The New Researcher

2010, Volume 4, 2011, pp. 1-5

ISSN 2041-7349 (print)
ISSN 2041-7357 (online)

The use of social networks by students: the possible

risks and implications
Claire Wright B.A. (Hons) Business and Marketing Digital Economy module,
2010, Level 5
Keywords:Social Network Sites, Facebook, Student Usage, Implications

Introduction

There is however, an argument as to whether the

development of social networks has increased the
potential for bullying and more serious crimes. Hew
(2011) believes that social networks do not pose a
huge risk to student users, with the sample he
selected for his research stating that they have not
encountered any serious problems with social
network sites, such as stalking or bullying. He does
however conclude that students should be cautious
of divulging private information, such as addresses
or telephone numbers on their personal pages, to
ensure that they do not encounter any of these
problems in the future. However, Kim et al (2010) do
not have the same opinion on this matter, instead
highlighting major cyber bullying and stalking
situations, such as the suicide of a man in the UK
which was encouraged by his online friends, to
emphasize the risks that social networks pose. A
major point they make is that although a user may
have hundreds of friends on their social network
page, this does not mean that these relationships
transcend any further than the computer, which in
young people, may affect their real life relationships
and decrease their employability due to a lack in
basic social skills. They also point out that social
networks have been used to create and spread false
news stories, which could lead to libel charges being
made. Kim et al (2010) also hold the view that the
perils of the internet have opened the way for an
increase in bullying. They say that it makes it easier
to victimise others and can be more severe in nature
than personal bullying, with over half of the
teenagers in the USA suffering from cyber bullying
at some point in their life.

This paper focuses upon the use of social network

sites by students, and the affect they have on
education and the personal life of users. The
majority of the study will be focusing on the use of
Facebook, as it is the most popular and well known
social network site available, however other sites
will be addressed in the study to ensure it has a
comprehensive view of social network sites today. It
is widely acknowledged that social networks are a
big part of modern day society and are widely used,
with almost half of children aged 8-17 having an
active profile on at least one social network site.
(Bicen and Cavus, 2010. p.17) There are many
discussions and arguments as to the impact that
social networks have had on the lives and the
education of students and young people that will be
identified in this review. With social networks playing
an important part in the lives of students, a full
understanding of their usage, or non-usage is
needed in order to examine the impact that such
sites have on the lives of their users.

The Advantages of Social

Network Sites
Social networking sites improve the confidence of
students due to the social interaction and the ability
to create friendships. Cheung et al (2010) describe
how social networks were created for students at
university to connect with others on campus, and
how it has now transformed so users can stay in
contact with billions of others all over the world.
Theyexplain how membership of social network
sites has risen exponentially, and is still growing with
the leading social network site having 500 million
active users (Facebook, 2010). They argue how this
resource helps form bonds with others through
becoming friends on the sites, and helps users,
especially the younger ones, understand social and
cultural differences which are invaluable in later life.

Impact on Communication and

Study Levels
It could be argued that the use of social networking
sites improves the interaction of students with their
peers, allowing an improved communication
structure. Roblyer et al (2010) believe that the
implementation of social networks has led to the
improvement of communication with other students,
allowing them to actively chat on sites and
exchange ideas. Through conducting a survey, they

The Risks Associated with Social

Network Sites
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Use of Social Networks

have established that although Facebook has been

banned in many schools and workplaces, teachers
believe that it is valuable tool to be utilised, but they
do recognise that students are much more likely to
use social network sites than teachers. Also, it is a
belief of Mazer (2007) that understanding why
students use online social networking sites is crucial
for the academic community as it can be utilised
when encouraging students to engage in their own
personal studies. This allows teachers to set work
that will interest and challenge students in more
innovative ways to keep students engaged. He also
states that schools that create their own social
network site to allow students to contact peers, if
monitored correctly, could improve relationships
between teachers and pupils, and also have a
positive affect on study levels.

Facebook admitted that they use it as a

procrastination technique to avoid studying, and
even boast about such activities on their personal
webpage.
Yilmaz and Orhan (2010) disagree that the internet
has no academic value, instead saying that with the
correct guidance, the internet can be an invaluable
asset for learning purposes. In a study they
conducted, the results show that teachers who
direct their students to the internet to complete
research or produce documents, have a strong
positive influence on the internet usage of the
student, making them less likely to procrastinate on
social network sites. They believe that this also
gives the students the ability to control their own
learning, thus improving their overall academic
performance.

