Overview
In October 2012, the social networking site (SNS) Facebook announced it has passed the one billion mark of monthly active users worldwide, meaning that compared to real-life inhabitant numbers on our planet, Facebook would make the third largest country in the world, having available a population of more than three times the USA. According to 2012 data of the Pew Research Center, 86 percent of US-Internet users between 18 and 29 years report to have a personal profile on at least one SNS.
In recent years psychologists and researchers from related disciplines have discovered the Internet as a field of research. A growing number of studies have addressed SNSs, including Facebook. This seminar is about empirical research regarding questions such as...
What do people do on Facebook?
Why do people use Facebook?
Is frequent Facebook use related to lower or higher self-esteem, self-concept clarity and/or loneliness? And if so, why?
Are narcissists the most avid Facebook users?
Cyberbullying: What to do and how can we prevent it? Who are the bullies?
Is Facebook use related to success or failure at school?
How can Facebook be integrated at schools and universities?
What can parents do to increase the likelihood that Facebook use contributes to well-being?
As this seminar is about quantitative empirical research, a solid knowledge in quantitative methodology is a plus. Having a Facebook account is a plus but it is not mandatory.
This seminar will be held in English. It will take place in room 0.16., Campus, Building K, “Medienraum”.
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Introductory Readings
Anderson, B., Fagan, P., Woodnutt, T., & Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2012). Facebook psychology: Popular questions answered by research. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 1, 23-37.
Wilson, R. E., Gosling, S. D., & Graham, L. T. (2012). A review of Facebook research in the social sciences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 203-220. |
