Social Networks, tesina

Abstract

In my VwA, I explain that the self-esteem of teenagers may easily be influenced by opinions and

judgements from friends and peers through the internet. They always need to be in the spotlight.

They need attention and appreciation from others and thus from social networks that allow the

interaction between people; the exchange of opinions and ideas about different things and issues

is what these internet sites consist in. I will prove that according to my research teenagers get eas-

ily impressed by other peoples’ judgements and thoughts. This may have a positive impact, like

the raise of self-esteem, but not always. Negative comments and judgements may cause the exact

opposite. At the same time social networks allow teens to be whoever they want to be, and if they

don’t feel appreciated, they just swap personality. Thus social networks are also about the rise

and fall of individuals. In order to better understand which changes have taken place within the

past 50 years in self-definition I made a survey among my generation and former generations.

Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction 7

1. A brief defintion of digital devices, internet and digital media 7

7

1.1. Digital devices 8

1.2. Internet 9

1.3. Digital media

2. What is a Social Network? 10

10

2.1. Facebook 11

2.2. Twitter 11

2.3. Instagram 11

2.4. Tumblr 12

2.5. Ask.fm

3. Social Life before and after the invention of Internet 12

12

3.1. How did the pre-net generations socialize 14

3.2. Erving Goffman: life on a stage 14

3.3. Bedroom culture

4. How important is internet for today’s youth? 15

17

4.1 The fear of missing out and other media disorders

5. Identity definition through social networks 18

19

5.1. Selfie 20

5.2. I am popular, thus I am 21

5.3. The need to compare oneself with others 21

5.4. Fake identities

6. Social Networks and Cyber bullying 22

7. Conclusion 23

How do Social Networks change teenager’s self confidence?

Introduction

I decided to choose this topic, because it fascinates me how easy it is to create or destroy the self-

esteem of a teenager just by using the internet. Self-confidence, particularly during adolescence,

when one develops one’s own personality, can be easily influenced. Teenagers are often insecure

and care much about the opinion of others; this is why the internet may be a little dangerous.

The inspiration came from my 16 year-old sister Anna: she had always been a shy girl not used

to talk to people and she was always embarrassed when she had to be with other kids…Today,

she is one of the strongest girls I know, she is courageous and always says what she needs to say.

This metamorphosis took mainly place on Social Networks. What interests me is to find out if

this happens to other teens too.

On the other hand social networks do not always lead to a positive change. In the same way as

they can increase self-confidence, they may destroy it. People are laughed at and made ridiculous

by others through internet and again, at such a crucial period as adolescence is, this may be very

critical, and in some cases, the worst ones, even fatal.

For my essay, I mainly used internet articles and websites, together with a few books on the topic.

I integrated my research, in which I also tried to show the different approach to self-definition

during the past 40-50 years, with surveys. I chose two age groups: my parent’s generation and my

generation.

In my VwA, I am trying to find out if public opinion and social networks are able to influence

our personality, and if so, how.

1. A brief defintion of digital devices, internet and digital media

1.1. Digital devices

A digital device is an electronic device able to store, receive, process and send digital information.

Among the first devices were computers: originally used by governments or large corporations

for calculation and programming, they soon began to play a more personal role in humans’ lives

when people began to use them for communication, creative purposes, research and entertain-

ment . Since then technology has made huge progress and the usage of PCs has been overtaken

by mobile devices.

Today 91% of the world population owns a mobile phone, 56% of which are smartphones.

In 2012, 1.13 billion people possessed a smartphone and the number is supposed to increase by

the end of 2015 to 2.03 billion, which corresponds to 28% of the world population . The new

device owes its popularity not only to its size, but also to its functionality, having basically trans-

formed the PC into a pocket-computer.

The second most used digital device is the tablet, which became a mass-market product in 2010,

when the first apple iPad was launched. The tablet is a new type of internet-enabled, but still

small sized computer and works like a smartphone. It is followed in popularity by netbooks,

notebooks and laptops .

In graph. 1 we can see how fast the number of digital devices and consequently of digital media

grew within the last decades. 7

Laura Paolucci delle Roncole Graph. 1: Evolution of Communication.

http://mrjonesict.com/2014/05/01/crossing-the-digital-divide/

Source:

1.2. Internet

Internet is a global system, that links computer networks. Over the last 15 years the use of the

internet has increased drastically: whereas in 1995 less than 1% of the world population (16 mil-

lion people) had an internet connection, today’s internet usage has grown to about 40% (3,035

million people) . In graph. 2 we can see the actual numbers of internet users in the world.

1

Globalizing internet usage was made possible by technological progress in digital devices, ena-

bling people to access the net any time and from anywhere. As a result of internet growth, also

the use of digital media increased. Nowadays, it is much easier to be online than it was 20 years

ago, where only a few people possessed a PC.

