We have arrived at such a stage in life that WhatsApp has become an integral form of communication. Its widespread roots can be found across all age groups, especially the teenagers. Today’s youth spend hours in the virtual space, particularly during evenings and night-time.
Now, a new study led by Arie Kizel from the University of Haifa in Israel has come to the conclusion that WhatsApp allows young people to express themselves in ways they cannot at school.
The study which seeks to examine the way people experience the virtual space was recently published online. While, many parents are concerned about their kids encountering cyber-bullying on social media platforms including WhatsApp; researchers claim that the app actually provides the teenagers with a more intimate forum than schools, to communicate and openly express themselves.
Arie Kizel conducted a study wherein participants were recorded as describing WhatsApp as a place where there is respect for language. Kizel especially emphasised on the importance of WhatsApp group chats by saying, “The group chats are based on trust among the members of the group, and this enhances the possibility to be in contact.”
The study reportedly included two groups comprising of eight members each. The members essentially fell between the age group of 14 to 17-year-olds. Thereafter, the participants were asked to analyse texts taken from the class WhatsApp group.
Questions like,"What do you feel about the relationships that were created in the virtual domain?” “What did the group give you?” “What didn’t the group give you?” “How was this group different from groups that don’t operate online?,” were required to be answered.
“On WhatsApp, I usually feel that I am not being judged, particularly because there isn’t any eye contact or physical contact, only words and signs. So I feel more intimacy and security. I expose myself more, but it isn’t embarrassing, maybe because I don’t see people’s physical reactions,” one participant in the study explained.
Another participant stated that chatting on WhatsApp groups is an intimate and personal experience because it’s a place wherein the participant can write without anyone hearing it.