Teachers must be aware of the availability of

computers and internet for students before engaging
students to participate on social network sites. Boyd
(2007) states that there are 2 main non-users of
social networks in youth, those who are banned
from accessing the internet by parents and then
conscientious objectors, those who refrain from
accessing social networks due to their own political
or non-conformist beliefs. Boyd deliberates that
social networks are part of modern society life for
the younger generation and they should be actively
encouraged to participate in activities with their
peers. The issue of cultural differences such as
ethnicity has no real differentiation with regards to
the number of members of social network sites but it
is highlighted that gender has a big influence on
participation of social network sites, with older girls
more likely to have active profile pages than older
boys.

Social and Personal Development

The technological advances of the current age have
had a positive affect on students and their ability to
learn. Prensky (2001) identified that students and
children today are born in to a world surrounded
with various new technologies and therefore have
an innate technological competence, which can be
seen as multitasking, thus helping the academic
performance of students whilst using social
networking sites together. Also he has investigated
the new technologies and their usage by very young
children, which he believes may be crucial to early
schooling success and overall development in the
current digital world due to their ability to retain
images sounds and texts. Boyd (2007) agrees with
this stating that the development of social networks
online has allowed young people to experience real
life problems and learn how to deal with these
problems in an effective way whilst learning from
their mistakes, and strongly believes that adults
should not prevent students from using these sites,
but should be there as a guide.

However, Hew (2011) believes that social network

sites like Facebook have no real academic or
education related activities, as students do not
perceive it to be such a tool. It is argued that
students use social network sites to procrastinate
from educational activities such as revision,
therefore they try to keep boundaries in place to
separate the two activities. He adds if students
mention their studies online it is usually just statuses
depicting their views on assignments or teachers,
usually in a negative way, and bantering with other
classmates about these subjects. He explains how
Facebook follows an offline to online trend, where
users have met their online friends face to face
before adding them online, and that users spend at
least 60 minutes a day on the sites, with the aim
being to keep in contact with friends, not for
educational use. Kirschner and Karpinski (2010)
agree with this view stating that students who used
Facebook often, had on average a worse academic
performance than those who did not, even though
their internet usage was comparatively equal, due to
the type of sites that were being accessed instead of
spending time on the social network sites. It also
reveals how students who report that they use

Wallis (2006) disagrees with the concept of

multitasking, instead making the point that if a
teenager is doing homework whilst also on a social
networking site, their efficiency will decrease and
that it is impossible to overcome the natural
limitations in the brain for processing information
during multitasking. During experiments made on a
student, who was completing algebra homework
whilst on the internet and watching television, they
established that the grades lowered dramatically
from those who fully concentrate on their work.

The Student / Teacher

Relationship
There is a debate as to whether teachers and
students becoming friends on social network sites
negatively affect education. Maranto and Barton

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Use of Social Networks

(2010) believe that the development of social

network sites have undermined the basic pupil
teacher relationship. They believe that teachers who
become friends with their pupils online, will lose
their authority over those children in the classroom,
and may also lead to their credibility being
questioned as a result, negatively affecting the
education of the students. However, in a study
carried out by Hew (2011), in which 3 teacher
profiles were created, each with a different level of
information disclosure and then students were
asked to assess their view of the teachers, the
results were very different. Students stated that they
had more trust and belief in the teacher who
revealed more personal information and photos to
them, as they thought they were more relatable and
saw them as a real person and not just a figure of
authority, which changes the teacher-student
relationship. Mazer et al (2007) agree with this view
after conducting research with undergraduates in
relation to university lecturers use of Facebook.
They examined the affects of disclosure by
lecturers, and gathered feedback from students with
regards to the information provided, and the results
showed that most students believe that teachers
using the sites are a good idea. They observed that
the students who accessed the profiles of a teacher
who disclosed a lot of information about themselves
had a higher concentration and motivation level, and
were more positive in their learning. The students
however did state that teachers must be careful with
the content of their sites so they do not lose their
credibility (2009, pg.1715).

