Social networking and the youth at the University of Dhaka: a sociological study

Abstract

Online social networking has become globally growing phenomena over the last decade. It is a known fact that young adults and teenagers are the most avid users of Social Networking sites (SNSs) which have a great impact on their lives. One can easily see the entry gate of these social networking sites but unable to find exit for these SNS. Some 22.880 million people of Bangladesh use the world's strongest social media, Facebook (FB), as it secured 51st position among the nations using the network globally. This paper takes Facebook as an example for these Social Networking sites and focuses to provide an insight on the youth’s perception towards social networking. In this paper we also focused on the positive as well as negative consequences of these social networking sites on the social behavior and lifestyle of Bangladeshi youngsters and the influence of SNSs on rising awareness among them. This paper reports the findings of a research work that was carried out in the University of Dhaka targeting a random sample of young adults aging from 18-28 years where 100 responses were collected through a survey administrating a structured questionnaire and 8 In-Depth Interviews were conducted for better understanding. Data was analyzed using SPSS. According to this study, although SNSs have a positive impact on the youth, yet quite a large number of respondents reported having met with negative experiences. On the other hand, Social activity groups and Protest groups have been formed on social media networks and coordinated for inviting the public to participate in social works and rising awareness. The area of youths’ usage of social media is hardly researched in Bangladesh as it is relatively a new phenomenon. The research results can be used as a useful tool to successfully communicate and improve interactivity with youths through social networks.