Playing with risk? Social networking and the normalisation of gambling behaviours

Carolyn Downs, Dr (2010) Playing With Risk? Social Networking and The Normalisation of Gambling Behaviours a chapter in: M.Stuart-Hoyle and J.Lovell (eds) Leisure Experiences: Space, Place and Performance. LSA 109. pp.25-47, isbn: 978-1-905369-20-1. Salford Business School, University of Salford.

This paper grew out of an exploratory study into the ways young people are using Social Networking Sites (SNS) and whether accessing potentially risky activities such as virtual gambling might encourage actual gambling or increase the likelihood of risky behaviour amongst younger users (aged 8–18). This work led to a wider examination of SNS as a form of leisure and the ways it has been adopted by young people and adapted for use in ways that are often dissimilar to those predicted by academics and social commentators.