Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
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The portfolio is focused on the theme “Social Media”. The researcher’s study is however
based on the negative impacts of social media on youths in community x. In accordance Social
based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration. The variety of stand- alone and built-
in social media services currently available introduces challenges of definition. The portfolio
Based on the use of language registers for the purpose of this research the reflective piece that
is compiled is written in the form of a short story, and is directly linked to the theme. In the
reflective piece the researcher based the short story on one of the negative impacts of social
media among teenagers. Another component of the portfolio is the Exposition, assessing the
negative impacts of social media on youths between ages 13-20 years. The researcher discussed
the challenges faced while investigating the issue. An overview of the sources was also done
Personally this topic interests me because of the use of social media has evolved in recent
years and its negative impacts have become prevalent in our society today. The researcher was
inspired to do this topic based on the experience of a close relative who became a victim of cyber
bullying. In addition, the researcher decided to examine the theme with the intentions of gaining
additional knowledge on Social Media and its impacts. The researcher is an aspiring social
worker, and the information gathered will be of great importance in the future. Academically,
this research is in partial fulfillment of the Internal Assessment for Communication Studies. The
researcher wishes that this portfolio will not only be informative but also purposeful.
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PREFACE
A short story was chosen to portray this theme since readers seem to be more appreciative of
short stories. This genre allowed the opportunity to create the perfect setting.
The story is entitled “The Unseen Master” and it illustrates the fate of a teenager named
Samantha, who becomes a victim of an online danger, as a result of her sharing too much
personal information with someone she met one online. This resulted in her being cyber bullied
by numerous persons.
The intended audience is both males and females between ages 13-20 years. This targeted
audience is selected because adolescents are vulnerable to cyber bullying and often fall victims.
An appropriate place for this narrative piece would be in the youthlink or in a school
library/notice board. Also, in presenting this piece, the use of technological devices such as
multimedia screens and speakers to provide the graphics and audio for the message will be more
The researcher wrote this piece with the intension of creating awareness, with regards to the
increase in cyber bullying due to the high usage of social media sites.
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“The Unseen Master”
“Samantha! Samantha! Mi nah call yuh fi get up fi guh get ready fi guh a school again. If mi cum
“Cho! Mi tiad enuh mi cyaa boda fi guh school today.” Samantha mumbled as she struggled out
of bed.
Samantha staggered down the stairs to the breakfast table. Apparently she had been up all night
on Facebook.
“Is how yuh look suh dis mornin? Mi keep tellin yuh fi guh a yuh damn bed early an cum offa
dis blasted facebook. Yuh not even a study yuh book all yuh have time fah is facebook!” said
Sandra.
“But jus wait yuh soon see wah dis facebook ago do to yuh” Sandra added.
Samantha was in her fourth year at St. Paul’s High School where she generally performed
exceptionally well amongst her peers. However, since her friend Amanda introduced her to
Facebook last summer, she became addicted and since then her grades have been fluctuating. She
was the only child for her mother Sandra who was always her breadwinner.
***
“Good evening mummy” Samantha said while rushing up the stairs to her room.
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Samantha did not hear a word her mother said as she had already reached to her room sitting in
front the computer on Facebook texting her new found love- Jason. The two have been in contact
for over a month now, though they never met or spoke on the phone.
Samantha did not respond as she was too engrossed in the online conversation with Jason. She
realized they had so much in common and that her love for him was growing each day.
“Samantha yuh nuh hear mi calling yuh?” Sandra asked outside the room door.
“Samantha! Samantha!” Sandra bellowed while knocking the room door furiously.
“Yes mummy” Samantha answered in a quavering voice as she quickly dismissed the Facebook
page.
“Look how long mi a call yuh pickney! A wah yuh in there a duh? ”Sandra asked.
“M-m-mummy mi neva hear yuh. A m-m-mi Spanish project mi did a finish.” Samantha
answered.
“Oh alright mek sure yuh guh eat before it get too late.” Sandra encouraged.
