scholarly journals New Em@ncipatory Landscapes? Young People With Intellectual Disabilities, Internet Use, and Identification Processes

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 645-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Molin ◽  
Emma Sorbring ◽  
Lotta Löfgren-Mårtenson

Although research on young people’s identification processes on the Internet is a growing field, few studies illustrate conditions for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Previous studies have shown that young people with ID are worried about being marginalized, and that many in fact are lonelier than other young people. Internet and social networking sites might be of vital importance as a space for exploring alternative and less stigmatized identities. This article reports findings from individual interviews with 27 young people with ID in Sweden. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using a thematic content analysis. A prominent finding concerned the informants being well aware of both risks and opportunities using Internet and Social Networking Sites. Consequently, the more they interacted with non-disabled peers, the more they experienced negative consequences of Internet use. These circumstances rather lead to downsizing than upsizing Internet use, and less participation on Social Networking Sites. The experiences of the informants are discussed in a conceptual framework of social identity, participation, and emancipation. We recommend that social work practitioners reflect upon the ways that support can be arranged in order to empower young people with ID to participate on the Internet.

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Samira Ranaiey ◽  
Mohammad Reza Taghavi ◽  
Mohammad Ali Goodarzi

<p class="zhengwen">Because of increased attention to PIU (Problematic Internet Use), some measure had been made, but they seem to be</p><p class="zhengwen">Inadequate, due to new issue of the internet interactions. Therefore the necessity and importance of</p><p class="zhengwen">Standard, valid and reliable tools to assess PIU and the related behaviors are clear.</p>This paper presents results of a study that develops a measure of Reasons of Using Social Networking Sites (S.N.S). The reasons were based on an article by Morahan – Martin and Schumacher. The reasons were arranged as a questionnaire. This questionnaire was completed by 156 volunteer students of Shiraz University. The results indicated that Reasons of S.N.S Use Scale is both reliable and valid. The result of factor analysis showed that two dimensions (Positive and Negative reasons of S.N.S use) explains total variance acceptably.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janki Jhala ◽  
Renu Sharma

Internet has been a very facilitating medium and making lives easier for many of us. Internet is increasingly becoming a channel through which people, and especially adolescents, socialize and be in constant contact with their family, relatives and friends. More than a medium of acquiring knowledge, for adolescents, it has become a medium of expression of their implicit feelings and to know what is happening in their peer group. The current research aims to study the prevalence and nature of Internet use among adolescents. Population for the research included adolescents of Vadodara District in Gujarat. A total of 1657 adolescents were taken as the sample for the study. A survey research was conducted on 1657 adolescents using a self developed questionnaire along with Young’s Internet Addiction test. Results indicate that 44.8% of the participants are Average Users of the Internet, while 14.6% of the participants belong to the category of above average users of the Internet. The present study also shows that participants use the Internet mainly for social communication and social networking sites are the most commonly used sites on the Internet.


2013 ◽  
pp. 198-223
Author(s):  
Darren D. Chadwick ◽  
Chris Fullwood ◽  
Caroline J. Wesson

This chapter provides insight into the nature of online engagement by people with intellectual disabilities, the extent and quality of this engagement in terms of the access that people have, and how people with intellectual disabilities present themselves in the online world. The authors of this chapter provide an overview of the extant literature on intellectual disability, identity, and the Internet. The chapter begins by outlining issues around Internet use and access by people with intellectual disabilities, including potential barriers. It then moves on to address online behaviour and the potential benefits of Internet use for people with intellectual disabilities. The chief focus of the chapter follows, describing the manner in which computer mediated communication affects how people with intellectual disabilities present themselves in the online world as well as considering the role that family members and supporters play in the development and management of people’s online identities. Finally, the chapter introduces future directions for research into intellectual disability, identity, and the Internet.


Author(s):  
Darren D. Chadwick ◽  
Chris Fullwood ◽  
Caroline J. Wesson

This chapter provides insight into the nature of online engagement by people with intellectual disabilities, the extent and quality of this engagement in terms of the access that people have, and how people with intellectual disabilities present themselves in the online world. The authors of this chapter provide an overview of the extant literature on intellectual disability, identity, and the Internet. The chapter begins by outlining issues around Internet use and access by people with intellectual disabilities, including potential barriers. It then moves on to address online behaviour and the potential benefits of Internet use for people with intellectual disabilities. The chief focus of the chapter follows, describing the manner in which computer mediated communication affects how people with intellectual disabilities present themselves in the online world as well as considering the role that family members and supporters play in the development and management of people’s online identities. Finally, the chapter introduces future directions for research into intellectual disability, identity, and the Internet.


2012 ◽  
pp. 1264-1281
Author(s):  
Yurong He ◽  
Yang Wang

While China has the world’s largest Internet population, understanding of this huge group of Internet users still falls short. In this entry, the authors aim to provide an overview of literature on cyber behavior of Chinese Internet users. They focus on characteristics of Chinese Internet users, how they use the Internet and how the Internet influences them. The authors examine different aspects of their cyber behavior: (1) general Internet use, (2) use of specific Internet services such as blogs and social networking sites, (3) online communication and relationships, (4) problematic Internet usage, and (5) cross-cultural comparisons between Internet users in China and in other countries.


