The influence of Social networks on Youth behavior

U suvremenom dobu digitalne revolucije društveni mediji čine značajan dio svakodnevice ljudi, a posebno mlade populacije. Generacija Z koja obuhvaća rođene između 1995. i 2011. godine je prva generacija rođena u doba kada su društvene mreže kakve poznajemo danas već bile u razvitku. Život bez društvenih mreža mladima je danas gotovo nezamisliv te one, kao i drugi novi mediji, uvelike oblikuju njihovo ponašanje, mišljenja i stavove. S obzirom na prisustvo društvenih mreža u životima mladih i načinu na koji oblikuju njihove živote, u radu je provedeno istraživanje o utjecaju društvenih mreža na ponašanje kod mladih. Cilj istraživanja je bio utvrditi aspekte ponašanja i stavova mladih koji su uvjetovani korištenjem društvenih mreža, u smislu njihovih aktivnosti na društvenim mrežama, političkih i aktivističkih stavova te općenito utjecaju društvenih mreža na njih same i njihovu generaciju, kao i pozitivne i negativne karakteristike. Rezultati su pokazali da su mladi više zainteresirani za zabavni sadržaj nego za političke teme na društvenim mrežama. Također, nerijetko donose i odluke o kupnji upravo na temelju spoznaja na društvenim mrežama. Cjelokupni utjecaj društvenih mreža na njihovu generaciju ocijenili su negativno, dok su oko utjecaja istih na njih same uvelike suzdržani. Istraživanje pokazuje da su društvene mreže bitan segment života mladih, no mladi uvelike ne vjeruju svemu što vide na društvenim medijima i svjesni su opasnosti koje mogu uzrokovati, stoga je potrebna kontinuirana edukacija o društvenim mrežama, kao unutar obitelji, tako i na razini obrazovanja te na cjelokupnoj razini društva.In the modern age of the digital revolution, social media is a significant part of people's daily lives, especially the young population. Generation Z, which includes those born between 1995 and 2011, is the first generation born at a time when social networks as we know them today were already in development. Life without social networks for young people today is almost unthinkable and they, like other new media, greatly shape their behavior, opinions and attitudes. Given the presence of social networks in the lives of young people and the way they shape their lives, this paper conducted a study on the impact of social networks on youth behavior. The research aimed to determine aspects of behavior and attitudes of young people conditioned by the use of social networks, in terms of their activities on social networks, political and activist attitudes, and general influence of social networks on themselves and their generation, as well as positive and negative characteristics. The results showed that young people are more interested in entertainment content than in political topics on social networks. Also, they often make purchasing decisions based on knowledge from social networks. They assessed the overall impact of social networks on their generation negatively, while they were very reticent about the impact on them. Research shows that social networks are an important segment of young people's lives, but young people do not believe in everything they see on social media and are aware of the dangers they can cause, so constant education about social networks is needed, both within the family and at the educational level and at the whole level of society