Comparison 2: Survey Question #12 and Screen-Time Logs
Comparison 2: Survey Question #12 and Screen-Time Logs
The second comparison examined the results of survey question #12, “What time of day do you find yourself using social media most?” to the data collected by the screen time logs. In the survey, question 12 responses show that most participants believe they use social media often in the evening (34.8%). The second and third highest responses came in equally, claiming they use social media most during the afternoon (28.8%) and late-night (28.8%).
Through the screen time log data collected regarding the time of day, results varied depending on the participant. The time of day spent on social media by most participants according to their screen time logs was around 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., defined by the survey response as “Evening.” Other times of day that were often used include the afternoon, which compares accurately with the equally second highest survey response. Some late-night averages were shown in the data, but not as much as an unexpected result, morning social media usage. The data collected from participants 12, 35, and 58, all show the results of frequent social media use in the hours between 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Participant #12 was only one of the three survey respondents that stated they use social media most in the morning. The other two participants (35 and 58) that frequently used social media in the morning both stated they believed they used it most in the evening. In the survey, three respondents stated they often used social media in the morning, but two of those three did not participate in the screen time data log.
This data analysis from the screen time logs supports the accuracy of the survey responses claiming that social media is used most frequently in the evening. The evening tends to give young adults time to relax and unwind, which may explain the free time in their schedules that they may be able to use social media. Future research may investigate and explain the use of social media in the morning; survey self-reports claim that the morning is when social media is least used, although this is occasionally contradicted by participant screen time data.
