Final Week - Literature Review and Final Thoughts

The process of the literature review allowed me to take each reference that I had collected for the purpose of my paper and analyze it both individually and in the frame of how it would fit into my overall paper.  It’s very useful to write a paragraph or two for each reference, putting my own words what the reference had to offer and how I interpreted the data.  After that it was simple to organize those paragraphs in an order that made sense.  All this left me with was the need for an opening and a conclusion, which flowed easier once everything else was together.  I feel like the annotated bibliography was a bit redundant to do with a literature review and might be tempted to opt out of the annotated bibliography in the future unless it would be required for a project. 

When I began this process I wanted to lay the blame of youth violence pretty much at the feet of social media.  As I did my research, my way of thinking about the matter changed.  Social media is not the problem, it’s simply a vehicle through which the public as a whole gets a more current picture of what is going on in the society of our youth.  Movies and TV shows glamorize the mean girl behavior and not only do young people want to emulate some of those behaviors, but they have a video camera connected to the internet to show the world their actions.  Additionally, gender roles have changed considerably over the years and young ladies are more and more involved in activities that in the past were predominantly male behavior such as fighting, smoking, drinking, drugs and gangs.  Once again so much of this is made normal through movies, tv and music that it’s not a wonder that there is an increase in the public nature of what they are doing. 

The research was at times frustrating but I’m glad that I explored the topic.  I feel I have a better understanding and more to think about as I progress in my education and work.  I appreciate the opportunity to learn to be a better researcher.  This class really helped me and I will miss growing and sharing with everyone.  Thanks for sharing the journey with me.  Who knows,  I might even kept the blog running as I finish up my degree.

Aloha!

Bibliography Anxiety

 As I started to put together the elements of my I found myself a bit anxious at the thought of this process.  As with anything new I attempted in this class I had a bit of trepidation.  I can't explain it.  The map is there and accessible through so many APA tools so it isn't like I had to reinvent the wheel.  Never the less I put my mind to it and started to work.  As I began to put my sources on paper and organize them and then create the summary of what the document was about and why it applied to my topic, the big picture opened up in front of me.  Where I initially thought this was such a waste of time, created to ensue that I was really finding sources and using them to create an original work, I realized how this process helped me to see where each article fit into my topic and the flow of my future paper.  The annotated bibliography helps me to map out when and where I can apply that information as I draft up my paper.  I could see the outline of my research paper developing right before my eyes.

 Once I had the format down and got into the swing of it the paper flowed easily and was soon complete.  Learning how to properly cite different types of documents was by far the hardest part.

 Over the last few weeks as I was researching for the assignments I found and saved some related items that didn't necessary fit in with what we had to turn in but addressed my topic.  Once item was an NPR radio program which really provided me with an "AH HA" moment.  It is not social media that causes aggressive behavior in our youth but is actually a vehicle for them to share what they have been doing.  Where they would normally share their actions face to face with friends, they can now share them, often as they are occurring,  through video and photos, with their circle and beyond.  With so many people having profiles on social media the potential for sharing is huge.  There are also so many different platforms that are available that it makes monitoring these activities very difficult. 

Now I do not fear the tool, I embrace it.  Knowledge truly is power.

My submission:

How can society reduce the use of social media to perpetuate physical aggression between young people?

 

Barlow, M. The Plugged-In Life of Teens and Tweens:  What’s the Impact. Retrieved from
     http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1084&context=fmrc

This presentation as part of the UIAA Life long learning series provided some very interesting statistics on the percentages of people that have profiles on social media and how much time is spent on these sites.  Based on a 2012 survey by Pew Research Center 94% of teens have a facebook profile and only 25% of them have it set to private.  That is a very large number of teen users.  It also provided usage statistics for other sites such as twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, Kik Messenger, ask.fm, Tinder, Whisper and Shots.  What is alarming is that the minimum age of most of these sites is 13 to 17, but there is really no way to validate the age.  It is very easy to enter a fake birthday to create a profile.  All of these social media sites allow for picture/video sharing and communication and many allow for anonymity of the poster with no monitoring of activity by the app host.  Snapchat allows anyone 13 or older to join and has a system which allows the member to send self destructing test, photos and videos.  All of these are tools which allow socializing and networking.  According to the presentation 19% of those using these platforms were bullied through them.  Even more alarming is that 88% witnessed cruel behavior on these sites and 21% of those joined in.  All of these platforms are potential tools for encouraging and presenting aggressive behaviors.  What is concerning is that there are so many

open with little or no control to who joins, that monitoring and prevention is nearly impossible.  How then are we able to prevent such behaviors. 