Graph. 2: Global digital statistics.

http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2346648/organic-social-media-why-marketers-must-join-the-conversations

Source:

Internet Growth Statistics- the Global Village Online. www.internetworldstats.com, December 29, 2014

1

8 How do Social Networks change teenagers’ self confidence?

1.3. Digital media

Digital media is basically digitized content that can be transmitted over computer networks or

the internet. Media are means we use to communicate:

«Humans use tools, and the tools we use to communicate across distances, across time and

to more people at once than we could with our own voice and body are «media». Although the

definition could include interpersonal and non-mass media, like the telephone, in common usage

we typically have a sense that «media» are for communicating with more than just one person» .

2

And digital relates to the use of computers and their software which enable us to store and move digi-

tized content through a network or internet. But there is more to digital media than the simple one-

way broadcast of information (i.e. mass-media like radio, television, digital newspapers ecc.): inter-

activity and group forming. Whereas the first implies that, although the same message can be sent to

many people at once, there is the possibility of feedback and return messages by the addressees, ren-

dering communication bi-directional, the second enables us to form groups through networking:

«… the people participating in the network can organize themselves into ad-hoc and arbitrary groups.

This is most obviously seen in where you can instantly and easily create a new group around

Facebook,

any sort of topic. These «group forming» networks have enormous value since they help us coordi-

nate, communicate, and collaborate» .

3

Both features have and have had an enormous impact on the social understanding of our genera-

tions, as I will show in the next chapters. Below the growth rate of digital media by 2013 (graph. 3)

Graph. 3: Social media visitor growth.

http://was-gb.wascdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Slide21-500x375.png

Source:

Richard Smith, in http://thecdm.ca/news/faculty-news/2013/10/15/what-is-digital-media,

What ist digital media,

2

january 10, 2015.

Richard Smith, ibidem.

3 9

Laura Paolucci delle Roncole

2. What is a Social Network?

«A social network is a website on the Internet that brings people together in a central location to

talk, share ideas and interests, or make new friends . Over the last 10 years, social networks have

4

grown into a new way of socializing. As the internet became popular in the 80’s and 90’s, the first

social networks were invented. Beginning with in 2002 social networking hit

Classmates.com,

really its stride with the invention of which promoted the idea that a rich community

Friendster,

can only exist between people with the same interests.

a networking resource for business people and created to connect with other profes-

LinkedIn,

sionals, was launched in 2003, just like the famous internet platform which occupied

MySpace,

the «networking throne» for a few years, and got then overhung by which remains

Facebook,

among the top 3 networking sites in the world .

5

our world has been invaded by internet platforms specialized in

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram:

informing us automatically, minute per minute about what our friends, co-workers, but also our

favourite celebrities are doing in a certain moment. In the next paragraphs, I will make a brief

overview of the main Social Networking Sites.

2.1. Facebook

the most popular and most visited social networking site worldwide, was launched in 2004

Facebook,

by the Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, and was originally thought of as a campus-oriented site,

before opening to the general public in 2006 .

6

It was a real success! But why? Why is more popular than other social networking

Facebook

sites? Starting from the television commercials that include entreaties at the end of the viewer to

«like» them on and going to the loads of websites on the internet which are linked to

Facebook,

this social network, is everywhere. is an easy way to spread advertisings and

Facebook Facebook

publicity, it is cheap, and for many small businesses it is even for free. It is not so unusual to see

that little blue space with that white «f» on the streets, in the TV and in the internet.

connects people all over the world, in a simple and easy way. Everyone can share infor-

Facebook

mation, photos, videos, links, nearly everything, without difficulties. Many people use this social

network to stay in touch with one another and others use it to anonymously see what their friends

do. has an outrageous number of 1.35 billion monthly active users, which are far more

Facebook

than users (420 Million) or users (332 Million)

Tumblr LinkedIn 7

In many parts of the world, this huge Social Networking site has become over the years one of

the most important means to define the proper personality. By creating an account and by select-

ing the private information we want to share with others according to how we want to appear in

public, people become part of a virtual life where fiction meets reality.

One can be everything or nothing, but the most important thing seems to be how many «likes»

one can gain. You are able to push the like-button on photos, videos, statements, comments,

and every kind of information released on platforms. In many cases, the self-esteem of people

depends just on this Social Network. How many «likes» do I have? How many «friends» have I

got? Have I got any followers? And so on...

http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/socinetw.htm, February 18 ,2015.

4 http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites, last seen February 18, 2015.

5 http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia, December 15, 2014.

6

7 http://www.expandedramblings.com, December 28, 2014

10 How do Social Networks change teenagers’ self confidence?

2.2. Twitter

is a micro blogging service, which enables you to update parts of your life and commu-

Twitter

nicate to others what you are doing in a particular moment of the day; it is fast and easy, and it

usually contains only a limited number of characters. In brief, it is a way to let other people know