Recent network studies have shown that media use is related to social influence and social selection processes. However, these studies are limited to a single media type at a time and neglect the fact that peoples media use typically consists of a set of multiple media. Therefore, little is known about similarities and differences between various media types and their mutual dependency in social networks.

One of the major trends in the past decade was the emergence of YouTube which has become a primary media especially for younger generations. For adolescents YouTube has even started rivaling classic TV both with respect to usage time, and its relevance to serve as a topic in everyday interaction. Hence, we are interested to analyze not only the social dynamic regarding this new media but also its impact on other media. We hereby focus on adolescents since their media use is much more in flux compared to other age cohorts.

Based on a three wave panel survey among adolescents regarding their friendship network, TV, and YouTube use we investigate the social dynamics applying stochastic actor oriented modelling (SIENA). The results show strong support for influence processes but only little support for social selection. Furthermore, significant co-nomination effects demonstrate the tendency for both TV and YouTube channel to be subject of preferential attachment. These findings are reflected with respect to similarities and differences of the two media types and help to understand how new media technology may alter social life in the future.

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