Name:

Subject: Caribbean Studies

School:

School No. :

Student No.:

Territory: Trinidad
 Table of Contents

Content page no.

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Literature review

Methodology

Presentation of data

Interpretation and Analysis of data

Discussion of findings

Conclusion and Limitations

Recommendations

Bibliography

Appendix
 Acknowledgement

I must highlight throughout my research the assistance that I have gotten to help me complete
my internal assessment on time. This research has exposed me to a greater understanding
about the topics as extensive research was done to gather data. Firstly I would like to thank
God for enabling me with the knowledge and necessary resources available for the completion
of my project. Also I would to acknowledge my Caribbean teachers for assisting me with the
necessary requirements needed to perfect my internal assessment on time, without their
inputs I may not have been able to complete it and lastly the respondents of the questionnaire
for cooperating.
 Introduction

Purpose of research:
Majority of adolescents have access to the internet, where they communicate with others, do
research, or use social websites for entertainment purposes. The vast advancement in
technology has solely affected teenagers as they become attached to these virtual sites and
detach from their responsibilities. Social media for the most negatively affects their
development as moral/values are no longer instilled by their parents but the social sites which
they utilize.

Problem Statement:
To what extent does the use of social media impact adolescent’s social behavior in Akal Road,
San Juan?

The use of social media has become very prevalent in our everyday day usage. It has influence
our life styles eradicating cultural patterns and shaping social behaviors. At present the use of
social media is a growing concern as it evidently shows negative Impacts on adolescences in the
San Juan community, leading to way ward development of teenagers’ intellect, changing their
perception of the world by creating false portal of lifestyles .

Research Questions:
1. What is the social agent of socialization?
2. Why is social media used as a retreat by adolescence?
3. What are the effects of regular use of social media?

Educational Value

This research seeks to educate adolescence, parents/guardians and educationalist. This would
help bring awareness to the issue, where adolescence are educated about the negative impact
of social media and ways in which it can be avoided. Parents can also use this information to
carefully monitor child/children and also reinforce the culture with in the household so that
there is no cultural lost. Furthermore educationalist can utilize this information to carry about
seminars to educate the wider population.
 Technical terms
Adolescents- the transitional period between puberty and adulthood in human development

Social media- websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to
participate in social networking

Cultural lost- the loss of cultural traits.  As cultures change and acquire new traits, old no longer
useful or popular ones inevitably disappear.

Social behavior- interactions among individuals, normally within the same species, that is
usually beneficial to one or more of the individuals

Cultural patterns- a set of related traits and characteristics that describe a particular group of
people
 Literature Review
Dr. Dianne Douglas (doctor of clinical psychology) in an online article entitled “Media has an
impact on youths” in 2010 stated that the prevalence of media has impacted adolescences
development. She noted that there are two major factors impacting development: external and
internal. She further stated the external factors were represented by social interaction of
humans (e.g. family, friends, institutions, communities) which fosters the development of
morals and values. She proclaimed that media particularly (radio and television) have become
major influencers towards socialization and is referred to as ‘‘new parents.” Newly found
cultures of glamour and celebrity are appraised, which results in a loss of traditional cultures
(cultural erasure). This leads to creations of unrealistic stereotypes which negatively impacts
the psycho-development of teenagers and may lead to criminal activity, violence, abuse,
academic and underachievement of teenagers.

Another online article entitled “An exploration of youth risks in the Caribbean through the
voices of youth” in 2009 by Dr.Brathwaite, Senior Lecturer, Facility of Medical Sciences, UWI
purported that the advancement of technology within the Caribbean has negatively affected
society. The exposure to media has encouraged practices of foreign culture which results in
negligence of local traditions. This leads to the development of new morals and values which is
associated with particular risk factors: crime and gang violence, early initiation of sexual
intercourse, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and attrition from the education system.

