Students like Facebook more than email
While the popularity of social media sites continues to grow, Facebook is the clear leader, with almost nine out of 10 students saying they have an account.
A survey of 164 secondary and third level students, by IT distributor Data Solutions, found 30% used Twitter and 20% had a Bebo account.
Only one student surveyed had a LinkedIn account, confirming it is more suited to working professionals.
It also found that more than 85% of the students own or have access to a laptop and almost 40% owned a smartphone.
More than six out of 10 students said they expected employers to allow them use their own personal devices for work purposes.
Security provider Blue Coat Systems, which commissioned the survey, said the increase in social networking and personal devices presented new workplace security concerns.
Nigel Hawthorn from Blue Coat Systems said employers needed to look at new ways to facilitate students’ needs and expectations when they entered the workforce.
Mr Hawthorn said companies needed to ensure social media access was not abused.
“They need to have flexible policies and technology that can allow access, while curbing time wasting, such as social media games,” he said.
He warned against blocking social networking from the company network, as productivity would be affected by phone use instead.
“It is therefore better to embrace this new trend and put policies in place to ensure it is being used in an appropriate and responsible manner rather than blocked and ignored,” he said.
Michael O’Hara from Data Solutions, said businesses would have to learn to accommodate employees using their own devices for work related matters while ensuring security.
“This will bring up a whole set of new issues for employers and there will be a need to set policies and ensure that employee-owned devices don’t cause security problems,” he said.
Facebook was launched in 2004 and now has 750m active users.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
