Generational Differences in Facebook Activity and Friends: A Statistical Analysis

Facebook Activity and Friends: A Statistical Analysis

Independent-Samples T-Test for Gender Differences in Facebook Activity

An independent-samples t-test was conducted to determine if activity on Facebook differed by gender. Overall, the activity on Facebook for females (M = 6.41, SD = 0.955) is significantly higher than the activity on Facebook for males (M = 3.42, SD = 1.802), t(120.568) = 12.93, p < .001 (< .05).

One-Way ANOVA for Generational Differences in Number of Facebook Friends

A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the difference in the number of Facebook friends among three generations (Generation X, Y, and Z). The F-test is statistically significant, F(2, 149) = 34.406, p < .001. The dependent variable differed across different groups.

Post-Hoc Analysis with Scheffe Test

Follow-up tests were conducted to evaluate pairwise differences among the means, using the Scheffe test. The results demonstrate that:

• The number of Facebook friends for Generation X (M = 2.11, SD = 1.08) is significantly lower than that for Generation Y (M = 3.95, SD = 1.23), p < .001.
• The number of Facebook friends for Generation Z (M = 2.58, SD = 1.13) is significantly lower than Generation Y (M = 3.95, SD = 1.23), p < .001.
• The comparison between Generation X (M = 2.11, SD = 1.08) and Generation Z (M = 2.58, SD = 1.13) is not significant, p = .111 (> .05).

Pairwise Comparisons

X - Y = -1.84828 < 0, p < .001 (significant) - Generation X has significantly fewer friends than Generation Y.

X - Z = -0.47525 < 0, p = .111 > .05 (not significant) - No significant difference in friends between Generation X and Z.

Y - X = 1.84828 > 0, p < .001 (significant) - Generation Y has significantly more friends than Generation X.

Y - Z = 1.37303 > 0, p < .001 (significant) - Generation Y has significantly more friends than Generation Z.

Z - X = 0.47525 > 0, p = .111 > .05 (not significant) - No significant difference in friends between Generation Z and X.

Z - Y = -1.37303 < 0, p < .001 (significant) - Generation Z has significantly fewer friends than Generation Y.

Summary of Pairwise Comparisons

• Generation X has significantly fewer Facebook friends than Generation Y.
• Generation Z has significantly fewer Facebook friends than Generation Y.
• There is no significant difference in the number of Facebook friends between Generation X and Generation Z.