Furthermore, Dr. Bernard Luskin licensed marriage and family therapist and school psychologist
(…), in an article “Brain, Behavior and Media” in 2012, stated regular use of social media affects
the brain and behavior of adolescents. Some people utilize media as a refuge from their
personal problems, where they enter a virtual reality neglecting their responsibilities. This form
of mental/emotional therapy can lead to addiction as these mind alternating media (games,
YouTube etc.) stimulates brain the cells deriving a particular level of satisfaction. Dr. Luskin
sited that internet addiction disorder can be considered a substance abuse which can lead to:
tremors, shivers, nausea and anxiety.

Lastly in a guardian article “Teens at risk by inappropriate use of social media” published in
2013 sited that the intended purpose for social media was to develop relationships and
exchange information and ideas. However in modern society there is an increase scope for the
use f social media. Through easy accessibility and development of new sites social media have
become a path way to share lifestyles, opinions, post videos etc, here it gives ease to persons
being victimized. The use of social media has contributed to social factors such as cyber bulling
cyber stalking, “cat fishing” which refers to the phenomenon of internet predators that
fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic
relationships, and “sexting.” These factors contribute to mental illness faced by teenagers such
as depression.
 Methodology

Quantitative method was used to assess data for this project.

A questionnaire was used to attain data. The questionnaire consisted of seventeen questions,
(2) which were open ended and (15) closed ended. The questionnaires were distributed to 30
residents of Akal Road, San Juan using the systematic random sampling method on Dec. 5 th,
2016. The community of Akal Road, San Juan is populated with approximately 180 houses,
where a questionnaire was distributed to every 6th household (180/6=30). The use of a
questionnaire was very inexpensive and it allowed easy access to a large range of persons
within a short time period. However some limitations were encountered using this method
such as misinterpretation of questions and the inability to know if respondents were honest in
their responses.

Other sources used to obtain data were: the internet articles and text books were used to
gather concepts and valuable information that were throughout the project.
 Presentation of data
Quantitative data:

Social agents of development

Peer Groups

10%

Parents

60%

Social Media

30%

Fig.1 Pictograph above represents the responses obtained from the data collected. The majority
(60%) agreed that parents/guardians was the main agent influencing the development of
teenagers, however (30%) said social media and a minor (10%) said peer groups.
 Factors that contribute to social media becoming a social agent

20%

30%

absence of parents/guardian
ease of accesibility (anywhere, at
anytime)
lack of parental control

50%

Fig.2Doughnut shows that the majority (50%) said ease accessibility to social media, (30%)
absence of parents/guardians and (20%) noted lack of parental control.
 Impact of social media on the psycho-development of adolescents

Choices Responses
Development of new morals/values
(9)
Distortion of reality and expectation gaps
(12)
Cultural erasure (new found culture)
(9)

Fig.3 Table1 illustrates (30%) of the population said that development of new morals/ values,
(30%) cultural erasure and (40%) said distortion of reality and expectation gaps.
 Reason for using social media

60%

50%

40%

collection of data
30% retreat
entertainment
communication
20%

10%

0%
collection of data Retreat Entertainment Communication

Fig .4 Column shows the majority (50%) of respondents stated that they use social media as a
(emotional/mental) retreat, (30%) suggested that the internet was used for entertainment
purposes, while (10%) said it was used to collect data and the other (10%) said that media was
utilized to communicate with others.
 Social media’s aid with social problems

Options No. of Respondents

Yes 80% 24

20% 6
No

Fig.5 Text box above shows that the majority (80%) agreed that the use of media aids with their issues
while (20%) disagreed.
 Impact of social media on adolescent’s development

yes
no

Fig.6 pie chart above shows the (100%) of the population stated that the regular use of social
media can negatively impact adolescents.
 Negative effects from regular use of social media

2
addiction
criminal activity (violence)
depression

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Fig.7 bar graph illustrating the effects the over use of social media may result in. It shows (40%)
of the population said and addiction, (30%) criminal activity, (20%) underachievement in
academic activities and (10%) said depression.
 Interpretation of data
In figure1. Although parents have the most impact on the development of adolescents
social behavior due to their roles as parents to instill values and morals, from the data
collected it shows that media also has some level of influence on their behavioral patterns
due to it prevalence and ease of access.