***
Two days later, Justin suggested to Samantha that they take things to another level. He wanted to
meet with her as he thought they would get to know each other even better. Samantha endorsed
the idea; she planned to skip school tomorrow to meet with Justin at his home in Cornwall Court.
It was an hour drive away from where she lived. She was very familiar with the place since her
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Samantha made her way to Cornwall Court on a sunny Friday morning when she should have
been in classes. Butterflies filled her stomach; she was both nervous and excited. As soon as she
It could not be Justin because she had not reached to his house as yet. The name Cassandra came
to mind. She quickly glanced around, to her surprise there was not anyone behind her so she
“Oh wow! You look even better in person.” Justin said as Samantha walked through the gate.
Justin lived with his parents. They were both gone on a business trip for two days. Justin was a
student at St Catherine College; he too had skipped school so that he could spend the day with
Samantha.
“It is really good to finally meet face to face with you.” Justin added.
“I have always dreamed of this day and now it is finally here.” Samantha said smiling from ear to
“Today will be a memorable one for us.” Justin said with a wink.
***
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“M-m-mummy m-m-mi did have dance practice afta school. Mi figet fi tell yuh dis
“It was alright enuh mum but now mi tiad.” Samantha responded.
When Samantha reached her room she quickly closed the door and then sat in front of the
computer. She logged into Facebook, the first thing that greeted her were some explicit pictures
of her. As she scrolled through her newsfeed she kept seeing the photo being shared by
numerous persons.
“Oh Lawd have mercy a wah dis?” Samantha mumbled to herself as tear drops ran down her
cheeks.
As Samantha scrolled through there were a significant number of mean comments mainly from
persons who attended her school. She wondered where these pictures come from. Then she had a
quick flash back of what happened today. She could not remember Justin taking any pictures of
her but even if he did, she was sure he promised he would keep them to himself.
Samantha began to write him a very distasteful message. But before she could finish she heard
“A wah kinda picture dis mi a see inna mi email?” Sandra asked ignorantly.
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Samantha quickly glanced at the picture. It was the same picture of her that was being circulated.
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THE ANALYSIS
In the story, “The Unseen Master,” the writer explores the harm that can occur when persons
meet strangers on social media networks if not cautious. The character Samantha experienced
cyber bullying from a friend she met online, who seemed to rather loving towards her. This
particular story illustrates Samantha’s happiness and excitement which turns into an unfortunate
situation. The writer employs a combination of registers, dialectal variation and communicative
social setting. It posses various levels of formality. The register used by each character helps to
effectively communicate certain characteristics about the individuals. The narrator uses formal
register which is deemed suitable, and also appeals to readers who may be of varying social
backgrounds.
The predominant register used in the reflective piece is the casual register. Samantha uses the
casual register in relating to her mother and it remains constant throughout the story, for
example, “It was alright enuh mum but now mi tiad.” The dialogue takes place in a casual
setting, and the register used is most suitable since they are well acquainted with each other.
Dialectal variation refers to changes in language due to various influences. These include social,
geographic, individual and group factors. The dialectal variation used by both parties vacillates
Creole) and basilect (which is complete creole), therefore reflecting parts of the language
continuum. The two characters remain within those two categories and the variations remain
constant throughout the story. It highlights the casual relationship between Samantha and her
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mother Sandra. Samantha’s mother’s speech contained typical creole structures such as the
replacement of the “ou” with “uh” as seen in the example “Sammantha yuh nah cum eat yuh
dinna?”
The narrator also uses acrolect (which is purely Standard English) to accommodate her audience.
This is clearly portrayed when Samantha says “I have always dreamed of this day and now it is
finally here.” This is also evident in the introduction where the writer gives a synopsis of
Samantha’s life.
In conclusion, the language registers and dialectal variations are influenced by their attitudes to
language. Hence the writer effectively uses linguistic criteria to appeal to the reader.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
<https://nobullying.com/six-unforgetable-cyber-bullying-cases/>
< http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140927/lead/lead3.html>
<www.lifewire.com>
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