‘It’s social interaction. . . but it’s not’: A qualitative study investigating the psycho-social experience of social media by individuals with a visual impairment

People with visual impairment (VI) may encounter psychosocial challenges including difficulties with socialisation/interpreting visual social cues. Social media (SM) may provide alternative means of socialisation but little is known about the experience of SM from their perspective. Semi-structured interviews with 10 individuals with VI who regularly use SM were analysed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Analysis yielded two overarching themes: social media and identity, and social connectedness. Participants described benefits of shared experience, feelings of enhanced control and challenges of SM which emphasise exclusion/inequality. Findings highlight a need for further research to understand/improve the online experience for people with VI.

Social Media and Identity Theft Implications on Nigerian Victims and International Economy

This research was conducted with the sole aim of examining the implications of social media identity theft and level of awareness of security measures on social networking platforms. The survey and interview method of data gathering was employed and result revealed that the implication of social media identity theft on victims are rather negative than positive especially as a result of their lack of knowledge on the security measures necessary to employ in avoiding the implications that comes with the use of social media networking sites. The research recommend that the government make policies that will punish perpetrators and social media networking site owners begin to seek our ways to protect their users on those platforms and provide avenues to educate people to stay safe online for the future generation of online social media users.

Social Media and Identity

The present chapter aims to explore the relationship between social media and identity by reviewing theoretical frameworks as well as empirical studies on the topic. Considering the complexity of the concept of identity, a multidisciplinary theoretical approach is provided, including Psychological Theories, Sociological Theories and Communication Theories. These theories are revisited in the context of online identity formation and communication through social media. Different aspects of identity such as gender identity, professional identity, political identity etc., are discussed and illustrated through empirical studies in the field. Moreover, the role of social media as a factor that might either promote or hinder identity development is also discussed (e.g., phenomena such as cyber-bulling and internet addiction). Finally recommendations and suggestions for future research are provided, including the need for multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to the investigation of the relationships between social media and identity.