Use of Social Network Sites by AUMP Students: A Comparative Study on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Usage

The article aims to study the reasons of students of varied age groups to use social network sites. It covers data from Amity University Madhya Pradesh including undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students belonging to age group of 19-36 years. Primary data was gathered through a questionnaire and analyzed. It was found that majority of university going students and/ or candidates used Social Network Sites for entertainment, staying connected with their friends and families, and friends of friends along with using the same for knowledge- gaining purposes. The study compares and analyzes the candidates’ responses with regard to the usage of three major social network sites- Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The article has also attempted at entailing the popularity of the internet, in general and social network sites in particular. What also comes out as findings is that social network sites tend to be addictive with students spending a stipulated number of hours on the same, for various purposes. There is also a set of students that uses social network sites for the sole purpose of entertainment and maintaining contacts with their friends’ list. Students’ involvement in society and people therein is also shown with their usage of the social network sites. Another aspect that one comes across after analyzing the data collected and inspecting the survey, is that, different age groups will have different usage of the social network sites. In addition, their sense of use of the new media will vary. The study aims at observing these elements and trying to understand the reasons and inclinations of internet