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    1 views28 pages

    Boyd, D. It S Complicated. Introd y Cap. 7

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    Maria Nazarena Bamonte
    Boyd, D. It´s complicated. Introd y cap. 7

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    1 want 0 get his publication iw dhe hands of very tech, parent, olcy snake, 2nd jour Though in er anand adept sewering che ort common snissndertanding? and sexier abowt fxn eine He, ‘oye che Bec posible perton ro wie 2 book ke thi, nd his bok docs ot spp in any wa”—Henry Jenkins, coauthor of Spradable Moda: Creating Mooring and Valen Nerworked Caltare “ast, nance provocative and hopeful boyd does ial tis ured trent an tame ad thle dig lvex’=-Stephen Balkan, Founder and (CEO, Faily Online Suey Tastee “lupeceablymacarched, writen and argued, danah byes It Complictais essential reading for anyone wich evea the igh interesin eens owe sme’ Josie Lables autor of Lier and Zombie. Unis ‘Crucial reading for anyone who want undentod dhe mince ad ard relies of being tensge in our needed well (ni ooking a you, ‘pase policy VA writers)—Sco Wester, author of Ue “Finally a bok abou youth and social medi that acca gives youth ice! The sgh hee ofr unpecedened peypesive for parenting bd eaching in thie ncevarked word of ours”—Anne Calle codec of CanaecSalyrg wera RePanub)Newsong, "For the peice afro grande Fappucines, you cam buy cis book... and young people will make sense*—Nancy Lubin, CEO, DoSamehing og “A tae tense view ino the ofen maysying changes out everyday communication, bo’ bok ofes 2 oie oF reason inthe olen heed Gkuce over young people and sechnology’—Miauko ho, Universey of Califo Ine “hop always moves beyond conventional wisdom when it comes to under standing cn olin behave. es invalable to have he hes her yes of study Elsa Cama: Pape caer, Blog st "There rmathing marvlloaly sensible sbou boys role academic syle... boys ansomy of tanage Beis penetrating Jane Shilling, Sunday Telegraph “Urs Compl champion arch comple iden of what your cabo, and ‘views with hora he way ada dicuson 0 ofen tee the Young eo mute mecs"—Simen Ings, Mew Seni it’s complicated the social lives of networked teens danah boyd Yale oxivensiry pss new haven + london introduction (One evening in Sepeember 2010, was i he stands a high schoo! ‘ooxall game in Nashville, Tennessee, experiencing a powerful vse of dja wu. Asa member of ay high schools marching band in she ‘mid-1990s 1 ad spene countless Pray nights in stands across cen- tral Peansyhani, pretending to cheer on my school’s football ram so that I could hang out with my fends. The scene at he schoo! in [ashi in 2010 could easily ave taken place when I ws ia high school almost «wo decades eater. Ie was an archerypical American night, and immediatly legible ro me.I coulda’ help but smile tthe inony, given that Twas in Nashville calle with rns about how technology had changed thee ives, As Tt in the stands, I thought: the more things had changed, the more chey seemed the sane 1 recalled speaking to teen named Sean whom Pane in Lora ree yeas eutlie. He had told me to op looking for differences. “You'd scually be suprised how lial things change. Tim gucsing | foc ofthe drama is sell the same, i just che formar isa lil differ ent. es just changing che font and changing the bicegroand color realy” Hee made references o technology to remind me tht reco ‘ogy wae’ changing saying importa. Back in Nasbile, the cheerleaders scrimed, "Defnse!" and waved cher colorful pom-pom, while boys in exes and gi in for smal gowas lined up on the wack char ctl the football fk, signal- ing that halftime was approaching. Ths was a Homecoming game, and at halfime the Homecoming Court paraded onco the feld in foemal atire tobe introduced 1 the audience hefoe the announoet| declared the King and Queen. The Court was made up of eight gils and eight boys half of whom were white and half of whom were Lack, I elected on the lack of Asian or Hispanic representation ina town whove demographies were changing. The anaouncer into- duced each member co che audience, focusing on their exracurscu- lar activities heir participation in one ofthe local churches, and ‘heir dreams forthe fucure “Meanwhile, most of the suene body was