Topic

Tweet This: A research done on the effect social media has on race in America today.

Elevator Pitch:
Millions of users log onto social media sites multiple sites a day. But does their race determine their most-used social media account? This research paper will explore the idea that race has moved into the digital world, showing the lasting effects of racism through social media with the push of a button, text of 140 characters or less, and the "sharing" of viral photos.

Theory:

The theory I plan to use is taken from social psychology, as well as anthropology. I plan on looking and using the social identity approach by Henri Tajfel and John Turner, with a small input by Marx. This theory states that specific ingroup behaviors are predictable, which causes people to discriminate in favor of their own group. I plan on also using Ruth Benedicts perspective of culture configuration and the gestalt theory. This states that we as humans follow the previous instructions even in new settings because it is a basic learned pattern. These two theories are the basic crutch of my research because it shows how people still self segregate in social media because it is learned and people will more likely than not stay in their same social group in social media sites.

Sources:

Burke, James Peter

2006     Contemporary Social Psychological Theories. Stanford University Press.

Bryant, Jennings, and Vorderer, Peter

2013      Psychology of Entertainment. Routledge.

Jenks, Chris

2002      Culture: Critical Concepts in Sociology. Psychology Press. Pp. 104-107.

Moore, Jerry D.

2012       Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theories and Theorists. 4^th edition. AltaMira Press.

Ashforth, Blake E., and Mael, Fred

1989      Social Identity Theory and the Organization. The Academy of Management. 14(1): 20-39.