University of Bahrain study show youngster addiction to social media is changing ways of communication and identity

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Hi, How are you? May I know your name? This way of starting a conversation has become a thing of the past, says a new study. The study by the University of Bahrain says the rules of etiquette are changing among youngsters in today's world, where people are mostly living virtually.

The barrier between virtual and our world has become so thin and blurred that youngsters have started introducing themselves to others using their social media IDs, even in the real world.

Instead of politely asking each other's names, the norm now is asking each other's social media accounts to get to know each other, the UoB study finds. It just does not end there. Also gone are the days of street shopping and job hunting. Social media has also become a place to shop and find work.

UoB study says social networking sites are now one of the basic requirements of life for young people, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Respondents to the study said they are now using social networking sites as an alternative to actual communication.

"This has turned social media from a second thing in the lives of young people to something essential," the study points out. Young people are so obsessed with the virtual world that most find themselves glued to social media even while surrounded by friends and family, which the study terms "addiction".

The study on "the relationship between the use of social networking sites and social interaction among young people in the Kingdom of Bahrain" was prepared by Khaled Ali Al-Sayadi for the master's programme in mass communication at the Faculty of Arts.

Associate Professor of Media in the Department of Media, Tourism and Arts, Dr Ashraf Ahmed Abdel-Mughith, supervised the study. The study aimed to know the reality of youngsters' use of social networking sites in Bahrain and the effect of social networking sites on family interaction patterns," said Al-Sayadi.

The researcher said he employed a descriptive approach using the structured interview tool with three groups of young men and women.