Social Media, Teenage Romantic Relationships & Media Literacy

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to study teenage romantic relationships on social media platforms by testing if media literacy can ameliorate the problems that teenage couples face online. Social media can enrich romantic relationships, but they can cause problems such as relationship uncertainty, partner surveillance and online partner aggression. Media literacy encourages safe and appropriate use of media; hence, it can have a substantial role in teenage romantic relationships online. The significance of this research lies in its ability to test and analyze how media literacy can create a safer space for teenagers in online romantic relationships. Through testing teenagers’ ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate online, this thesis will examine the relation between Media Literacy Level and the romantic problems faced online. This study used a survey questionnaire physically distributed on school campuses. The questionnaire was filled out by 398 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18, attending six high schools across Lebanon. Research findings validated that media literacy is negatively associated to relationship uncertainty and online partner aggression. However, the finding also opposed one of the research hypotheses, revealing that media literacy is positively associated with partner surveillance.