 

Carrington, K., 2013. Girls and Violence:  The case for a Feminist Theory of Female Violence. In Crime
     and Justice.  Retrieved from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/62478/1/10_Carrington_5_Sep_13.pdf

Carrington evaluates the increase in female violence and how it is impacted by a shift in social norms and feminist theories.  She considers whether females have actually become more violent or rather their behaviors have become more noticeable.  Throughout the ages, women fell into certain social roles and were expected to exhibit certain behaviors.  As society changes so do the roles that women play in it.  Women are now more active in behaviors normally reserved for young men such as “acting tough, excessive smoking, swearing, fighting, drinking, being disruptive at school, being rude to teachers, and being open about sex” (p. 5).  Further more these activities are being showcased in movies, television shows and video games, which makes the behaviors seem part of the norm. 

Social media, while most often used by girls to develop and maintain positive relationships, is also used to document and share their fights.  A review of the statistics shows that this activity seems to be higher among girls than boys.  The videos seem to be created and shared in order to obtain bragging rights by the girls involved.  There are social media/websites that actually encourage such fights by seeing ratings by viewers.  Obviously the highest rated video would bring additional popularity to those involved. 

How society views these behaviors and responds to it being showcased on social media could have an impact on reducing these activities.  If social media sites were held accountable or punished for allowing such videos to be published or law enforcement was given more leeway in using the videos as evidence to press charges against the perpetrators, perhaps there would be a reduction in such behaviors.

Martin, M. (Host).  (2013, January 15).  Does Social Media Encourage Violent Teen Behavior [Radio
     broadcast episode]. http://www.npr.org/2013/01/15/169421562/what-causes-violent-teen-behavior

This interview addresses the correlation between social media and aggressive behavior in teens.  The question is asked, “Does social media encourage violent teen behavior.”  The over all response of the panel was no, it does not.  What social media does is allow a venue for teens to publicize and share their activities.  Where they may have bragged about it in person to their friends, now they can record the actions in real time and share it instantly gaining immediate feedback, not only from their social circle, but from their peers world wide.  The panel discusses that it is a parental responsibility to not only monitor what teens are doing on line but to teach them what is acceptable behavior.  One panelist stated that teens are selfish and often only care about what they want at a particular time and place and do not give consideration to how their behaviors impact others.   With our young people growing up in such a digital age, it is critical that we teach them right and wrong and guide them in the positive use of such things as social media and discourage behaviors that can not only bring harm to themselves but to others.

Patton, D. U., Hong, J. S., Ranney, M., Patel, S., Kelley, C., Eschmann, R., & Washington, T. (2014). Social
     media as a vector for youth violence: A review of the literature. Computers In Human Behavior, 548.
     DOI 10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.043.

This journal article reviews the existing literature addressing youth violence and the relationship to social media.  It recognizes that the “empirical data describing this relationship is limited” p. 549, but it does exist.  The authors reviewed 56 articles addressing topics on peer violence, which included cyber-bullying.  The conclusion was that “electronic youth violence” (p. 552) appears to be on the rise and it is in need of more attention.  There appears to be a weak definition of what cyber bullying actually is and it certainly requires some further attention.  The challenge for researchers is not only the weak definitions but how one goes about evaluating such behaviors in an ever changing, growing electronic world.  Every day more and more websites and apps are created widening the platform for such behaviors to occur.

In regards to the question, of society reducing the violent behaviors via social media, it is clear that more research and evaluation needs to occur to facilitate such actions.  One must understand the challenge to effectively make a positive impact on it. 

Sontag, L. M., Clemans, K. H., Graber, J. A. and Lyndon, S. T. (2011). Traditional and Cyber Aggressors
     and Victims: A Comparison of Psychosocial Characteristics.Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(4),
     392-404.  DOI 10.1007/s10964-010-9575-9

This study was a comparison of traditional and cyber aggressors to understand the relationship between the psychological traits and behaviors for both the aggressors and the victims.  Certain traits are “critical factors” (p. 393) in traditional aggressive behaviors.  Identifying these tendencies early could predict the potential for future negative behaviors allowing for both an effort towards behavior modification of the child and/or stricter control of their access to potential victims.  Society as a whole should be concerned with the aggressive behaviors both online and in cyber space but more focus should be placed at the lowest levels.  Parents, teachers, and others who have contact with children early on should be educated and aware of these traits/characteristics to enable early intervention and potential redirection of negative behaviors to a more positive and productive outlet. 

