Student Title Pag.e and Reference Pag.e
FACEBOOK, UNDERGRADUATES, AND RUINED RELATIONSHIPS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
C heyenne Seymour Bronx Community College
Many college students have used Facebook to connect with people they know and expand their network with new acquaintances. How ever, this exploratory study aimed to examine the self-reported chal lenges that undergraduates (N=l 68) encountered in their personal lives using Facebook. The experiences of college students of varying age, gender, and race/ethnicity were analyzed using Spearman’s rank cor relation coefficient and Fisher’s exact test to determine if there was a relationship between the experienced challenges and the demographics that students belong to. This study found the likelihood of undergrad uates’ personal information being shared on Facebook by friends de creases with age. An analysis of gender and personal problems related to use of the social site uncovered that female college students reported a higher loss of platonic and romantic relationships involving Face- book than males. An examination of race/ethnicity and experiences found undergraduates who identified as “other” reported an interest in making their lives appear better on Facebook than it is in reality.
Keywords: Facebook, social media, undergraduates, challenges, rela tionships
Introduction Social interaction has changed rapidly due
to social networks, like Facebook. Although the platform has helped people to connect, there has been a disconnect for some when it comes developing and maintaining rela tionships with others. The personal lives of college students have been vulnerable to detrimental repercussions, as a result of social networking activity (Kittinger, Correia, & Irons, 2012; Sherrell & Lambie, 2016).
An exploration of experiences associated with social media and the demographics of its users has provided more information on how undergraduates use Facebook and the implications of it. Evidence has suggested
that demographics impact the way under graduates use Facebook (Junco, Merson, & Salter, 2010; Farinosi & Taipale, 2018). Gender has also impacted the experience of college students on Facebook (Thompson & Lougheed, 2012).This study examined the self-reported experiences of college stu dents, by demographic, to understand how Facebook impacted their personal lives. Specifically, undergraduates’ posting of personal information and the social site’s impact on relationships with family, friends, and romantic partners were analyzed to iden tify connections between the experiences as well as the age, gender, and race/ethnicity of college students.
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Literature Review Many problematic behaviors on Facebook
have stemmed from romantic relationships. Research revealed that more than half of the college students polled in one study used the social networking site to contact an ex-part- ner after a relationship had ended (Lyndon, Bonds-Raacke, & Cratty, 2011). As a result, those who connected with ex-partners were likely to engage in cyber obsessional pursuit (COP) and obsessional relational intrusion (ORI). The researchers found that cyber- stalking has become more prevalent with the widespread use of social networks. Fur thermore, just over 40% of undergraduates polled indicated they were a victim of cyber- stalking (Reyns, Henson, & Fisher, 2012). These behaviors have limited the privacy of those pursued and may lead to legal trouble for those found harassing others online.
There is evidence to support that some col lege students have used Facebook to “monitor or harass,” people they were in previous ro mantic relationships with (Lyndon et. ah, 2011, p.712). The researchers collected and analyzed data to examine the likelihood that Facebook activities involving ex-partners could lead to COP, which involves pursuing an individual through electronic channels or ORI, which is pursuing an individual at a physical locale. Involvement in one behavior was an indication of the potential for other types of behavior. According to Lyndon et al. (2011), the students who engaged in COP via Facebook were more likely to engage in ORI. Furthermore, the re searchers revealed that students were nearly seven times more likely to obsessively pursue an individual online if they had engaged in any traditional pursuit compared to those who were never engaged in traditional pursuit (Lyndon et al., 2011, p. 714). The data collected by the researchers implied that the information some post on Facebook has been used by ex-partners for the purpose of monitoring, harassing, pur suit, and intrusion.
The use of Facebook has contributed to some users experiencing negative feelings. Some undergraduates have experienced feel ings associated with inadequacy as a result of their Facebook use (Chou & Edge, 2012). The researchers found, when controlling for gen der, relationship status, and religiosity, stu dents with a high number of Facebook friends they did not personally know were more like ly to agree that, “others had better lives than themselves.” In addition, the study uncovered that the more time one had been a Facebook user, the more they agreed that, “others were happier than themselves.” However, Chou and Edge (2012) found the respondents who spent more time with their friends in person agreed less that “others had better lives than them selves.” The study supported the notion that connecting virtually, instead of in person, can have damaging implications on how students perceived their lives and the lives of others. Moreover, Chen and Lee (2013) analyzed the self-reported experiences of undergraduates and found that Facebook usage and self-es teem are indirectly connected. Specifically, the researchers reported that the relationship between Facebook and self-esteem is likely to be negative due to the mediation effect of communication overload.
