Case Study 03

Understanding Teen Friendships

Overview

A social media company wanted to understand how teenage friendships develop over time.

This research was designed to understand the dynamic nature of social relationships, as well as the role of social media in teen friendship growth.

The

Problem

A large social media company wanted to understand how friendships between teens develop over time. Previous research captured a snapshot of friendships but could not address the dynamic nature of social relationships.

  • We needed to understand more about how teen friendships start, grow, and are sustained

  • We were also particularly interested in the role of social media in teen friendships, including friendships that primarily take place online

  • And, we focused on how this particular social media platform fit within a larger social media landscape — especially with the regular development of new social media platforms that can impact the broader social media industry

Research

Methods

This research utilized a mixed-method, longitudinal approach.*

Qualitative: monthly check-ins and periodic in-depth interviews through an academic year

  • 60 high-school aged participants completed monthly diary-style check-ins (using dscout) that helped the research team understand major events in their lives, changes in their friend groups, and their thoughts on various rotating research topics

  • The study also involved three 60-min, in-depth interviews (at the beginning, middle, and end of the study) with each participant in order to explore participants’ social lives in and out of school, how they perceived and used various social media platforms, the value propositions of various platforms (what different platforms help them achieve), and the roles of these platforms in their social relationships

Quantitative: multi-wave survey

  • Initial qualitative insights informed a multi-wave survey that further contextualized insights and helped us understand teen friendship change on a broader level

    *Survey research was conducted in collaboration with quantitative research partners.

Research

Outcomes

Due to the longitudinal nature of this study, research outcomes were delivered on a rolling basis and included:

  • In-depth insights that helped multiple product areas understand how teen friendships start, how they evolve over time, levers that can impact friendship change, and how teen friendships look and feel in different contexts (e.g., online vs. in-person) 

  • Product recommendations based on how teen participants reported using Instagram features to interact with friends, follow interests, and share content 

  • Competitive insights highlighting how teens perceive and value competitor apps, as well as the role of competitor apps in teens’ everyday social lives and friendships 

  • Monthly, bite-sized readouts of key findings from diary check-ins and in-depth reports and presentations summarizing key learnings from each half of the study period