A study to assess the perspectives of nursing students about the

images of Women in social media

Mr.Nidhin Elias

Department of community health nursing, Welcare college of nursing

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Abstract;

It is a fact that social media has tremendously changed the way people interact and carry on with
their everyday lives. With internet becoming a necessity in every home or office, majority of
people who are online spend most of their time on social media sites( in this study 100%sample
have account in social media). We can’t afford to unleash your presence on social, it’s as essential
as any other thing in our life so this study also more than 80 sample spread social media 2 to 7hr
in week. The purpose of the study is to fine out perception of adolescent (nursing students between
18 to 20) girls regarding images of women in social media and its relationship in real life
experiences. A sample of 100students in the age group of 18 to 20years towards Women portrayal
in social media and its correlation between real life. The statistical analysis of data collected
include mean, percentage, standard deviation and Karl persons co-relation .The findings of the
study show that there is correlation between image of women in present life. Its effect affect one
way or another way in present life and there is gender difference in portrayed image of women in
media also and shows some ways it reinforces the traditional patriarchal notions of gender as
perceived by the adolescents. Sample showed more agreement with stereotypical representation of
women in traditional role or as a sex object and they felt a need of regulation on the content of
media as compared to male.

Key Words;

Social media, Portrayal , nursing students, image and women

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‘‘There is no Chance of the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved

it is not possible for a bird to fly on one wing’’

Swami Vivekananda

Women have crucial role to play in every sphere of life whether it is household, economic
contribution, child rearing or improving the quality of life. To play these role women should be
conscious of their potential and it can only be possible when they will not be deliberately
marginalized by male domination. We will see percentage of women using in social media.
“Media, which wields immense power in a democracy - a power which is only expanding and not
diminishing, needs carrying out a focused attention about women- related issues and the portrayal
of women. It is, perhaps, necessary that the stabilizing force of women must be brought home to
the Indian people. In every family and society, there is an ethical and spiritual space, which has
been traditionally dominated by women. The principal character in Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion
bemoans, ‘why can’t woman be like man!’ The media can play a salutary and a liberating role to
give to the women the distinctive and the exclusive space, which must belong to them to enable
them to generate the ethical and moralizing impulses for the entire society.
-Justice G.N. Ray

According to Nielsen study shows that women spend nearly 10 minutes in social networking
through the mobile web or through apps every day and in internet users a greater percentage of
women use face book , tumbler, pinterest, instagrom and twitter.

According to Neil patiel, Facebook with 76percentage female internet users. Pinterest with
33percentage. According to UNICEF, 29percentage of all internet users in the country are female
in Indian in that 24percentage of Indian Face book users are female, 2016 report from UK
consultancy.

Emerging trends in media;-

Now days women issues are more discussed in social media because women more participation in
social media. According to Joseph Sharma,1994, the average of women issues has increased may
be because of the greater participation of women in media as a reporter and the presence of some
senior journalist in apposition of responsibility in both the print and electronic media.

Nowadays, online platform are becoming increasingly powerful mechanisms for mobilizing
popular support. The examples are horrific Delhi rape case, this incidence was widely covered by
all kind of media but the online response changed the mindsets of the adolescent and created wave
around the globally. And another example, Mee Too Movement, is a movement against sexual
harassment and sexual assault Me Too spread virally in October 2017 as a hashtag used on social
media in an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment,
especially in the workplace. It followed soon after the sexual misconduct allegations against
Harvey winstein, Tarana Burke, an American social activist and community organizer, began using
these movement through social media. However, media is become the most important tool for
people .

There are many online platforms where people are raising their voice against crime and sexual
assault, such as twitter, facebook and internet blogs. Within 10 days of the incident facebook
groups gang raped in INDIA CREATED December 2012 and Delhi for women’s safety created
in on December 26,2012 received 5046 likes respectively . other facebook group such as ‘another
girl raped in Delhi-Can we stop’, ‘ delhi gang rape please don’t ignore’, these are the examples
through social media adolescent react against these crime. Now days MEE TOO movement is
another example. These groups acted like platforms for justice and empowering women and have
give a voice to everyone, even those who want to protest against sexual assault cases in India even
if they are out of the country. It is not like rape cases and sexual assault cases are recent trend in
the society but sensitivity and active and wide coverage of media bringing these issues in front of
public . Public opinions on online media have been playing an important role in making the media
sensitive towards the issue related toooo………

MEDIA’S MISREPRESENTATION OF AMERICAN LIFE (Gendered Media:The Influence of

Mediaon Views of Gender;Julia T. Wood)

White males make up two-thirds of the population. The women are less in number, perhaps
because fewer than 10% live beyond 35. Those who do, like their younger and male counterparts,
are nearly all white and heterosexual. In addition to being young, the majority of women are
beautiful, very thin, passive, and primarily concerned with relationships and getting rings out of
collars and commodes. There are a few bad, bitchy women, and they are not so pretty, not so
subordinate, and not so caring as the good women. Most of the bad ones work outside of the home,
which is probably why they are hardened and undesirable. The more powerful, ambitious men
occupy themselves with important business deals, exciting adventures, and rescuing dependent
females, whom they often then assault sexually.

Objective;-

1. Assess the trend of women’s portrayed in social media

2. Find the correlation between images of women portrayed in social media and real life.
3.
Sample;-
100 female nursing students, studying Ernakulam district.

