Adolescents’ Social Media Usage

According to a survey by Pew Research Center on teen social media use, 71% of teens reported being Facebook users. No other platform was used by a clear majority of teens at the time: Around half (52%) of teens said they used Instagram, while 41% reported using Snapchat.

-       Facebook is the most popular and frequently used social media platform among teens; half of teens use Instagram, and nearly as many use Snapchat.

-       The survey data reveals a distinct pattern in social media use by socio-economic status.

-       Texting is an especially important mode of communication for many teens

-       Teenage girls use social media sites and platforms — particularly visually-oriented ones — for sharing more than their male counterparts do.

Lenhart, A. (2014). Teens, social media & technology overview 2015: Smartphones facilitate shift in communication landscape for teens. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center. http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2015/04/PI_TeensandTech_Update2015_0409151.pdf

News Gathered on Social Media

In a Pew Research Center report that is part of a series aimed at understanding how news and information habits relate to the use of Twitter and Facebook among the American public, it was found that clear majorities of Twitter (63%) and Facebook users (63%) now say each platform serves as a source for news about events and issues outside the realm of friends and family. That share has increased substantially from 2013, when about half of users (52% of Twitter users, 47% of Facebook users) said they got news from the social platforms. Although both social networks have the same portion of users getting news on these sites, there are significant differences in their potential news distribution strengths. The proportion of users who say they follow breaking news on Twitter, for example, is nearly twice as high as those who say they do so on Facebook (59% vs. 31%) – lending support, perhaps, to the view that Twitter’s great strength is providing as-it-happens coverage and commentary on live events.

Mitchell, A., Barthel, M., Shearer, E., Gottfried, J., Matsa, K. E., Keeter, S., Porteus, M., & Greenwood, S. (2015). The evolving role of news on Twitter and Facebook. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center. http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2015/07/Twitter-and-News-Survey-Report-FINAL2.pdf

More Cyberbullying on Instagram

Scientists from Ditch the Label, an anti-bullying charity, conducted a study to determine how social media can cause anxiety among youth. By surveying more than 10,000 people aged 12 to 20, they examined cyberbullying on Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Overall, over half of people had been sent a nasty private message and slightly less than half of people said they had a nasty comment posted on their profile. But Instagram was the most concerning. They found that slightly less than half of Instagram users had been bullied on the platform compared to a third for Facebook and Snapchat, and a tenth for YouTube and Twitter. Researchers suggest that the industry and civil society should develop a set of core values in the digital environment. They also suggested that tech companies should respond faster to online conflicts, concerns and inappropriate content. 

Ditch the Label (2017). The annual bullying survey 2017. Los Angeles, CA: Ditch the Label. https://www.ditchthelabel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/The-Annual-Bullying-Survey-2017-1.pdf