When writing out my hypothesis for the first time “to what extent does the media influence the formation of youth’s identity,” I first expected that after I was finished conducting my primary research a few months down the track, that I would discover that the media indeed had a pretty massive influence on a lot of different aspects of an adolescent male or female’s wellbeing. However, after conducting my primary research, it has become apparent that yes, different aspects of youth’s wellbeing are being influenced by the media, but some trends aren’t as particularly obvious as I thought they would be.

 

Some major findings perceived from my questionnaires include:

≥ Both male and females saw the highest form of mass media exposure being ‘Social Media,’ with 25/30 females (83.33%) and 11/13 males (84.61%) stating that they regularly take part in social media usage.

≥ The least popular forms of media were ‘Magazines/Newspapers’ and ‘Blogs.’ 1/13 males (7.69%) and 5/30 females (16.66%) and 1/1 (100%) gender fluid students stated that they regularly took part in Magazine/Newspaper usage. 0/13 males, (0%) 6/30 females (20%) and 1/1 gender fluid (100%) utilized the media form of ‘blogs.’

≥ For males, spending between 1-2 hours per day on ‘Social’ media and ‘TV’ seem to be the most popular, with 8/13 (61.53%) of males utilizing that time to ‘Social’ media and 6/13 (46.15%) of males spending their 1-2 hours watching the ‘TV.’

≥ Celebrity influence amongst students at Glenwood High is not as evident as secondary sources suggest, with 8/13 (61.53%) of males and 18/30 (60%) of females answering that ‘No’ they do not strive to be like celebrities.

≥ 24/30 (80%) of females were influenced by the products advertised by the media.

≥ 15/30 (50%) of females would go as far as having cosmetic surgery in the future to alter their appearance.

 

With these being some of the “major” results recorded from my primary research, there was some unexpected results that I did not expect that will be further discussed later on in this analysis.

For this main analysis, the focus will be on five main subtopics that relate to the hypothesis, “to what extent does the media influence the formation of youth’s identity,” which will be media exposure, celebrity culture, the ideal image, youth marketing/purchasing and lastly cosmetic surgery and future change.

 

One of the most prominent questions that our society is constantly faced with today is “how much exposure to media is too much on our youth, and specifically, what are the short and long term effects?” From when this generation’s children have been in nappies, their exposure to different forms of mass media have only continued to heighten, and while it is considered “normal” for children today to begin to explore their sophistication in regards to mass media from a young age, it has the potential to have harmful effects on the brain and body in regards to cognitive ability, particularly once they begin to grow into young adolescents. We often hear that parents in today’s society are constantly focusing on the content that their child is participating in, with previous research being undertaken into how specific content in the media can harm adolescents in regards to their behavior and how they perceive themselves. But what seems to be a more prominent issue that needs to be discussed is HOW much time a person of today’s youth is partaking in viewing different aspects of mass media, regardless of the content they are being exposed to. Irrespective of what youth today are being exposed to, the more contact that someone who is young and considered vulnerable has in regards to mass media, the more likely they are to pick up on different signals and messages that are portrayed in the media, whether these be positive or negative messages. In relation to the literature review undertaken, Marriner (2014) suggests that due to spending more and more time on social media, specifically teenage girls, are more vulnerable to developing a low self – esteem, due to being displeased with their bodies, as a result of being overexposed to the media. This links in with the primary research undertaken, specifically Question 3, where students at Glenwood High School were asked, “Which of these forms of media do you regularly interact with?” It is clearly evident that our youth today are specifically being exposed to social media, as both male and female categories overall suggested that their highest form of mass media exposure was ‘social’ media. The results show that 25/30 females (83.33%) and 11/13 males (84.61%) and the gender fluid student stated that they regularly take part in social media usage. From the data provided in Question 3, it can also be interpreted that there are certain forms of media that are proving to be more influential than others, across all three gender categories. Specific common elements included that the least popular forms of mass media were ‘Magazines/Newspapers’ and ‘Blogs.’ 1/13 males (7.69%) and 5/30 females (16.66%) and 1/1 (100%) gender fluid stated that they regularly took part in Magazine/Newspaper usage. 0/13 males, (0%) 6/30 females (20%) and 1/1 gender fluid (100%) utilized the media form of ‘blogs.’ In relation to the importance of focusing on how much time an adolescent is spending browsing different varieties of mass media, Question 4, “Approximately how many hours per day do you spend browsing the following forms of media?,” allowed students to provide relevant data into their media exposure time utilized per day, which as a researcher, is beneficial into conducting this investigation. Overall, there was a clear relationship between Question 3 and 4, as once again, students reported that they were specifically being exposed to certain forms of media, more than others on a daily basis. Amongst the male category, spending between 1-2 hours per day on ‘Social’ media seemed to be the most popular, with 8/13 (61.53%) of males utilizing that time to this media source. In relation to the female category, the most popular platform of mass media amongst females is also ‘Social’ media, which creates a similar pattern to the trend that aligns with the males who participated in the research. While 9/30 (30%) of females are spending 1-2 hours per day on ‘Social’ media, compared to 8/13 (61.53%) of males which are spending that same time on the platform, ‘Social’ media is still the most popular form of mass media amongst females. Due to the contrasting nature that the data represents, females ‘Social’ media usage is a lot more varied amongst how many hours the individuals are spending on the platform, while the bulk of males are spending 1-2 hours per day browsing the ‘Social’ media platforms. Contrasting to the third gender category, the gender fluid stated that often spent over 4 hours a day on a form of ‘Social’ media. Once again, there was a clear trend between the least accessed forms of mass media per day amongst all gender categories, which also relates back to Question 3. These results were that ‘Magazines/Newspapers,’ ‘Blogs’ and ‘Radio’ were the forms of media that males least spent their time browsing. 11/13 (84.61%) of males spent ‘0’ hours per day reading ‘Magazines and Newspapers,’ 13/13 (100%) of males spent ‘0’ hours of their time each day reading blogs and 11/13 (84.61%) of males decided upon spending ‘0’ hours per day accessing the radio. In regards to the female category, the least popular forms of media at were Magazines/Newspapers,’ with 25/30 (83.33%) of females spending ‘0’ hours per day on this media form. In correspondence, the results compared to the males are in line, with 24/30 (80%) of females also spending ‘0’ hours per day reading blogs, and 23/30 (76.66%) of females using their time to tune into the radio. And lastly, the gender fluid student utilized all listed forms of mass media daily, sometimes spending more than 4 hours on ‘Social’ media ‘Videos,’ and ‘Blogs.’ Overall, it is clear that in relation to the secondary research provided by Marriner (2014) that students at Glenwood High School are at risk of being over exposed to media’s messages due to the amount of time that some students are spending on varying forms of media platforms, particularly on ‘Social’ media. These results came about as a clear trend analyzed is that today’s youth are rejecting forms of ‘print’ media, in the preference of those forms that are easily accessible digitally.