Examining college students by gender provided insight on their Facebook usage and experiences due to the social site. Kittinger, Correia, and Irons (2012) found females ac cessed Facebook slightly more times each day than their male counterparts. On average, the females checked their accounts 3.67 times per day compared to the males who checked on average 3.01 with a standard deviation of 2.27 (Kittinger et. al., 2012). In addition, women reported spending more minutes daily on the site than men. The women spent an average of 63.39 minutes on the site and men spent an average of 35.11 minutes on Facebook daily (Kittinger et. al., 2012). Furthermore, an ex amination of gender, in relation to Facebook
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use, uncovered differences between the im plications of use for male and female college students (Thompson & Lougheed, 2012). An examination of means between the male and female undergraduates revealed that female college students are more likely to spend more time on Facebook, lose sleep due to the site, feel closer to their virtual friends than those they see on a regular basis, believe the photos of others caused negative self-body image, feel stress due to Facebook, and feel addicted to the social site (Thompson & Lougheed, 2012). Thusly, clear distinctions involving the effects of Facebook across gender have existed.
Methods Overview
This quantitative study gathered and ana lyzed data on students’ self-reported experi ences on Facebook. Furthermore, it explored the correlation between experiences and the students’ demographics. College students were asked to complete an electronic survey in which they responded to statements regard ing their involvement with Facebook using a Likert scale. The survey produced quanti tative data that was examined to identify the experiences on Facebook that led to negative outcomes while enrolled in an institution of higher education.
Research Questions The research question for this study is the
following:
RQI. Is there an association between self-reported experiences and the de mographics of college students?
Participants This quantitative study involved gathering
information from a diverse college student population. The students’ ages ranged from
18 to 35. Participants included full-time and part-time undergraduate students enrolled in one public four-year university, one private college, and two community colleges.
Sample The total number of participants was 186,
which was collected from convenience sam pling. The researcher invited 677 students to participate voluntarily. To encourage partici pation and honest self-reporting, the invitation to participate indicated that personal informa tion would not be requested and IP addressed would not be tracked. The response rate for this study has been estimated at 24.8%.
The three colleges and one university followed U.S. federal regulations covering re search on human subjects. After Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the four institutions and receipt of consent, the volun tary participants all received the same survey.
Data Collection Instrument
The electronic survey used in this study featured 10 statements about Facebook in relation to participants’ personal lives. All statements were developed by the researcher. The statements were based upon potential problem areas identified by existing research. Participants responded to the statements using a Likert scale with five options ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. In addi tion, there was an option to indicate when the participant did not have a formed opinion. An additional component of the survey asked the participants to volunteer the demographics they identified with.
The rationale for using an electronic survey to collect quantitative data was based upon the knowledge that all Facebook users have experience accessing the Internel to send and share information. In addition, students were able to use their mobile devices to participate in this study, as an added convenience.
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Analyses The data was analyzed using SPSS. Anal
ysis involved the utilization of descriptive sta tistics. Frequencies and cross-tabs were used for analysis of frequencies by demographic variables, which included gender, race/ ethnicity, and age. The use of a Likert Scale with an option to respond neutrally, centered between strongly disagree and strongly agree produced non-continuous data because the distance between disagree and no opinion as well as no opinion and agree could not be accurately measured. Therefore, to test the independence of variables using nominal data with low frequencies, Fisher’s exact test was used. This test was used to examine how the students’ Facebook experiences led to chal lenges. In addition, it was used to analyze the relationship between participant responses and demographic variables, which included age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
A correlation analysis, using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, was conducted to see if Facebook experiences involving personal lives were associated with age and if so, in which direction. Students were asked to re port their exact age on the survey.
Results Descriptive Statistics
All participants were between the ages of 18 and 35, as shown in Table 1. The students’ median age was 22.0 and their mean age was 23.7, with a standard deviation of 5.1.
