Masters Cum Laude Study looks at Double Standards of Social Media

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Ms Zandile Mhlongo graduated cum laude with a Master of Education in Gender and Education. Her study, entitled: Teenage Girls Navigating Gender and Sexual Double Standards on Social Media Platforms: A Case Study of 14-18-Year-Old High School Girls in the South Coast, KwaZulu-Natal, explored how teenage girls navigate the sexual double standards that results in them being blamed for their sexual victimisation on social media platforms.

‘Social media is an incredibly powerful tool that shapes the way teenage girls view the world as well as power dynamics in relationships. My study found that there are complex inter-relationships between patriarchy, upbringing, and sexual double standards that shape girls’ ideas of gender and sexuality,’ said Mhlongo.

She concluded that social media messaging promotes the narrative that desirable female behaviour is founded on feminine beauty standards, celebrity culture, and girls’ acceptance of cultural norms highlighting purity, all of which restrict girls’ sexual becoming.

‘The study also found that affluent males fund Instagram influencers through transactional sex relationships. This is endorsed by celebrity culture, which applies pressure to comply with societal norms of appearance, perfection and beauty. It can encourage girls to pursue transactional relationships with men.’

Mhlongo advocates for the development and implementation of cyber laws with severe penalties, zero tolerance for unlawful cyber activities, and a comprehensive sexuality education programme that focuses on understanding the process of sexual becoming, educate learners on social media, and addresses security and privacy concerns.

She added that teachers need to be trained to understand how social media shapes young people’s expressions of gender and sexuality. Lastly, the study calls for transactional relationship prevention programmes that educate young women about the dangers of such relationships.

‘Being supervised by Professor Deevia Bhana and co-supervisor Dr Shaaista Moosa was truly a gift,’ said Mhlongo. ‘Professor Bhana ensured that I had limitless opportunities and they both transformed my life in ways that I would never have imagined. Their excellent academic advice and unflinching support were invaluable throughout my journey. Thank you for your outstanding leadership, allowing me to develop as a Black female researcher.’

Her first publication based on this study will appear as a chapter in a book to be published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2025. Mhlongo also thanked her family for their inspiration and assistance. ‘My degree is in remembrance of my late father, Bongani Eric Mhlongo, who loved and protected my siblings and I. May he rest assured that umagcino wakhe (the last born) will continue to make him proud.’

Words: Jennene Naidu
Photograph: Sethu Dalmini