The problem of aggressive behavior of adolescents has been considered for a long time within the framework of psychology and pedagogy, but now a new form has appeared that requires detailed study, namely, the aggression of adolescents on the Internet, in particular, in social networks. In everyday life, the term "aggression" is widely used to refer to violent predatory actions.
Aggressors are always evaluated sharply negatively, as an expression of a cult of brute force. Basically, aggression is understood as motivated destructive behavior that contradicts the norms of coexistence of people, which harms the objects of attack, causing physical damage to people or causing them psychological discomfort
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At present, there are many typologies and forms of manifestation of aggression. It could be interpreted as hostile act, aimed at causing the victim suffering, and instrumental, when an attack on others has no purpose to cause harm.
There is also the notion of reactive and proactive aggression. The first presupposes retaliation in response to a perceived threat, and the second, as an instrumental one, generates behavior aimed at obtaining a definite positive result (In Bedijs, In Held & In Maass 2014).
Speaking about the aggression in social networks, it should be noted that it practically excludes physical violence and affects only the psychological aspect. As a result of the analysis we can name the two most common forms of aggressive network behavior: 1) trolling; 2) laying out and distribution of "aggressive" videos.
Trolling is more of provocative messages to cause conflicts, mutual insults, etc. The person involved in trolling is called a troll. Trolling is also described as "a game of fake personalities, but without the consent of most players who are not conscious of participating in this game. The purpose of trolling is inflammatory, sarcastic, provocative or humorous content of messages to persuade other users to debate. Sometimes trolling is a means by which means to draw attention to one's own person.
Personal dislike for the interlocutor against the backdrop of the inability to reasonably challenge his opinion. Often such people snatch out of the context individual phrases and sentences and turn inside out your opinion. The goal is to get you to engage in a meaningless bickering on an insignificant subject. Have a conversation from the point. Start a cyclical dispute.
A Contextual Summary of Research
Today, our advanced teens are spreading violence, bullying, humiliation on social networks. They are proud of this. "Let this world bend under us!" - it was taught to them by their idols and culture counter-reggae. This is what should frighten socially responsible political leaders and media leaders. But social responsibility, it seems, does not belong to the list of priorities and criteria for personnel policy of the state. Well, the invisible hand of the market selects to the top according to its criteria. And social responsibility among these criteria did not sleep.
Contextual summary addresses the already existing theories in the area of violent behaviors. Here, we've the behavioral theory which states that all human behavior-including violent behavior has its foundation on an interaction with the social environment. Human beings don’t get born with violent dispositions as behaviorists put it. Thinking and acting violently is learned gradually due to exposure to day-to-day experiences. Such experiences are proponents of the behaviorist’s traditions which maintain that teenagers adopt such manners through observing friends or family members being rewarded for violent behavior or even watching exaltation of violence in social media. Another theory worth considering is Sigmund Freud’s Psychodynamic Perspective which brings in the theory of psychoanalysis which suggests that aggression and violence are products of “unconscious” forces operating within a person’s mind. Freud also stated that early childhood practices had a profound effect on teenage and even adult behavior. One may not be in a state to operate reasonably at adult age due to the experience of conflicts that occur at various levels of psychosexuality when someone is under development (Bartol, 2002). According to Freud, if the impulse of aggression becomes unregulated, it may advance from unconscious state to random acts of violence.
Research question: Adolescent Violence and Social Media: Is there a Connection?
Hypothesis: The increase in adolescent aggression directly correlates with the increased use of social media and the negative aspects it contains.
Methodology
Study Population
The suitable study population for the topic is the secondary students. Most of the secondary students are in adolescent stages and most of them use social media. Questionnaire covering different aspects of social media aggression is administered to the selected participants and then the responses are analyzed to determine if there is any association between social media and adolescent violence
Sampling technique
The sampling technique employed is convenience sampling. Convenience sampling is suitable because the study is based on assumption that all students at secondary school are at adolescent stage.
Operational definition of each variable
Independent variables
Social media usage -Social media usage is independent variable used to describe elements such as time spent on social media, the pages visited, as well as behaviors such as blacklisting of friends, whether user keep in touch with friends from social network
Modulating variables
Parental control is considered modulating variable. In the study, parental control encompasses any interventions from parent regarding the social media use.
