Justine Ewald

Publication Date

12-3-2019

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Scudder, Joseph

Degree Name

B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Communication

Abstract

With the presence and popularity of social media at a non-stop increase, there is a plethora of research aimed to decide if this digital world is positive or negative for society. This research takes a narrower approach as it looks at how social media specifically affects females who have grown up having access to and using it. Female digital natives are positively impacted by the relationships, self-concept, and body positiveness that social media builds. However, they are negatively impacted by the harmful effects that come from cyberbullying and self-image issues. Do the impacts of the positives outweigh the negatives, or vice versa? Is social media good or bad, or can it be both? A survey taken by 64 females ages 14-35 shows that even females feel split on this answer with 55% of females finding it more positive and 45% finding it more negative. Even so, each of these females are not blind to the opposing argument. This survey and an interview conducted establish that these social media users have experienced both the advantages and disadvantages of their online worlds. Consequently, having a clear-cut explanation is nearly impossible. The fact is that social media is not going anywhere, and it is essential that female digital natives are aware of the power social media has on them and others. Taking this knowledge into consideration, it is up to females to decide what kind of role social media will play in their lives.

Extent

26 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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