Mass-Media and the Construction of Social Identity in the Case of Students

The objective was to investigate the dimensions of using the Internet, the dimensions that could determine the social identity representations of the individual. To achieve this objective we initiated a prospective study on a convenience sample. We submitted to the subjects (students of the Faculty of Sociology and Psychology at the University of West Timisoara) a list of 32 statements about the possible uses of the Internet. Factor analysis revealed the existence of three important dimensions of use: the Internet as a communication medium, the Internet as a medium for upgrading knowledge and the Internet as a form of leisure.