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!
