What Do People Routinely Use Them For - 1407 Words

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are relatively new phenomena quickly and becoming a dominant part of our lives. In fact as of September 2014, Facebook alone boasted 864 million daily active users, if that metric is changed to monthly active users, it becomes 1.35 billion (Facebook, 2014. This is clearly not a passing trend that is used only by a small subset of individuals; it is a ubiquitous part of the daily lives of most citizens. In this paper I explore the usage of and behavior of the overall public and gang members in particular on SNSs and argue that, when used ethically and appropriately, law enforcement and the communities they serve can benefit greatly from this technology. Just what are SNSs and what do people routinely use them†¦show more content†¦Use of SNSs by the General Public in the United States As a whole, teens and young adults in the United States use the internet and SNSs very commonly and frequently. A study by the Pew Research Center found that 93% of teens ages 12-17 use the internet and of those 73% use SNS. The rate of young adults ages 18-29 using the internet and SNSs is nearly identical to that of teens (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, Zickuhr, 2010). SNSs are frequently used to make and maintain relationships with others in the individual’s social circle. Boyd and Ellison (2007) found that although users can and do make connections with others that would not have been made without the SNS, they primarily use this technology to communicate with people who are already part of their social circles, this is supported by findings on teen SNS use by the Pew Research Center (Madden, et al., 2013). Users also utilize their SNSs to engage in image or impression management, teens in particular â€Å"are cognizant of their online reputations, and take steps to curate the content and appearance of their social media presence.† (Madden et al., 2013 p. 8). Use of SNSs by Gang Members The literature on gang member behavior online is sparse. Decker and Pyrooz (2012) discuss this issue in more detail, though overall: The research that does exist is largely descriptive, built on small convenience samples, and speculates broadly about how gang members use the Internet. In