A Questionnaire for examining the impact (downside) of use of Social Networking Websites

Chander Shekhar
(Roll no. 6, M.Tech. 3rd Sem.)

Assignment submitted to the faculty of Computer Science and Applications, CDLU

Master of Technology Computer Science & Engineering

Dr. Vikram Singh, Professor, DCSA

06-oct-2011

Department of Computer Science and Applications Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa

Contents
Introduction Social Networking Social search Online history: The rise of social networking Questionnaire Keywords Objective Objective Purposed Participants Hypothesis Questionnaire conclusion

Introduction

In recent years there has been an increase in the need for social networks; thanks to globalization and spread of the internet. Many people use the internet to communicate with friends and family who live far away or even close. Social networks make it easy for people to communicate. The popularity of these networks has seen more and more social networks appear. People often turn to their friends, families, and colleagues when they have questions. The recent, rapid rise of online social networking tools has made doing this on a large scale easy and efficient. Social networking sites are often thought of as places to catch up on the personal information and current activities of social ties. In addition to social and playful uses, however, many users are harnessing their social networks as sources of information and productivity, for example by using business-oriented networking tools like LinkedIn or Beehive. Social networking sites are a great way make online contact with others. And also great source of information, sharing ideas, and getting ideas from others but sometime some people can get sucked in too far. social networking sites are the virtual hunting ground for predators. Social networks provide an outlet for the socially challenged to express themselves in digital form. "It can be exhilarating, at least at first, to connect with long-lost friends," so the SNs come to help. social networking sites were the virtual hunting ground for predators. Social Search The term social search refers broadly to the process of finding information online with the assistance of social resources, such as by asking friends, reference librarians, or unknown persons online for assistance. Social search may also involve conducting a search over an existing database of content previously provided by other users, such as searching over the collection of public Twitter posts, or searching through an archive of questions and answers. Social networking sites integrate all of the communication tools below. Users can create profiles that display personal information and upload pictures and video similar to a blog. A chat room is a place online where people gather to chat. Most are open to anyone who wants to participate. Instant messaging (IM) is another real-time communication tool that allows 2 or more people who are using the same IM service to interact with each other in real time. Blogs are online journals. People use them as diaries or to comment on specific topics. Blogs can include detailed descriptions of personal experiences and feelings. Online history: The rise of social networking Mid to Late 1990s First social networking sites emerge, such as sixdegrees.com and classmates.com. By 1999 MySpace is in operation; at the same time Hertfordshire couple Steve and Julie Pankhurst, devise Friends Reunited. 22 March 2002 Friendster is launched by Jonathan Abrams in California. For a while it is considered the No 1 social networking site. March 2003 MySpace, widely held to be the biggest social networking site of them all, is launched by Tom Anderson. 4 February 2004 Facebook is launched by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg. Initially the network is only for Harvard students. Within two months all the Ivy League schools are included and over the next two years more universities, high schools and corporations are added. 2 September 2004 A lawsuit is filed against Zuckerberg by ConnectU founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, alleging that he illegally used the concept and codes for their site after he worked for it as a programmer. January 2005 Bebo launched by UK couple Michael and Xochi Birch. The site quickly climbs to the top of the social networking league. 23 August 2005 The domain facebook.com is purchased for $200,000.

March 2006 Facebook reportedly turns down an offer to buy the site for $750m, allegedly claiming it should be able to fetch $2bn. September 2006 'Wall Street Journal' reports Yahoo is in talks with Facebook to buy the site for $1bn. 22 August 2006 Facebook signs a three-year US-based deal with Microsoft to be the exclusive provider of advertising on the site in return for a revenue split. 11 September 2006 Facebook opens to everybody 13 or over with an email address. 28 March 2007 ConnectU's lawsuit is dismissed without prejudice. They immediately refile and are granted a new hearing. 3 August 2007 Six major British firms, among them Vodafone, Halifax and Virgin Media, remove their adverts on Facebook after they appear on a rotating basis on a BNP-related page. October 2007 A Tory aide, Philip Clarke, is suspended from his job after posting pictures of him applying burnt cork to another aide along with racist comments on Facebook. 24 October 2007 Microsoft buys a 1.6 per cent share in Facebook for $240m and will now begin to sell advertising for Facebook internationally as well as in the US. December 2007 Zuckerberg publicly apologises for launching the dubious advertising system Beacon on Facebook. What goes up, must come down. No single entity has experienced the truth of that old saying more than social networking sites in recent years, where negative publicity has outweighed the positive. Myspace is especially popular with teenagers, and this in turn has caused some issues for the monstrously huge networking company. Teens now rely on Myspace (and other network sites such as Bebo) for their primary socializing, and the worlds of fantasy and reality have often collided into disaster. Teens have also gotten faculty in trouble by creating false MySpace pages about them. Some teens even experience physical harm over Internet relationships spurred by social networks. Social networking provides individuals of all ages the opportunity to remain anonymous, lost in a large virtual world, where they are able to express themselves in ways they wouldn't dare to in their daily reality. This sometimes, unfortunately, yields devastating results. Something as ubiquitous as