Dependent variables
Violence and aggression is key dependent variable for the study. In the study, aggression excludes physical violence and affects only the psychological aspect and includes the tendency to use provocative messages to cause conflicts, mutual insults.
Data collection techniques:
The data was collected through the use of survey questionnaire.
Research Design
Quantitative research design is the best design for the study. The design enables statistical correlation of different independent variables.
Assumptions and Limitations of the Study
Assumptions in the study are drawn from a wide spectrum ranging from the guardians, the victims themselves and the researcher’s point of view. A researcher basically bases his/her facts on research studies that have previously been conducted over the years and generate a particular idea that aggression result from poor childhood coaching on media devices. The researcher neglects the fact that some aggressive behaviors are inherent and thus genetically encoded in the victims, meaning some individuals acquire such acts from the family tree. The investigator also disregards the fact that some folks have been brought up on backgrounds where violence emanates from parents who are not in terms on a daily basis and so the kids become used to these events, and this becomes reflected on them when they grow. Some parents are also drug addicts, and kids adopt the behavior of consuming drugs from them, and once they enter into their teenage, the influence of drugs will trigger violent behaviors (Durant, et al., 1999). On the case of parental guidance, custodians assume that media content does not lead to aggression as long as it's consumed in moderation. Guardians want their kids to be updated technologically so that they can adapt to the fast-changing world. The victims on the other hand feel they should not be denied the access to technological devices terming it illiterate and old-mindset since they need to be in sync with the fast-changing world and be in a position to interact with the global community. All these assumptions, therefore, limit the accuracy intended of the research paper that outlines the exact cause of the violent behavior in youths. The limitation that comes into being is as a result of the divergent views extracted from those involved in the study.
Expected outcomes
One of the possible outcomes is that the use of social media by adolescents is undeniably high. The reason is because for modern adolescents, social networks are all in one. They communicate there, listen to music, watch videos, use social networks to train and prepare for exams. Even when they are looking for information, they first try to find it on social networks and only then go to the search engines. Social networks, whether we like it or not, are a true microcosm for teenagers, in which they meet their basic needs.
Another expected outcome is that most social media users create exaggerated impressions by posting their images and photos with aim of making others feel jealous. In order words, to show off to subscribers, users post in Instagram photos only positive moments from their lives. Real problems and gray everyday life remain behind the scenes, because of this, adolescents who regularly look through the pages of acquaintances and friends, have a feeling of inferiority. To make the matters worse, indication of additional information about user’s identity is not mandatory for registration; the participants of the social network decide how open they are to be.
Another expected outcome is that teenagers may be bullying one another without their knowledge. Cyberbullying is an attack on a person in a virtual space, the purpose of which is causing him psychological harm. To attack, aggressors can use e-mail, instant messaging services, chat rooms, social networks, various portals, forums and communities.
Lastly, it is expected that the social media is a suitable platform for aggression and violence. This is attributed to the fact that users have opportunity to express words and thoughts in the desired form, including bypassing the norms of morality observed in real life. This is due primarily to the fact that in the real world the individual is significantly limited in statements by filters of morality, morality and culture, and hostile, aggressive behavior can prevent successful social adaptation.
References
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Bartol, Curt. (2002). Criminal Behaviour: A Psychological Approach . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Bordens, K. S., & Abbott, B. B. (2002). Research design and methods: A process approach . McGraw-Hill.
Caprara, G. V., Paciello, M., Gerbino, M. and Cugini, C. (2007). Individual differences conducive to aggression and violence: Trajectories and correlates of irritability and hostile rumination through adolescence. Aggressive Behaviour, 33(4) , 359−374.
Durant, R., S. Barkin, S. Kreiter and D. Krowchuc. (1999). Exposure to violence and victimization, depression, substance abuse and the committal of violence in young adolescents. Adolescent Medicine, 45 , 4−13.
In Bedijs, K., In Held, G., & In Maass, C. (2014). Face work and social media . Zürich ; Berlin : Lit
Martinez-Beck, I., & Zaslow, M. (2006). Introduction: The Context for Critical Issues in Early Childhood Professional Development . Paul H Brookes Publishing.
