Social networks and perceived values: Gender differences in adolescents and young people

The aim of this article is to analyze gender differences in the values and counter-values perceived by adolescents and young people when they interact with the most popular social networks, such as YouTube and Instagram. Fourteen focus groups (N=83) were conducted in three autonomous communities of Spain (the Basque Country, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands). Based on the Hall-Tonna values model (Hall, 1995), a content analysis was carried out using ATLAS.ti. software. The results show that the most frequently perceived values are friendship for girls and fun for boys, although some nuances were found in relation to the different age groups (12-13 years, 15-16 years and 18-19 years). The most often perceived counter-value in both genders at all ages is the lack of respect for people's rights. The conclusions reflect that the gender differences are mainly around the values prestige/image for women and achievement/success for men, while the similarities across gender lie in the relevance of the values play/recreation, education/knowledge and friendship/belonging, as well as in the perception of the counter-values rights/respect and control/order/discipline.