CAFS Independent Research Project (IRP). PDF

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Summary

Mandatory assignment - IRP for Year 12....

Description

CAFS Independent Research Project TASK 2 : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ─

CAFS 2020 1

Contents Page Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2 Literature Review ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 - 5 Methodologies ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6 - 7 Results ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8-11 Analysis and Discussion ……………………………………………………………………………………...12-14 Conclusion and Recommendations ……………………………………………………………………….15 - 16 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17 - 18 Appendix ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19 - 20

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Introduction This independent research project (IRP) is based on the question:

How does social media influence young women’s perception of body image ? The main objective of this research project is to explore and investigate the influence of social media on how young women view body image. Across many social media sites such as Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram, there is a massive emphasis on attractive peers and this may lead to a host of potentially significant effects on body-related attitudes. This project focuses on the many factors within social media, including social media itself, that spark young females' outlook on physical appearance. Due to the rapid increase of various social media platforms in recent years, young females are becoming more exposed to a range of body expectations and ideal body images drawn by society As a young woman myself I wanted to find out whether the effect of this on

young women is more positive or negative and how social media may direct their mindset regarding this. I hypothesize that although social media may have some positive effects on young women and the way they perceive body image, it has a significantly negative influence overall.

Syllabus areas your IRP relates to : ● Social impact of Technology ● Young people

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Literature Review The primary purpose of a literature review is to provide background information and understanding of the existing research in the form of a written report. By conducting a literature review, you are able to build extensive knowledge on the research methods or techniques that may be suitable and appropriate to the topic of your IRP. The following pieces of literature, including the use of a variety of websites and articles relevant to my topic, express the existing findings in connections to the influence of social media on young women’s thoughts of their appearance.

● Source 1 : The Link Between Social Media and Body Image (https://online.king.edu/news/social-media-and-body-image/) This secondary source provides statistics on the effect of social media on young women and their outlook on body image. Through a survey conducted on 227 female college students, they found that young women who spend more time on Facebook may feel more concerned about their body because they compare their appearances to others. Also in this article, a bombshell study stated that 87% of women compare their bodies to images they consume on social media. In comparison, 50% of women compare their bodies unfavourably. Alongside the statistics provided, this article contains direct references to the detailed, original sources of information with excessive, in-depth data regarding the findings and surveys conducted establishing its reliability.

● Source 2 : How Does Social Media Use Affect Our Body Image? (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323725) In this article, a study revealed how the use of social media could affect the self-perceived physique of young women. 118 female undergraduate students between the ages of 18-27 filled in a questionnaire that asked about how much dissatisfaction they felt with their appearance and the results showed that the young adult women felt more dissatisfied with

their bodies. It also showed that the women’s perception of their own appearance changed after interacting with attractive peers, however, this did not have any influence on their body image when interacting with family members. The researchers involved in this study quote that, “Social media engagement with attractive peers increases negative state body image,”.

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● Source 3 : How Does Social Media Affect Your Body Image? (https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/how-does-social-media-affect-your-body-image) Within this website, a recent CNN article was cited which explored how nowadays, we are more exposed to images of unattainable beauty as a result of social networking. It claims that not only are the exposure to these expectations and images damaging, but the interaction with them is also dangerous as we are putting ourselves under constant scrutiny of our own bodies. To support this idea, this website presented a few opinions concerning the topic of social media and body images : - Jen, 17 - “I think that social media platforms hurt because young people are now having their bodies judged online in addition to being judged in person, which causes them to feel trapped. Things like comments or tweets may seem simple, but they can really impact girls in a negative way causing them to have unrealistic expectations about what this is.” - Kirby - “ When I look at other people’s photo albums, the comparing is automatic. I end up feeling like crap. I went to photoshop a picture of myself on Facebook. I was changing a lot of things, then i saw the picture and I stopped myself, thinking, ‘this is not who I am. I want to be who I am.’ “

● Source 4 : Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns : Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research (https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/44298620/Perloff2014.SocialMediaEffectsBodyImage.BID.pdf?respons e-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DSocial_Media_Effects_on_Young_Womens_Bod.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AW S4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20200219%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-A mz-Date=20200219T130706Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=e223a4a345ec7045e a050a9d6a71908ceb6b412148d268cbb751c9d35d7223d6))

This article delved into the negative effects of social media on young females. This secondary source reinforces the idea that social media is filled with multitudes of thin-idealized images that a young woman or an adolescent girl may have located and pinned to a page. Also through social media, pictures of thin, photoshopped individuals are widely available and only sleek, slender images of female beauty dominate. According to the article, the great emphasis of social media on attractive peers can result in a number of potentially significant effects on body image-related attitudes. It also states that these photos have become so commonplace and that exposure to social media sites can exert

some short-term negative influences, such as lower self-esteem, negative effects and decreased perceived attractiveness.