seated in the stands. They ‘were decked ont in the school colors, many even having pained their faces in suppoce. Buc they were barely paying attention to what was happening on the fd. Apare fom a brie sh wien the Hemecom: ing Court was presented, they spent the bulk of the ime facing one another, chatting, enjoying azare chance wo spend unstructured time together as fiends andl pes. ‘Asim many schools I've vised ove the yeas, filendships ar this school in Nashville were largely defined by race, gender, sexuaiey, and grade lew, and chose networks were immediately visible based ‘on whom students wee elkng to or sting with. By and lrg, the sudents were cordoned off in thet own section on the sides of the stands while parents and more “serious” Fans occupied the seas in the center. Most of the students in the stands were white and divided by grade: the upperclassinen took the seats closest 1 the fick, while che feshenen were pushed coward the hack. Gils were rarely alone with boys, buc when they were, chey were holding hand ‘The teens who swarmed below and so the right ofthe stands rept sented a differen par ofthe school. Unlike theit pees i che stands, ‘most of che sudeues milling about below were bck. Aside fom the Homecoming Court, only one group was rcially mixed, ad ehey| ‘were recognizable main for cei artis" atire—ansarually cle ‘orf hat piescings, and black cloching that I recognized fom the "ack of Hot Topic, a popular mall-based chain sore that caters to goths, punks, and other subcultural groups (Only two dings coafimed that this was not 9942 the fashion and the cell phones. Gone were the 19Ros-inspired bangs, perms, and cxcensive me of hie gel an haesray thac dominated my high school 2 inaction ‘well into the 1995. And unlike 1994, cell phones wore everywhere. [As far as I could tell every teem at the game that day i Nashville had ice: iPhones, Blackbertics, and other high convey th." These fears are now laughable, but when on ‘hese technologies or media genes frst appeared, they were taken very seriously: Ever che mos fleeting acquaintance with the bistory of informa- ‘on and communication technologies indicates that moral panics are «psoc and should be aken witha grin of salt. So too with wopian visions, which prove just as unrealistic. A popular Tshirt designed by Jolin Slabyk: and sold on the websice Threadless sums up the dillsionment with fled technological tapas they ied sous this was supposed eo be the ture where is my jetpack, ‘where is my robotic companion, wheres my dinner in pill fo, ‘wheres my hydrogen fueled automobile, where is my nuclear powered levitating house, whece is my cue fortis disease ‘Technologies are often heralded as the solution 10 major world problems. When thos solutions filo ranspite, people are dsl sioned, This can prompt a backlash as peopl focus on the terrible things char may occur because ofehoe same rechnologis, ‘A great deal ofthe fear and amet tha surrounds young people se of socal media stems from misunderstanding, or dashed hopes ‘More ofa than not, wha emer ou of poopl's confusion ees the foun of utopian and dystopian shes. Ths issue will reappear ‘throughou the book. Sometimes as inch ese of sexual predators and ‘other online fry issues, misunderstanding results ina moral panic In other cases, suchas the dystopian noson that tens are addicted ra social medi o the weopian ids chat techncogy wil yl inequality, the focus on technology simply obsares ther dynamics play Both extremes depend ons form of magia chinking scholars call echnolgial determinism. Uropian and dyscoyisn views assume that technologies possess intrinsic powers that affet al people inal si anions the same way. Utopian shecoric assumes that when a pucicuae inreducon 15 technology is broadly adopeed it will eansform society in magni ‘cent ways, while dystopian visions focus on all of che ersble chings thar will happen because of the widespread acoption of a particulae| technology that ruins everything. Theseexteeme thevries ae equally unbelpfl in undersanding what actually happens when new eech- nologies are broadly adopted, Reality is nuanced and messy, fall of pros and cons Living ina neewotked world is complicated, Kids Will Be Kids Ifyou linen w the vices of youth, che sory youl piece together