Generational Differences in Social Media Usage

The topic for this paper is to determine what is meant by social change from the perspective of graduate students today. The paper is organized into four parts. The first part presents a background statement concerning the issue of interest and the gap in the existing body of knowledge the study intends to address.

A description concerning the role of the researcher is provided in the second part and an explanation concerning the process of gathering, organizing, and analyzing data to form the basis of the methods used in this study are presented in part three followed by the analysis and interpretation of those data. Finally, a discussion concerning the trustworthiness of the findings that emerged from this analysis and a summary of the research are presented in part four. Introduction Background statement What you have learned about social change as a social issue.

Because the historical record confirms that societies are generally dynamic rather than static, they are in a constant state of change and social change is therefore an inextricably interrelated social issue. Perhaps the overarching issue that emerged from the coursework was that innovations in telecommunications technologies in recent years have fundamentally changed the nature of social exchanges.

For instance, according to Wayne (2015), "The advance of technology and the prevalence of social media are profoundly changing how we communicate, and in so doing, they are also changing who we are" (p. 3). Therefore, from social change relates to the constantly changing perspective of "who we are" as a society. b. What you have learned about social change as a research problem. Support your insights with academic citations from the Learning Resources.

Social science researchers can use a wide array of tools to gain fresh insights into the phenomenon of social change, including qualitative research tools that use various theoretical perspectives (Hansen, 2009). Most of these research tools conceptualize social construction as "how the physical aspects of the world are seen to have independent existence [and] how the world is perceived (reality)" (Hansen, 2009, p. 6).

Some of the more popular research strategies for developing new insights into the social world include those that stress "human interpretation, inductive reasoning, holistic understanding, qualitative data and contextualized explanation" (Hansen, 2009, p. 6). c. Describe the gap that your study will address.

Although social media platforms have assumed an unprecedented level of influence on social change, there remains a dearth of timely and relevant research concerning intergenerational differences in the usage patterns and purposes of social media use by the four different generational cohorts that are not active in the American workplace for the first time in history (Bleedorn, 2013). In this regard, Otsuki (2012) emphasizes that, "How this experience of participation itself can lead the participants to bring about, often tacitly, broader social transformation remains analytically elusive" (p. 201).

Therefore, in order to help fill this gap, this study reviews three recent peer-reviewed journal articles concerning the impact of social media on rates and patterns of social change in recent years following using the researcher role described further below. Part 2: Role of the Researcher Review your analytic memos, field notes, etc., written during each aspect of the data collection process, and examine your role and experience and how that is shaping your experience (reflexivity).

Although the role of the researcher is comparable for both qualitative and quantitative studies (Neuman, 2003), the outcomes that can be achieved using these methods vary. While quantitative studies such as random clinical trials remain the gold standard for social science research, a growing number of researchers are using qualitative methods as well, most especially in those cases where gaining fresh insights into the lived experiences of respondents is the goal (Neuman, 2003).

For example, according to Hansen (2009), "Qualitative research aims to provide detailed descriptions and analysis of the quality or substance of the human experience" (p. 5). In this context, the role of qualitative researchers is to develop a better understanding of the meanings of studied lived experiences including the interpretations that others assign to their behaviors as well as their own responses to various situations and events in real-world settings (Hansen, 2009). Describe the roles you are portraying in this research effort (i.e., a graduate student, classmate, interviewer, etc.).

The principal researcher in this study assumed a graduate student role using qualitative research strategies. Identify any ethical issues that could or did arise during the data collection processes (i.e., these could include doing a study within one's own work environment, conflict of interest, or power differentials). Qualitative social science researchers are faced with some novel ethical issues that are not always shared by their quantitative counterparts.

For instance, Harper and Thompson (2012) report that, "Confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, harm and power are particularly complex because of the interaction between participant and researcher, [and] the way qualitative interviews can cover unanticipated ground" (p. 237). Therefore, all respondents will be consented using an approved institutional review board instrument that is designed for that purpose. Part 3: Results The results of the review of the three selected peer-reviewed journal articles follow below. a. Data Sources.

The sources of the data used in this study were reliable online academic research resources such as EBSCOHost and Questia that provide a searchable database of peer-reviewed journal articles. The search terms used for identifying relevant journal articles included "generational cohorts," "intergenerational differences, "social media," "Millennials," "Generation X," "Generation Y," and so forth. Data collection proceeded over the course of a 3-day period and the results were recorded using a word table.