social network sites are exploited by paedophiles and other serious criminals is not surprising.

Keywords Social search, social networks, social networking websites, internet.

Objectives
The objective of developing an questionnaire in this case is to find and evaluate the negative impacts of the usage of social networking websites, specially on the students. The performance of student in academics and performance at workplace degrades due to the excessive use of SN websites. The questionnaire will try to find and perceive the results of the downside Impact through respondents answers. The effects of social networking can be seen at work, in the classroom, and throughout society. Excessive use of the technology creates antisocial and house dwelling citizens who lack social skills. Most people are hesitant to talk about technology based addictions since most of us use said technology as a large part of our jobs and requirement. If somebody is used to check his social networking website profile; is this an addiction or merely an part of job or way of being in-touch or complement to the requisition? So, the aim of the study is to find the addictive impact of the social networking or Q&A websites. To reveal the downside of addictiveness of social networking. "The distinction between genuine friends and acquaintances is becoming blurred. Users are spending time maintaining relationships with people they don't really care about." The aim also focuses on unveiling the possibility that social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are being widely used to sexually solicit underage youth, consequently increasing their vulnerability to sexual victimization. Purposed Participants The survey has aimed at downside of SNs on youth. Participants need to be youth and must be pursuing some qualification and who have used the Internet at least once in the last 6 months.

Hypothesis and Assumptions

The questionnaire for studying and analyzing the impact of social networking sites on the students. There are certain negative impacts on student, as follows(Hi): i.
Staying online may negatively impact relationships, work and our lives. It may cause the digitization of human relations. ii. Computer addiction and the trends towards disconnection from the real world that a student notices in university or college life. Self-centralized living. A recent study, a group of college students indicated a direct correlation between social networking intensity and life satisfaction. The students who used social networking the most are satisfied with their life. iii. May Loss of academics and low productivity at workplace. User would pass up food, sleep, and real world friendship to keep online friends happy. iv. Excess use may change in the way that humans interact. v. The real vision of a person may get fractured (You are your profile picture). vi. It may mislead people to believe they are social beings. Sitting in front of a computer for hours on end chatting with friends while playing games and updating status does not translate into social skills. vii. online personality may be completely different from their offline persona, causing chaos when their two "lives" intersect." The negative impact of social networking sites is evident in online dating when the couple meets face-to-face for the first time. Commonly their personalities do not match their self-written descriptions. It is easier to type what someone wants to hear rather than telling the truth. viii. Information posted on social networks is permanent. When someone posts pictures or videos on the Internet they may go viral. ix. Younger generations have a complete disregard for their own privacy, opening doors to unwelcome predators or stalkers. x. The saucy pictures and intimate confessions on social networking sites can be taken down and used in evidence against you in ways never dreamed of. xi. If the user is a Nave user then they may get be the victim of security and privacy lapses that may actually lead to identity theft. xii. May get victimized of Unwanted sexual solicitation and Internet harassment. xiii. May face Psychosocial problems, behavior problems online, and general Internet use characteristics. However, the impact of social network services does not have to be so negative. Parents should regulate their children's networking accounts. Additionally, many services have private settings available to protect profiles from unwanted online viewers. Discussing the rules and positive aspects of social networking with friends and family can also defray negative repercussions. The power of social networking is solely in the hands of its countless

users. With enough responsible members, aspects that may be potentially damaging have the potential to be improved.

