In the thesis, I explored the connection between the use of social media and the formation of women's private and public roles. In the theoretical part, the first focus was on the defining social media and the roles they play in the everyday lives of their users. In this part some statistical data regarding the use of individual online platforms were included. Descriptions and significance of pressures that appear because of the use of social networks were described, particularly the ones characteristic for female users. In my thesis I continued by defining online influencers and the content they share on their profiles. In the second part of the theoretical segment, I concentrated on women's gender roles. I briefly described what gender roles are and how they are represented in our society, then the focus was shifted to the private and public roles occupied by women in society. As a part of the private roles, I described the roles of a mother, a housewife, and a wife or a partner. In the following chapter, the development of public roles, which represent various career paths for women, were described. I concluded the theoretical introduction by linking the use of social media, women's roles, and social work.
The main goal of my research was to establish how social networks shape women's private or public roles or what role they play. I have used quantitative methodology. My thesis research was conducted on a sample of women aged between 19 and 42 who use social media. I decided to use a non-random and a convenient sample. The participants got the link to an anonymous online questionnaire via social networks that I also use. The measurement instrument was an online questionnaire that I had previously made using the 1KA web application. The data collection method I used was online surveying, as I spent some time collecting fully completed online questionnaires. Certain findings of the research were fairly expected, because all respondents use social media and spend quite a few hours daily by using them. The most commonly used social network is Instagram. The majority of respondents indicated maintaining contact with friends as its purpose. Most respondents follow online influencers, and a little bit more than a quarter of them aspire to similar career paths. I found out that there is a connection between the age of the respondents and the frequency of posting public and private content on social media platforms. The frequency of comparison with other people on online platforms is linked to the amount of time that respondents spend using social media. Upon analysis, I established that more than a half of the women believe that social media has a negative influence on the formation of private roles. Regarding public roles, women believe that social media accelerate the significance of women's roles in the public sphere and in the career growth. The research provided insight into the power of pressures women feel due to the use of social media. The strongest one is the pressure of beauty ideals. I also found out that there is a connection between the age of the respondents and the intensity of pressure in some life areas.
One of the suggestions for further work is to expand the research to other gender and age groups, which would enable an interesting comparison of results. At the same time, it is important for the social work profession to address the pitfalls of social media that shape women's roles in modern society.
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