The media platform of a new generation : how social networks are shaping current and future media trends

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to establish whether or not social networks are an emerging media platform amongst younger audiences, namely the Millennials otherwise known as the Y generation. In order to prove or disprove the hypothesis central to this dissertation, this question has been tackled on two separate levels: the foremost consisting of an anthropological background of socialization and communication that occurred and developed as a result of it. The reasoning behind this chosen approach is that in order to understand how and why virtual socialization has become such a widespread phenomenon, considerable insight regarding the development of socialization and communication over the years was necessary. One of the key theories utilized in this respect is Emile Durkheim's Sociological Method The latter part of the study focuses on the role of social networks in contemporary society. This section can again be said to comprise of two parts. One being a theoretical background to social networks as set out in The Rise of the Network Society (Castells, 2010). The other consisting of quantitative questionnaire designed on the basis of two previous American studies. One set out to examine the Internet habits of a general population sample of the entire American population. The other was targeted specifically at focused University students at a number of academic institutions across the United States of America.