 

Another important issue that was addressed in relation to the secondary research provided and throughout the primary research of conducting a questionnaire, was the topic of “celebrity culture” or more widely known as “celebrity influence.” Celebrity culture refers to the culture of popularizing specific people who have certain qualities that society deem exceptional. While it has been widely proven that we live in a technological era where youth today have easy access to more forms of media than ever before that plaster the images and lifestyles of celebrities, there is often the worry that more young people than ever before are aspiring to pick up the sometimes unhealthy modules that the media displays celebrities in. In relation to secondary research conducted, Marriner (2014) also discusses the idea the in relation to teenage girls, they are attempting to “copy” what their favorite celebrities are doing, and how they are portrayed in the media, always comparing themselves to the likes of others who are considered “famous,” which can lead to a detrimental appreciation of self-worth. However, in relation to Question 6, where students were asked “Do you strive to be like the celebrities/role models that you see in the media?” the results that occurred were unexpected and unpredicted earlier when conducting my hypothesis. Through understanding this data, it is apparent that 8/13 (61.53%) of males and 18/30 (60%) of females answered ‘No’ to this question, meaning that they appeared to be uninfluenced by the ideal physical appearances, fashion styles and personalities that the media often portrays as celebrities as acquiring. Some of the responses received suggest that adolescents at Glenwood High School have been taught to aspire to accomplish their own goals, instead of focusing on wanting to “aspire” to be someone else. An example of this is a 17 year old female stated that she “had her own goals.” A reason that the results may have unexpectedly came out this way is due to how some celebrities’ negative behavior is reported in the media. A celebrity who is shown as behaving badly and negatively impacting on the mental and physical wellbeing of others around them can “turn people off” their character, especially young people who had previously “looked up” to them. The data could have also turned out this way due to adolescents in our community realizing that people who they once considered “role models,” their behavior showcased in the media isn’t of an acceptable standard, and therefore, the young individual’s themselves don’t support this type of derogatory behavior.

