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ASSIGNMENT
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Student Number 32813747

Surname Thu
Given name Myat Thu
Email myatthu278@gmail.com

Unit Code MCC236

Unit name Media Audiences and the Public
Enrolment mode Internal / external
Date 6th June 2016
Assessment name Assignment 1A Audience Analysis Proposal
Tutor Manbir Lalwani

Student’s Declaration:
• Except where indicated, the work I am submitting in this assignment is my own work and has not
been submitted for assessment in another unit.

• This submission complies with Murdoch University's academic integrity commitments. I am aware
that information about plagiarism and associated penalties can be found at
http://www.murdoch.edu.au/teach/plagiarism/. If I have any doubts or queries about this, I am further
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Optional Comments to Tutor:

E.g. If this is a group assignment, list group members here

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How has social media affected the perception of
obesity in young females?

Done by:
Student Name/ ID No:
Myat Thu(32813747)
Unit Code and Name:
MCC236 Media Audiences and the Public
Class: C
Unit Coordinator: Lauren O’ Mahony
Local Lecturer: Manbir Lalwani
Assignment Name/ Title:
Assessment 1A/ Audience Analysis Proposal Part 1

BACHELOR OF COMMUNICATION

MURDOCH UNIVERSITY

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 Table of Contents

1.1 Introduction--------------- 4

1.1Research Topic---------- 4
2.0 Background ( Literature Review )------ 5
2.1 Audiences --------- 5
2.2 Theoretical Framework--------- 8
3.0 Method------------8
4.0Survey------8
4.1Interview-------9
4.2Observation-----9
5.0 Appendices--------10

5.1 Survey Questionnaires----------10

5.2 Interview Open-Ended Questions---------13
5.3 Observation Guidelines----------14
6.0References List----------14
7.0Ethic Check List----------16

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1.0 Introduction

In today’s world, more and more obesity could be seen in young females which
also affect the social media such as facebook. Obesity (Nichols, 2016) is where a
person has gained excessive body fat that it could result in physical harm i.e. disabilities
(overweight, strokes) and mental harms i.e. unconfidence in looks (physical attributes).
The factors which affect obesity are mostly, eating lifestyle (Harmon, 2011) for example,
fast food preferences of home cooked meals and the genetic factors. Because of social
media addiction, people are getting lazy to cook healthy meals and prefer delivery of
fast foods. The target audience selected for this research are mostly young females of
aged 20 to 30 years old because these age groups are likely affected by the obesity
through the use of social media. These age groups should also need to keep in touch
with the use of social media in order to reduce obesity.
Nowadays, obesity has already become popular among the society and also it is
affecting most of the communities throughout the world. Obesity leads to a complicated
and multitude of interdependent motivation (Shah, 2010) sustaining by commercial and
psychosocial factors as well as also the rising opportunity of efficiency solid foodstuff
and decreasing physical exercise.

1.1 Research Topic

The research question would be, “How has social media affected the perception
of obesity in young females?” This research topic is mostly important as it gives the
community a wider range of views as well as mostly education to the society. Moreover,
it also basically gives ideas and knowledge so that the society could have a better
understanding on maintaining obesity as well as beauty. More obesity could result in
changes of body structure (Kolata, 2014) and having much more diseases.

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2.0 Background (Literature Review)

2.1 Audiences

The suggestion for obesity through social media tells us about how the audience
needs to engage in behavioral development at the particular level (Woo, 2010).
Sometimes, most of the audiences are being affected by the behavioral changes as well
as the reaction of social patterns (Harmon, 2011).This research will be conducting of the
audiences aged 20 to 30 years old in order not to have unnecessary consequences to
avoid unnecessary issues.

