3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The effects of idealised images on an individual's aspirations to their ideal self(2017) Nhlapo, BusisiweThe instigation of the dissertation was prompted by the heightened prevalence of idealised images portrayed on social media platforms. It has therefore undertaken a theoretical framework necessary in comprehending the consequential effects idealised images may have on South African millennials. Five research constructs have been developed to form part of the empirical framework, comprising exposure to idealised images, self-esteem, social comparison, self-congruency and aspiration to the ideal self. The use of prior literature relating to the constructs facilitated the formation of a comprehensive review, forming a foundation upon which empirical evidence could be supported. The employment of a quantitative approach necessitated the data be collected through the dissemination of self-administered questionnaires. The sample comprised 500 students from the University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein Campus, aged between 18 and 36. Respondents of the study were selected in accordance to a probability sampling technique, upon which the relationship between variables identified in the conceptual model were tested through the adoption of measurement scales. The use of SPSS 24 and AMOS 24 software packages, and structural equation modelling were utilised for the analyses of the data set. The empirical findings derived from the hypothetical tests suggested positive relationships between exposure to idealised images and self-congruency, and self-congruency and aspiration to the ideal self respectively. The relationship between exposure to idealised images and self-congruency was rejected due to the lack of significance and support. Despite the limitations encountered in the study, a blueprint has been provided to future researchers seeking to engage in research bearing similar concepts and segments, leading to the extension of literature and the modification of conceptual constructs. The examination of South African millennials and their constant exposure to idealised images on social media platforms provided an overview of the effects it may have on their behavioural motives. The findings obtained in the study enable brand managers, marketers and academics to comprehend the millennials’ uses and gratifications of social media in a South African context, inclusive of the varying factors that influence the formations of aspiring to their ideal self-concepts.Item Names, pseudonyms and anonymity in online interactions: a study of name policy on news24, the daily Maverick, and 4chan.(2017) Donald, Katherine FayeThis research investigates real names, pseudonyms, and anonymity online. From its small beginning as a research tool, the internet has grown radically and been increasingly incorporated into people’s daily lives. Simultaneously, as the internet has grown and changed, so have its uses, and perceptions of the naming practices used on it. Attitudes towards acceptable name use online have changed over time. Social networking sites have had a strong influence on name usage policies. This research examines how these attitudes have changed, and the implications of real names, pseudonyms and anonymity for behaviour on the internet and privacy. The radically disembodied nature of online communication lends itself to disinhibition, which in turn has resulted in online communications’ reputation for trolls and abusers. Contrary to the common assumption that the use of real names offline indicates the legitimacy of using real names online, online and offline communications are radically different. Online communications have very different considerations regarding privacy, identity theft, the digital footprint, and collapsed context, many of which are not present in offline communications. This paper examines naming policies and site structure through two case studies. The first case focuses on News24 and the Daily Maverick, both of which are South African news sites. Due to the need for rational and polite discourse, these implemented real name policies in order to enforce good behaviour amongst their users. In both cases, the real name policies failed. The second case study is that of 4chan, the American image board site. 4chan does not require any login process, and its users are typically anonymous. Despite being notorious for trolls, illegal content, and its image board /b/, the site’s architecture, along with the way that posts are created and then kept alive, mean that the site can be effective at moderating the kinds of content that it deems appropriate for each of its boards. Despite the contrasting nature and purposes of the news sites and 4chan, there are lessons to be learnt from the failure of real name policies, and the architecture and set up of sites which can be used to enforce particular behaviours. Furthermore, despite the ephemeral and shifting nature of 4chan, identity and a sense of belonging remain important to its users, hinting at the importance of a sense of identity to site members and the role of this identity in ensuring that users adhere to the norms.Item Multicultural influences on the personal identity of University students(2017) Mndawe, Dumisile MirandaThe transition to higher education is a complex period for most youth that challenges them to constantly negotiate their identities. In the university campus, students interact and socialize with students from diverse cultural backgrounds and they are confronted with reflecting on their existing attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviours. The current study aims to understand how different cultural values and beliefs may influence the personal identity of students in a multicultural university. This study employed a qualitative research approach. The study employed an interpretive research