Table I. Frequency of Age and Gender
Age Male Female Total
18 14 12 26
19 9 12 21
20 4 8 12
21 4 9 13
22 3 4 7
23 2 1 3
24 4 4 8
25 3 10 13
26 1 3 4
27 4 6 10
28 0 7 7
29 2 4 6
30 0 3 3
31 1 6 7
32 0 5 5
33 I 2 3
34 2 3 5
35 0 2 2
Note, n = 155.
As represented in Table 2, 65.2% of the participants were female and 34.8% were male. Freshmen represented 45.8% of the respondents, 35.5% were sophomores, 16.1 % were juniors, and 2.6% were seniors. The largest racial group of students identified as white. They accounted for 60.0% of the par ticipants. Of the remaining students, 16.8% identified as black, 12.3% as Hispanic, 7.7% as “other,” and 3.2% as Asian/Pacific Is lander. None of the participants identified as American lndian/Alaskan Native.
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Table 2. Respondent Gender and Race/ Ethnicity Demographics
n %
G e n d e r
F em a le 101 6 5 .2
M ale 54 3 4 .9
R ac e /E th n ic ity
W h ite 93 6 0 .0
B lack 26 16.8
H isp an ic 19 12.3
O th e r 12 7 .7
A sian /P ac if ic Is la n d e r 5 3.2
A m e ric a n In d ia n /A la sk an N a tiv e 0 0 .0
Age and Facebook Experiences An analysis of college students’ age and
responses related to personal challenges suggested two areas with a statistical signifi cance. To analyze these variables, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to ex amine the dependence of variables represent ed by non-continuous data, as shown in Table 3. The analysis highlighted a relationship between college students’ age and their in volvement with posting personal information
on Facebook (rho = 0.23; p = 0.00). There was a small correlation to suggest older college students were more likely to avoid sharing their personal information on Facebook. In addition, the data reflected a significance involving the participants’ personal informa tion being added to Facebook by their friends (rho = -0.25, p = 0.00). There was a small correlation that implies that the likelihood of having friends post personal information on Facebook decreased with age.
Gender and Facebook Experiences The participants’ collective responses, by
gender, has been reflected in Table 4. The survey provided students with five response options, which included strongly disagree, disagree, no opinion, agree, and strongly agree. To represent the data, the five options were collapsed into three categories. Strong ly disagree and disagree were combined. The neutral category represented the students who reported having no opinion on a re spective statement. Strongly agree and agree were also combined.
The self-reported experiences of male and female college students on Facebook were
Table 3. Age and Self-Reported Challenges
N rho p-value
Q u e s tio n s o n F a c eb o o k a n d P e rso n a l C h a lle n g e s
I d o n o t p o s t m y p e rso n a l in fo rm a tio n o f FB 157 0 .23 0 .00**
M y fr ien d s p o s t m y p e rso n a l in fo rm a tio n on FB 157 -0 .25 0 .00**
1 d o n o t w a n t to m a k e m y life a p p e a r b e tte r on FB th an it is in re a lity 157 0 .05 0 .5 2
I h a v e n o t p o s te d lie s a b o u t m y s e l f on F B 157 0 .15 0 .06
1 h a v e h a d p ro b le m s w ith a fa m ily m e m b e r d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d on FB 156 0 .40 0 .62
I h a v e s to p p ed c o m m u n ic a t in g w ith a fam ily m e m b e r d u e to FB 157 0 .12 0 .15
1 h a v e had p ro b le m s w ith a fr ie n d s h ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d on FB 151 -0.01 0 .93
I h a v e s to p p ed c o m m u n ic a t in g w ith a fr ien d d u e to FB 156 0 .00 0 .98
I h a v e h a d p ro b le m s w ith a ro m a n tic re la tio n sh ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d on FB 156 0.01 0 .9 2
I h a v e e n d e d a ro m a n tic re la tio n s h ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s ted o n FB 157 -0 .0 6 0 .4 6
Note. FB = Facebook.
*p <0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001.