used by students and children, collect data on users

for advertisements and research, without the user
being aware of this process. Another point they
address is the fact that privacy even if wanted by the
user is very difficult to be created, maybe even
impossible, due to the need for social networks to
make money through sponsorship deals and due to
the fact that pictures and profiles are accessible
through search engines such as Google. Weiss
(2009) considers that the speed of the development
of the applications available on social network sites,
and the viruses and spyware that have infiltrated
them, has been too rapid for anti virus software to
be developed, leaving systems open to major
security problems.
Due to the ever-expanding social network market,
social network sites need to entice new users in
various ways. Shin (2010) states that for social
network sites to be competitive and successful the
role of privacy and security is vital. He discusses
how, with the variety of social network sites
available, such as MySpace, Bebo and Twitter, the
need for higher security is becoming a factor for the
user choosing which site to use. He also reveals
that standards need to be set by the sites in order
for users to trust them, and that these standards
need to be promoted and implemented throughout
the site. Hoadley et al (2009) agree that privacy is
vital for users. However, they think this is due to the
publicity surrounding the recent news feed change,
which sparked a string of complaints about
Facebook privacy. When Facebook users were
surveyed, they stated that they did not consider the
privacy issue a problem until it was reported heavily
in the media.

Information Disclosure
The development of social network sites has led to
excessive amounts of personal information being
made available on the internet. In their study, Nosko
et al (2010) highlight the security issues attached
with the vast array of information available on
personal profiles on social network sites. It explains
how simple information, like gender, age and marital
status can easily be manipulated by other users. It
warns of the fact that there is no checklist with
regards to the information made available on these
sites, making it easier for serious crimes like identity
theft to be committed. They also point out that
identity theft is not the only risk, but also the threat
to those in minority groups who may be victimised or
persecuted for postings on their personal pages, or
information made available by themselves, such as
sexual orientation.

The establishment of social network sites has left

users more susceptible to the perils of internet
security. Mansfield-Devine (2008) warns that users
of social networking sites, especially students and
children, are more vulnerable to malicious content
and spammers. The author explains how the
traditional way of spreading malicious viruses, via
emails and attachments is slowly been phased out,
as social networks are becoming an easier target,
via posting links on personal profiles, which then
spreads within that friends network. They also state
that some social network sites are not rigorous
enough in the guarding of their users from such
threats to their systems, and that the threat is higher
due to the perceived trust by the users of the sites.
However Boyd and Hargittai (2010) believe that
young people, particularly students have an active
role in the security of both their computer as a whole
and their privacy settings on Facebook. She
concludes how although some young people do not
change their security settings after the initial setup
of their Facebook profile, a lot do regularly check
their privacy settings and are aware of threats to
their internets security, such as spam messages
posted to friends profile pages.

The emergence of new technologies inevitably

gives rise to ethical concerns. (Light and McGrath,
2010, p.2) It is argued by Light and McGrath (2010)
that although the amount of information supplied to
a persons profile is determined by the user, it
explains how the registration process and individual
applications can lead to more information being
supplied than the user realises. They comment on
the fact that games available on these sites, mainly

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Use of Social Networks

Defamation

network sites as people, especially the media,

believe. In fact many students take a highly active
role in the privacy of their personal profiles by only
allowing friends to access their pictures or
information, and this should be the subject of a
further study to highlight the attitudes of students
towards this issue.

There is the possibility that information posted by

students on social network sites may lead to libel or
criminal charges being filed. A study in to the use of
twitter by Kierkegaard (2010) reveals that tweets
posted by users are a legal minefield, with many
cases being fought in court. It is stated that many
cases of defamation come from casual postings
insulting others, which can be interpreted as
malicious. In several cases legal action has
occurred.

The development of information technology,

especially social networks, has become a
playground for those wishing to make money from
schemes such as phishing and identity theft. The
cyber bullying problem related to social networks is
another serious issue that has been highlighted
during the study and the high amount of students
who have suffered this issue in the USA is replicated
throughout the world. This is highlighting the need
for social network sites to help protect their users,
and a further study in to this area in the future would
be recommended, to make members of the sites
aware of the risks they contain.

In addition, the contents of students social network

sites may cause difficulties when they are looking
for jobs in the future. Smith and Kidder (2010)
explain how students in school and university do not
realise that the information they are posting on their
profiles and the pictures they are uploading of their
experiences can, and are, being used by employers
as a means to check up on possible recruits. They
state how it is the students responsibility to ensure
that the information uploaded to their profile is not
offensive or degrading but they do question the
ethical issue of employers spying on future and
current employees. They do however, agree with the
use of social networks as an employment tool, and
believe that the source is needed in current society.

With the development of more social networks

recently such as twitter, and Facebook still
expanding exponentially, the affect of these sites is
going to be a subject of discussion by scholars for
many years to come.

REFERENCES

Conclusion

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