Poster #238 - Engaged but Selective: The offline Social Functioning of Adolescents who do not Utilize Social Networks

• In Event: 1-061 - Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Section - Technology, Media & Child Development

Integrative Statement

Social networking platforms (SNPs) are becoming a ubiquitous aspect of youths’ lives (Ahn, 2011). Although most adolescents communicate though SNPs on a daily basis, a sizeable minority chooses not to interact through these modalities (Lenhart, 2015). Previous exploratory work comparing high school students who do not use SNPs (i.e., “abstainers”) and those who communicate via social networking apps (i.e., “non-abstainers) has found that abstainers hold low status in the peer group and are often victims of bullying, but have a few personal strengths including a strong academic performance and a small number of close friends (albeit fewer than their non-abstaining peers; Mali et al., 2018). Given the relevance of SNP technologies for adolescent development (Spies & Margolin, 2014), the present study examines how the characteristics of abstainers’ friends differ from the attributes of students who befriend non-abstainers.
Participants were 361 ninth grade adolescents (Mage=14.4) attending a southern California high school. Students were asked to indicate how often they accessed various SNPs. Based on their responses, adolescents were categorized in two groups: those who did not utilize social networking platforms (i.e., abstainers) and those who did so (i.e., non-abstainers). Peer nominations were used to assess participants’ friendships, popularity, unpopularity, acceptance, rejection, victimization and aggression. Grades, attendance, and disciplinary data were obtained through a review of school records. The mean level of attributes among adolescents’ friends were utilized in the analyses.
Two Hotelling's T2 multivariate tests of mean differences were generated to explore whether the attributes of abstainers’ friends were distinct from those of non-abstainers’ friends. Abstainers’ friends significantly differed from friends of non-abstainers with regard to social functioning (T2 = 50.12; F = 6.146; d.f. = 8, 352); p < .001) and academic adjustment (T2 = 14.637; F = 3.612; d.f. = 4, 355); p < .01). Next, univariate tests were conducted to identify which aspects of social relations and academic performance differed between abstainers’ and non-abstainers’ friends. Abstainers’ friends were less likely to be socially accepted, socially rejected, to be perceived as popular and to be relationally and overtly aggressive than friends of non-abstainers. They were also more likely to be perceived as unpopular, and to be physically victimized than non-abstainers’ friends. Finally, abstainers’ friends had fewer disciplinary sanctions and higher GPAs. No significant differences were found for instances of unexcused absences and skipping (see Table 1).
The current findings indicate that although at a first glance abstainers may appear disengaged from the social world, they have a few close friends, who display positive social behaviors and are similar to them in many respects (e.g., lower levels of rejection and aggression). Additionally, they surround themselves with students that optimize developmentally salient, adaptive pursuits (i.e., high grades, behavioral compliance). As such, disengagement from SNP activity should not be considered a marker of negative social outcomes for adolescents and might be even associated to positive adjustment in important domains of functioning.

Authors

• Luiza Mali, University of Southern California
  Presenting Author

• Skye Parral, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Annemarie Kelleghan, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah T. Malamut, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tana Luo, University of California, San Diego
  Non-Presenting Author

• David Schwartz, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author