Home | Computer | Web 2.0
British telecoms regulator Ofcom published a report on 2nd April 2008 suggesting that 49% of children from 8 to 17 years of age who have Internet access have their own personal profile on a social networking site. The minimum age permitted by major social networking sites is normally 13 or 14, but 27% of the 8-11 year olds who are aware of social networking sites claim to have a profile on one. Ofcom's figures highlight some astonishing discrepancies between what parents think is happening and what is actually taking place. 66% of parents claim to set rules on their children's use of social networking sites, but only 53% of children agreed that their parents set such rules. Half of parents have installed some kind of content blocking, and 80% of them believe it works, but 67% children think that they can get round it and access any content they want. However, since 24% of teenagers have computer in their bedroom, parents can't see what they're doing anyway. 22% of adult internet users aged 16 and above have at last one online profile and many have a profile on more than one site. 50% adult social network users say that they access their profile at least every second day. Facebook is easily the most popular site amongst adults, followed by MySpace and Bebo. MySpace appeals more to adults in lower socio-economic groupings, but Bebo is the site used most by children aged 8 to 17. Social networking sites are expanding the traditional meaning of 'friends' to mean anyone a user has an online connection with, including people that they have never met or spoken to offline. Online friendships are displayed publicly via friend lists, meaning that users ar sharing personal details like religion, political views, sexuality and date of birth online with people they hardly know. Ofcom's research, which involved 5,000 adults and 3,000 children, suggests that there are five different groups of people using social networking sites: * Alpha Socialisers - these are mostly males under 25, who use sites in intense short bursts to flirt, meet new people and find entertainment. * Attention Seekers - mostly female, who crave attention and comments from others, often by posting photos and customizing their profiles. A minority of younger women reported creating fake profiles for fun. * Followers - include both males and females of all ages who join sites to keep track of what their peer group is doing. * Faithfuls - older males and females, generally aged over 20, who typically use social networking sites to rekindle old friendships, often from school or university. * Functionals - generally older males who use sites for a specific purpose. The research also suggests three distinct groups of people who do not use social networking sites: * Concerned about safety - these are often older people and parents worried about safety online, particularly making personal details available online. * Technically inexperienced - often people over 30 years old who lack confidence in using the internet and computers. * Intellectual rejecters - usually older teens or young adults who have no interest in social networking sites and regard them as a waste of time. Privacy and safety are often quoted as major reasons for avoiding social networking sites, but they do not appear to be a major concern for those who do use such sites. The Ofcom research found that: * 41% of children and 44% of adults are content to leave their privacy settings at the default setting of 'open', making their profiles are visible to anyone * 34% of 16-24 year olds are happy to give out sensitive personal information such as their email address or phone number * 17% of adult users admitted that they talked to people they didn't know on social networking sites that and 35% spoke to people who were 'friends of friends'. Some teenagers and young adults in their early twenties felt 'addicted' to social networking sites and realize that their use was reducing the time available for studying. Some users reported being aware of bullying through social networking sites and a minority of younger users admitted using social networking sites to take revenge on people they had had disagreements with.
Article Source: http://www.itempad.com
Article res has been removed due to spammers exploiting this site and stealing itempads pr rank. Link Res will be returned once the database has been purged of bad links probably after the next google update. We do not believe in using nofollow. We are sorry for this temp problem. But once the database has been cleaned all links by writers will have a higher value. We hope you understand and continue to submit your articles. If you would like a permenet link on itempad Please email admin