Literature Review

The imperative of human obesity: an ethical reflection

According to the first article (Meetoo, 2010), it tells us that the method of
observation is being used in this article to gather information and data as well as about
the relationship between the audiences and obesity. Moreover, this article is related to
the theory of uses and gratification theory as it is elaborating more about on the
communication process. Furthermore, this article on the theory of uses and gratification
theory tells us that the media users act as an effective role in selecting and working with
the media. This article definitely needs this theory because without this theory, the
target audiences as well as the media users will not know the updated information on
time and also they will not be able to know what is happening in which circumstances.
According to this author of the literature review, in relation to this research topic with the
uses and gratification theory, researchers and young females in today’s world are
essential to tune in and stay modernized with the feedback of obesity news and
advancement of social networks as things around our surroundings are changing every
day. As obesity is commonly known among young females through social media, this
essay will further elaborate on how the obesity is being affected on young females of
aged 20 to 30 years old through social media. The key conclusion to take away from

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this literature review is the target audience needs to stay up to date with the news i.e.
24/7 as there could be more updates on the obesity news. Without keeping in touch with
these current news, they would have lost connection in order to reduce obesity.
Moreover, they would not get a chance to view the latest news of obesity.

Improving treatments for obesity: The concept of self-management

According to the second article (Burton Shepherd, 2014), it states that the
method of experiment is being used in this article to demonstrate to the audiences.
Moreover, this article focuses more on obesity and how it should be controlled in order
not to happen again. This Literature Review targets on analyzing the negative
relationship between obesity through social media (Prestin, 2014) and the target
audiences. Furthermore, social media is essential in this article as well as also for the
audiences. This is because without that, it may be difficult for the audiences to follow
the necessity on social media as they are relying more on social media. As reported by
Prestin (2014), less young females are exposed to social media to reduce obesity. In
this finding, the negative impacts of obesity cause few young females not obeying the
instructions of obesity as what has been said on social media. The difference can result
in locating the right target audience. The key conclusion to take away from this literature
review is that, young females need to pay more attention as some are not even aware
of obesity. Without paying more attention, they will not know the strategies and tactics of
obesity and they would not be able to stay in shape.

Best Practices in Policy Approaches to Obesity Prevention

According to this article (Fox, 2013), it tells us that the method of experiment is
being used in this article. This article vividly states about how the obesity should be
controlled among the communities. It also clearly explains how the obesity should be
reduced by using different methods. Moreover, this article argues that more media
policies and feedback should be applied on obesity. Furthermore, media policies should
be engaged through the target audiences and uses and gratification theory as
mentioned above, so that the society can have a better understanding on the idea of

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what they are trying to visualize. According to this literature review, Fox also mentioned
that in low-income communities, the issue of overeating unhealthy foods might be the
cause of the problem of obesity instead of the unavailability of healthy food options. In
regards to the area of research, females aged 20 to 30 years old have hardly expressed
concerns towards obesity through social media. The review of this article brings to light
the absence of awareness of the causes, or otherwise, information that could help
prevent and alleviate the issue of obesity among the said communities. The key
conclusion to take note from this literature review is that, eating junk foods can lead
towards obesity as it may not bring to healthy lifestyles for young females who are
exposed a lot to junk foods. They need to reduce eating these kinds of foods as it brings
more obesity.

Obesity- A public health dilemma

According to this article (Shortt, 2004), it elaborates that the method of

observation is being used in this article. This article used to show that obesity had
caused concerns on many societies and is rising globally. Moreover, this article argues
that organizations should help the societies to reduce obesity so that the communities
can possess a better and healthier life. Furthermore, organizations depend on the uses
and gratification theory as they are obtaining information to share to the target
audience. This is because without that they may have difficulties in releasing information
through the social media as well as to the target audiences. The review of this piece of
literature also reflects the relevance of the use of observation in research work,
particularly from an organizational perspective. With respect to the context of this study,
organisations, for example, social media companies or governmental institutions may
play their part to empower young females through providing relevant information on
obesity, or help with the regulation of obesity propagating content. According to Woo,
she agrees that the affect of obesity on young females through social media is the same
like organizations people giving some education and advices outside. She also
elaborates that organizations and social media are a better way for young females to
engage which draws attention to target audience and area of research. It is also

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essential that young females should be exposed in practical situations in order to
reduce obesity. The key conclusion to take away from this literature review is the target
audience, that is, young females need to keep in touch with the organizations as they
are the one who takes care of these target audiences in order to possess a better and
healthier life. Without that, young females would not possess a longer life spam than
expected.

