On the importance of social network sites in the transitions which characterize ‘emerging adulthood’

Abstract

Modern-day economic and socio-cultural developments require people to be ever more specialized and mobile in their educational and professional choices. This is particularly relevant for 'emerging adults', that is to say, those who find themselves at that stage of life when their scholastic or university education ends, and they begin to make choices regarding their professional working life. Transitions between different activity systems, and changes of residence which they entail, make 'emerging adulthood' a particularly unstable period in which young people continually dissolve, create and recreate relationship networks of varying degrees of importance which are able to support them through these changes. Beginning with empirical evidence and theoretical starting points typical of the psychology of education and development, this contribution proposes a theoretical reflection which attempts to analyze the efficacy of Social Network Sites in facilitating and supporting emerging adults during their education and vocational training and the important transitions which they have to face as they develop.

From high school to university: Impact of social networking sites on social capital in the transitions of emerging adults

“…Indeed, this type of social capital reflects age and previous experience, so it is not unusual that UFYS and above all US have a greater amount of MSC. Although this aspect may seem obvious, it is not so according to a Lifelong Learning view in which the diversification of experiences is an important factor for enhancing the social capital on which emerging adults may count in the future (Frozzi & Mazzoni, ).…”

“… The use of SNSs in college students of the North American context (Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe, ; Steinfield, Ellison & Lampe, ). Types of social capital that support students (Ellison et al , ; Frozzi & Mazzoni, ; Mazzoni & Gaffuri, ; Steinfield et al , ). SNSs conceived as mediational tools in educational contexts (Cotroneo, ; Diggins, Rìsquez & Murphy, ; Harrison & Thomas, ; Hung & Yuenb, ). …”

“…Mazzoni and Gaffuri () thus depicted the role played by SNSs in crossing the boundaries of human knowledge that characterize different activity systems during the transitions of emerging adulthood (eg, from high school to work, from high school to university or from university to work). In the authors' view, SNSs can help emerging adults to actively manage their networks of relationships and acquaintances, obtain information about new opportunities or events and get involved in knowledge construction processes (Frozzi & Mazzoni, ; Mazzoni & Gaffuri, ).…”

The Relevance of Online Social Relationships Among the Elderly: How Using the Web Could Enhance Quality of Life?

“…Ekbia and Nardi (2012) name this process inverse instrumentality , since the user risks losing control of the objectives of their actions this would happen, for example, if the user were to attend a cultural event, such as a concert, with the primary intent of taking pictures to upload online so as to boost self-esteem, rather than to appreciate the artists’ performance. So, to understand if and how technologies can influence the creation and maintenance of social capital relationships, it is necessary to investigate what factors and conditions incline the user toward use of technology as a functional organ or instead in a condition of inverse instrumentality ( Frozzi and Mazzoni, 2011 ).…”

Internet addiction and loneliness as predictors of internet gaming disorder in adolescents

“…Nowadays, the internet is widely used (Frozzi and Mazzoni, 2011) because of its many functions such as social communication and facilitating daily life. Conducted by TÜİK (Tuik, 2018) in Turkey, the use of information technologies in households' survey revealed that the rate of household with access to the internet was 25.4% in 2008 and 80.7% in 2017, with an increase every year.…”