ABSTRACT
This chapter overviews some of the main reasons why millions of young people across the world decide to use social network sites (SNS) and analyses the reasons why some young people decide not to create SNS profiles. Because traditionally audience research focuses on exploring the use of different media, and recent research of online uses focuses mostly on different uses of the social web. Several scholars have claimed that social media and SNS in particular, play an important part in the socialisation and identity construction of contemporary youth. Various theoretical approaches have been used to describe and explore the use of social media. Depending on the disciplinary background these approaches emphasise particular aspects of media usage such as motives, practices, outcomes and so on. Although for many young people SNS have become 'integrated into the daily lives', there are various socio-demographic and context-specific factors that influence the decision about whether to engage in social networking or not.