2.2 Theoretical Framework

Gratification theory (Blumler & Katz,1974) support the users of media to freely
choose the source that best fit for their purposes and not intact solely with one source.
Audiences not only act as an important key role in the information accepted from online,
but also to find the information they seriously want to explore (Blumler & Katz, 1974).

3.0 Method

The methods that would be choosing relating to this topic would be survey,
interview and the participant observation. These three methods will help this research to
get accurate results from the participants.

4.0 Survey

Survey is a form of quantitative method. For the survey, it is very important to

carry out this research because it creates the outline and it needs to be accurate and
involve the following steps such as, developing the survey instrument or questionnaire
so that the target audience can understand and answer easily without having
anomalous results. Using survey will be the best for this study as it will lower time and
the efficiency of price. Moreover, survey research runs minimal risks of compromising
essential and relevant information (Wyse, 2012). It is also suitable because large
amounts of data can be collected from large samples and large populations in a cost-
effective way (Wyse, 2012).

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 The justification for this method is that, it tries to construct the survey outline, by
choosing a representation of the selected group of respondents and lastly carrying out
the survey in an efficient manner in order to get the best possible data from the
respondents. The collection of data through surveys are suitable as they are
accomplished, useful and generalized. For this topic of research, the target audience for
this research topic would be involving of young females of aged 20 years old to 30
years old.

4.1 Interview

Interview is a form of qualitative method. For this research topic the chosen
method will be interview. Each interview would take at least half an hour to conduct this
research. The justification of choosing this method is that the data collected are
qualitative in nature and the opinions expressed by various interviewees are analysed
according to common themes and sub-themes of opinions, either manually by using
pattern coding. This method is good because it tries to give more precise possibilities.
Moreover, it needs to make restriction on the proportion of sampling (Opdenakker,
2006). This is because if there are more respondents than expected within the same
area, the price will likely rise.

4.2 Observation

According to the observation, it will take place in two settings. This method is chosen
over the other methods because it is able to help view the participant’s behavior. People
or respondents might have different behaviors to a research collection process if they
are doing in untrusty mood. Participant observation allows the investigators to analyse
definitions of circumstances (Kawulich, 2005) that members use in interviews, look at
the situations that informants might not be able to share when doing so would be rude,
or unkind, and analyse the situations informants have defined in interviews, thereby
making them conscious of misinterpretation or exaggeration in the statement given by

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those informants. It provides the researcher an improved perceptive of what is
happening in the culture and gives admission to one's analysis of the observation.
Participant observation also permits the researcher to gather both quantitative and
qualitative data through surveys and interviews.

5.0 Appendices

5.1 Survey Questionnaires

My name is Myat Thu and I am a student from Murdoch University. I will be

conducting the survey to ensure how they make use of the social media to reduce
obesity. Please answer the following questions honestly and follow the instructions
carefully. Thank you for your participation. This survey will take 10 minutes of your time,
if you consent to participate in this survey, please proceed here. All participants will be
given notice of the following:
- Their right to stop at any point whether they feel uncomfortable to move on to
next question.
- The data obtained is anonymous.

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Part A
I am…. Male/Female* (Circle accordingly)
My age is ….. 13- 17 years old
18- 22 years old
23 years old and above ( Circle accordingly)

Part B
1. How often do you keep updating information about obesity on social networks?

Indicate in the box provided.

Less than once a week.
Several times a week.
Several times a day.
Once a day.

2. I think obesity------

3. What do you think of obesity as the biggest disadvantages?

Indicate in the box provided.