E-methodology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Piotr Plichta

Thesis. Although we have convincing data on the use of the Internet[1] by young people in the general population (also adults), our knowledge about its use by people with disabilities remains a lot more limited. The reasons for this include a shortage of research on access to ICT, the use of such technologies by users with varying disabilities, and the support they receive in this respect. This applies in particular to individuals with intellectual disabilities.   Aim. The aim of the paper is to introduce the state of knowledge and selected challenges for the research field and the practice addressing young people with intellectual disabilities. The article is also focused on the different dimensions of inequalities and proposes a model of the areas of implementation of media education practices.   Conclusions. The role of ICT in the life of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) should be analysed in the context both of  benefits and barriers that may create the risk of exclusion. In terms of benefits, the analysis pertains to the Internet e.g. as a tool for new forms of interactions with the world, as a sphere of freedom and independent functioning as well as a chance for their empowerment. When analysing the context of the risk related to the use of the Internet by young people with ID one should not neglect e.g. various forms of abuse and other threats.    


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanneke Hendriks ◽  
Bas Van den Putte ◽  
Winifred A Gebhardt ◽  
Megan A Moreno

BACKGROUND Alcohol is often consumed in social contexts. An emerging social context in which alcohol is becoming increasingly apparent is social media. More and more young people display alcohol-related posts on social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram. OBJECTIVE Considering the importance of the social aspects of alcohol consumption and social media use, this study investigated the social content of alcohol posts (ie, the evaluative social context and presence of people) and social processes (ie, the posting of and reactions to posts) involved with alcohol posts on social networking sites. METHODS Participants (N=192; mean age 20.64, SD 4.68 years, 132 women and 54 men) gave researchers access to their Facebook and/or Instagram profiles, and an extensive content analysis of these profiles was conducted. Coders were trained and then coded all screenshotted timelines in terms of evaluative social context, presence of people, and reactions to post. RESULTS Alcohol posts of youth frequently depict alcohol in a positive social context (425/438, 97.0%) and display people holding drinks (277/412, 67.2%). In addition, alcohol posts were more often placed on participants’ timelines by others (tagging; 238/439, 54.2%) than posted by participants themselves (201/439, 45.8%). Furthermore, it was revealed that such social posts received more likes (mean 35.50, SD 26.39) and comments than nonsocial posts (no people visible; mean 10.34, SD 13.19, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS In terms of content and processes, alcohol posts on social media are social in nature and a part of young people’s everyday social lives. Interventions aiming to decrease alcohol posts should therefore focus on the broad social context of individuals in which posting about alcohol takes place. Potential intervention strategies could involve making young people aware that when they post about social gatherings in which alcohol is visible and tag others, it may have unintended negative consequences and should be avoided.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-78
Author(s):  
Mercan Atalay ◽  
Göklem Tekdemir Yurtdaş

The adolescents’ perceptions of social media in relation with problematic internet use were examined in this study. The study group consisted of 209 students (113  girls, 96 boys), who were studying secondary schools in Istanbul. "Problematic Internet Usage Scale-Adolescent" and "Open-ended Questions Form on Internet and Social Networking Sites", were utilized by the researchers, and applied to adolescents in order to determine students' level of problematic use of the internet and their perceptions regarding social media. The analysis revealed that the adolescents who stated that they “needed” to use the internet had the highest level of problematic internet use.  Significant age differences among adolescents with regard to meaning of internet pointed out how the internet played various purposes to individuals in various age groups. It has been determined that students in the 11-12 age group preferred to use the internet for "entertainment” purposes more than for other purposes. It was also found that the problematic use of the internet by these adolescents was associated with their opinions about their own academic achievements - specifically those individuals who thought of themselves as "poor" students showed a higher use of the internet in correlation with high levels of negative consequences. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Long ◽  
Brad Verhulst ◽  
Michael C. Neale ◽  
Penelope A. Lind ◽  
Ian B. Hickie ◽  
...  

Excessive internet use has been linked to psychopathology. Therefore, understanding the genetic and environmental risks underpinning internet use and their relation to psychopathology is important. This study aims to explore the genetic and environmental etiology of internet use measures and their associations with internalizing disorders and substance use disorders. The sample included 2,059 monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) young adult twins from the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study (BLTS). Younger participants reported more frequent internet use, while women were more likely to use the internet for interpersonal communication. Familial aggregation in ‘frequency of internet use’ was entirely explained by additive genetic factors accounting for 41% of the variance. Familial aggregation in ‘frequency of use after 11 pm’, ‘using the internet to contact peers’, and ‘using the internet primarily to access social networking sites’ was attributable to varying combinations of additive genetic and shared environmental factors. In terms of psychopathology, there were no significant associations between internet use measures and major depression (MD), but there were positive significant associations between ‘frequency of internet use’ and ‘frequency of use after 11 pm’ with social phobia (SP). ‘Using the internet to contact peers’ was positively associated with alcohol abuse, whereas ‘using the internet to contact peers’ and ‘using the internet primarily to access social networking sites’ were negatively associated with cannabis use disorders and nicotine symptoms. Individual differences in internet use can be attributable to varying degrees of genetic and environmental risks. Despite some significant associations of small effect, variation in internet use appears mostly unrelated to psychopathology.


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