This approach is consistent with the guidance provided by the American Psychological Association's Publication Manual (6th ed.), which states, "Word tables present qualitative comparisons or descriptive information. For example, a word table can enable the reader to compare characteristics of studies in an article that reviews many studies, or it can present questions and responses from a survey or shown an outline of the elements of a theory. Word tables illustrate the discussion in the text" (p. 161).

A number of qualitative studies have used word tables for data collection purposes, including a study by Geraci and Mcdaniel (2009) that examined intergenerational differences in memory patterns of distinctive events, a study by Miller (2009) that used a word table to evaluate the lived experiences of law school students, and a study by Lapelle (2004) that used word tables for coding the results of literature reviews, interviews and responses to open-ended questions.

Although there were no unusual circumstances were encountered during this phase of the study, it was noted that there were no survey instruments available with proven reliability and validity that were designed to measure intergenerational differences in social media usage making the use of the custom table highly appropriate for the purposes of this study. b. Instrumentation. The instrument used for data collection for this study is shown in Table 1 below together with a summary of the findings that emerged from these studies. c.

Data Analysis: What is the process used to move inductively from coded units to larger representations including categories and themes. A study by Lapelle (2004) recommended using the following steps for coding data for inclusion in word tables: 1. Format the data into data tables including participant ID information and utterance sequence numbers. 2. Develop a theme codebook in tabular format to define linkages between numeric codes and theme categories. Logically organize the codebook based on your framework or report outline. 3.

Determine face-sheet data categories on which retrieval will be done and add columns to the data tables to accommodate coding for these. 4. Do the thematic coding in the theme code column modifying the table as needed to handle text that should be coded with multiple themes. 5. Sort the data by desired face-sheet data and theme code categories to look for patterns. 6. Validate the coding within a data table, correct and re-sort. 7. Merge appropriate data tables and validate coding across data tables (p. 3).

Describe the specific codes, categories, and themes that emerged from the data using quotations as needed to emphasize their importance. 1st cycle: One of the overarching themes that emerged from the data analysis of the three selected journal articles in the first cycle was the need for additional research into intergenerational differences in social media usage, especially in view of the growing economic clout of Generation Y compared to Generation X.

For example, Bleedorn (2013) points out that, "[Millennials] and $200 billion in purchasing power has attracted, intrigued and even hypnotized the business marketer. They already outnumber Gen X two to one" (p. 25). Likewise, Miller (2013) cites the fundamental differences between Millennials and Generation Xers with respect to their familiarity and comfort level with these technologies.

In this regard, Miller (2013) advises that, "[Millennials] have grown up in the era Youtube videos being posted online before the event has even concluded and any piece of information required being available through a cell phone" (2013, p. 77). 2nd cycle.

Following the steps recommended by Lepelle (2004), the codes for these general findings can be grouped into thematic categories such as "main purpose of social media usage," "degree of reliance on social media for purchase decisions," " Identify themes -- provide examples and illustrate your results with a figure or a chart.

Table 1 Data collection instrument Source Study Type Key Findings/Comments Codes* General Category Konieczny (2014) Online survey There are significant generational differences in the use of blogs, podcasts and online petitions versus social networking for socializing, entertainment and networking on social media platforms but additional research is needed to determine these differences with specificity. GD, SMP, PR Generational differences Bleedorn (2013) Interviews Younger consumers are more likely to rely on social media for researching products and services while older consumers are more likely to use these resources for socialization and testimonials.

Because Millennials represent the largest generational cohort and will have $3.4 trillion in purchasing clout by 2018, additional research into these differences is needed today. PR, GD Preferences Miller (2013) Literature review There are significant differences in social media usage between younger (Generation Y or Millennials) who grew up with the Internet compared to their older counterparts (e.g., Generation X). GD, PR, SMP Social media purpose(s) *Key: GD: Generational differences SMP: Social media purpose(s) PR: Preferences for social media usage Part 4: Trustworthiness and Summary.

Trustworthiness -- summarize across the different data sources and respond to the following: What themes are in common? Three main themes emerged from the analysis of the collected data as follows: 1. There are discernible but yet unclear intergenerational differences in social media usage; 2. Younger people appear to be more comfortable with information technologies, and, 3. Because Generation Y will soon become the largest generational cohort, additional research concerning the foregoing issues is needed.

What sources have different themes? There was some overlap between the three different themes identified in the reviewed journal articles. Given the different purposes of the studies used for this analysis, though, it is not surprising that they would present different themes with respect to international differences in social media usage. Explain the trustworthiness of your findings, in terms of: Credibility The findings that emerged in this study can be regarded as generally credible since they were developed by drawing on peer-reviewed journal articles.

Transferability It remains unclear whether there are also salient cross-cultural differences between generational usage patterns of social media platforms, limiting the.