Walrave, M. (2012). E-youth : Balancing Between Opportunities and Risks. Bruxelles:

      P.I.E. Peter Lang.

This book evaluates the positive and negative aspects of the increasing use of Internet technologies by today’s youth.  The availability of Internet technology opens up a huge world to young people today with array of opportunities to learn, grow, and develop relationships and social networks.  While these young people are growing up technically savvy, they may not be getting adequate supervision or skills to protect themselves from the dangers that they bring right into their own homes.  There is also a divide between what adults see as a risk and what children do.  As our children grow we teach them not to talk to strangers but the line between a new friend and a stranger appears to have been blurred with the introduction of social media.  Young people tend to use social media to make friends and create a peer network.  Unfortunately this seemingly innocent act can morph into acts of cyber bullying and even physical aggression.  How parents monitor and the level to which they control Internet activity appears to vary based on culture but the consensus seems to be “that it is the task of policy makers to promote parental mediation of Internet use” (p. 248).   In order to prevent the increase of aggression via social media we must be aware of what children are doing when they are plugged in.  Prevention starts at home by teaching responsible behaviors and attitudes in the digital world.

Thoughts on Week 6

I can remember the first time I heard about people buying research papers.  I was shocked that such a thing was possible.  This of course was before "Turn It In" existed, giving professors the ability to be able to check your work against existing published documents.  It blew my mind that people would actually buy other peoples school work to pass off as their own but  I guess it shouldn't have.  Cheating is not as uncommon as one would hope.  With online learning I would imagine that it would be more common than in a classroom setting since no one is there to see if you are doing your own work or taking your own exams.  Having integrity is more important than ever.  The sad thing is the only person that suffers when you cheat is yourself.  Education seems to be the only place where we spend money and don't really care if we get what we pay for. 

One of the hardest things for me has always been ensuring that I take the proper precautions when quoting or citing other peoples work.  It is such a fine line.  I would never want anyone to take credit for my work so I would not want to do that to others.  This lesson helped me better understand when I need to consider work as a direct quote from my material.

I found the research this week to be more challenging than in previous weeks.  I wasn't very impressed with the doaj.org site.  My search was not very fruitful and it seemed that what did come up was in Spanish or some other language.  On the flip side of that, when I went to the Directory of Open Access Repositories I had over 9,000,000 results to sort through.  It was the proverbial feast or famine. 

The concept of Creative Commons is very appealing.  I like the idea that one can obtain material for whatever the desired us is and know clearly what your limits are.  The ability to search out material for use in creative or academic projects and know your limits is very useful.  I certainly want to spend more time researching this resource as it could prove to be useful in future classes and assignments.

Week 5 - Reserach on Cyber Bullying and Aggression

Yet another interesting week in study and research.  My key word searches were somewhat revealing in what they did not produce.  This leads me to wonder if I need to change my research question or keep digging.  For now...I keep digging.  While it's frustrating at times not to find the information I seek, I am learning how to search for what I need and this in itself is a growing opportunity.  With that said, I have opted to set up a tutoring appointment with one of the librarians to see if I can be more successful with my chosen topic.

This week I was able to locate a research study that addressed the correlation and growth of cyber and physical bullying to determine if one form was increasing over the other.  The research subjects were a group of young people between the ages of 12 and 16.  The data was obtained from the Youth Connectedness Project (YCP) and evaluated.  The results showed that the two forms seemed to be about even. 

What I found interesting from this research was the discovery that those who engage in bullying both cyber and in real life, often become the victim of bullying.  Conversely, those who are bullied are less likely to engage in such behavior.  I also learned that the time period of bullying appears to be shorter in the cyber world because the recipient can choose to "unplug" from it and not be subjected to it. 

Out of curiosity I did a Google search on this topic.  This is something I have avoided during this class because I don't want to fall back into this habit.  In my search I came across this transcript on www.npr.org from a tv interview with a panel of parents addressing the question "Does Social Media Encourage Teen Violence?"   The interviewer asked if the parents thought that to be true and one parent responded "No."  He stated that young people are doing what they've done for years, BUT that they just had a vehicle by which to share it now. 

That train of thought makes a lot of sense to me but it opens more questions as well.  If this is the case, should this be a concern for us as a society?  How do we make it not acceptable for social media sites to allow this form of expression?  Who do we hold accountable and how do we stop the trend?

