Phones and the Internet

The rise of phones, the internet and social media in society is phenomenal, especially amongst the youth of today. This fascinating and hot topic will be a great avenue to investigate for a dissertation! Take a look at some of our examples below:

Example phones and the internet dissertation topic 1:

‘Sexting’: Perceptions of its wider social and legal ramifications among young people.

People under the age of 16 years may not appreciate the dangers of ‘sexting’, whereby messages, and on some occasions, photographs, of a suggestive or lewd nature are exchanged through texts. In addition to the threats posed by those over the age of 16, young people are often unaware that their actions in sending such messages to peers could lead to their prosecution under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Successful prosecution could, in turn, lead to the placement of the young person on the Sex Offender’s Register and other, far-reaching consequences likely to impair their ability to attain employment, lead a satisfactory home life, and so on. This dissertation examines the phenomenon and interviews a number of young people to determine their understanding of the Act and its consequences.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Albury, K. and Crawford, K. (2012). ‘Sexting, consent and young people’s ethics: Beyond Megan’s Story’, Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, Vol. (3), pp. 463-473.
• Ringrose, J., Gill, R., Livingstone, S. and Harvey, L. (2012). A qualitative study of children, young people and ‘sexting’: A report prepared for the NSPCC. London: NSPCC.
• Strassberg, D.S., McKinnon, R.K., Sustaíta, M.A. and Rullo, J. (2012). ‘Sexting by high school students: An exploratory and descriptive study’, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 7 June 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9969-8.