revels hodgepodge of opportniies and challenges, changes and continuity: AS with the fotball game in Nashville, many elements of ‘American teen culture remain unchanged inthe digital age, School Took remackably fils, and many ofthe spe amsetes and hopes that shaped my experience are sll cognizable raday. Others are ssikingl different, but what difers fen has esto do with technol- ‘ogy and more do with increased consumerism, heightened compe- tition for acess wo limited opportunities, and an incense amount of arena pressure especially in wealthier communities." Alltoo often, ic is easier to focus on che technology than on the brader systemic issues tha are 2 play because technical changes ae ease to Se. ‘Nostalgia gets in the way of understanding the relation becween teens and technology. Adults may ieaize their childhoods and for ‘gt the tials and ebulations they fced, Many aul Lec assume that thei own childhoods were heser and richer, simpler and ser, than the digitally mediated ones contemporary youth experience "They assocate the sse of digital technology with decline—socil, Sllectual, and moral. The eesearch I present here sugges that the ‘oppose is often true. ‘Many of he mac-byped concerns discussed because of technology te noe new (for example, bullying) bu rather may be misleading or crample «decine in atenion) oe serve as distractions foe seal sks ‘resample, predators), Most myths are connected to teal incidents ‘or rooted in data tha ace blown ous of proportion oe are delibentely 16 rroducton exaggerated to sparkar. Media culture exaggerates this dynamic, magnifying anxieties and reinfocing fas. For adule wo bear the ices of youth chey must goof ther nosalgia and suspend thie fears. Thisie nove, ‘Teens continue o occupy an awkward positon between childhood and adulthood, dependence and independence. They are struggling to carve out an identity that isn defined sally by fail ies. They ‘want 10 be recognized at someone othe than son, daughter, sts, ‘or brother, These sruggles play ehemselves out in familie ways, a teens fight for fcedoms while nor aways being willing oe able vo accept sesponsbiltis. Teuns simultsneously love and despise, need and reject thie parents and other aus in their Hives, Meanwhile, ‘many aduls are simulcaneousyafaid of tens and afta forthe. “Teens efforts to conta heir sel presentation —ofren by donning clothing or hairstyles their parents deem socally unacopesbe oF engaging in practice ha thee parents deem riey—are leaty rated to thei larger effor at selfashioning and perconal autonomy. By Aresing ike the ewenty-somethings they see celebrated in popula culture, ehey signal eheie desire so be seca a independne young, adults, Tashion choice ae one of many ways of Forging an ideniy thats cued ess to farily and more to finds Developing meaningful friendships is key component ofthe ca ing of age process. Friends offer many things advice, support, enter tainment, anda connection that combts loneliness. And in ding so, they enable the tanstion to salhood by providing» conext beyond ‘ha of furmilyand home. Though family sl important many wens seth che opportunity eo create relationships chat are noe simply given but chosen, “The importance of tends in social and moral development swell documented.” Bat ehe fears tac surround tens use of social media ‘overlook this Fundamental dese for social connection, All :o0 afien, parents project their values onto thei childsen, filing to recognize that sehool i often not the most pressing concern for most tens Many parents wonder: Why are my kids tethered to their cell phones sweeten 17 8 or pespenualy texting with friends even when they are in dhe same room? Why do they stem compelled to check Facebook hundreds of ‘imes a day’? Are they addicred to technology or simply wasting time? How will they get imo college if chey ae constanely distacted? I encounter these questions from concered adults whenever I give public lectures, and these atiudes figure prominendly in parenting sides and in journalistic accounts of tens engagement with social sedis, Yer these questions seem far less urgent and difficult when we sckenowledge cons’ underlying social motivations. Most eens are not compelled by gadgetry as such—they are compelled by fends “The gudgets are