Facebook Social Network and National Identity of the Youth

With the enhancement of Internet accessibility and the development of Internet social networks, and because of young people’s increasing use of various materials in these modern media, national identity has become one of the principle concerns pertaining to social cohesion and national integrity. Therefore, this research studies the relation between presence and interaction on the social network Facebook and the youths’ national identity. This study is a survey research using voluntary and convenience sampling and researcher-made Internet questionnaires. The study is based on Castells, Habermas and Wellman theories. The population comprises all Facebook users of Isfahan city in 2012. The sample size is 424 individuals. According to the findings, membership period, amount of use, and amount of users’ participation and activity on Facebook have a significant inverse relation to the users’ national identity. The findings also reveal that there is a significant positive relation between using Facebook and the users’ national identity. Also, as the membership period, amount of use, and amount of activity and participation of the users on Facebook increases, national identity has been weakend.