This document provides instructions for a group project investigating the impact of social media on Millennial identity formation. Students will be divided into small research teams to study whether social media has eliminated subcultures for teens. They are asked to research peers and other teenagers, as well as outside studies, on this topic using various online and library sources. Students will then create a short documentary presenting their findings and interviewing other students on issues of youth identity and the effects of technology and media.

1. Unit 5: Specialist Subject Mini Investigation
To prepare you for the Unit 5: Specialist Subject Investigation exam you will investigate a
Digital Media issue relevant to Audience, Production and Technology and your own identity
as Teen Millennials.
This will be done in small groups of 4 and you have all this week to work on it and be able to
present it next week.
Hypothesis: “Due to social media, there is no sub-culture or group identity for
Millennials”.
Initial Questions
• Do you initially agree disagree with the statement? Why?
• What sociological and technological aspects effect teen identity?
• What do we mean by ‘Millennials’?
• What do we mean by subculture?
• What do people use to define their identity? (Fashion, music, popularity?)
• What impact has social media have on identity constitution?
• Why are Millennials different to previous generations – what values are important to
them, what behaviours or attitudes make them different to ‘Gen X’ or ‘Baby Boomers’?
Things to do
• Get into Research Teams and divide up the Primary and Secondary Research
• Research students at the college to prove/disprove this statement?
• Research other teenagers to see if they match with the students here?
• Using the internet research what other people have said about this issue?
• Use social networks to gather information on the effects of technology on teenage
identity?
• Watch the video resources supplied.
• Visit the library to find out some information on this issue?
• Consider ideas of subcultures and buying identity?
• Think about the effects of the media on identify constitution?
• Think about ideas about gender, music, sub-cultures?
• You might want to think about interviews, questionnaires to help your research along?
Then pick up some camera equipment and put together a short documentary on this issue
asking students what they think and looking at some issues surrounding youth identity.
This needs to be filmed and edited next week for the whole class to watch 2:30pm Thursday
21st
September