imerstng ro chem primarily asa means wa social ced, Furthermore, social ineracions may be a distraction from school, bur they are often not a distraction om learning. Keeping this base social dynamic firmly in view makes aecwodked tens sud denly mack ess worrisome and strange ‘Consider, for example, the widespread concern over internet adic- ‘ion. Are there teens who have an unhealthy celatianship with techral- gy? Ceresinly, Bur most of those who are “addicted” to thei phones cor computers are actualy focused oa saying connected co fends ina clare whore getting togethes in person is highly constrained. Tes preoccupation with their fends doveails with thei desire to enter the public rpces that ae fely acess w adults. Theabiliy wo access public spaces fr sociable purposes is 2 eitcal camponest ofthe com- ing of age proces, and yet many ofthe public spaces where aduls| _gsthor—bars, clubs and restauranse—areinaceesble wo tans. ‘As teans teamsition fiom childhood, they cry to undersand how they fino the larger wot. They wane ro inhabie public spaces, bur they also look to adults inctuding public figures, to understand wae it means to be grown-up. They watch thei parents and other aul in their communities for modes of adulehood. But they aso trac celebrities lke Kanye West and Kim Kardashian co imagine the Freadoms dhey would have if they were famous. For beter oF ‘worse, moda natratves alo help conssrct broader naraives for inreduton _ publi "Ri? shows he og Sha ipl be poo fan hat cn be hel yyy ala who en eed Tye pence Sona ay oth estefan ha hy ao seb ean thas end th Ate tres ewton hemes yng hey eg rine tthe ban foes puny con hor baer cvom, Ten? deminer on open inte ewe cing rome pc payee pros chien om xy pos dag Coming og wihlidecminatan, king and gh detemng "a fen wa to be eno thon ee sda ueron ain publisPenone he eed pe They nal hn ames pry anderen tot pote che nes pr hg ae ln eg in Recognising edemanng te sn Aiprowcal mei Alogh many lal than vin cree eth ie the salei norshccn Sareereeeetrereseesieririeaietieaintinta Pol uty ab hiya ch oe nd Deh sil staaon Thor Staind by mayan hi pans and wahoo Darien guna wdeap anaes tener in eve pe Socal mai cms fe oouthcnepbli pce hat ofthe Bor eae harping eee shiny uy win sy to achieve privacy is afien ‘A Place to Call Their Own Scring in cafes ia small won in lowa in 2007, Las aking with Heather, a whic siteen-yearold, when the topic of adul ae tudes toward Facebook came up. Heather had secenly heard chat politicians were trying to prohibit teen accesso socal network ites, rockon and she was incensed, “Pa ealy mad aboot. lessecial nerworking. Terealy sa way to communicate, and iFchey Ban that, ie’ really ard to conimuniate with oher people you don' se char ach. Task her why she didn’ jase get together with her fiends in person. The ‘an cae fllowed made clear hat I had touched a neve 1 can really go see people in person. I ean barely hang out ‘vith my frends on che weekend, let alone people {dont ek to as often, Pan so busy Ive got lots of homework, Lim busy with rack, Pee gota jb, and when Tim not working and doing. homework Fm hanging out with the ood fiends that I have ‘But thers some people Tve kind oflose contact with and I ike Iesping comected «0 them because cheyte sill frends. T just haven‘ alked ta them in a while. I have no means of doing, that. Fchey goto 4 different school it’ really hard and I dont ‘exacly know where everyone lives, snd T doit have everyone’ ‘al phone numbers, and don' have all of ther AIM sereen arcs citer, 40 Freebook makes ita lr easier for me For Heather socal media is aoe only a rol; ti social lifeline ‘that enables her to stay connected people she cares about but can- not otherwise interact with in person, Without the various sites and services she wees, Heather—like many of her peers— believes that her socal lfe would sgnicanty shrink. She doesn’ see Facebook as inherently useful, bu it's where everyone she knows is hanging out ‘Aad is the place wo g0 when she doesnt know how to contact some- cone drs “The soci mei tools chat tens use ate disccr descendants of the hangouts and other public places in which teens have been congte- tating for decades. What the drive-in was to eens in the 19505 and ‘the mall ia the gos, Facebook, eexting, Tite, nstane