The impact of different techniques on reducing time spent on social media

Magistrsko delo obravnava vpliv informacij o tem, na kakšne načine družabna omrežja zasvojujejo, ter tehnik za zmanjšanje preživljanja časa na družabnih omrežjih na čas, ki ga študenti vsakodnevno preživijo na teh spletnih platformah. Prvi del je teoretični - v njem so predstavljene pomembne teoretične osnove obravnavane tematike. Drugi del je empirični - v njem je predstavljen problem, metodologija, rezultati, razprava, sklepi in predlogi. Kombinirana (kvantitativna in kvalitativna) raziskava je bila izvedena na neslučajnostnem vzorcu 41 slovenskih študentov starih od 19 do vključno 25 let. V njej je sodelovalo 36 žensk (87,8 %), 4 moški (9,8 %) in 1 drugo (2,4 %). Podatki so bili pridobljeni s pomočjo spletnih anket in fokusni skupin. V okviru raziskave je bil izveden tudi pravi eksperiment s pretestom, posttestom in kontrolno skupino. Velika večina vprašanih študentov zaznava/opaža, da na družabnih omrežjih vsakodnevno preživi več časa, kot so sprva nameravali. Pred pričetkom eksperimenta jih je malo več kot polovica že uporabljala nekatere izmed tehnik za zmanjšanje preživljanja časa na teh spletnih platformah. Uporaba tehnik in zavedanje o tem, na kakšne načine družabna omrežja zasvojujejo, vplivata na čas uporabe tako, da se ta zmanjša. Študenti so v svojem življenju opažali tudi druge spremembe povezane z zmanjšano uporabo. Večina se je pri uporabi tehnik srečevala s kar nekaj izzivi, vendar so jih vsi ocenili kot smiselne, koristne oz. uporabne. Tudi v prihodnje si bodo prizadevali za njihovo uporabo in uvajanje novih. Veliko študentov je omenilo, da bi bila po koncu raziskave zelo dobrodošla medsebojna podpora pri uporabi tehnik in trudu za zmanjšanje časa uporabe. V bodoče bi bilo potrebno izvesti podobno raziskavo v daljšem časovnem obdobju, na večjem vzorcu študentov z bolj uravnoteženim razmerjem med spoloma in z bolj natančno kontrolo motečih dejavnikov. Potrebno bi bilo izvesti tudi podobno raziskavo na mlajši in starejši populaciji. Smiselno in pomembno bi bilo tudi ozaveščanje širše javnosti o tej problematiki, vpeljava izobraževanj in multidisciplinarnih timov strokovnjakov na področjih, kjer se srečujejo s to problematiko, ustanovitev skupin za samopomoč in raziskava primerov dobre prakse na tem področju v tujini.The master’s thesis discusses the (excessive) use of social media. Additionally it examines the impact of information on the ways in which these online platforms are addictive and the impact of different techniques on reducing time spent on social media. The first part is theoretical - it presents important theoretical foundations of the topic. The second part is empirical - it presents the problem, the methodology, the results, the discussion, the conclusions and the proposals. A combined (quantitative and qualitative) survey was carried out on a non-probability sample of 41 Slovenian students aged 19 to 25. It involved 36 women (87,8 %), 4 men (9,8 %) and 1 other. The data were obtained through online polls and focus groups. As part of the research, a real experiment with a pretest, posttest and control group was also performed. The vast majority of interviewed students perceive/observe that they spend more time on social media on a daily basis than they originally intended. Prior to the experiment, slightly more than half of the students had already used some of the techniques to reduce time spent on these online platforms. The use of techniques and awareness of the ways in which social media is addictive reduce the time spent on social media. Participants in the experiment also noticed other changes in their lives related to the reduced use of these online platforms (and mobile phones). Most of the participants in the focus groups faced quite a few challenges in using the techniques, but all of them assessed them as useful and helpful. They will continue to use them, as well as new ones in the future. Many students mentioned the importance of further mutual support in the use of techniques and efforts to reduce time spent on social media. In the future, it would be important to carry out a similar survey over a longer period of time, on a larger sample of students with a more gender balance and with more precise control of distractive factors. A similar survey on younger and older population should also be performed. The rise of awareness on this would be important as well as the organization of trainings, multidisciplinary expert teams and self-help groups in the areas where this issue is recognised and the research on good practice in this field in other countries