Figure2. Analysis showed the main reason for social media’s prevalence in the lives of
teenagers is due to the easy accessibility (anywhere, at anytime), which gives them the 24/7
access to a variety of sites.

Figure3. Table1. Results shows the impact media has on the psycho-development of
teenagers. Social media’s prevalence has given more exposure to foreign cultures which
negatively impacted local traditions as the newly found culture of glamour and celebrity
figures are appraised and tradition morals and values are depleted as a result it leads to
creations of unrealistic stereotypes and idolization/worshipping of celebrity figures.

Figure 4.shows adolescents utilize media as an emotion/mental refuge. It is evident that

they use media to escape their social issues, entering a virtual world where they are able to
distress and ignore their responsibilities, isolating themselves from human contact, with
their minds trapped in a virtual reality that they have some control over the outcomes.

Figure5. The majority of the population agreed that social media aids with social/realistic
problems. It gives adolescents a platform to voice their opinions, issues and communicate
with others experiencing similar dilemmas. This two way communication results in built
relationship which in turn helps with solving their problems. However (20%) said that the
use of media only resorts to temporary fixes, as teenagers turn off media they are faced
with reality.

Figure6. The entire population agreed that the regular use of media can result in negative
effects which affect the overall development of adolescents.

Figure7. Illustrates the effects resulting from regular use of media on adolescents. The
majority said that regular use can result into addiction as teenagers become trapped into a
virtual reality that derives a particular level of satisfaction. This is as a result of compulsive
engagement in rewarding stimuli despite the negative consequences. Addiction leads to
negligence of responsibilities, work, studies and relationships.
 Discussion of Findings
Firstly, Dr. Dianne Douglas (2010) proclaimed that social media has become one of the major
agents of socialization. She noted that media has become very prevalent towards socialization
and is referred to as the ‘‘new parents,” where new morals and values are learnt/practiced.
From the data collected (30%) agreed that social media have impacted development of
adolescents (seek Fig.1). However the majority stated that parents/guardians remain the main
agents of socialization on development of adolescents due to their roles as parents. She noted
that the prevalence of foreign media distorts local traditions, creating a new culture of glamour
and celebrity, resulting in the creation of unrealistic stereotypes/idolization of public figures
which negatively impacts the psycho-development of teenagers. The majority of respondents
agreed use of media leads to distortion of reality and expectation gaps. Therefore the data Dr.
Douglas finding corresponds with the data collected.

Furthermore, Dr. Bernard Luskin (2012) said that persons utilized social media as a mental/
emotional retreat. The majority of the population agreed that social media is used as a retreat
(refer to fig.3). Social media is used to isolate adolescents from their social/realistic issues; it
seeks to engage them in a virtual world where they are able to connect/relate to others with
similar problems while neglecting their responsibilities. Therefore media seeks to encourage
development of relationships while mending social problems (refer to Fig.5). Therefore Dr.
Luskin findings correlates with the data collected.

Lastly, all articles were used to source negative effects formulated from the regular use of social
media. The main effects identified were: addiction (Dr. Bernard 2012), exposure to becoming a
target/ victimized (cyber bulling/ cyber stalking) (Guardian 2013), criminal
activity/abuse/violence, and academic underachievement (Dr. Douglas 2010) and early
initiation in sexual activities e.g. ‘‘sexting’’ which leads to an increase in teenage pregnancy and
diseases contacted (Dr. Brathwaithe 2009). The majority of the population agreed that the
regular use of media results in addiction, adolescents neglect their responsibilities, trapped in a
virtual world for hours (refer to fig.7). Therefore the data collected corresponds with the
findings of Dr.Dr. Bernard.
 Conclusion
This research studies the extent to which social media impacts social behavior of adolescents in
Akal Road, San Juan. Based on my analysis it has become evident that social media is a social
agent of socialization. Social media is mainly used as a mental/emotional retreat by adolescents
where they isolate their problems/responsibilities, minds trapped to their screens to the
exclusion of the real world. Moreover regular use of media negatively impacts the adolescents
as it leads to addiction which leads to negligence of responsibilities, studies, work and
relationships.