 

In contrast with the topic of “celebrity culture,” another subtopic that was critically analyzed throughout the primary and secondary research conducted was the topic “the ideal image.” Youth in today’s society are continued to be constantly blasted with the goal to obtain a standard of physical beauty that is equivalent to perfection, due to the images that are projected in the media. Kids Helpline (2014) suggests that on average, 1 in 3 Australian adolescents are reported to have issues regarding their body image, with mass media putting increasing pressure on teenagers today to strive to suppress the “ideal body.” Also in relation, The National Eating Disorders Collaboration (2015) discusses how due to different forms of advertising, TV programs and the internet, youth today are over exposed to unlikely and inaccessible images. With the help of a large number of stylist and editing programs, the images portrayed are often inaccessible, resulting in adolescents feeling as though they are not physically “valued” the same as the people who are constantly being pictured in mass media. This theory was tested in the questionnaire conducted, with Question 7 asking students, “What do you think is attractive in a male VS a female?” This particular question was posed to discover if students valued physical attraction over personal qualities, which is a widely assumed factor in today’s society.” Generally the outcomes were diverse, showcasing the altered features that youth within the community found “attractive” within each other. The data represents that the most prevalent opinion comes from the females, as 10/30 (33.33%) stated that “personality” is an attractive feature. On the other hand, 9/30 (30%) of females replied with a response in subject of “physical appearance” being attractive, with a key response being from a 15 year old female, “For girls: big bum, big boobs and good eyebrows. For boys: abs and strong jawline. This is considered a “stereotypical’ response that shows that in particular, some females in the youth category today are being influenced by what images they see portrayed in the media, but surprisingly, not all adolescents in our community have the same ideas. The male category overall seemed unfussed by what images they have seen portrayed in the media, with 7/13 (53.80%) of males stating that they found “nothing” attractive in either gender. The second question that was proposed in relation to this subtopic was Question 8, which stated, “What factors have lead you to believe that this is the “ideal image?” Once again, there is a clear relationship between previous questions and youth today being exposed to certain images through ‘Social’ media. Specifically amongst females, there was a clear trend that social media platforms are deemed to be one of the most significant factors relating to beliefs on the “ideal image,” with 19/30 (63.33%) of females listing ‘Social’ media as being a feature that has lead them to their outlooks on “attractiveness” in the same and opposite gender. However, a more unexpected result was seen amongst the male category, with results showing that ‘friends and family’ was the most powerful influence, with 5/13 (38.46%) males consuming this source. Overall, the results conclude that students at Glenwood High School aren’t as vulnerable to the media’s influences as secondary sources claim youth to be. However, even still, the results showcase that females are the most susceptible to the “idealistic” images that media platforms portrays. The results could have come out this way due to females at Glenwood High School seeming to spend more time on media platforms, particularly ‘Social’ media, which puts them more at risk of gaining unrealistic “beauty ideals” that today’s society are being exposed to.

 

In relation, another subtopic that was explored in the primary and secondary research conducted was “youth marketing and purchasing.” Youth marketing is concerned towards marketing that aims to direct its products or services towards young people, with the category of “youth” being divided into smaller groups in relation to their exact age. For example, sample groups of pre-teens, teenagers, university students and then young adults, with companies targeting different types of ads and products towards them. The Better Health Channel (2013) projects the idea that due to marketing, young Australian’s each day have the potential to be spending up to $1 000 000, on “fad” diets which can backfire, leading to detrimental effects on physical wellbeing. Due to the potential overexposure of the media promoting excessive dieting, today’s youth have the potential to more than ever before develop a poor body image as they begin to participate in unnecessary diets that advertisers promote. On a more serious note, individuals who are participating in these diets are at a heightened risk of inducing eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which can also lead to a poor self-esteem and depression. However, primary research undertaken on students revealed that that a large percentage of students at are not using products to alter their body image. Question 13, “Have you ever bought any of the following products to help change your body image?” provided data that 21/30 (70%) of females selected the option ‘none of these’ with the left over 9 girls stating that they have tested a variety of products to modify their body image. In the female category, ‘Meal Replacement Products’ was the most consumed, with cleansing diets the next most popular. In contrast with the males, only 1/13 (7.69%) had tried one of the following products listed, with the one male affirming that he had tried a ‘Meal Replacement Product.’ The gender fluid student had tried ‘Muscle Enhancing Pills/Powders,’ ‘Weight Loss Pills/Powders’ and ‘Meal Replacement Products.’ In relation, Question 14, “Have you ever altered you’re eating habits to change your weight?” portrayed a mixed result among the genders, with 16/30 (53.33%) females answered “yes,” while 14/30 (46.66%) answered “no.” For the males, the results were on par, with 7/13 (53.64%) males answering “Yes” and 6/13 (46.15%) answering “No,” and the gender fluid student answering ‘Yes.’ These results showcase an even split, which was slightly surprising, as when writing the hypothesis it was expected that there were to be more students who had previously or currently altered their body image. The results may have come out this way as while youth are being exposed to different marketing campaigns in regards to dieting, the parents who are socially aware of the marketing ads directed towards youth that glamorize dieting could be wising up to the messages that marketers are pro claiming, and stopping their children from engaging in these ‘fad” diets. However, it is evident that the teenagers are engaging in safer dieting practices such as controlled healthy eating, as roughly half of the students who completed the questionnaire claimed that they had undertaken practices to alter their eating habits.

