Teens, Tecnologia e as amizades

Mais uma pesquisa importante do Pew Research Center mostrando a relação dos jovens com a atual tecnologia. 

As outras que publiquei estão aqui e aqui.

O novo relatório traz informações sobre  o papel do Vídeo Game, das Redes Sociais e dos Smartfones na interação entre os jovens.

Segundo a introdução original:

"This report explores the new contours of friendship in the digital age. It covers the results of a national survey of teens ages 13 to 17; throughout the report, the word “teens” refers to those in that age bracket, unless otherwise specified. The survey was conducted online from Sept. 25 through Oct. 9, 2014, and Feb. 10 through March 16, 2015, and 16 online and in-person focus groups with teens were conducted in April 2014 and November 2014."

Publico alguns destaques, mas você pode ler o relatório completo aqui. Em inglês.

• Boys are more likely than girls to make online friends: 61% of boys compared to 52% of girls have done so.
• Older teens are also more likely than younger teens to make online friends. Some 60% of teens ages 15 to 17 have met a friend online, compared with 51% of 13- to 14-year-olds.

• Instant messaging: 79% of all teens instant message their friends; 27% do so daily.
• Social media: 72% of all teens spend time with friends via social media; 23% do so daily.
• Email: 64% of all teens use email with friends; 6% do so daily.

• Video chat: 59% of all teens video chat with their friends; 7% video chat with friends daily.
• Video games: 52% of all teens spend time with friends playing video games; 13% play with friends daily.
• Messaging apps: 42% of all teens spend time with friends on messaging apps such as Kik and WhatsApp; 14% do so every day.

When playing games with others online, many teen gamers (especially boys) connect with their fellow players via voice connections in order to engage in collaboration, conversation and trash-talking. Among boys who play games with others online, fully 71% use voice connections to engage with other players (this compares with just 28% of girls who play in networked environments).

• 78% of teen online gamers say when they play games online it makes them feel more connected to friends they already know. That amounts to 42% of all teens ages 13 to 17.
• 52% of online-gaming teens feel more connected to other gamers (whom they do not consider friends) they play with online. That amounts to 28% of all teens ages 13 to 17.
• Gaming boys are more likely than girls to report feeling more connected to other networked gamers.
  • 84% of networked-gaming boys feel more connected to friends when they play online, compared with 62% of girls.
  • 56% of boy gamers feel more connected to people they play networked 

Social media also plays a critical role in introducing teens to new friends and connecting them to their existing friend networks. Some 76% of teens ages 13 to 17 use social media and:

• 64% of teens who have met at least one new friend online report meeting a friend through social media.
• 62% of teens share their social media username as one of the first pieces of information they share as a way to stay in touch when they meet a brand new friend.
• 72% of all teens say they spend time with friends on social media; 23% say they do so every day.

Social media helps teens feel more connected to their friends’ feelings and daily lives, and also offers teens a place to receive support from others during challenging times.

• 83% of teen social media users say social media makes them feel more connected to information about their friends’ lives.
• 70% of social media-using teens feel better connected to their friends’ feelings through social media.
• 68% of teen social media users have had people on the platforms supporting them through tough or challenging times.

Teens face challenges trying to construct an appropriate and authentic online persona for multiple audiences, including adults and peers. Consequently, many teens feel obligated to project an attractive and popular image through their social media postings.

• 40% of teen social media users report feeling pressure to post only content that makes them look good to others.
• 39% of teens on social media say they feel pressure to post content that will be popular and get lots of comments or likes.

When friendships end, many teens take steps to cut the digital web that connects them to their former friend. Girls who use social media or cellphones are more likely to prune old content and connections:

• 58% of teens who use social media or cellphones have unfriended or unfollowed someone they used to be friends with, and 45% of teens have blocked an ex-friend.
• 63% of girls who use social media or cellphones have unfriended or unfollowed an ex-friend, compared with 53% of boys.

53% of social media- or cellphone-using girls have blocked someone after ending a friendship, compared with 37% of boys.

School is the primary place teens interact with their closest friends. However, these best-friend interactions occur across a wide range of online and offline venues:

• 83% of teens spend time with their closest friend at school.
• 58% spend time with their closest friend at someone’s house.
• 55% spend time with their closest friend online (such as on social media sites or gaming sites or servers).

Teens also use a wide range of communication tools to get in touch with their closest friend.

• 49% of teens say text messaging (including on messaging apps) is their first choice of platform for communicating with their closest friend.
• 20% say social media is their first-choice communication tool when talking with their closest friend.
• 13% say phone calls are the method they would choose first to talk with their closest friend.
• 6% say video games are their first-choice platform for talking with their closest friend.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of teens have access to a smartphone, and smartphone-using teens have different practices for communicating with close friends. Teens with smartphones rely more heavily on texting, while teens without smartphones are more likely to say social media and phone calls are preferred modes for reaching their closest friend.

• 58% of teens with smartphone access prefer texting when communicating with their closest friend, while just 25% of teens without smartphone access say the same.
• 29% of teens without smartphone access say social media is the most common way they get in touch with a close friend; 17% of smartphone users say the same.
• 21% of teens without smartphones say they make phone calls to their closest friend as a primary mode of communication, compared with 10% of smartphone users.

• 62% of girls spend time with friends every day via text messaging, compared with 48% of boys.
• 32% of girls spend time with friends every day using instant messaging, compared with 23% of boys.