Embarrassing.
Physically Limiting.
Unhealthy.
Controls Life.
No consequence or drawbacks.

4. What is your primary desire to reduce obesity?

Indicate in the box provided.

Developing appearance.
Developing health.
Feel greater and substantially convenient.
Essential to be happy.

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 5. On a scale of 1-6, how far do you agree that social media is very effective for
young females to reduce obesity? Tick in the box provided.

1 2 3 4 5 6

6. On a scale of 1-6, how far does the social media keeps you accurate with the
news about obesity? Indicate in the box provided.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7. How much do you trust social media to handle your obesity information
responsibly? Indicate in the box provided.

Trust completely.
Trust slightly.
Trust somewhat.
Trust not at all.

8. On a scale of 1-6, how far do you agree that obesity cannot be controlled without
social media? Indicate in the box provided.

1 2 3 4 5 6

9. How would you feel towards obesity? Indicate in the box provided.

Worried.
Scared.
In a state of disorderly.
Dangerous.

10. On a scale of 1-6, how far do you think that social media can give education in
order to reduce obesity? Indicate in the box provided.

1 2 3 4 5 6

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 11. On a scale of 1-6, how far do you think that social media plays an important role
on the effect of obesity? Indicate in the box provided.

1 2 3 4 5 6

5.2 Interview Open Ended Questions

1. What do you think are the factors that encourage obesity?

2. Why is it essential for young females of aged 20 to 30 years old to reduce obesity
through the use of social media?
3. What are some of the factors that would create the catalyst of change in female
obesity?
4. Why do you want to reduce your obesity level?
5. What kind of preventive measure are you taking to get rid of it?
6. What advice would you give from the social media to young females to avoid
obesity?
7. Why is social media effective for young females to reduce obesity?
8. Why is it important to maintain healthy lifestyle?
9. What kind of aid can young females having obesity get from social media?

5.3 Observation Guidelines

1. Time taken for the entire process- minutes

2. What other ways do they try to control obesity?
3. How do they make use of social media to reduce obesity?
4. How frequently do they try to reduce the obesity level?
5. How do they maintain their beauty in order not to have obesity?

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6.0 References Lists

Works Cited
Burton Shepherd, Alison. 2014. "Improving treatments for obesity: The concept of self-
management." Nurse Prescribing 12, no. 6: 302-306 5p. CINAHL with Full Text,
EBSCOhost (accessed June 3, 2016).

Blumler J.G. & Katz, E. (1974). The uses of mass communications: Current
perspectives on gratifications research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

E.Wyse, Susan. The 4 Main Reasons to Conduct Surveys. 2012.

http://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/4-main-reasons-conduct-surveys/ (accessed
June 29, 2012).

Fox, Ashley M., PhD. and Horowitz, Carol R,M.D., M.P.H. 2013. "Best Practices in
Policy Approaches to Obesity Prevention." Journal of Health Care for the Poor and
Underserved 24: 168-192. http://0-
search.proquest.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/docview/1382343132?
accountid=12629.

Harmon, Katherine. How Obesity Spreads in Social Networks. 2011.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/social-spread-obesity/ (accessed May
05, 2011).

Kolata, Gina. Obesity Is Found to Gain Its Hold in Earliest Years. 2014.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/science/obesity-takes-hold-early-in-life-
study-finds.html?_r=1 (accessed January 29, 2014).

Kawulich, Barbara B. Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method. 2005.

http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/466/996 (accessed
May 2005).

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Meetoo, D. 2016. "The imperative of human obesity: an ethical reflection." British
Journal Of Nursing 19, no. 9: 563-568 6p. CINAHL with Full Text, EBSCOhost
(accessed June 3, 2016).

Nichols,Hannah. What is Obesity? 2016. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/obesity

(accessed January 11, 2016).

Opdenakker, Raymond. Advantages and Disadvantages of Four Interview Techniques

in Qualitative Research. 2006. http://www.qualitative-
research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/175/391 (accessed September 2006).

