Social Networking Sites: College Students' Patterns of Use and Concerns for Privacy and Trust by Gender, Ethnicity, and Employment Status

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are web-based facilities that allow for social interaction, sharing, communication and collaboration in today's world. In the current study, patterns of use of social media among students at a public Midwestern university are examined. In addition, students were surveyed regarding concerns for privacy and trust and whether concerns differed by gender, ethnicity, employment and relationship status. The survey data gathered from students suggest that students mostly used SNSs from less than one hour to about 3 hours a day and for communication and maintaining relationships. Students also had academic uses for SNSs. Even though concerns for privacy and trust exist, they did not differ by gender, employment and relationship status and students are still willing to use SNSs. The findings from this research have implications for various stakeholders especially instructors who may be considering the use of SNS for academic purposes.