 

The last main subtopic to be discussed is the idea of “cosmetic surgery and future change.” Where cosmetic surgery is concerned, (or plastic surgery as it is sometimes more widely known as), teenagers in today’s society have been suggested as always wanting to “fit in” with others, rather than “standing out” in the crowd, in regards to physical appearance. However, it is often suggested that members of youth who are wanting to partake in cosmetic surgery are often not doing it for the full benefit of themselves, but to in fact please others. Linking to secondary research undertaken by Dr Michiko Weinmann (2015), she is conducting a project, titled ‘Operation Belle,’ to research whether the continually heightened number of young women are turning to cosmetic surgery due to the media’s pressures of ‘celebrity and selfie culture.” She further suggests that the $1 billion a year industry is continually expanding due to mass media forms such as social media, cosmetic advertisements and reality television which constantly remind our youth that we do indeed live in a “surgical’ society that celebrates physical beauty. An example of advertising that promotes cosmetic surgery to our youth is interviews with cosmetic surgeons that display “before and after” pictures, showcasing to individuals what you could look like if you undertake certain procedures. The last two questions of the questionnaire were focused on the topic of “cosmetic surgery and future change,” with Question 17 stating, “What are your views on plastic surgery?” Overall, students proclaimed to be mostly supportive of the idea, with 15/30 (50%) of females, 5/13 of males (38.46%) and 1/1 (100%) gender fluid students stating that cosmetic surgery is a “personal choice.” One key response that projected a view across a few factors was that of a 16 year old female. She stated: “I personally enjoy that if we feel self-conscious about something you can change it for your own benefit. But sometimes people do it to please other people which I think is bad.” This response was interesting as it showed that while the individual was positive to those who undergo a cosmetic procedure for their own benefit, she identified that choosing to undertake certain practices just to please other individuals was negative on one’s individual self-worth. The final question, Question 18 which stated, “How far would you go in the future to change your physical appearance?” found some common elements that were not surprising, due to the previous secondary research undertaken. 15/30 (50%) of females would go as far as having cosmetic surgery in the future to alter their appearance, while with the males, apart from the responses that stated they wanted to do “nothing” to themselves, engaging in ‘Working Out/Eating Healthier’ was the next most popular option with 4/13 (30.76%) males stating an answer that was relative to this. The answer that was most interesting came from the gender fluid student who provided information about what they would possibly go through in the future in regards to their sexuality, stating “other than a breast reduction and maybe a tummy tuck as well as a testosterone booster, not anything else.” Overall, the fact that half of the females surveyed have stated that they would potentially go as far as par taking in cosmetic procedures is one of the biggest key results in support of my hypothesis that have been concluded from the primary research undertaken. These particular results have the potential to come out the way they did due to the media exposing cosmetic surgery practices to potentially young and vulnerable members of youth, targeting these particular age ranges with advertisements showcasing how they would potentially look like after they participated in any specific practice. Even though no males stated that they would go as far as cosmetic surgery, 4/13 (30.76%) stated that they wanted to work out more and/or eat healthier, proving that they too have been exposed to the media’s expectations on the “ideal male body.”

 

Overall, the research that I have conducted has been suitable for the topic that I chose in regards to youth and media, which has allowed myself as a researcher to properly and in depth explore my hypothesis, to ensure that enough detail is included as the topic chosen is very broad. By utilizing questionnaires as a primary research method, it has enabled myself to gain quality data in helping to conduct this IRP over a timeline, to sufficiently meet the requirements set. The questionnaires were helpful in identifying key elements between the primary and secondary research, to ensure that I was able to create my own statements through analyzing the data provided from adolescents in the community. They were also a great research method as it allowed a contrast between the primary and secondary research, meaning that I had a variety of information and didn’t have to purely be dependent on secondary information which may include bias, which is not ethical when conducting research. In terms of the secondary data analyzed, my topic was an excellent choice as it is something that is really current in today’s society. While we were required to only stick to Australian websites so that our information was relevant, due to the currency of my topic, I was still able to gain sufficient data to help me complete my research to a high standard.

 

In regards to my topic, I believe that the media is and will continue to shape youth’s identity through the use of different forms of media exposure, but the issue in our community isn’t as enormous as the media makes it out to be. Before conducting my research, I believed that the media had a massive impact on every aspect of shaping a young person’s identity, but now my opinion has changed slightly. My reasoning is due to the primary research undertaken, as it is evident that certain aspects of media exposure aren’t as detrimental to youth as the media portrays them to be. The issue is definitely relevant in our society, however, it is important to realize that not all adolescents are the same, with it becoming apparent that the public today are being shown the absolute extremes of media exposure.