Abstract

In this thesis, I observe the representations of social media usage through a cultural studies lens, in both fiction film and television within the American educational setting. I analyze a curated list of films and television series that contain these depictions of human behaviors, interactions, and dialogue in recent years, to explore the possible effects these representations have on the targeted audience. I extract and examine the possible messages producers send through this medium. In parallel, this thesis is written at the time when the social media profession has come of age. It also emphasizes the critical need to research these media during a time of high internet usage in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought a change to the way more humans work. This paper includes three sections: 1) the possible on-screen real-life behaviors, categorized as desirable v. undesirable outcomes 2) discuss the social implications these representations of social media have on American students and popular culture 3) and how this new media has created human hybrids, and evolved our language. Lastly, I evaluate these discoveries in terms of representation, actuality, accuracy and argue why it is important to research these portrayals and the crucial need to represent the beneficial outcomes of social media usage more frequently.