Abstract:

The first social network was launched in 1994 and since then it has become an important and influential tool in interpersonal communication, especially among the young generation. The generational cohorts that belong to the same age group have similar life experiences and share the same life conditions. Their life is influenced by economic, cultural, political, and social attributes that are typical of a specific period and that affect individuals’ perceptions, expectations, behaviours and viewpoints. The development of information technology and the related use of social networks is one of the important features of the modern era. Yet, research focusing on this area is limited in the Czech Republic. The objective of the present study was to compare the level of life satisfaction and self-esteem in relation to the intensity of social network use in an intergenerational context. The research sample comprised 772 respondents from the Faculty of Education, including pre-service teachers and part time study students (in-service teachers). The inclusion criterion was membership in the generational cohort, i.e. Generation Z or Generation XY. The research used the following standardized psychological instruments: Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, and Sociodemographic Questionnaire, covering the basic demographic data as well as questions aimed at social network use. The results of the research suggested the following intergenerational differences. Generation Z is significantly more satisfied in two areas: leisure time and sexuality; they use social networks three times as much compared with Generation XY; similarly, the number of friends on social networks is almost double compared with Generation XY. A positive correlation was observed between the number of friends and time spent on social networks. Self-esteem was positively correlated with satisfaction with oneself in Generation Z, and with satisfaction with health, leisure time, sexuality, and overall life satisfaction in Generation XY.

Keywords:

Generation XY, pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, social network, self-esteem, life satisfaction.