The Impact of Virtual Social Networks on Social Identity and Lifestyle of Students at Farhangian University of Mashhad

Virtual social networks have been used by many people in the community as an attractive way of communication. Therefore, a considerable amount of information is shared on these sites, which has potentially significant implications for individuals' social identities and lifestyles. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual social networks on students' social identity and lifestyle. The statistical population of the present study includes all students of Farhangian University of Mashhad. According to the statistics received from Farhangian University, approximately (2112) people were studying in the academic year 1396, which using the Cochran's formula, 322 people were selected as the statistical sample size. The research method is survey method, cross-sectional in terms of time and type of applied studies, and the method of random sampling was simple. The measurement tool in this study is a researcher-made questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by expert professors and its reliability was estimated and confirmed using Cronbach's alpha test of 0.80. Analysis of findings in this study from tests Parametrics such as Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance and regression were used. Findings show that there is a relationship between the use of social networks with lifestyle and social identity and the use of social networks based on age and gender.