The potential benefits and risk of social networks amongst learners : a comparative study of High Schools in Capricorn District

Abstract

Social Networking Sites (SNS) are quickly becoming some of the most popular tools for social interaction and information exchange. This study investigates the benefits and risks of social networks by comparing two schools in Capricorn district namely Sekitla High School and Capricorn High School. Through increased internet and media literacy – ensuring all young people develop the skills to critically understand, analyse and create media content – these challenges can overcome and risks mitigated in a way that ensures the many benefits of SNS can be realised. The results reveal great significant difference in the online activity patterns between men and women. Girls tend to be in great danger than the boys. There is a disparity between the genders in terms of their attitudes, behaviours, and needs. Therefore the study concludes that there are certain risks in social networking and they can be overcome if the learners are more willing to help their teachers and parents by disclosing any information that can be a threat to them and their education by mainly using social networks for educational purposes. Key words; Gender, social networks, internet, benefits, risks, learners