It's more than just for fun

By Colin O'Hara

The objective of the survey I conducted was to explore the variations of users of social media. The results yielded a unique range of information. Six of the people I surveyed were fellow students of mine at the University of South Florida, ranging from the ages of 18-23 years old. The general consensus was that people of that age group have been using social media for about anywhere between one year to eight years. I noticed that when the people claimed they spent eight years on social media, they either started at myspace or a blog while in middle school. Of the surveyees, 100% of users claim that they do multi task while on social media, whether it is at work, school, or home. Most people say they use facebook at home or school and are watching television, doing homework, talking on the phone, or another online activity other than using social media.

 

Among the younger users, they spend roughly about one to two and a half hours on social media per day. Facebook users say they spend about and hour a day but are on twitter on and off all day. Blog users tend to be online slightly more due to them writing and up keeping their blogs.

One user lived outside of the country and used a different SM website called Orkut, but now that he is home, he rarely checks it, stating he uses it maybe every few weeks. Myspace does not seem to be used by anyone of this age group.

Several people I asked use blogs, but do not claim that it is professional or business related. One blogger, who uses his blog to keep updates on a minor league baseball team he writes for, but does not consider it professional.

The best experiences people have had are of course keeping in touch with friends. For those who have lived outside the country, the best thing about SM is he is able to talk to several different people in in different parts of the globe with no problem. Some people have sustained long distance relationships through SM. Many people have also made friends that they are only communicative with through SM, such as on games or through blogs or facebook. One person even chatted with a celebrity on facebook.

It doesn’t seem that many have developed any new skills, but from my experience, it seems that it has helped my writing progress some by writing blogs or just typing to people online.

Negative aspects range from people spending too much time on it and not interacting with “real people” to blaming it for their excess procrastination. Also, i’ve found that people see it as a threat to safety. Personal information is readily available to anyone who sees a profile, and that could lead to safety breaches.

For these who use it for personal use tend to use it far less than their younger counterparts. People who use it for professional use claim that it has added a new responsibility to their job. LinkdIn is a common site among the business world and is used by many professional people. Monster.com and other employment sites are also used by adults in the professional world.

Social media is a part of almost everybody’s day to day life whether directly or indirectly. It has helped many people stay in touch with old friends and even meet new ones and will continue with upgrades and updates that happen everyday.