Students Social Networking websites Usage Questionnaire

Please read it first: This questionnaire is a part of the research for a master degree assignment related to social networking in educational sector. The results of this survey will be used for academic purposes only. You can help us learn more by filling out this questionnaire. The survey is anonymous and does not require any personal details to be submitted. You can help us learn more by filling out this questionnaire. we do not share your answers with anyone else so they remain confidential - If you have any questions please ask your attendant. Thank you!!! Section 1: Background 1. Gender

o
o

Male Female

2.

Your age: o o o o o 18-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 More than 35

3. Your University: 4. You are... o o o o a a a a undergraduate student postgraduate student recent graduate school going student

PTO

5. Area of your studies o o o

o

Science Commerce Engineering

Other

6. What do you use the internet primarily for? o o o o Research Entertainment Education Sales/Marketing/PR Communication

7. Where do you use the internet most? o o o o o Home School / College / University Caf Library Other (specify..)

8. What do you like doing the most online? o Social networking o Web browsing o Shopping / Banking o Other (specify .) 9. How often do you usually log on to your favourite service(s)? o o o o o Im constantly logged on Several times a day Once in a few days Once a week Occasionally (less than once week)

10. How much time (on average) do you spend on your favourite social networking site(s) per session? o o o o Less than 5 minutes 5-10 minutes 11-30 minutes 30+ minutes

11. In o o o o o o o 12.

your opinion, what is the internet's best attribute? Size of the network Cost to use Quality of information available Array of features/client applications Lack of regulation Multi-cultural/world-wide Communication speed/performance

What is the main way of communicating with your offline friends?

o o
o o o

Call/ SMS Social Networking Websites IM VoIP Other

13.

Which of these social networks are you a member of?

o o o o Facebook Twitter Hi5 Orkut

Other (specify )

14. How long have you been using social networking sites? o o o o o o less than a month 1 - 6 months 6 months to a year 1 - 2 years 2 - 3 years 3 years+

15. How many social networking sites communities/ groups are you a member of? o o o o None 1-10 11-20 21-50

Section 2: Privacy issues within Social Networking websites: 16. Have you received lessons or read the agreement on how to use the social networking websites? o o Yes No

17. 18.

How many online contacts do you have that you have not met in the real world? .

Please indicate who you speak to most using social networking sites? Never Rarely Often Always

Close friends

Co-workers Family Friends People that live far away Strangers / people you donot already know 19. Tell the reason why you spend time on social network by checking in the box to show the frequency of using (you can choose more than one choice) Find some information Entertain yourself Socialize Share your experience Stay up-to-date with friend's life Make new friends other

20. Do you use video chat when using social networks? o Yes o No

21. Have you ever said no to an activity with your family or friends because of social networking sites? o Yes o No

22. Have you ever ignored a responsibility like homework or chores because of social networking sites?
o o Yes No

23. Do you ever stay up late or get up early to spend more time on social networking sites? o Yes o No 24. Have you ever hidden your time on social networking sites from family or friends?

o o

Yes No

25. Have you ever used social networking sites when a parent or teacher has told you not to? o Yes o No 26. Do you have more friends on your social networking sites than you do in your real life? o Yes o No

27. Do you become frustrated or angry when a social networking site goes down or is
unavailable? o Yes o No 28. In the last three visits, did you notice any advertising on social networking websites? o Yes o No 29. Can you consider ads that you see on your profile relevant to your interests? o Yes, most of the time o Occasionally o No, never 30. How often do you click on the ads you see on your profile? o Often o Rarely o Occasionally o Almost never 31. Do you trust information you obtain via social networking websites? Yes Yes if it comes from my friends/connections Yes if comes from professional communities No, Im always critical to such kind of information and check other sources

32.)

Please state (include web addresses if you wish)

a.) The 3 best things about the internet

1.. 2.. 3..

b.) The 3 worst things about the internet

1..

2.. 3..

Conclusion
Social network sites have brought unexpected pleasure to millions. But if present trends continue and users fail to wise up, the sites could soon be bringing them some equally unexpected shock. Broad claims of victimization risk, at least defined as unwanted sexual solicitation or harassment, associated with social networking sites do not seem justified. Prevention efforts may have a greater impact if they focus on the psychosocial problems of youth instead of a specific Internet application, including funding for online youth outreach programs, school antibullying programs, and online mental health services.