Mass Media Research
During this last week in MMC6400 we learned about the importance of reliable and accurate research. This helps push the field of mass communications, better understand the people around us, and more effectively communicate to a general audience that is willing and able to act. I am going to dive into two incredible research topics that are shaping our progression in the field.
How do we define solid research? It is through validity and reliability that we know it is accurate. To better understand this, we have to understand the classical quantitative vs qualitative debate. What I want you to understand is that this is not an either-or. Solid research is able to approach the question from both angles to have great breadth and great depth.
The positivist approach is shown in the research of Cecilia Mirjana of the University of Florida. They use a survey based off of hard numbers to see the correlation between social media representation and outdoor visitors. This positive correlation is insightful yet not truly deep seeing why and what is truly representing. In this 2020 study, “Social Media and Its Effects on Visitor Motivations on Wild and Scenic Rivers”, we see the quantitative approach to find answers of how big of an impact social has on society.
The second research article that is helping us progress is “Problematic Social Media Use and Social Support Received in Real-life Versus on Social Media”. In the research of Dar Meshi, they dive into the connection between social media and depression. With in-depth personal stories and deep data collection in this interpretive approach, we see not a nominal correlation but an understanding of this delimna. While people have perceived support through social, the true support and needed contact was not there.
As you can see from these articles, both types of research have their own validity. While I believe the Social Media and Social Support to be a little clearer in my opinion, both bring value to the field.
Referances:
Meshi, Dar, and Morgan E Ellithorpe. “Problematic Social Media Use and Social Support Received in Real-Life Versus on Social Media: Associations with Depression, Anxiety and Social Isolation.” Addictive behaviors 119 (2021): 106949–106949. Web.