Prestin, Abby. Obesity in Social Media: a mixed methods analysis. 2014.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4167901/ (accessed March 12,
2014).

Shah, Anup. Obesity. 2010. http://www.globalissues.org/article/558/obesity (accessed

November 21, 2010).

Shortt, Janet. 2004. "Obesity-A Public Health Dilemma." Association of Operating Room
Nurses.AORN Journal 80 (6): 1069-78. http://0-
search.proquest.com.prospero.murdoch.edu.au/docview/200826784?accountid=12629.

Woo, Jean. Prevention of Overweight and Obesity: How Effective is the Current Public
Health Approach. 2010. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872299/#b108-
ijerph-07-00765 (accessed February 26, 2010).

Weerakkody,Niranjala. 2009. Research Methods for Media and Communication.

Oxford University Press.

7.0 Ethic Check List

ETHICS CHECKLIST
MCC236/566: Media Audiences and the Public

Name: Myat Thu Tutorial Group: MCC236C

Title: How has social media affected the perception of obesity in young females?

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 It is important to maintain high ethical standards when conducting research. There are
some specific considerations to take into account when you’re researching human beings
rather than doing textual analysis. This checklist will provide an introduction to the topics
we consider important for any project involving human research.
You will need to complete a column on the checklist for each of your 3 methods. If the
method uses human participants (e.g. survey), then you’ll need to fill in the column.
However, if the method doesn’t use human participants (e.g. content analysis) then just
check 1a and leave the rest of the column blank.
By completing all columns of this checklist, you will have provided information each of the
three research techniques you will use in this unit and the ethical considerations of each
method.
Method 1 Method 2 Method 3
Write the method type in the column (e.g. survey, content analysis, focus group, Survey Interview Observation
etc.)
1. Do you need to complete an ethics checklist for this method? (Yes/No) Yes Yes NA
a. No, this technique does not involve human participants at all NA NA NA
(checklist complete and you don’t need to do anymore)
b. Yes, this technique involves collecting data concerning human participants Yes Yes NA
(complete the remaining rows)
Participants
2. How many participants do you intend to recruit for this technique? 15 2 NA
3. Will your participants be over 18 years old? (Yes/No) Yes Yes NA
If no, please contact Unit Coordinator.
4. Will you be recruiting vulnerable populations? (Yes/No) No No NA
Vulnerable populations include people who may be unable to give full consent for
themselves, such as those with intellectual disabilities or a high level of medical care.
5. Are there any other screening, inclusion or exclusion criteria for participants in this Yes Yes NA
study? (Yes/No)
If yes, have you thought about how you will ask them to participate so it
protects their dignity and is inclusive?
Method of Recruitment
6. Will you be recruiting in ways approved for this class project? (Yes/No) Yes Yes NA
Personal contact, on-campus, online forum, social network site, through another
person, and snowball sampling (participants recommend someone else)
If no, then please contact the Unit Coordinator.
7. If you are conducting an online survey, are you providing a link to the survey and not NA NA NA
asking participants to answer questions on a public site like Facebook? (Yes/No)
Privacy, Intrusiveness and Data
8. Will you be making an audio or video recording (e.g. focus group)? (Yes/No) No No NA
If yes, make you sure you tell participants ahead of time. and they agree.
9. Are there any aspects of the study that are intrusive in areas ordinarily No No NA
considered personal and private, or that could create apprehension and anxiety for
participants? (Yes/No)
Check with your tutor if you’re not sure.
Disclosure and Consent
10. Will you engage in covert observation? (Yes/No) (e.g. participant observation) Yes No Yes

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 11. When invited to participate, will participants be given a short overview of what Yes No NA
they will have to do (e.g. “do a short 15-minute interview about their experience as a
video gamer”)? (Yes/No)
12. Will participants be given the opportunity to agree to participate (consent)? Yes Yes NA
(Yes). This is essential. All participants must volunteer and be allowed to stop
continuing at any time without being judged or penalized.

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