CHARACTERISTICS OF »SNAPCHAT« USE AMONG ZAGREB HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Društvene mreže u današnje vrijeme predstavljaju jedan od važnijih »tehnoloških alata« u životima ljudi diljem svijeta, a u najvećoj mjeri koriste ih adolescenti (pogotovo djevojke), pri čemu su najčešće korištene Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok i Facebook. Glavni cilj ovoga rada je istražiti obilježja korištenja Snapchata među srednjoškolcima Grada Zagreba, prije svega zbog iznimne popularnosti, količine provedenog vremena na ovoj društvenoj mreži, potencijalnih psihosocijalnih rizika te nedostatka domaće literature u ovom području. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 825 učenika (NM = 404; ND = 418; 3 učenika nije označilo spol), a raspon dobi kreće se od 14 do 20 godina (Mdob = 16,65; SDdob = 1,208). Rezultati pokazuju da preko 80% srednjoškolaca koristi Snapchat, te su utvrđene razlike u učestalosti korištenja s obzirom na spol, dob/razred te vrstu škole. Instagram, Snapchat i TikTok najpopularnije su društvene mreže među zagrebačkim srednjoškolcima, a korištenje jedne umjereno je povezano s korištenjem ostalih, stoga rezultati govore u prilog postojanju preferirane i dominantne društvene mreže koja se koristi češće u odnosu na druge. Zaključno, nisu utvrđene razlike u izraženosti ovisnosti o internetu s obzirom na učestalost korištenja Snapchata. Dobivenim rezultatima omogućeno je bolje razumijevanje obilježja korištenja Snapchata među srednjoškolcima, a isti su interpretirani u kontekstu aktualnih znanstvenoistraživačkih spoznaja i izazova, te mogućnosti razvoja psihosocijalnih intervencija. In the last decade, social networks have become one of the most important »technological tools« in the lives of people around the world, used mainly by adolescents (especially girls). Currently, the most widely used ones are Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. This paper aims to explore the characteristics of Snapchat use among high school students in the City of Zagreb, mainly due to its great popularity, the amount of time spent on this social network, and possible psychosocial risks, mainly due to its great popularity, but also due to the lack of domestic literature in this field. A total of 825 students participated in the study (NB=404; NG=418; 3 students did not provide gender information), and the age range was from 14 to 20 years (Mage=16.65; SDage=1.208). The results show that over 80% of high school students use Snapchat, and the differences in frequency of use were found in terms of gender, age, i.e., grade, and type of school. Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok are the most popular social networks among Zagreb high school students, and the use of one of these networks is moderately related to the use of the others, so the results speak offor a preferred and dominant social network that is used more often than others. In conclusion, no differences in the severity of Internet addiction were found in relation to the frequency of Snapchat use. The results obtained allow a better understanding of the characteristics of the use of this social network among high school students and are interpreted in the context of the current challenges of scientific research and the possibility of developing psychosocial interventions