This document summarizes a longitudinal study on the perceived risks university students experience with social media use. A survey was conducted annually from 2014-2016 with 206 total respondents. The study found privacy-related risks were perceived more in recent years than previously. Results showed these risks were classified from most to least frequent: privacy concerns, negative impacts on studies, inappropriate content, addiction, cyberbullying, and false profiles. The conclusion recommends social media training for educators to help lower sociological barrier risks through discussing ethics, rules, and online culture with students.

1. Perceived Risks in Social Media
Use – A Longitudinal Study
Among University Students
TEEM 2016 ACM Conference
2-5.11.2016 in Salamanca Spain

2. Perceived Risks in Social
Media Use – A Longitudinal
Study Among University
Students
Dr Heli Aramo-Immonen
Dr Jari J. Jussila
Dr Ilona Ilvonen
Dr Nina Helander
Tampere University of Technology
FINLAND

3. 2.11.2016 3
RQ : What risks students experience in social media use?

4. Method and Sample
• The study was conducted among graduate
students attending “Knowledge Management”
course between the years 2014-2016
• A web-based survey was executed annually,
with a total of 206 respondents.
• Tampere University of Technology
• Triangulation among 4 researchers
2.11.2016Tampere University of Technology 4

5. 2.11.2016 5
https://aramoimmonenkm.wordpress.com/

6. Social
media
risks
identified
in the
literature
2.11.2016 6

7. Classification
of perceived
risks, in the
order of
frequency of
observations
2.11.2016Tampere University of Technology 7
Results

8. To Conclude
• We found that the privacy related risks were
perceived more than in previous years
2.11.2016 8
To conclude, these experienced risks give us some
indication that in order to utilize social media in
higher education practicing teachers should focus on
training the social media skills but above all to lower
the sociological barrier based risks. This could be for
example by discussing with students ethics, rules
and web culture. Also further research questions
could rise from these subjects.

9. 2.11.2016 9http://euramonline.org/programme2017/tracks/sig-14-tracks-
sponsored-by-the-2017-conference-committee-2.html
Deadline for full paper submission - 10 January 2017

10. 2.11.2016 10
http://www.knowledgeasset.org/

11. Contact
2.11.2016 11
D. Sc (Tech) Heli Aramo-Immonen
Adjunct Professor, Knowledge and Innovation
Management
University Lecturer, Industrial Management
and Engineering
Tampere University of Technology
Room B320 Festia Tampere
Room 335 Porin yliopistokeskus
+ 358 40 826 2931
heli.aramo-immonen@tut.fi
Twitter: @AramoHeli
Blog: My Research and More
http://heliaramoimmonen.wordpress.com/
skype: aramo-immonen