The present academic work intends to understand what is the impact of social media on youth aged between 13 and 18, and in what way they are an individual and collective learning tool for youth. Starting with a theoretical revision on social media and on youth and Instagram, we learned that, the reality nowadays is that almost everyone has a phone or a computer, and in this way, they have access to social media on a daily basis. This constant availability creates a strong attachment and the present study wants to understand what is the impact, both positive and negative, that social media has on youth from - 13 to 18 year olds - meaning adolescents; and in which way it is a learning tool for them, both individually and collectively.This investigation has as a base a mixed methodology, both quantitative and qualitative. A quantitative data collection was done, where 393 youths, between 13 and 18 years of age, answered an inquiry that looked to analyze their relationships with social media: in their use frequency, its effects on their wellbeing, and its effects on their family and school relationships. In the qualitative method, interviews were performed, with specialists in the area.The results reveal that social media can be equally positive and negative, it all depends on its usage. And that, in fact, it is necessary to have a greater dialogue between adults and youth so that there isn’t such a big gap in the media language. With this a bigger understanding from parents and teachers about the youth’s presence in social media, will be possible, this will enable a better assistance and mentoring. Above all, it is extremely necessary, a bigger inclusion of social media in a positive manner, where adults educate and show how it is a crucial learning tool.
|Date of Award||11 Dec 2020|
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa
|Supervisor||José Gabriel de Oliveira Andrade Júnior (Supervisor)|
- Social media
- Personal development
- Mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação