This blog calls you to think critically about some gaps you have
noticed in the literature you have read thus far. If you think back to
the student work we have read thus far, a major part of an inquiry based
research project involves locating gaps in the conversation. Look at the student example papers we have read thus far-
Part 1: summarize how one of those papers indicates a gap in the research.
At this point, you should be pretty well entrenched in your work, and it
is now time to think critically about what might be missing from the
conversation.
Part 2:deliver a very concise rendition of the
research conversation, and then indicate some gaps in the current
conversation. I'm sure there is a different angle you can look into that
has yet to be explored. Think of this blog posting as a prequel to your
literature review.
Tania Imani
ReplyDeletePart 1: The gaps in research that are indicated in papers are what gives each paper a strong sense of purpose, in my opinion. From all the student example papers we have read thus far, I believe that "Kids These Days: An Analysis of the Rhetoric Against Youth Across Five Generations" by Jessica Kitt (Student Paper 2), seamlessly closed the gap between information from previous research and her own experiment. The paper revolved around the trend of condemning a generation of young adults; currently individuals that were born between 1975 through 1995, who are labeled as Generation Y or the Millennials. Critical adults associate narcissistic and lazy characteristics to this hewer generation. Kitt analyzes current research, and finds that the current research is divided on whether or not each generation is actually "unique." Some researchers (Trzesniewski and Donnellan; Payne, Summers, and Stewart; Rotolo and Wilson; Treuren and Anderson)failed to find a significant amount of data to conclude that the average Millennial is that different from previous generations. In contrast, other researchers (Fogarty and Spinney; Twenge) noticed higher amounts of self-esteem in Generation Y compared to any other generation. Kitt noticed that the problem with previous research on the topic of generational differences was that they did not take into consideration why researchers and commentators saw Generation Y as "distinctly negative," when it had seemed obvious that elders always criticized the youth. To fill in this gap, Kitt's paper strives to show continuity between five generations. She does this by illustrating how similar the rhetoric against the youth is in the medium of news articles. The evidence found will then allude to the fact that Generation Y does not have it any worse when it comes to criticism from the elders, compared to the generations that came before it, despite the different historical and social contexts.
Part 2: Low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction among women are often blamed on figures in the media. Teen magazines, for example, play a significant role in the developing period of young girls. Regardless, throughout the years magazines have continued to convey a two dimensional impression of adolescent girls, focusing strictly on dating, sex, and appearance. There is not one time that a female will come across a selection of magazines without almost all of them stating "Getting Him to Notice You!", or "Shedding Those X-tra Pounds!", or even worse, "Shedding Those X-Tra Pounds So He'll Notice You!", boldly on the front cover. Although a lot of research focuses on "thin-idealization," most theories examine the impact of media exposure on internalization of the thin ideal and body dissatisfaction in context with other environmental/social factors, like peer and parental attitudes. While there are millions of studies conducted on the correlation of self-esteem and things such as social media, celebrities, body modification trends,and advertisements, there is a lack of studies done on the correlation between self-esteem and teen magazines. Teen magazines are a part of every girls life starting around the age of 11, so its content should be overlooked when it comes to the messages it sends to young girls. This paper will attempt to show the how negative the content of teen magazines are, and the message it is sending to such a young audience. By conducting a literary analysis on the content of the top five teen magazines, it will become obvious how hypnotic the content can be when it comes to defining the ideal woman, and its influence on young girls' self-esteem.
The article on the disinhibition on Reddit users covers how online pseudonyms mask the user’s true identity. The author states that they can separate their personal identity from their observations of those around them. They may self-identify as a “lurker”, or someone who “receives without showing too much” (Gagnon “The Disinhibition of Reddit Users” 54). A lurker is defined as either non-registered users, or registered users who do not participate in discussions. One of the positive aspects of being a lurker is that noone is there to judge the person - simply because the person cannot be seen. If one were to stand around without adding to the conversation in real life, they would be labeled as an outsider. Gagnon states that more research needs to be done to understand the interactions and psychology behind Reddit. The interpersonal communication on this site, as well as many others of the 21st Century, will continue to be analyzed and compared to face-to-face conversation. While the author signifies the need for elaboration on the psychology behind Reddit, I feel that more attention should be placed on the lurkers of Reddit. This is something unique to online websites, especially Reddit, and is not popular in the real world. Questions should be asked, such as “How does lurking affect input into daily conversations?” and “How does lurking reflect on the user's personality: does it show if they are more introverted or extroverted?”. While we should be paying attention to those speaking their minds, there's a lot to learn by those who stay silent.
ReplyDeleteAlmost every source I have will argue that the capacity for evil resides in everyone, and that the right circumstances will trigger its appearance. This has been supported by Baumrind, Asch, and Zimbardo. Further articles investigate how people are raised into an obedient lifestyle, and “obedience was often identified as the most desirable quality in children” (Ludy and Simpson “The Power of the Situation”). The most famous (or infamous) experiment, according to my research, was Stanley Milgram’s obedience studies. The question posed - how far will a person go in inflicting severe pain on a stranger when instructed to do so by an authoritative figure - was answered with shocking results. It reflected the same principle that was being used in the holocaust, power of the situation. In all of these experiments, however, there is a gap. None of them explore what will inspire a person to act in a positive way. Why did the small percent of people refuse to direct electric shocks at learners? What inspires someone to take the first step towards a model of defiance? My research aims to close this gap, add to the conversation, and hopefully inspire people to be pioneers of taking action.