Stepping off the Information Highway and Ejoying the Scenic Routes

I have found that the process itself of researching my topic has been very enlightening.  I am trying very hard not to succumb to my frustration and change my topic to make my task easier.   The more I search the more I find that my topic has not been researched or written on much because it is a relatively new phenomenon.  I am learning that I have to break my idea down into smaller ideas and approach the overall question from many angles.  My initial inclination was to search the broad topic of youth violence displayed via social media, but because the use of these platforms in relatively new there just isn’t a great deal of published research on it.  

The good side of all this is that find I have learned two valuable things.  First, the direct route is not always best.  Sometimes it is on detours that we learn the most about our world, doing research seems to be no different than driving.  I seek a specific destination, but should I stick to the freeway and not venture off onto the scenic routes, I miss all the hidden gems along the way.  When I am in a hurry, I want to take the freeway in research.  I must learn to plan my route and add in the time to explore the side roads a bit.  Second thing I  have learned is to not be afraid of the search box and all the options available to me.  Knowing simple tricks such as truncating a word with an * at the end opens my search up to more results that I have been missing in the past.

 

Reading and Research

As I read through this weeks assignments I realized that while researching has become more complicated by the introduction of technology, it has also been made easier.  When I first entered the days of being a student and having to research topics all I had to do was go to the library and open the card catalog.  Simply put..one catalog, lots of books.  Now it's many catalogs or databases, tons of ways to seek and find.  If I simply learn how to select the proper database and the manner in which to narrow down my search based on key words which relate to my topic, I can find the material I want.  I can recall being very frustrated when I first attempted to research via Chapman's electronic library.  I could never find what I want or when I did get a return on my search it wasn't what I wanted.  This weeks reading helped me to realize that not only are my results a product of my lack of skill in searching but also based on the vast amount of resources at my disposal.  If I learn how to make the most of the tools available at my fingertips. 

My research this week revealed that there isn't much specific information available on my topic of focus and that if I am to continue on with this idea I will need to devote more time and energy into locating resources.   Young people have grown up on the world wide web. Most were introduced to the world before they were even born thanks to social media.  Parents use it and children are starting to use it at younger and younger ages.  Our youth are developing their peer networks through social media.  At an age where being accepted is so important to them, this platform opens up a whole world to our youth.  Unfortunately, they are also exposed to a new form of school yard bullying or violence.  Historically kids settled their differences in person.  A bully would hang out and inflict his torture face to face.  Social media now allows the bully to torture and harass from a keyboard with digital words or images.  There are times when the two meet and the common access to internet capable phones with cameras allows the bully to record and publicize his or her activities in an effort to gain popularity, acceptance and fame.  While they obtain their 15 minutes of fame, the damage that occurs to the victims lasts considerably longer.

Understanding this topic and finding ways to discourage it is becoming ever more important.  As technology increases the ability to participate in such activities also has the potential to increase.  We must find ways to stop it and assist the victims in recovery.

Week Two: Thoughts on Researching and Analysis of Findings

I struggled to narrow down my topic to a subject that was both relevant to my field of study and that would be of interest to my fellow students.  I chose to address the impact that social media has on perpetuating violence among our youth.  Having children that grew up during the digital age, I have been very aware of the trend to engage in, document and publicize violence among our youth.  Sadly this phenomenon extends beyond school age children and reaches out to the adult population as well.   Recently there was a video circulating on Facebook of an African American female brutally attacking a Caucasian woman who made the mistake of walking through the wrong neighborhood with her young child.  It was horrible to watch.  Sadly, it seemed the purpose of the attack was to gain thug credibility amongst this young ladies group.  She posted it on her YouTube channel like it was something to be proud of. 

Almost everyone has a cell phone equipped with a camera and Internet connectivity.   It’s so easy to point and shoot and post.   I question that if the popularity of such videos were to drop, would the instances of violence drop as well.  So many seek their 5 minutes of fame on YouTube by participating in the most ridiculous stunts, aiming to “break the internet” with millions of hits or just simply be cool amongst their social network.  If we remove the audience, do we remove the supply?  Should sites that allow such things to be posted be held accountable?  Should law enforcement be doing more to seek out these attackers and bring them to justice?  How do we support the innocent victims and help them to recovery?

As I started my research I quickly learned that there is so much to think about.  This topic covers so much from internet gang banging to school violence.  Who are the victims and who are the perpetrators?  Cyber bullying is such a hot topic and there seems to be much available on this topic but digging down into the correlation between the use of social media and violence among children and young adults required me to really narrow down my search terms.  Most of my searches did not return the results I wanted.   I had to use more specific search terms and make use of the areas of focus within the Leatherby Libraries.  Having the ability to select databases that focus on Criminal Justice and Sociology made it easier to find relevant materials.

