Diaries as a way of documenting online social networks activity

Abstract

Nowadays, we already have a robust body of research related to online social networks. However, despite being a subject that has led to numerous studies, most of them study these platforms in a traditional way. Quantitative approaches are placed at the head, with the survey as flag. While those who choose qualitative approaches are only using tools such as focus groups or interviews. This research proposes to incorporate to these techniques the diaries. It constitutes an example of how this technique can be used to know the communication habits of young people on Facebook. The results show, on one hand, that young people spend a lot of idle time on this platform, and its most common use is interpersonal communication. On the other, they let clear that the application of qualitative techniques such as diaries can be useful for further study of online behavior, complementing quantitative data research.