Age and Gender Differences in Social Networking: Effects on South Korean Students in Higher Education

Abstract

Social networking sites (SNS) are popular communication technologies in the world. Many Koreans have been using SNS to network and communicate with their acquaintances. The growing popularity of SNS usage affects teaching and learning in higher education. However, there are unknown territories of positive and negative effects of using SNS in higher education. The purpose of this study is to investigate both positive and negative impacts of using SNS and to examine the effects of gender and age differences in those impacts. Participants (n = 236) at five Korean universities were surveyed on their SNS usage. Factor analyses identified three positive effects of social networking: (1) information acquisition and communication, (2) efficiency in work, and (3) relationship building. The negative factors of using SNS were identified as (1) security, (2) completion of study/work, (3) emotion, (4) cognitive development, (5) social development, and (6) physical development. Independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests revealed there are age and gender differences in both positive and negative effects of SNS usage.