Online adolescent friendships and social networking among adolescents are current phenomena that have emerged, and exploded, as part of the digital age and the vast development of communication technologies. The primary aim of this study was to gain knowledge and understanding regarding the nature and quality of online friendships and social networking among adolescents. A sequential explanatory mixed method design, was put to use for the purpose of this study. The quantitative data was collected first in the form of a short survey, by utilising a self-developed questionnaire to obtain a general overview of the social network practices and the forming and maintaining of online friendships among adolescents. Twenty five participants took part in the survey. This study was followed by a qualitative study in the form of interviews, to clarify, elaborate and explain the quantitative findings. Five information rich participants were interviewed. The findings of the empirical investigation revealed that adolescents, being part of the Net Generation, base their concept of socialising with friends on digital and communication technology, especially cell phones. They are connected to their friends 24 hours a day. The sense of safety and support they experience through this constant connectedness strengthens their self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth and contributes to their identity formation. It is therefore recommended that parents and educators should accept that adolescents live in a virtual world and their new way of socialising, needs to be acknowledged. Parents and educators should adjust accordingly, by getting educated in this field themselves. The Net Generation is a generation who focuses on relationships and collaboration through technology and this should be exploited by anybody who has contact or interacts with the adolescent of today. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-10-04T13:20:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 VERÔNICA ALMEIDA DE OLIVEIRA LIMA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGCS 2007..pdf: 10230277 bytes, checksum: cae5f62a081c1483532645845c2e6ded (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-04T13:20:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VERÔNICA ALMEIDA DE OLIVEIRA LIMA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGCS 2007..pdf: 10230277 bytes, checksum: cae5f62a081c1483532645845c2e6ded (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-04-26 / CNPq / Entendendo que as novas tecnologias da comunicação e informação vêm ganhando cada vez mais espaços em várias esferas da sociedade, tornado-se cada vez mais comum o estabelecimento da comunicação pessoal via internet, esta dissertação apresenta uma discussão acerca de suas implicações no campo das relações sociais, mais especificamente na esfera da socialidade e da interação social. O objetivo principal é analisar as novas formas de socialidade que emergem desse novo dispositivo de comunicação, tomando como locus para investigação, as salas de bate-papo na internet, especialmente o canal de IRC ifCampina_Grande. A pesquisa e análise dos dados empíricos objetivaram dar conta não só da identificação das novas práticas de socialidades emergentes nas salas de bate-papo, mas, também, expõe brevemente alguns fatores responsáveis pelos resultados auferidos, assim como indica a emergência das ferramentas de comunicação virtual via internet. / Understanding that the new technologies of communication and information have been gaining more and more spaces in several spheres of the society, making the establishment of interpersonal communication via internet become more and more common, this dissertation presents a discussion concerning the implications of this phenomenon in the field of the social relations, specifically focusing in the sphere of the sociality and of the social interaction. The main objective is to analyze the new sociality forms which emerge from that new communication device, taking as locus for investigation the internet chat rooms, especially the IRC #CampinaGrande channel. The research and analysis of the empiric data were aimed at giving an account not only of the identification of the new emergent practices of socialities in the chat rooms but, likewise, they briefly expose some factors responsible for the gained results, as well as they indicate the emergence of the tools of virtual communication via internet.

Online adolescent friendships and social networking among adolescents are current phenomena that have emerged, and exploded, as part of the digital age and the vast development of communication technologies. The primary aim of this study was to gain knowledge and understanding regarding the nature and quality of online friendships and social networking among adolescents. A sequential explanatory mixed method design, was put to use for the purpose of this study. The quantitative data was collected first in the form of a short survey, by utilising a self-developed questionnaire to obtain a general overview of the social network practices and the forming and maintaining of online friendships among adolescents. Twenty five participants took part in the survey. This study was followed by a qualitative study in the form of interviews, to clarify, elaborate and explain the quantitative findings. Five information rich participants were interviewed. The findings of the empirical investigation revealed that adolescents, being part of the Net Generation, base their concept of socialising with friends on digital and communication technology, especially cell phones. They are connected to their friends 24 hours a day. The sense of safety and support they experience through this constant connectedness strengthens their self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth and contributes to their identity formation. It is therefore recommended that parents and educators should accept that adolescents live in a virtual world and their new way of socialising, needs to be acknowledged. Parents and educators should adjust accordingly, by getting educated in this field themselves. The Net Generation is a generation who focuses on relationships and collaboration through technology and this should be exploited by anybody who has contact or interacts with the adolescent of today. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)