Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Research - Essay Example The common characteristics of all social networks are the provision rather the requirement of making a profile that usually demands some personal information including contact information. A national survey conducted by the American Life Project in collaboration with the Pew research center (as cited in Lenhart & Madded, 2007), revealed that more than half of the teenagers, aged between 12 and 17 years of age regularly use online social networking. A technology being used at such a rate definitely would be having some effects on the lifestyle of its users. According to Pew Internet (cited in Chartier, 2009), a survey in 2008 revealed that the ratio of adult versus teen users of online social networks is 1:2. Teenagers form a group almost double in size to that of adults comprising social network users. Such findings lead to the speculation that adults and teenagers might have different opinions regarding the usability, security issues, productivity and impacts of social networking on one’s life. This study aims at identifying and presenting the differences in opinion that exist among adults and teenagers regarding the usage of online social networking. The main objective is to explore the areas of perceptions regarding online social networking in which the two age groups differ. Different surveys conducted by Pew Internet in 2007 and 2008 have revealed that teenagers use online social networking twice as much as adults do. Keeping in view these striking differences, it is speculated that opinion differences regarding the usage of online social networking might also be prevalent among the two groups. This study is an attempt to reveal such perceptional differences among the two age groups. It is hoped that it will contribute eventually in bridging these opinion gaps among the two groups. If the findings are utilized properly, the study can lead in spreading proper awareness about