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analyzed using Fisher’s exact test to examine the independence of variables. As shown in Table 5, four statements pertaining to per sonal challenges were found to have statisti cally significant differences among genders. Fisher’s exact test suggested there is a statis tically significant difference between gender and having problems with friendship due to Facebook (p = 0.00). Almost three-quarters of the male participants reported they disagree (20.8%) or strongly disagree (52.8%) that the site led to an issue with a friend. Flowever, more than two-fifths of the females indicated they agree (29.2%) or strongly agree (12.5%) with the statement. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference involving gender and ending a friendship due to the social network (p = 0.00). Zero male par ticipants indicated that they strongly agree with dissolving a platonic relationship due to Facebook and 11.1% reported they agree
compared with 5.8% of females who re sponded they strongly agree and 20.1 % who said they agree. In addition, Fisher’s exact suggests there was a statistically significant difference between this demographic and ex periencing problems with a romantic relation ship (p = 0.01). Of the female students, 25.7% reported they agree and 17.8% revealed they strongly agree compared to 11.3% of males who said they agree and 5.7% who indicated they strongly agree. Fisher’s exact also sug gested there is a statistically significant differ ence between gender and ending a romantic relationship due to Facebook (p = 0.03). Zero males revealed they strongly agree with this statement and 11.1% of them indicated they agree. However, 11.9% of female respondents revealed they strongly agree that the social platform played a role in the end of a roman tic partnership along with an additional 5.9% who reported they agree.
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Table 4. Survey Results for FB and Personal Challenges by Gender
Survey Item Strongly Disagree
Disagree N eutral Agree Strongly
Agree
% % % % % I do not post my personal information of FB Male 7.4 27.8 9.3 31.5 24.1 Female 33.3 32.7 5.9 30.7 28.7 My friends post my personal information on FB Male 35.2 35.2 9.3 18.5 1.9 Female 37.6 36.6 2.0 18.8 5.0 I do not want to make my life appear better on FB than it is in reality Male 7.4 9.3 13.0 37.0 33.3 Female 2.0 12.9 13.9 35.6 35.6 1 have not posted lies about myself on FB Male 7.4 9.3 5.6 25.9 51.9 Female 1.0 5.0 4.0 30.70 59.4 I have had problems with a family member due to content posted on FB Male 46.3 25.9 5.6 18.5 3.7 Female 31.0 22.0 6.0 29.0 12.0
1 have stopped communicating with a family member due to FB Male 59.3 26.6 3.7 3.7 3.7 Female 49.5 26.7 3.0 13.9 6.9
1 have had problems with a friendship due to content posted on FB Male 52.8 20.8 7.5 18.9 0.0 Female 24.0 28.1 6.3 29.8 12.5 I have stopped communicating with a friend due to FB Male 53.7 29.6 5.6 11.1 0.0 Female 32.0 33.0 1.0 25.0 9.0
I have had problems with a romantic rela tionship due to content posted on FB Male 43.4 26.4 13.2 11.3 5.7 Female 31.7 20.8 4.0 25.7 17.8 I have ended a romantic relationship due to content posted on FB Male 51.9 31.5 5.6 11.1 0.0 Female 41.6 36.6 4.0 5.9 11.9
Note. FB = Facebook.
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Table 5. Gender and Self-Reported Challenges
n F isher’s
exact test p- value
Q u e s tio n s on F a c e b o o k a n d P e rso n a l C h a lle n g e s
I d o n o t p o s t m y p e rso n a l in fo rm a tio n o f FB 155 3 .74 0 .4 6
M y fr ien d s p o s t m y p e rso n a l in fo rm a tio n on FB 155 4.61 0 .3 4
1 d o n o t w a n t to m a k e m y life a p p e a r b e tte r on FB th an it is in re a lity 155 3 .02 0 .57
I h a v e n o t p o s te d lie s a b o u t m y s e l f o n FB 155 6.11 0 .1 7
1 h a v e h ad p ro b le m s w ith a fam ily m e m b e r d u e to c o n te n t p o s ted on FB 154 6 .58 0 .1 6
I h a v e s to p p ed c o m m u n ic a t in g w ith a fam ily m e m b e r d u e to FB 155 5 .04 0 .28
I h a v e h ad p ro b le m s w ith a f r ien d sh ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s ted on FB 149 17.86 0 .0 0 * *
I h a v e s to p p ed c o m m u n ic a t in g w ith a fr ien d d u e to FB 154 15.40 0 .0 0 * *
I h a v e h ad p ro b le m s w ith a ro m a n tic re la tio n sh ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d on FB 154 13.18 0 .0 1 *
I h a v e e n d e d a ro m a n tic re la tio n s h ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d o n FB 154 10.17 0 .03*
Note. FB = Facebook.
