Dataset Information

What we do on social media! Social representations of schoolchildren's activities on electronic communication platforms.

ABSTRACT: Researchers might be wondering whether the use of social media by students raises any ethical issues? It is my opinion that with the astronomical increase in the use of social networking websites or platforms by students, ethical issues are progressively important. The astronomical increase in the use of social networking platforms by minors raises ethical questions in school ecologies. This study investigated the ethical issues in social media usage among secondary school students in a developing context. A semi-structured questionnaire that elicited information on the school children's home background, social media operated, and mode of connection to the social media was used to collect data. The questionnaire gave the students the opportunity to write their responses to the interview questions freely. Mixed methods such as constant comparative techniques and descriptive statistical methods were used to analyze data from the one hundred and thirty school children that participated in this research. The results indicated that Facebook is the most operated social networking website by the selected schoolchildren. Most of the schoolchildren operating the popular social networking accounts signed up before the age of thirteen with the help of their biological sisters and brothers. Themes such as cyber pornography, sexting, cyber stalking, cyber bullying, cyber hacking, and abusive language emanated from the individual qualitative interviews. The concluding part of this article answers questions on the impact of new communication technologies on psycho-social adjustment of school children in developing countries.

SUBMITTER: Ige OA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7452393 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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What we do on social media! Social representations of schoolchildren's activities on electronic communication platforms.

Ige Olugbenga A OA

Heliyon 20200820 8

Researchers might be wondering whether the use of social media by students raises any ethical issues? It is my opinion that with the astronomical increase in the use of social networking websites or platforms by students, ethical issues are progressively important. The astronomical increase in the use of social networking platforms by minors raises ethical questions in school ecologies. This study investigated the ethical issues in social media usage among secondary school students in a developi ...[more]

PMID: 32904226

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Project description:BackgroundElectronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been widely promoted on the internet, and subsequently, social media has been used as an important informative platform by e-cigarette users. Beliefs and knowledge expressed on social media platforms have largely influenced e-cigarette uptake, the decision to switch from conventional smoking to e-cigarette smoking, and positive and negative connotations associated with e-cigarettes. Despite this, there is a gap in our knowledge of people's perceptions and sentiments on e-cigarettes as depicted on social media platforms.ObjectiveThis study aimed to (1) provide an overview of studies examining the perceptions and sentiments associated with e-cigarettes on social media platforms and online discussion forums, (2) explore people's perceptions of e-cigarette therein, and (3) examine the methodological limitations and gaps of the included studies.MethodsSearches in major electronic databases, including PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Communication and Mass Media Complete, were conducted using the following search terms: "electronic cigarette," "electronic vaporizer," "electronic nicotine," and "electronic nicotine delivery systems" combined with "internet," "social media," and "internet use." The studies were selected if they examined participants' perceptions and sentiments of e-cigarettes on online forums or social media platforms during the 2007-2017 period.ResultsA total of 21 articles were included. A total of 20 different social media platforms and online discussion forums were identified. A real-time snapshot and characteristics of sentiments, personal experience, and perceptions toward e-cigarettes on social media platforms and online forums were identified. Common topics regarding e-cigarettes included positive and negative health effects, testimony by current users, potential risks, benefits, regulations associated with e-cigarettes, and attitude toward them as smoking cessation aids.ConclusionsAlthough perceptions among social media users were mixed, there were more positive sentiments expressed than negative ones. This study particularly adds to our understanding of current trends in the popularity of and attitude toward e-cigarettes among social media users. In addition, this study identified conflicting perceptions about e-cigarettes among social media users. This suggests that accurate and up-to-date information on the benefits and risks of e-cigarettes needs to be disseminated to current and potential e-cigarette users via social media platforms, which can serve as important educational channels. Future research can explore the efficacy of social media-based interventions that deliver appropriate information (eg, general facts, benefits, and risks) about e-cigarettes.Trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42019121611; https://tinyurl.com/yfr27uxs.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Although a number of studies have investigated how consumers use social media for health-related purposes, there is a paucity of studies in the Australian context. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to explore how Australian consumers used social media for health-related purposes, specifically how they identified social media platforms, which were used, and which health-related activities commonly took place. METHODS:A total of 5 focus groups (n=36 participants), each lasting 60 to 90 minutes, were conducted in the Sydney metropolitan area. The group discussions were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were coded line-by-line and thematically analyzed. RESULTS:Participants used general search engines to locate health-related social media platforms. They accessed a wide range of social media on a daily basis, using several electronic devices (in particular, mobile phones). Although privacy was a concern, it did not prevent consumers from fully engaging in social media for health-related purposes. Blogs were used to learn from other people's experiences with the same condition. Facebook allowed consumers to follow health-related pages and to participate in disease-specific group discussions. Wikipedia was used for factual information about diseases and treatments. YouTube was accessed to learn about medical procedures such as surgery. No participant reported editing or contributing to Wikipedia or posting YouTube videos related to health topics. Twitter was rarely used for health-related purposes. Social media allowed consumers to obtain and provide disease and treatment-related information and social and emotional support for those living with the same condition. Most considered their participation as observational, but some also contributed (eg, responded to people's questions). CONCLUSIONS:Participants used a wide range of social media for health-related purposes. Medical information exchange (eg, disease and treatment) and social and emotional support were the cornerstones of their online activities. Social media appears to be used as a key tool to support disease self-management.

Dataset Information

What we do on social media! Social representations of schoolchildren's activities on electronic communication platforms.

Publications

What we do on social media! Social representations of schoolchildren's activities on electronic communication platforms.

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