Digital Youth and Their Acquisition of Values When Using the Internet

Abstract

The ability to respond to complex demands in a hypermediated society such as the current one, in young people who navigate the digital world, demands a combination of practical skills, knowledge, values, and social components mobilized together to influence the ways of communicating, acquiring values, and training. Taking this context into account, the following research aims to discover if there is a relationship between the use of the Internet and the social values perceived by university students highlighting the variables of gender, age, and academic year. Regarding the methodology, the type of study is non-experimental with a correlational design, with a sample of 305 university students from the faculties of human and social sciences, as well as education in the Spanish and Chilean context. To collect data on the variable presence of social values, the “Social Values Questionnaire” was developed, and to collect data on variable Internet use, the “Internet Use Questionnaire” was constructed, considering reliability criteria. The results revealed that most university students that use the Internet can identify social values and use them when they communicate with classmates, friends, and family, although with certain differences when looking at the variables analyzed. In conclusion, it is important to promote the ethical and responsible use of the Internet and social networks among young university students because it promotes the development of personal skills and social values.