design which entailed conducting semi-structured, individual interviews to collect data. The participants were 6 second year students enrolled in the Humanities faculty, who were purposely selected at the University of the Witwatersrand. Thematic analysis was employed in analysing the data. The specific thematic analysis method employed was interpretative phenomenological analysis, in which the focus was on understanding how students make sense of the experience regarding being in contact with other students from diverse backgrounds. The findings of the study show that students identify with different social structures, thus maintaining multiple identities in diverse setting of the university. These identities are found to be dominant in contexts in which they are established. The findings show that students maintain a positive self-concept, which is contributory to how they adjust and find belonging in the university environment. Belonging was found to occur within the student cultures inherent in the university setting, such as leisure activities, religious involvement, and other activities of entertainment on campus. Religion emerged as the dominant influence on the personal identity of the majority of the participants; however, other students highlighted other social structures as contributory factors as compared to religion. Parental involvement and childhood experiences continue to influence students' negotiation of a personal identity in the university campus. In conclusion, based on the findings of the study, it is clear that students embrace the diversity within the university campus, while maintaining connections with identities that existed prior their time spent in university. This is a clear demonstration of the continuity in identity formation and belonging in the social setting of Higher Education.Item The challenge of the black middle-class men in negotiating the elusive masculine identities(2017) Nkosi, Thokozani SamuelThe study investigated the challenges that black middle class men experience in negotiating the masculine identities within the South African context. The adopted understanding was that of Connell in that there are many ways of being a man. The findings were that men are given a standard or expectations to live by but there are never guided on how to go about meeting them. This was portrayed by the interwoven themes and discourse that in some instances work against each other and render the black middle class men vulnerable in terms of identities.Item "Coconuts": self-identification and experiences of black people proficient in English only(2016) Letshufi, BonoloThis thesis explores the different ways that identities are negotiated and renegotiated in different spaces. It intends to unearth the contradictions, tensions and complexities that occur as a result of racialised subjectivities. This study unpacks the socially constructed term "Coconut" and challenges the existing dominant discourses that speak of "Coconuts" as inauthentic Black people who have lost touch with their heritage.What it means to be Black today in South Africa is being contested and there is resistance towards binary and rigid understandings and conceptualizations of blackness. In the intersection of race and class, class is often the silent signifier of distinction and difference post-apartheid but proves to be significant in understanding the different nuanced lived experiences of the Black subject. This thesis is specifically interested in how the inability to comprehend or communicate in an African language further complicates and adds another layer of complexity to not only the lived experiences of Black monolinguals proficient in English only, but also to their personal sense of self. Being a "Coconut" is experienced in conflicted and precarious ways. On the one hand it is experienced with alienation and rejection and in other contexts, it holds significant value and serves as social cultural capital necessary for maneuvering social, political and economic spaces. Key words: Identity, Coconut, Blackness, Class, Cultural capital, Monolinguals, Language, Accent, Racial subjectivityItem A discourse analysis of the racial talk and identity construction of a group of working class Afrikaans-speakers(2016-08-05) Binnell, BrynnThis research project set out to explore the racial identities of a selected group of South African whites who were Afrikaans-speaking, Unstructured, in-depth interview techniques were employed, in which the conversations with the participnnts were recorded and transcribed, These transcripts were then subjected tr) a discourse analysis, whereby any possible effeci s and functions of the talk were examined, A number of theoretical approaches informed this task. These included Foucault's concept of discourse and his account of the functioning of disciplinary power in modern societies. Adorno and Horkheimer's ideas 011 prejudice and racism were also found to be of t;!C,lt relevance to this research, as well i1S Altlmsser's formulation of the concept of ideology, ideological state apparatuses, incerpellation and subject positioning. The relationship between psychic and social structures was also explored in the light of Adorno and Horkhelmer's fermulation of prejudice M ,\ defence mechanism. Within this broad framework, it was shown that aside from its overt content, racise talk could be described as having important ideological effects. These included normalisation. legitimation and j\lstificatioll of the existing unequal relations ill. society. The discourse analytic striitcgy facilitated an ,111;11Y5is of the conditions under which the participants were constructed .\S subjects, and the manner In which the terms they used (such I\S race, culture and nation) were imbricated with broader discursive and ideological formations, The influence of social class, gender and uge variables in the interview settings were also evaluated.