The Use of Social Media Networking Sites by Young People: An Exploratory Study

Examining social media consumption outcomes of young people is relevant in today’s society. The author explored social media in youth as it relates to loneliness, self-esteem, cyber bullying, and gender, as well as the media theories that relate to these issues. The author implemented a survey that was administered to young people between the ages of 18-25. Additionally, this survey was preformed in order to better understand the media habits of the respondents and the feelings and emotions that they have as a possible result of media consumption. The researcher’s exploration of these issues resulted in several limitations. The author did find that the survey supported that this demographic largely uses social networking to fill time as well as to stay in touch with family and friends. However, a lack of respondents lead to these results not being significant enough to draw conclusions on from the larger population. In order to gain more respondents, the author hopes to expand the survey to be available over a greater period of time. Additionally, the researcher hopes to gain more insight into the respondent’s preexisting conditions, such as depression and anxiety to better interpret the results