I learned this week that I have much to learn about effective research and use of online resources.  I am off to make use of the Online Writing Community to learn how to conduct better research.  

Aloha and Welcome to My Blog

   Aloha Readers!  My name as you can see from the title of my blog is Rebecca.  After a much needed break (but probably a bit too long) I'm back to school to finish my degree in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Victim Advocacy.  I've been attending classes with Brandman since 1998 back when they were known strictly as Chapman University.  I started while I was on Active Duty stationed in San Diego and then years later on Whidbey Island, WA.  Now I'm retired and trying to make the most of my GI Bill attending online while working full time as a Government Civilian.

  I initially started with Organizational Leadership and after going through some serious issues with my oldest child decided that Criminal Justice was really my passion.  I switched my major and began delving into this topic.  I unexpectedly had the opportunity to attend a Reserve Police Officer academy through the Island County Sheriff's Department so I stepped away from class to experience life in Law Enforcement first hand.  After three great years of working as a volunteer police officer, a change in military commands forced me to step away due to deployments to the Middle East and a command that was not so supportive of my dangerous volunteer activities.

 After those deployments I decided it was time for a change in career fields and I retired from the Navy after 22 years.  I've moved a couple times since then, met and married my amazing husband and ended up on the island of Oahu.  He has a couple more years left until he retires and we will move back to Whidbey which will hopefully be our forever home where we can settle down and I can pursue employment as a Victim Advocate.

  Why a Victim Advocate?  Well I'm glad you asked.  I have had a lot of experience in this area in my own life growing up as a survivor of domestic violence as well as sexual abuse.  During my military career I was a near victim of date rape and a witness to instances of rape as well as domestic violence. During my time as a leader in the Navy and my time as a police officer, I was exposed to the impact that crime and abuse has on innocent people and how badly things can go when the victim is made to feel like they are somehow responsible for what happened.  Strong victim advocacy is so important and I believe there is a shortage of advocates that can relate to a victim in a way that a textbook cannot teach.  I've had my own experiences in that area.

 When I first started attending college, the use if the internet was a relatively new thing and finding research materials available was a difficult task.  Unlike many of my fellow students, I did not grow up in the digital age.  When I first joined the Navy in the early 80's, we were still using at typewriter to do many of our tasks.  The internet did not exist and computers were big hulky things that most of us were just getting accustomed to.  Researching anything, professionally, educationally or personally generally involved a library and paper books.  I can say in many ways, I miss those days immensely.  If I needed to learn how do to something in my career field, I went to the book case and found the appropriate paper instruction.  The instruction itself was only as current/valid as what was most recently mailed to us, often times requiring pen and ink changes. 

 Now I often find myself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and resources.  Until I started this course I never really thought about the term "information literacy" and what it meant to me.  After reading "Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education" (ALA, 2000), I realized that I have a lot to learn to be a good student.  Not only is it important to be able to read and comprehend but it is critical to have the skills necessary to "evaluate and use effectively" any resource I retrieve. 

  As a student and a professional, I find that the standards laid out in the ALA's report all apply to me.  Standard Two (pages 9-11), "The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently," is probably one of my weakest areas and the one that I need the most improvement in.  Knowing where to look is half the battle.  I find in the past that I have gotten frustrated looking for information I needed.  Where to look, how to look what is legitimate and valid and what is not...all left me more confused than when I started.  If we don't know how to efficiently research much valuable time is wasted. 

  Standard Three (page 11) addresses the students ability to evaluate information and determine what is valid and legitimate and then employ that data to the task or activity at hand.  Back when publishing was not something that anyone with money could do, the concern over the validity of information was not as great.  Now that anyone can publish information to the internet or even in a paper/e-book, one must be critical of the data and it's authenticity. 

  This information super highway we call the internet is a long and winding road that can lead us to great knowledge and power but along the way we must learn to navigate the many exits, potholes, road blocks and detours.  If I, as a student and a professional, can learn to effectively navigate through all of the information and resources available, my ability to grow is only limited by my efforts.  To be competitive both in school and in my professional world (current and future) I must be able to continue to grow my knowledge base and keep up with current and relevant data.






Reference:

The Association of College and Research Libraries, (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. Retrieved from website: www.ala.org