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● Source 5 : The Complicated Truth About Social Media & Body Image (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-how-social-media-affects-body-image) This source looks into the harsh truths regarding social media and its powerful influence on physical appearance. In a systematic review of 20 papers published in 2016, findings stated that photo-based activities were an issue when it came to negative thoughts about your body. Another study involving showing 195 women body-positive content boosted their satisfaction with their own bodies. However, the same study found that the women who had seen the body-positive photos still ended up objectifying themselves.

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Methodologies In order to obtain information for my independent research project, the research method used was a survey constructed with all questions appropriate and relevant to my main topic. There are many research methods which include questionnaires, interviews, observations and case studies. As a result of using the research method of a survey, there are both advantages and disadvantages in which I have encountered. Some advantages of conducting a survey are that they are inexpensive and cost-effective (this may depend on survey mode), a wide variety of data can be collected (such as values, attitudes or opinions), it can be formed in less time in comparison to other research methods and a range of different questions can be asked as well as differing question types. On the other hand, a survey may be filled out dishonestly or with a lack of proper effort, some questions may be ignored or left unanswered, there may be differences in the interpretations of the questions and there could be a possible bias by respondent. My research method of a survey was developed and distributed digitally through Google Classroom as well as the sharing of my link. A lot of consideration was put into the questions that were included in my survey because the responses I wanted to get were responses that were specific to my IRP topic and main question. Before issuing my survey for respondents to complete, my CAFS teacher had reviewed it and included some feedback that I used to help with improvements. After this, a friend of mine tested my survey to determine whether there were any faults or errors present prior to uploading it

as well as giving her impression on the survey overall. All of this was done for the sole purpose of collecting primary data for my independent research method. It contained both open-ended questions and closed-ended questions so that I was able to get a great variety of answers while also preventing possible limitations in regards to the responses I receive. However, most of the questions were open-ended to allow for the respondent to justify their answers and state their reasoning so that I will be able to understand their point of view. This will also assist when I am interpreting the data. The sampling methods used in my independent research method were the convenience, snowball and stratified methods. I used the convenience sampling method by having close friends and also classmates fill out my survey because they were easy to access when asking respondents to take part in my survey. I incorporated the use of the snowball sampling method where one of my respondents completed my survey and shared the link for it to other individuals who then also filled it out. The stratified sampling method was

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used as well to target specific audiences that I believed were most suited to provide answers for my survey. The group of people selected were young women. My sample group was chosen from school as all students are female, young and most have social media. This means that they are fit to partake in my survey and may provide responses which will be useful for my independent research project. The sample size desired for my survey was around 10 people. Ethical issues that may arise during research may include bias, integrity, respect and privacy. As a result of most of the respondents being people I am familiar with, the issue of bias can be present. This would affect my IRP as the results may become unreliable and invalid. Most responses were from my close friends in the same CAFS class so to prevent possible bias, I shared the link for my survey to students who are not in my class, allowing for uninfluenced and fair responses. To further avoid the risk of bias in my survey, leading questions were not asked and all data was interpreted and analysed equally. In connections to integrity, all the primary data obtained throughout my research method was included in my independent research project without being altered or disregarded for reliability. Also, all the materials and resources that have been utilised have been recorded and dated, giving credit to the original source and ceasing potential plagiarism claims. A record of the research method used in this independent research project shows exactly what was conducted and how it was conducted. This will support the reliability and validity of my data. To show respect towards my research participants, the principles of voluntary participation, informed consent and risk of harm were followed. This was done by carefully considering the working of questions in my survey so that no one was upset or offended as well as not pressuring the participation of any individual which relates to informed consent. All participants who answered my survey did consent to participate and were treated with respect for their age, feelings, and experiences. In relation to privacy, all participants involved in my research method remained anonymous even to myself as the researcher and this was due to the fact that information

was collected through a survey. The principle of participant confidentiality was followed, ensuring all participants that their personal information will not be accessible or made available to anyone who is not involved in my research project.

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Results GRAPHS & CHARTS

Figure 1 The chart above shows the ages of all participants who completed my survey. All the respondents that filled in my survey were between the ages of 16-17. This may be due to the fact that most of them were classmates and close friends of mine.

Figure 2 The chart below displays the amount of hours each person spends on social media daily. My survey found that half of the participants spend 3-4 hours on social media a day while 4 spend up to 5-6 hours a day on social media. Also, 2 people are on for about 1-2 hours. The longer a person is on social media a day means the more time they are exposed to unrealistic photos and expectations of an “ideal” body image which can ultimately shape their views regarding this topic.

