Maria Apparecida Campos Mamede-Neves

Dr. in Psychology

Emeritus Professor of Department of Education

PUC-Rio

Stella Maria Peixoto de Azevedo Pedrosa

Dr. in Education

Project coordinator at the Coordination Center for Distance Education

PUC-Rio

Jovens em Rede Directory of Research’ Young people in Network

Department of Education Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

The use of social networks online

A reason of intergenerational conflicts?

Tampere - May 2014

Central question

The use of online social networking by teenagers has some influence on intergenerational conflicts, specially, between children and parents ?

Objetives

To investigate:

the possible different young people’s profiles in online social networks

their relationship with family members, concerning this matter

Research:

Intentional Sample : 404 students

from the 6th grade of elementary school to 2nd year of high school (11-19 years old)

8 different schools, public and private, secular or religious

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Research instrument

a survey with 31 questions

The research discusses specifically:

the profiles presented by young people sample and those of its family ;

the general characteristics of the use Internet and, particularly, the online social networks

the aspects of the teenager’s family relationship either generally or havin g the use of online social networks

Some conclusions

Diagram best represented the relationship between their profile on Social Networks and true identity

Neither the parents nor we thought this would be the result.

45.8% answered that it was the most integrated

Only 16% considered, namely less integrated or complete split

If the profile posted on Social Networks described them as being part of a whole, with insurances, different from other young people, or, on the contrary, if it hides parts of their lives, showing different ways of being that were not their usual.

Only the statement "Your profile allows you to show yourself positively" (question 01) presents a significant concentration of 170 responses as being "totally true" in N = 385

What was the degree of agreement with the person who they were, that is what was the degree of coherence of the self?

There is a tendency of the group to consider totally false statements that present them as people with contradictory ideas about themselves. Interesting to note that 198 teenagers rejected the possibility that other people know them better than they themselves (question 7).

Another topic that guarantees a better idea of those young people’s profile was to know how their activities and feelings on a daily basis were.

As we noticed, 10 assertive (in 11) on the subject deserved the group a high score in relation to the short time in a week (less than one day), making an average of 215 young people presented a framework in which are not stagnant in negative feelings about their person. Only to which it referred "a more depressed state of mind", there was a balanced distribution at all levels. Thus, there was a concentration on one level.

The search for the young people to talk, to communicate, chat and share are all ramifications of the main word friends, which has different connotations from their parents´. There are not special people, the closer ones, but all those with whom young people have only one link within the Social Networks. This conceptual difference is very important for the configuration of intergenerational differences..

When asked to define in one word what Social Networking meant for them, showed the following distribution of intensity: of words:

IBGE report 2010/2011

For 57.4%, the structure of their families is conventional, with the father and mother living together. For 32.9%, the parents live apart and 7.7% of them are already dead.

Regarding the constitution of the family, 47.5% marked "home with 2 children, which, is similar to data of the IBGE census.

IBGE report 2010/2011

The position of young people concerning their everyday relationships with parents on a scale that ranged from "I'm not able" to "I am fully able."

There is a clear trend of the responses of young people considering fully capable of good everyday relationships with their parents, either regarding to their recommendations, trust placed in them, and in relation critiques to the possible errors committed.

In this survey group, youth admit that their views are heard by their parents and they can review their positions

Specifically regarding to parental control the youth activities on the Internet and Social Networks data showed the following statistical distribution

Most of the data are distributed at the intermediate levels, since the curve showed similar frequencies between 2 and 4 points. However, the graph is bi-modal, and becomes more accentuated as it regards information such as "parents never interfere" than "always interfere."

Results showed that the group use to communicate, in more horizontal manner, as siblings and cousins through the online social network than with parents, since the parents still prefer cel phone contact with their children

We observed that excessive use of internet (which, no doubt, is a bad practice) is bound with excessive parental control over their children's internet use. But, this situation appears only in few cases

Around 50% average feel that their parents show control over them regarding the use of online social networks which is halfway between the absolute control and carelessness

The empirical analysis pointed that our group is achieving well integrate online social networks into their daily life and in family relationships

Teens are able to manage their participation in these new online environments

Data also suggested an unexpected link between greater control / surveillance of parents and greater harmony and the presence of teenager’s in family activities.

This data provide new meaning to the binomial control / surveillance. In this case they mean care, concern and counseling

Our data contradicted the need for the family’s strict control of teens when they are using online social networks

Family prefers the dialogue with youth rather than severe control

We can say that our group had a more syntonic than dystonic intergenerational relationship

This data contradicted common sense about an alleged inability of the intergenerational relationship

The research showed a different no intense generational gap regarding the use of online social networks.

Why?

Because from 10 years ago, most of the parents still did not use online social networks, considering them dangerous and not always in tune with the dedication to homework

Now, most parents understand the value of this new digital world since they are already inside it.

Thanks =]

Maria Apparecida Mamede-Neves apmamede@gmail.com

Stella Maria Peixoto de Azevedo Pedrosa smpedrosa@gmail.com

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