neutral in the response to this question. Only 1 participant strongly agreed that children should use social media for their study and 9 participants agreed with this argument. [Referred to Appendix 3]

This question is about consulting doctors by using social media platforms. 1 participant strongly disagreed that using social media is a good idea to consult doctors, whereas 2 participants strongly agreed with this statement. 3 participants remain neutral in this statement. 3 participants agreed with the statement that social media can be used for consulting doctors, whereas 7 participants disagreed with this statement. [Referred to Appendix 4]

This question is very controversial question. According to this question, teenagers are affected by using social media. 2 participants disagree with this argument whereas 7 participants agree with this argument that social media affects teenagers. Only 1 participant remains neutral in the response to this question. 9 participants strongly agreed that the use of social media affected teenagers, whereas only 1 participant strongly disagreed with this statement. [Referred to Appendix 5]

People show off on Instagram to increase their followers, this is the main argument for this question. 1 participant disagreed with this argument whereas 12 participants agreed with this argument. 3 participants remain neutral in their response to this statement. 4 participants strongly agreed with this argument and there are no participants who strongly disagreed with this statement. [Referred to Appendix 6]

A total of 2 participants disagreed that using social media can be a good option for reading news online, and 13 participants agreed with this statement. 4 participants remain neutral in their response to this statement. Only 1 participant strongly agreed with this statement. [Referred to Appendix 7]

Memes are a thing which helps to entertain people. 15 participants agreed that most people enjoy memes on social media and 3 participants strongly agreed with this statement. Only 2 participants were neutral in their response to this statement. There were no participants who disagreed with this statement. [Referred to Appendix 8]

Discussions

After analysing all the results of this survey, it can be said that Instagram filters are useful things for personal business. Most of the users of Twitter mainly use this social media platform for following their favourite celebrities. They follow their celebrity to get updates from their celebrities and to get connected with their celebrity. Social media is a good idea for children to use for study [5].

Recommendations

Based on the above study it can be recommended that nowadays, the education sector is shifting towards online, and in this situation, social media can be a good platform for study purposes. Social media is also a good platform to consult with doctors. Social media can easily help its users to connect with doctors. These are some benefits of using social media, but there are also some disadvantages of using social media like it affects teenagers. Teenagers get addicted to social media, and many times they are negatively influenced by using social media. Nowadays, everyone is looking to increase their followers [7]. Most people show off on Instagram to increase their followers and due to this those people lose their actual identity on social media. In this digital world, people are transferring themselves into the online world [6]. So, in this context, social media is a good option for reading news, because it is easier to handle than other online news reading platforms. There are many people who are using social media for entertainment purposes, they continuously scroll down on social media like Facebook and Instagram and enjoy different kinds of memes.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the above discussion that using social media has many advantages it can help to consult with doctors, and it can help children in their studies. Social media also helps to entertain people. But there are also a few disadvantages like it can negatively influence teenagers, and it can also affect younger generations.

REFERENCES

Heffer, T., Good, M., Daly, O., MacDonell, E. and Willoughby, T., 2019. The longitudinal association between social-media use and depressive symptoms among adolescents and young adults: An empirical reply to Twenge et al.(2018). Clinical Psychological Science, 7(3), pp.462-470.
Keles, B., McCrae, N. and Grealish, A., 2020. A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), pp.79-93.
Viţelar, A., 2019. Like me: Generation Z and the use of social media for personal branding. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 7(2), pp.257-268.
Omotayo, F. and Folorunso, M.B., 2020. Use of social media for political participation by youths. JeDEM-eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government, 12(1), pp.132-157.
Stellefson, M., Paige, S.R., Chaney, B.H. and Chaney, J.D., 2020. Evolving role of social media in health promotion: updated responsibilities for health education specialists. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), p.1153.
Meier, A. and Reinecke, L., 2021. Computer-mediated communication, social media, and mental health: A conceptual and empirical meta-review. Communication Research, 48(8), pp.1182-1209.
Vidal, C., Lhaksampa, T., Miller, L. and Platt, R., 2020. Social media use and depression in adolescents: a scoping review. International Review of Psychiatry, 32(3), pp.235-253.
Voorveld, H.A., 2019. Brand communication in social media: A research agenda. Journal of Advertising, 48(1), pp.14-26.