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Figure 3 The graph above reveals how many different apps the participants use and have access to.

This includes main social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat through to other apps like Youtube and Netflix. As seen in the graph, a majority of the respondents have the main social media applications which are most used and popular nowadays including TikTok.

Figure 4 Below, the graph displays the amount of people who did and did not feel the need to change themselves to fit into the category of an ideal body type as a result of what is portrayed on social media. Half of my respondents replied yes and half replied no.

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MAIN RESPONSES

Figure 5 This data reveals how my audience sees the influence of social media on young women, whether they believe it is positive or negative and why they think this is. Most of the responses stated that they believed it had a negative influence on young women and their thoughts, however, a few feel that it has both positive and negative effects.

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Figure 6 In question 8, respondents were asked how social media affects their own perception of themselves. Multiple responses stated that it does impact them and their self-esteem as they are constantly comparing themselves to others or believing they should look a certain way. Other responses said that it doesn’t have a negative effect on them as they have a high level of self-esteem and self-worth. They are happy with how they are no matter what is seen on social media.

Figure 7 Question 11 displays how most of the participants do believe that social media creates impossible and unrealistic body image for young women. Responses state that this is done through what the media portrays and also because of outlets such as facetune to alter photos or surgery for the perfect body.

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Analysis and Discussion Overall, many primary and secondary sources were interpreted and incorporated in this independent research project as a way to deliver some insight regarding the influence of social media on the perceptions young women have on body image. The primary source collected displays the various views young women at Blacktown Girls High School have of the body and the role of social media in influencing their thoughts. During my primary research, numerous responses indicated that social media influenced young women more negatively than positively on their outlook on the appearance of the body. This is highlighted in Figure 5, however, there were answers stating social media has also had positive effects too. As a result of the many apps easily available to everyone, most of my respondents have them (see Figure 3) and this allows for more exposure to the unrealistic and negative effects of social media. This relates to Figure 2 as half of the responses show that they spend 3-4 hours on social media daily whereas 4 people spend 5-6 hours on social media. With these screen time statistics, it is evident that a large amount of these young womens day has been dedicated to being on social media and this can allow for a gradual change in the way they see the body as photos of thin females are normally popularised. According to Figure 1, they are also very young and between the ages of 16-17 which

means the level of vulnerability to what is being shown on social media has increased. When asked whether they ever felt the need to conform to an ideal body type, half of the respondents replied ‘yes’ and half said ‘no’ as shown in Figure 4. This may be due to the fact that a few of the participants are already satisfied with who they are as a person and understand their self-worth (Figure 6). Despite this, responses to question 11 of the survey (Figure 7) show that these young women do believe unattainable physical forms have been created for females through outlets such as facetune or works such as surgery. This is one of the many negative influences of social media on young women and how they see body representations. In relation to my hypothesis, a significantly large amount of the primary data collected supported my claims that social media has a more negative influence on the perspectives young women have towards body image. The other data challenged my hypothesis, demonstrating and justifying how social media can also influence body image-related attitudes positively. Through the primary information collected, it is evident that the common thoughts between young women regarding social media are significantly negative as it completely disregards body visuals and types that aren’t slim or fit and as a result, have a huge effect on a female's outlook on this. The information explored through the secondary sources was relatively similar to the primary data I have collected.

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The secondary source 1 states that 50% of women compare their bodies unfavourably to photographs online which is further solidified by the responses 2, 3 and 11 in Figure 6 of my primary research verifying that comparisons to images consumed on social media platforms contribute and influence young females viewpoint on the body’s looks. They believe they have to look like other girls and be what society sees as beautiful. Figure 4 also shows that 6 out of 12 females felt the need to be like other women and fit under a specific body type as a result of what they have seen on social media. Source 2 reveals that interaction with attractive peers increases negative state body image and responses 3, 5, 7 & 12 in Figure 5 explicitly mention how social media influencers lead younger girls into wanting the unnatural bodies they have. With connections to these influencers through social media, there is a heavy emphasis placed on popular slim, thin body types, excluding the presentation of plus size or curvy women and females are then forced to believe that this is what they are supposed to look like. This links to Figure 6 as answers state that some young females have developed low-self esteem, self-worth and confidence because there are limited amounts of varying body types being praised or presented online. Source 3 explores how an unreachable beauty is being enforced upon young women as a result of social networking and the constant scrutiny we are putting ourselves under, over our own bodies. This is comparable to answers in Figure 7 which displays the thoughts and views of young women on whether social media has c...