mediaculture10e

Step 2: Analysis

In the second stage of the critical process, you will isolate patterns that emerged from the interviews that call for closer attention. The following questions can help you identify patterns in your results:

How did the total score on the ten-item FOMO questionnaire correspond to the number and frequency of use of social media platforms for each person?
Are your interview subjects aware of the Fear of Missing Out in their lives? Do they see social media as a good thing overall in their lives or as something in which they would like to be less involved if they could? Do they feel forced to participate in social media because so many other people they know (or want to know) are on it?
What kinds of things do subjects spend less time doing because of time spent on social media?
Do your subjects who spend less time with social media report a higher level of satisfaction?
Are there aspects of the particular social media sites that your subjects find most valuable or least valuable? That is, do some social media make them feel better than others?

INSTAGRAM is intended to be used on a mobile device as an app; the browser-based version of the service actually makes it difficult to upload photos not taken with a phone or other devices with wireless-enabled cameras. This means that Instagram users are encouraged to check their feeds on their phones. How might this affect how posts are perceived? Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

Our sample sixteen-year-old student noted that she uses Instagram and Tumblr just for finding cool images, but that texting has the potential to induce anxiety and unhappiness: “You feel bad when someone doesn’t text you back. I know someone who is notoriously bad at responding, and honestly it makes me feel really bad when they don’t respond. So you start second guessing yourself. It’s really stressful.” Your subjects might have experienced other events with social media—from finding good friends or someone they love, to being bullied or humiliated. Are there any patterns here?