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I would like to look
at the role that media, specifically hip-hop, plays in the development of
the self-concept in adolescents.
Perhaps the influence of the hip-hop culture is predominantly a
superficial one (in that the individuals’ views, morals, etc are not
changed), but perhaps the prevailing ideas expressed in hip-hop actually
influence and inspire how adolescents view themselves (gender roles, for
example).
My method might
involve having a diverse sample of adolescents fill out a questionnaire
indicating the number of hours per week they spend in hip-hop related
activities (listening to music, watching videos, graffiti, dancing,
etc). The participants could be
asked to watch one of two types of videos - one of a neutral nature, such
as instrumental music accompanied by images of nature, the other a hip-hop
video. They could be asked to
answer specific questions that could be scored related to self-concept in
different areas such as physical appearance, integrity, relationships, and
others. They might also be presented with specific attributes and beliefs
and asked to sort these to reflect their own specific viewpoints. The results would be analyzed to see if
the number of hours spent involved in hip-hop culture and the exposure to a
hip-hop sample would in any way influence the self-concept and attitudes of
the participants.
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