Topic: It is quite obvious that the world has changed dramatically in the first couple of decades of the 21st century. Some of that change can be attributed to issues of economic development and instability throughout the world along with an increase of climate-related catastrophes and of course terrorism. These as well as other dramatic changes can be traced back to advances in technology that have the power to change the world in many positive but also negative ways. Primary Texts: This includes significant social changes that gained momentum in the age of social media – particularly issues of gender inequality. On one hand, there have been many instances of misogynistic values plaguing the corners of cyberspace and shocking the rest of society with deeply entrenched sexist comments and threats. On the other hand, this may have, in some ways, worked to expose the issue enough to force larger society to deal with it. Movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp are examples of the power of social media to create a powerful movement for social change. Thesis: While some of the darker sites like 4chan and Reddit seem to attract users who are prone to misogynistic rants and sites like Instagram tend to reinforce old stereotypes, social media as a whole has worked to empower gender equality by giving a more public and varied voice to issues such as sexual harassment, payroll inequality, and gaps in political representation. Outline: Body #1 – Start with the misogyny on social media. Discuss “Gamergate.” Use Quotes from Harris to support. [Notice how I am going to use a specific instance of online misogyny, an incident known as “Gamergate,” to illustrate the point of the paragraph and quotes from one of my academic articles, by the author Harris, to support the point.] Body #2 – Discuss body dysmorphia and gender stereotypes associated with SM especially Instagram. Use Martin quotes. Body #3 – Transition to positive applications of SM. Discuss social movements like #MeToo. Use Davidson quotes. Body #4 – Connect sex harassment with other issues of work place inequality. Discuss how SM has given voice to issues of pay inequality and brought transparency into the corporate world. Use quotes from the NY Times article. Body #5 – Connect corporate inequality with political inequality. Discuss gap in representation in elected positions and how SM has given power to newly elected female candidates. Use stats from Pew Research Center to support. Body #6 – Discuss ways these changes have created backlash and the ways in which even some supporters of gender equality worry they have gone too far in some instances. Conclusion – Make the connection between the positive and the negative. Discuss possible scenarios if things continue on the same track. Discuss some areas that still needs more investigation and research. [Notice that the body paragraphs follow the “blueprint” of my Thesis, so that everything I am writing about is working to develop the ideas laid out in the thesis. There is no specific number of body paragraphs you need, but if you have less than four, you should consider finding more points to explore. Take this step seriously. The more clear you are on each of the individual points in your body paragraphs, the easier it will be to write the essay. That way you can just take it one paragraph at a time (following the ingredients for paragraph development we discussed before) and next thing you know, you have written a well-developed research essay.]
