Abstract
The research aimed to find out whether social networking media is reducing the amount of social interaction by users with their peers on a face to face basis and it established that this was the case. The project also examined the differences in Facebook usage by males and females. The research also indicated that Facebook usage is affected by levels of self-esteem. A tailored questionnaire was designed and was completed by 114 males and 128 females chosen from Irish Facebook users aged 18 years old and upwards. The research did not support the hypoFinal Year Project that females spend more time on Facebook than males but it did indicate significant differences in the ways in which females use Facebook as compared to males. Author keywords: Facebook, social interaction, self-esteem