messaging, and other socal media sf wo tens now. Teens Rock to them know ing they ean socialise with fiends and become beter acquainted swith lasuares and peers they doa’ know as well They embrace socal media for roughly the sume reasons catice generations of teens 20. ntodacion sacended sok hops, conregeed in parking ls, cloned peoples fron stoops of id yp he phone line fr houts one. Tens want 10 gossip lr, complain, compare notes, share passions mot, and joke around. They wane 0 beable elk ong themselves —even Far means going online ethers reliance Faebook and other tool regis anspor tant change in wen expeince. This change snot roted in social media but instead helps explain the popularity of digaltechnolo- gies. Many American tens have limited engrphie Recdom, ks fre cime, and mare ules. In many comnts across che United Seats the era of Being able go run sound afer schools long 38 ye are home by dks long oe* Many toes ar stuck thom nl they at old enought dive thomaches For younger tens, get ing together with fiends afer school depends on cooperate pa cvs wih exile schedules who are wing or able to cafe nd cbapezone Socializing i ao more homebound. Often, sens meetin ich coher homes athe than public pues. And no wonder inessing regulon means ha there arerit ax many public spaces fr tas so gather. The mall once one of the nan bubs fr suburban eens Js mh ess accesible now than tence was” Becase mall are pi vacely omned spaces, proprietors can prohiic anyone they wish, and many of them have pois groups of tenes fom entering. In sukion, parents ae ss willing allow te children o hang ot in mals, our ear ofthe ranges eon may encounter, Ten sie iy hae far fewer places wo be eopeter in public than they once Aid” Ard the succes of social media mst be uadestood pty in rcation co this shinking socal Indscape. Facebook, Twines, and [MySpace are not ony new public spaces: they arin many cass the only “pub” spaces in whic ees can easly congegate with age soups of thee pees. Mote sigan, tens can gather ia cher vile il physically stack thom. ‘Teens told me time and again tha chy would fr eather mec «pi person, bu che hetc and heavily scheduled nate oftheir inwodveton 21 ay to-day lives, ti ako physical mabilry, and he fers oftheir parents have made suc face-to-face interactions increasingly impos: sible, As Aaya bircalsxteon-yearold in Seal, sucinely put it “My mom doesn’ let me ou of the house very often o that’s pretty rmuch aldo isst on MySpace and clk to people and ext and alk ‘on the phone, cause my moms always ge some crany reason ro keep ime in the house” Social media may seem like 2 peculiar place for teens to congregate, but for many tens, hanging out on Facebook o- “Twitter isthe only opportunity to gather en masse wich frends, acquaincances, clasimates, and other tens, More often than not, their pasion for social media stems from their desire to socialize Just Because tens are comfortable usin socal mea hangout doesnot mean thas they're fue in o¢ with rechnofogy. Many tens ave ot neaty as digitally adepe 2s the ofen-used assumption tha they are “digital native” would suggest. The teeas I met knew how to geeto Google bu had lle understanding about how to consteuct a query © get quality infoemation from che popular search engine “They knew how to use Facebook, bu her undecanding of he site's privacy setsngs did noe mesh with che waysin which they configured ‘hair accounts. As sociologist Esner Harga bas quipped, many teens are more likely tobe digital nivs than digital natives" “The tum Agia nares ightning od forthe endless hopes and {ears thar many adults attach wo this new geneition. Media narratives often suggest that kids roday—those who have grown up with digital ‘echnology—are equipped with marvelous new superpowers. Their rulaskng skills supposedly astound adults almose as much as thei three thousand ext esages per month. Meanwhile, che same breath Jess media reports also warn the public char these kids are vulnerable to unprecedented new dangers: sexual predators, cyberbullying, and myriad forms of ineleewal and moral decline inluding tern ection, shrinking aentions spans, decreased literacy, reckless ver sharing, and so on, As with mos ers, these nities ae nor without precedent even if they ac often overblowa and misconstrued, The key to understanding how youth navigate social media is co sep away 22 syvection rr fom te headlines both good and bad—ind dive imo the more anced reales of young people ‘My’ experience hanging, oue with teenagers convinced me that the grates challenges facing networked scene are fa from new, Some challenges ate zooted in this county’ long history of racial and social inequality, bur economic variably i increasingly notice thle, American tecs eantnve ro Hive and lear in eadaly uneven ‘conditions. 