Sampling techniques;-
Descriptive simple random sampling method
Tool; tools were prepared based on objective, Likert scale is used for evaluation.

Analysis and discussion;-

Table 1
Demographic variables;-
variable range percentage
Age 18 33
19 61
20 06
Place Rural 80
urban 20
Account in social media Yes 100
no 0
Own smart phone Yes 90
no 10
Time per week Less than 2hr 10
2 hr to 07 hr 80
 More than 7hr 10

Above table shows that most of the sample have own mobile phone and they are spend more than
2h our spread in social media in every week.

Table 2

1. Women portrayal in social media;

Strongly Disagree 02 Neutral 03 Agree 04 Strongly

disagree 01 agree 05
1.1 strong voice in 06 29 29 09 27
social media
1.2 support from social 02 51 20 09 18
media
1.3 over emphasize 16 10 24 46 04
beauty and sexuality
1.4 decorative object 0 10 45 44 01
1.5 submissive role 06 29 30 35 0
women have in social
media
1.6 more troll against 33 07 10 25 25
women
1.7 unethical appeal 0 20 35 28 17
1.8 display 0 15 30 49 06
unnecessary vulgarity
From the above table shows that, it is greatly evident that the nursing students has kept their
perception forward and agreed upon women have voice in social media 36.but they refused women
have strong voice media (52%) and sample neutral answer in social media women have submissive
role, and they are agreed upon social media heave over emphasize women (50%), more troll
against women (50%), unethical appeal against women (45%) and display or post unnecessary
vulgarity against women (55%). These above detail focus on still women have submissive voice
in social media.

Table 3

II Portrayed image of women have any relation to life;

Social media influence 20 51 09 09 11

women in improving in
quality of life
False news in social media 18 32 0 29 21
regarding women, it create
 Negative images in personal
life
Social media help to unite 17 18 10 36 19
against their abuse in society
Women tries to mimic the 01 11 27 48 13
advertisements in the social
media
Propagate even fake news 00 24 16 47 13
without know the true facts
The message given by the 08 12 11 55 14
social media can empower
and motivate women
Over use of social media 11 09 01 67 12
came problem in personal
life
Women get easily trapped 17 11 07 45 20
by social media chat

Table no 3; depicts that the nursing, strongly believe that social media influence in life . above
result shows that, social media not affect in quality life (71%), but false news affect in women life
in neutrally(50%) , also social media will help to unite against women abuse in society (55%), but
women tries to mimic media news (61%),propagate fake news without know true factor (60%) and
sample agree that it over use affect personal life (795) and may chance to trap its chat (65%).

There is negative correlation between our life and social media result shows that ;

R Calculation

r = -2120.5 / √((2620)(2137.875)) = -0.896

Meta Numeric (cross-check)

r = -0.896; The value of R2, the coefficient of determination, is 0.8028..

Table 4: Standard deviation, variance and confident level

Table SD Variance Confident level

Women portrayal in 14.45 208.79 99%,2.576SEx̄-
social media 15.502241476651 -
27.74100176659
Portrayed image of 19.45 378.56 68.3%,SEx̄19.474174322239
women have any - 25.70531285724
relation to life
The young generation of every country are its valuable human resource .The responsibility of
progress and change in our shoulders. For this they need to be aware of the progress as well as
issues of the society and more important is that they should be sensitive towards these issues. So
men has fabricated a personal interest in watching women the way they have been portrayed in
media which has negative correlation and its affect life also. So we need to change our society
and we need to working together equal gender quality in society.

Men are from earth, women are from earth . deal with it

- George carlin

Conclusion;

It is without a doubt that media has huge influence on people and it can be a dominant medium for
advocacy of gender equality and uplifting the present status of women in the society. But
unfortunately media is reinforcing stereotyped images of women and their roles in society. The
news regarding women is mostly about their hardships and atrocities imposed upon them. It shows
the gender insensitivity of media. It has become indispensible that media should take
responsibilities of acting as powerful instrument for bringing social change for women in more
favorable terms. Social media can utilize for substituting her traditional passive image imprinted
on the mind of the society as a whole with true and positive image of women. The positive and
encouraging attitude of society can bring the change in the status of women and to bring that
change social media’s role is very crucial. Priority has therefore necessarily to be given to changing
image of women, from passive onlooker and recipient, to that a positive doer and achiever.

References;

1. www.mystudentvoices.com
2. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0003/000370/037077eo.pdf
3. www.researchgate.net
4. http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in
5. Gender Stereotyped Portrayal of Women in the Media:Perception and Impact on
Adolescent;Archana Kumari & Himani Joshi;Department of Home Science, International
College for Girls, IISUniversity, Jaipur.
6. Media and the image of women:Report of 1st conference of the council of Europe Network
Focal points on Gender euality: Amsterdam; 5July 2013.
7. Gendered Media:The Influence of Mediaon Views of Gender;Julia T. Wood
8. https://www.statista.com
9. India’s internet has a massive gender problem—and it’s holding girls back By Ananya
BhattacharyaDecember 13, 2017.
10. WOMEN AND MEDIA-Justice G.N. Ray
Address;
Nidhin elias
Associate Professor,
Welcare College of nursing,
Ernakulam, Kerala.
9645954297