*p <0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001.
Race/Ethnicity and Facebook Experiences Table 6 revealed the undergraduates’ re
sponses by race/ethnicity. An examination of students’ race/ethnicity and their Facebook experiences, using Fisher’s exact test, un covered one area of a statistically significant difference, as displayed in Table 7. To analyze the data, the five response categories were collapsed into three. Both strongly disagree and disagree were grouped to create one cate gory and strongly agree and agree created an additional grouping. No opinion remained its
own category. Fisher’s exact test suggested there is a statistically significant difference involving participants’ race/ethnicity and re sponses to the statement about not aiming to make life appear better on Facebook than it is in reality (p = 0.01). Students who identified as “other” have the smallest percentage who accepted this statement; Twenty-five percent indicted they agree or strongly agree com pared to 89.5% of Hispanics, 80.0% of Asian/ Pacific Islanders, 73.1% of blacks, and 72.0% of whites.
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Table 6. Survey Results for FB and Personal Challenges by Race/Ethnicity
S u r v e y I te m D is a g re e N e u tra l A g re e
% % %
I d o n o t p o s t m y p e rso n a l in fo rm a tio n o f FB
W h ite 4 0 .0 7 .5 5 1 .6
B lack 3 4 .0 7 .7 5 7 .7
H isp an ic 2 4 .0 10.5 6 8 .4
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 2 0 .0 0 .0 8 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ia n / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 2 5 .0 0 .0 7 5 .0
M y fr ien d s p o s t m y p e rso n a l in fo rm a tio n on FB
W h ite 7 7 .4 5 .4 17.2
B lack 5 3 .8 3 .8 4 2 .3
H isp an ic 7 3 .7 0 .0 2 6 .3
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 100.0 0 .0 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ian / N a tiv e A la sk an 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 6 6 .7 8.3 2 5 .0
I d o n o t w a n t to m a k e m y life a p p e a r b e tte r on FB th a n it is in re a lity
W h ite 12.9 15.1 7 2 .0
B lack 11.5 15.4 73.1
H isp an ic 5.3 5.3 89 .5
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 2 0 .0 0 .0 8 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ia n / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 58 .3 16.7 2 5 .0
I h a v e n o t p o s te d lie s ab o u t m y s e l f on FB
W h ite 9 .7 1.1 89 .2
B lack 11.5 11.5 7 6 .9
H isp an ic 5.3 10.5 8 4 .0
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 0 .0 0 .0 100.0
A m e ric a n In d ia n / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 16.7 8.3 7 5 .0
1 h a v e h ad p ro b le m s w ith a fam ily m e m b e r d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d on FB
W h ite 6 3 .0 4 .3 3 2 .6
B lack 53 .8 11.5 3 4 .6
H isp an ic 5 7 .9 5.3 3 6 .8
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 8 0 .0 0 .0 2 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ian / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 4 1 .7 8.3 5 0 .0
I h a v e s to p p ed c o m m u n ic a t in g w ith a fam ily m e m b e r d u e to FB
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Table 6. Survey Results for FB and Personal Challenges by Race/Ethnicity (continued)
Survey Item Disagree Neutral Agree
% % %
W h ite 8 1 .7 1.1 17.2
B lack 8 0 .8 15.4 3 .8
H isp an ic 7 3 .7 0 .0 26 .3
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 8 0 .0 0 .0 2 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ian / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 83 .3 0 .0 16.7
I h a v e h a d p ro b le m s w ith a fr ien d sh ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d o n I-'B
W h ile 59 .3 6 .6 34.1
B lack 5 0 .0 8 .3 4 1 .7
H isp an ic 5 5 .6 5.6 3 8 .9
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 100.0 0 .0 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ian / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0.0 0 .0
O th e r 54 .5 9.1 3 6 .4
I h a v e h a d p ro b le m s w ith a fr ien d sh ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s te d on FB
W h ite 59.3 6 .6 34.1
B lack 5 0 .0 8.3 4 1 .7
H isp an ic 5 5 .6 5 .6 3 8 .9
A sian / P ac ific Is la n d e r 100.0 0 .0 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ian / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 54 .5 9.1 3 6 .4
1 h a v e s to p p ed c o m m u n ic a t in g w ith a fr ien d d u e to F B
W h ite 73.1 2 .2 0 2 4 .7 0
B lack 6 4 .0 8 .00 2 8 .0 0
H isp an ic 6 8 .4 0 .0 0 3 1 .6 0