1 vised schools with seteoFheart faites, highly credentnled and specialized faculty, and students hell-bent on going Ivy League clleges. At che aher extreme, alo visited ran- down schools with metal detectors, 2 seream of “subtinate” eeachers standing info fall-ime educators, and studenes who smoked mati- jana during class. The explanations for these variations are complex and challenging, and che dispascy is unlikely wo be addres in the cae Fate, ‘Aldbough almost all eens have acces to technology at this points their access varies tremendously. Some have high-end mobile phones with unlimited dat plans, their own laptop, and wireless acces a home. Other ar conserainc to bade phones with pay-persent plans and access the interne only thoough the fered lens of school ot Libeary computers. Once agin, economic inequality plays a central sole Bur acces is noc the sole divide Technical sil, medi ers, and even basic English literacy all shape how tens experience new technologies. Some tens ae laring about technology for thei parents while orher rons are teaching chit patents hos to. constnact a search query orl out jb application. (One of the gree hopes for the inernct was that ir would serve 2 the great equalizer. My cesearch into youth cultate and socal ‘media~alongsde findings of other tesearchess—has made it obvi- ‘ous thatthe colo blind and disembodied socal world wha the ier: ‘nes was supposed to make possible has not materialized. And this unforcunate realigy—the ality of aca ensons and discrimination thac long predates the rise of digital medio—often seems to escape our public atenion. redction 22 —e Meanwhile we ear a lot about how the onlin spaces that teens frequent are sinister worlds popolsted by sexual predators a bles. Buc we rely fever hea hat experiences offine. Bullying, racism, sexual predacon, ste shaming, land other insidious practices that occur online are extaondinaily important ro addres even i chee noc new. Helping young people rvigate public life safely should be of sigaificane pubic concern Br is etal to recognize cha technology does nor crete these problems, even if ie makes them more visible and even if ews media telishes using wechaology as + hook to tell salacious stories about youth, The vty sight of ask youth should haunt al of us, bat ile is achieved ifwe focus only on making what we sce invisible “The inctnet mircors, magnifies, and makes more visible the good, bad, and uly of everyday life. As teens embrace these ool an incosporate them into their daily practices, they show us how out broader social ad culural systems are aecing their ies, When teens are huting offine, che reveal their hurt oaline, When tens experiences are shape by racism an misogyny, this becomes vse online. In making necworked publics their own, teens bring with ‘them he values an belief tha shape dei experiences. Asa society ‘we need to use the viibily that we ge rom social media o under stand how the social and cultural fae lines that organize American lite afect young people. And we need eo oso in order to intervene in ways hac direcaly help youth who are suffering Ever since the internet entered everyday life—and particularly since the widespread adoption of social medis—e have been bom Darded with sores about how new technologies are destroying our social fabric, Amid a stream of scare stories, techno-wopians are touting he amaring benefits of online life while cyberdystopans are describing how our brains are disintegrating because of our connec: tion to machines. These poaczing views ofechnology pus the dis causon of youth's engagement with socal media co an extteme [inary socal media god or social media is bad. These extremes— andthe myths chey perperate-—obscue dhe realty often practices