Paper Reading #4: Homeless Young People on Social Network Sites (Blog #4)

Intro
    Author Bios

Jill Palzkill Woelfer - Jill is a PhD Candidate in Information Science at the Information School at the University of Washington and an affiliated graduate student in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, Canadian Studies Center. Her primary research focus is improving situations for homeless youth. She has a cat named Tigger.

David G. Hendry - David is an Assistant Professor at the Information School, University of Washington. His primary research focus is improving situations for homeless youth. Jill has worked with David on quite a few projects.








Summary

Studies show that homeless young adults use social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter) and face similar challenges as college students who are transitioning into a work place. That is, they struggle with keeping a profile that is forced to sever multiple social spheres.

 It is estimated that up to 1% (about 3 million people) of the population of the United States is both young (under 30 years old) and homeless at some point in the year. This is rather a sizable number of people, so it is very easy to justify a study on their social networking habits. Findings suggest that these social networking sites are very beneficial to the homeless young people who might otherwise only have contact with others on the street. After interview and use evaluation, individual profiles were created for 8 of the participants. Their main uses for social networking sites is outlined below:
Bernie: Family, Tech Savvy and Survival
Lulu: Facebook for Friends and Life
Jazz: Multiple Selves
Mary: Street Friends
Sheri: Multiple Profiles for Different Audiences
Marvin: Friends with Everyone and a Better Life
Roger: Facebook is like Crack
Chip: Skateboarding and Couchsurfing
You can see that each of these individuals is using social media for slightly different purposes, but they do have some commonalities. They all seem to be dealing with identity problems in some way, attempting to further develop their social ties, and manage their affiliations. 

Related work
Bailey, S., Ennett, S., Federman, E. (1999) Social network characteristics associated with risky behaviors among runaway and homeless youth

Hoyt, D., Johnson, K., Whitbeck, L. (2005) Predictors of social network composition among homeless and runaway adolescents

Passero, J., Zax, M., Zozus, R. (1991) Social network utilization as related to family history among the homeless

Tyler, K. (2008) Social network characteristics and risky sexual and drug related behaviors among homeless young adults

Hersberger, J. (2003) A qualitative approach to examining information transfer via social networks among homeless populations

Barman-Adhikari, A., Monro, W., Rice, E., Young, S. (2010) Internet Use, Social Networking, and HIV/AIDS Risk for Homeless Adolescents

While it was slightly difficult to find directly related work, all related work found was nearly identical. The research idea does not seem particularly novel.

Evaluation
Twenty-three participants of varying ethnicities were interviewed in groups of same-sex individuals featuring 4 participants each. There were 11 women and 12 men with a mean age of 21.7 year old. The interviews consisted of questions about the uses, benefits, and harms of social network sites and how people present themselves online. Qualitative analysis of these interviews showed that young people explore their identities, cultivate and exploit social ties, experience interpersonal tensions, manage incompatible audiences, and respond to shifting affiliations and transitions.

Discussion
I find the social media research geared specifically toward homeless youth fascinating. It is a great way to get a look into the mind of any young person, and that is a great way to go about helping to meet their needs.