Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Technology is a very important part of our daily lives. We cannot leave the house with some sort of smart device including a cell phone, tablet or laptop. Young people that are in the age cohort of 18-35 years have grown up within this technological movement and social networking sites make up a huge part of their daily interactions. One such popular social networking site, Facebook, allows these young people a platform for online engagement and limits face-to-face interaction. The TVET College is an ideal place for understanding the particular age group within an educational sector. These first year students seem to construct their identity in such an online social platform. Knowledge on this type of experiences as well as the added value of online engagement can provide some interesting information in a new age of development of these young people and their construction of their identities. This research can shed light on the particular developmental level of these students as well as their sense of identity engaging online. The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of TVET College first year students, specifically exploring their participation on Facebook and how it contributes to their identity construction. This was a qualitative study based on the social representations theory. This refers to the association of an individual’s characteristics and that which other people ascribe to the individual. The particular sample was purposively selected and they participated voluntarily in one-on-one interviews and consented to the researcher observing their FB profile pages. The research findings highlighted the important role of Facebook in the lives of TVET College first year students and how they gain a sense of belonging as a mechanism for coping in today’s life. Four main themes were identified, namely a real world identity, an on-line identity, the on-line self in relation to other people and the practical implications of being active on-line. These students viewed the virtual world as a world where they were accepted, whereas this did not happen in the real world, where they reported often feeling isolated. Their online interactions incorporated their understandings of who they are and was thus closely connected with how they represented themselves on-line. Therefore, the research concluded that they seem to construct their identities in an online manner.
Author: Lamese Chetty
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2392776547