Learning Hub - Discussion
- Note carefully that the topic of these Required Readings is social media and education but the subject of this Discussion is the thesis, specifically and comparatively on that topic in the Required Readings.
- The topic itself will be necessary to articulate and improve your comprehension of the Readings' theses (both objectively and relatively); but do not make the topic the subject of your Discussion.
- Your objective here is to gain understanding of the all-important foundational matter of thesis in academic writing.
- To discuss the topic of the quality and development of thesis by comparing the topics of 4 required readings and analyzing why the Wikipedia is not academically credible by contrast with your Critical Reading
- type of thesis - analytical (what's analyzed, topic, conclusion), expository (objective topic, key aspects), argumentative (topic, position, reason)
My post - Quality and Development of Thesis
- In the journal article "Social media and suicide," Luxton et al (2012) analyzed the influences of social media on suicidal risks and prevention for the public to reveal the challenges on the research and legal complexities of restricting social media from a public health perspective.
- They begins with the definitions of the topics social media and suicide, followed by research questions to introduce their thesis. It's coherent to develop the thesis by contrasting the suicide risk and prevention on social media as previewed in the introduction section. They concluded by suggesting future research topics on public health to keep the readers engaged. I argue that since the article was primarily published on a journal for researchers in public health, the definition of public health was presented late in the conclusion, while for nonexpert readers, an elaboration on public health perspective or research methodology in the introduction would benefit the readers to transition into the evaluation on suicidal risk and prevention more smoothly in the authors' perspective.
- In the magazine article "When a country bans social media," Bogost (2019) argues that a global social media network with none or little localization is not viable to all the world because the specific sociopolitical backgrounds may conflict with the homogeneity of the services relied on by tech companies for profits.
- Bogost quickly engages readers on the thesis by asking the question at the introduction on "what if a global media network is impossible" and the news of the social media ban in Sri Lanka. Bogost attempts to persuade the readers by providing the historical review of Sri Lanka on religious disputes, examining the promise of tech companies like Facebook, and suggesting the perceptions of social media are not fixed internationally. Considering that the thesis was generalized from few specific cases, I argue that it would help convince the reader if there are more evidences to support the thesis in more paragraphs because for now the thesis on global social media is not manageable enough within the current length. Also, the question strategies were used again in the conclusion which did not consolidate the persuasion.
- In "We should ban cellphones from classrooms. The research backs that up," Bennett (2019) strongly argued that the restrictions of cellphones usage at classrooms would reduce the student distractions because it helps students can focus at classes for better performances as supported by researches.
- Bennett used abundant research data and similar policies cases to support his claims on the downsides of cellphone usages at classed and advantages of its restrictions. And he concluded with speculation on the guidelines required for exceptional instructions that require phone usage, which has further made his thesis convincing and reasonable.
- By comparing the readings above, the Wikipedia entry of "Social media in education" (2023) analyzed the effects of social media in education from multiple aspects. The article supported most of its claims with citations and examples, but the essay development is not coherent in that the claims are not grouped coherently towards an overarching thesis. For example, the argument that social media in education impacts positively for the student and teachers was repeated in the sections of "Student devices", "App and services", and "Benefits". Meanwhile, its claim on popularity, productivity, and ease of communication of apps on tech companies used in education settings lack evidence without proper citation.
- In short, the Wikipedia entry can help the research with its collage of cited evidence, but it's not proper to be used as a direct credible source due to its lack coherency and crowdsourcing editing which adds to the instability.
My response to Simranjeet's post
- The thesis presented in the article "When a Country Bans Social Media" by Bogost (2019) effectively examines the implications of Sri Lanka's ban on social media and raises the question of whether a global social network is possible. The article explores the challenges and complexities of regulating social media, the cultural differences in how social media is perceived and used, and the potential risks and benefits associated with its global reach. However, the article lacks a traditional thesis statement. Instead, the main idea is conveyed through the exploration of various related topics and discussions throughout the article. It appears that the article indeed touches on various topics related to the influence and implications of a global information network. However, it may not provide extensive explanations or in-depth analysis to support its claims. While it raises thought-provoking questions and presents different perspectives, it may lack concrete evidence or detailed examples to substantiate its arguments. Given its publication date of April 22, 2019, the article's relatively recent timeframe adds to its credibility and relevance. While the thesis may lack some concrete evidence and detailed examples, it presents thought-provoking questions and offers different perspectives on the influence and implications of a global information network.
- Hi Simranjeet, it's a great perspective to add to the analysis on quality of thesis with considerations on the date of publication because it impacts the "credibility and relevance" of the thesis on a topic. This also highlighted the importance of the questions to ask in the critical reading, to examine the source, original audience, and the purpose of the articles. The 4 readings are initially published from different kind of media sources: online journal, magazine, newspaper, and Wikipedia. The production process of a certain media platform and its target audience may also contribute to the development of thesis on the structures. Comparatively, the journal paper starts with an explicit thesis supported by validated research data to serve the research community on future directions, while the thesis development of commentaries on newspaper and magazines tend to inspire its readers for thoughts and new opinions based on controversies or events at the time. Acknowledging the context of thesis of papers for academic research would help build the credibility into the thesis that we create and develop.