Social Networks Harm on Students’ Lifestyle (Case study: Damavand city)

Recently, various virtual networks have become very popular and every day many young people become members of these social networks. Among these young people are university students who spend a lot of time and time in these networks. The use of cyberspace creates many changes in their lifestyles and may establish high-risk lifestyles. The present study is aimed at explaining the impact of social networks on the high-risk lifestyle of Damavand university students.

The present study, in terms of approach, is conducted quantitatively and qualitatively, and in terms of type and nature, it is descriptive-analytical documentary-survey type. Data collection tool is the standard questionnaire of Walker lifestyle and virtual world Lee et al. (2005), and statistical population of Damavand University students in 2020. The sample size was 385 people who were selected by stratified random sampling method using Cochran's formula.

The findings indicate that social networks affect lifestyle directly and indirectly and cause social harms (economic, social, political, and cultural) and reduce social security level. It also reduces the adherence of individuals and institutions of society to the values and norms accepted in culture and consequently makes social security shaky, in such a way that their presence in the cyberspace and its use paves the ground for young people and university students to separate from other family members, and leads to indifference in the family, and they challenge social security. Whereas the growth and elevation of any society requires the establishment of order and security, paying attention to this area in the society may have a prominent place in establishing security in the society.

The results showed that social networks did not affect the self-fulfillment of Damavand University students and social networks impact cultural consumption, leisure, doing exercises, body management, symbolic capital, social capital, consumerism of Damavand University students. Among the other outcomes of the study is that there is no difference between the extent of using social networks by male and female university students, but there is difference between male and female students’ lifestyle.