A Sociological Analysis of the Ways in Which Women of Different Age Groups Engage with Social Media

Abstract

This thesis presents a sociological analysis of the ways in which women of different age groups engage with social media. This study is conducted from a phenomenological theoretical and methodological perspective, which believes that truth resides in lived experience. Through data generated from semi-structured interviews, this study reveals how, why and in which circumstances participants use social media, as well as the role of social media in constructing participants’ sense of self and cultural capital, whilst offering reflections on the apparent commonalties in the experiences of women of different ages. The paper continues to discuss the self-reflexive analysis of the researcher’s reasons for conducting this research, and offers context for his research through critical reading of Bourdieusian theories on cultural capital, contemporary research on how gender effects social media usage and the social construction of gender.