A sia n / P a c ific Is la n d e r 0 .0 0 .00 0 .0 0
A m e ric a n In d ian / N a tiv e A la sk a n 100.0 0 .0 0 0 .00
O th e r 6 6 .7 0 .0 0 3 3 .30
I h a v e h a d p ro b le m s w ith a ro m a n tic re la tio n s h ip d u e to c o n te n t p o s ted on FB
W h ite 6 0 .2 6 .5 3 3 .3
B lack 6 9 .2 7 .7 23.1
H isp an ic 3 1 .6 10.5 5 7 .9
A sian / P a c ific Is la n d e r 8 0 .0 0 .0 2 0 .0
A m e ric a n In d ian / N a tiv e A la sk a n 0 .0 0 .0 0 .0
O th e r 54.5 9.1 3 6 .4
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Table 6. Survey Results for FB and Personal Challenges by Race/Ethnicity (continued)
Survey Item Disagree Neutral Agree
% % %
I have ended a romantic relationship due to content posted on FB
White 82.8 4.3 12.9
Black 76.9 7.7 15.4
Hispanic 68.4 0.0 31.6
Asian / Pacific Islander 0.0 0.0 0.0
American Indian / Native Alaskan 91.7 8.3 0.0
Other
Note. Disagree = Strongly Disagree and Disagree; Neutral = No Opinion; Agree = Strongly Agree and Agree; FB = Facebook.
Table 7. Race/Ethnicity and Self-Reported Challenges
n Fisher’s exact test
p- value
Questions on Facebook and Personal Challenges
I do not post my personal information of FB 155 5.37 0.69
My friends post my personal information on FB 155 9.80 0.20
1 do not want to make my life appear better on FB than it is in reality 155 17.57 0.01*
I have not posted lies about myself on FB 155 10.34 0.14
I have had problems with a family member due to content posted on FB 154 5.22 0.71
1 have stopped communicating with a family member due to FB 155 13.26 0.55
I have had problems with a friendship due to content posted on FB 149 4.65 0.78
I have stopped communicating with a friend due to FB 154 5.77 0.64
1 have had problems with a romantic relationship due to content posted on FB 154 8.73 0.30
1 have ended a romantic relationship due to content posted on FB 155 8.25 0.31
Note. FB = Facebook.
*p <0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001.
Conclusion
An examination of experiences and demo graphics found there were some trends among college students and their use of Facebook. Age had an impact on the sharing of personal information. The data uncovered the likeli hood o f personal information being posted to Facebook by one’s self or their friends was
influenced by age. Although there was a weak correlation between age and these two areas o f personal life, the older a student was — the more likely they were to avoid posting their personal information on Facebook and less likely they were to have friends that shared their personal details on the social site.
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When it came to gender and Facebook ex periences, an examination of the data showed that gender influenced some of the challenges users faced, similar to other research findings. Male students reported low percentages of both experiencing problems and ending rela tionships with friends and romantic partners in comparison to their female counterparts. Furthermore, none of the males reported that they strongly agree with experiencing prob lems with friends and significant others or stop ping communication with a romantic partner. However, female students reported they agree and strongly agree with percentages ranging from 5.9% to 29.8% for all four statements, including ending communication with a friend. The data supported Thompson and Lougheed’s (2012) findings that females experienced more problems related to their Facebook usage at higher frequencies than males.
The analyzed responses, by the race/ ethnicity of participants, uncovered personal challenges as well. Students who identi fied as “other” had the smallest percentage (25.0%) of students who agree that they do not want to make their lives appear better on Facebook than it is in reality; all other race/ ethnicity groups reported they agree with this statement in percentages that more than doubled (white and black participants) or tripled (Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander) the rate of this group.
Additional research is required to deter mine the underlying cause for many of the self-reported problems experienced by un dergraduates on Facebook. By gaining more insight, undergraduates, faculty, and staff can work on both prevention and support for these personal challenges encountered by some on the social site. For college students, it is important to consider the implications of their involvement with Facebook and the potential influence that it can have on their personal lives.
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