Limitations

 Some articles used to collect data was not timely (within a five year time frame) therefore is
reduces the reliability of the information present.

 Inappropriate sample size used, as the population was estimated.

 Recommendations

 More after school programs encouraged by the PTA (home work classes/sporting activities).
The absence of parents due to their responsibilities lead adolescents unsupervised which
enables them to render to a variety of sites for hours. This seeks to occupy adolescent’s
time with supervised work, which reduces the time spent on media as they engage in
productive work.

 The development of community centers where adolescents can interact with others seeks
to reduce the time devoted towards using social media device and more on developing
social skills.
 Bibliography
Book

Mohammed Jennifer

Caribbean Studies for Cape Examination ‘‘an interdisciplinary

Approach,’’ 1st Edition, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 2007.

Internet Sources

Newsday http://www.newsday.co.tt/features/0,118900.html

Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.tt/letters/2013-03-17/teens-risk-
inappropriate-use-social-media

UWI

http://www.youthpolicy.org/library/wp-
content/uploads/library/2009_Exploration_Youth_Risks_Carribbe
an_Eng.pdf

Psychology today

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-media-psychology-
effect/201203/brain-behavior-and-media
Appendix
 Questionnaire
This questionnaire is part of a study on social media’s impact on adolescences social behavior in Akal
Road, San Juan for Cape Caribbean Studies Internal Assessment. The responses collected in this
questionnaire would be kept confidential therefore feel free to express your honesty when answering
the following questions.

Thanks for your cooperation.

1. Do you use social media?

Yes ( ) No ( )

2. How often do you use the internet?

Daily ( ) Weekly ( ) Fortnightly ( ) Monthly ( )

3. If daily, what sites do you commonly use?

Facebook ( ) Instagram ( ) Wikipedia ( )

Twitter ( ) YouTube ( ) Gaming sites ( )

Other______________________________________

4. How much time do you spend on the sites listed above?

Less than 30mins ( ) 30mins-1hr ( ) 1-2hrs ( ) more than 2hrs ( )

5. Why do you use social media?

Collection of data ( ) Retreat ( ) Entertainment ( ) Communication ( )

6. Do you use social media as an emotional/mental retreat and refuge?

Yes ( ) No ( )

7. What are the reasons social media is utilized as a retreat?

Isolation from realistic problems ( )
Lack of communication with the household ( )
Relate to persons online (person with the same experiences) ( )

8. Do media help fix your realistic problems?

Yes ( ) No ( )
9. Select the most influential factor of development of adolescence?
Parents/Guardians ( )
Peer groups ( )
Social media ( )

10. Does social networking have some influence over adolescence socialization skills?
Yes ( ) No ( )

11. Tick the factors that contribute to social media becoming a social agent of socialization?
Absence of parents ( )
Ease of accessibility ( )
Lack of parental control ( )

12. How does the internet impact the psycho-development of teenagers?

Development of new morals and values ( )
Cultural Erasure (drawn to new found cultures neglecting old) ( )
Distortion of reality and expectation gaps ( )

13. How has the continuous advancement of media changed the roles of parenting within the
household?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

14. T o what extent do you think the exposure to social media depletes traditions/cultures learned
within the house?
Agree ( ) moderately agree ( ) Disagree ( )

15. If yes, state how?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

16. Does the regular use of media negatively affect teenagers?

Yes ( ) No ( )

17. Tick the effects of social media has on adolescence

Underachievement of academic studies ( )
Addiction ( )
Criminal activity ( )
Depression ( )