Findings

Heather Perrault beckerhd@uwec.edu Faculty Advisor: Justin Patchin patchinj@uwec.eduCriminal Justice Program Department of Political Science University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireHeather Perrault beckerhd@uwec.edu Faculty Advisor: Justin Patchin patchinj@uwec.eduCriminal Justice Program Department of Political Science University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Trends in Online Social Networking: Youth Use of MySpace Over TimeTrends in Online Social Networking: Youth Use of MySpace Over Time

Limitations

Methodology & Research

Why Study MySpace?

Acknowledgements & References

10% (n=239) of profiles deleted from 2006 to 2007

Another 42% abandoned their profiles

Active users had significantly fewer swear words on their profiles and in their

comments

Same number of profiles included current city

Significantly fewer active youth included school name

First Name and Full Name were disclosed more often in 2007 than 2006

13% switched from public to private; 5% from private to public

Males more likely to have public profiles; Females, private

General trend toward safer/smarter online social networking

Social networking web site

Free, user-friendly, unrestricted self-expression

Over 55% of youth have an online profile

Over 85% of those are on MySpace

About 25% of MySpace users are under age 18

3rd most popular web site in the United States

How Have Adolescent Profiles Changed Over the Last Year?

Right: This adolescent’s profile indicated she was a teen mother. There were many photos posted to suggest promiscuity and other adult-like behavior, as well as proof of illegal activity.

Only analyzed public profiles

Information may not be accurate (for example, age inflation)

Anonymity creates endless possibilities

Don’t know for sure what caused the changes (abandonment,

etc.)

We have all seen the headlines. While it is clear that bad things happen in relation to MySpace, the question is whether or not these incidents represent a significant threat for youth. There have not been any systematic, scientific reviews of the site to determine what kids are doing and disclosing on their profile pages. This study is a step in that direction. Is the negative reputation deserved?

MySpace at a GlanceHinduja and Patchin (2008) performed an extensive content analysis of approximately 2,423 randomly-sampled, publicly-accessible, adolescent MySpace profiles in the summer of 2006, and found that the vast majority of youth were making responsible choices with the information they shared online.  In this follow-up study, the authors revisited the profiles one year later to examine the extent to which the content has changed during the previous year.  Though exceptions occur, youth are generally exercising discretion in posting personal information on MySpace and increasingly limiting access to their profile. Moreover, a significant number of youth appear to be abandoning their profiles or MySpace altogether.

Funding for this research came from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Grant) and Differential Tuition.

Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2008). Personal Information of Adolescents on the Internet: A Quantitative Content Analysis of MySpace. Journal of Adolescence, 31(1), 125-146.

Patchin, J. W., Hinduja, S. & Perrault, H. (2008). “MySpace under the microscope: Trends in adolescent online social networking.” Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Panel Presentation (Cincinnati, OH).

Comprehensive content analysis of a large, randomly-selected sample of public MySpace profiles that were originally created by youth under the age of 18Check for conflicting information (for example, evidence of age inflation)Examine public profiles for various material (below, left, shows what we looked for)Photos, comments, & blogs tell a lot more than the basic profile content

Longitudinal study of same sample cohortFirst analyzed summer of 2006

Significant Kappa reliabilityVast majority of values were greater than 0.61 Overall, reliability for this analysis proved to be very goodAllows us to have a reasonable amount of confidence in the data obtained

Left: This adolescent shows evidence of gang activity. For example, the caption on the photo of red attire is “blood gear”.

May

, 200

4

Sept,

2004

Nov

, 200

4

Mar

ch, 2

005

April,

200

5

June

, 200

5

July, 2

005

Augus

t, 20

05

Sept,

2005

Oct, 2

005

Nov

, 200

5

Dec, 2

005

Jan,

200

6

Feb, 2

006

Mar

ch, 2

006

April,

200

6

May

, 200

6

June

, 200

6

July, 2

006

Aug, 2

006

Sept,

2006

Oct, 2

006

Nov

, 200

6

Dec, 2

006

Jan,

200

7

Feb, 2

007

Mar

ch, 2

007

May

, 200

7

Sept,

2007

Oct, 2

007

Dec, 2

007

Jan,

200

8

Mar

, 200

80

50

100

150

200

2 4 4.911 12

19 22 2328

33 3543

4855

6772

8087 90

100108

120

131138

145154

161

177

199207

212220

226

MySpace GrowthMay 2004 to March 2008

Accou

nts

in

Mil

lion

s

Evidence of alcohol use: This 17-year old has plans for St. Patrick’s Day.

This is a typical customized adolescent profile. A custom data entry program was utilized. The left column was our research tool and guide. We looked for identifying information (name, phone number, school, identifying pictures), inappropriate content (swearing, drug/alcohol use, incriminating pictures), and anything else of interest.

Follow-up in summer of 2007

Explanation of Terms:Abandoned – Not logged on since before the initial 2006 studyOccasional – Logged on since the initial analysis but not within 7 days prior to second analysisActive – Logged on in past 7 days prior to second analysis

18.9% Increase

12.4% Decrease

11.9% Increase

7.7% Decrease

Photos in swimsuit or underwear

Active user which displays a picture of himself, his first name, school, hometown, and evidence of age inflation—since he is most likely not a 17-year-old elementary student.