any teenagers ate seared by he same 20 eduction ee: r tnd sree tr he eeron pp ino ping dag, Thee myths dao he aly en foment more quent by demoning How to Read This Book ‘The chapters tha fllow are dedicated w diffrent issues that underpin youth engagement with social media. Many are organized {ayound concerns about youth practices that persist in American soci- ty. Bach chapter offers « grounded way of looking at an issue. Althong the chapters ean be rid independently, they are collec ‘ively onganized co flow fom individual and Faia challenges #9 Ibosder societal este. A conchasion summaries my arguments and coffers a deeper analysis of what nerworked publics mean for concer porary youth, ‘As a researcher passionate about che health and wellbeing of young people, I wrote his book in an efor to create a nuanced por ‘it of everyday ten life in an era in which socal media has become rmainstear. The questions I ask are simple: What i and ine new about lf inflected by socal media? Whar does racial mess ad to the quality of tens social lives, and what does it take away? And when we as a sociey don’ like the outcomes of sechnology what can we do co change the equation eoniractivel, making sure that we take advantage of the Features af socal media wil limiting potential abuse? cis much easier © undersznd myehs retrospectively than ic isto Aismantle them a they are being perpesuated, but this book ams to do the later. Tha sid, some ofthe most pervasive anieties about social media have begua to subside in eecene yeas, as adult have started potiipacingin social media and, especially, Facebook. Tam ‘auously hopeful hat adult engagernent wll alm some of he most anxious panics. And yet the wopes and sores cha T use throughout the book ed zo be resurrected with each new technology, while oth- ess endue ia. the fice of quite overwhelming evidence to the con trary. As many adults have growa comforsble with Facebook, the Invocation 25 Be _medis naeaives switched to focusing an the sarinss of mobile apps like Snapchat and Kil: The story emains the same, even if he site of panichas shied Social modia ha affeced che lives and practices of many people and will contin to ply a significant roe in shaping many aspeccs ‘of American sciery. There are many who lament these developments ‘wax nostalgic about the pe-inteer world. That said, T would be surprised to find anyone who will believes thatthe internet is going, away. Along with planes, running wate, elecrcty, and motorized sransporeition, the interne snow a fundamental fact of mode if “This does not mean that access othe inerne is univeesal and some people wil always ope ous. Even in a councry as wealthy asthe nied States, many lack acest sanitation, and some choote wove without eleticiry. Just because che imterner—ane social medis—is pervasive in American society does nor mean that everyone wil have acest, will want acces, or wll experience acces nthe same Way ‘Contemporary youth are growing up in a cultural seting, in which many aspect of cheiives will be mediated by technology and many of ther experiences and opportunities willbe shaped by thee engagement with cechnology. Fear mongering does lie to help youth develop the ailicy o productively engage with this realy. As {Lsoccry, we pay a pice for fear mongering and wtopian visions chat ‘ignore move complex reales. In writing this book, I hope ro help the public beer understand what young peopl are doing when they engage with social media and why thee sremprs to makesense ofthe ‘workaround them should be commended “This book x writen witha uoad audience in mind scholars 2nd students, parents and educaws, journalists ad librarian. Although many sections draw on academic ess, I do noc expect the reader to be familiar with the schoany liesrure invoked. When necessary for understanding the argusnen, I provide background in the vex. More often than noe, ve provided numerous tuchstones and references in| craduotes and an exensve bibliography that can enable those who wish co go deeper or to understand the slevane debates todo s. 26 nodcton rT ‘Through ths book, I daw on gui ad ethaphic neil ht lected ron 2009 2012—andnervew cone Ghcted foe 2007 to 210-1 provides despe pri ofthe feet igus tha dics Gino he cones in ih i ie ing sad the dita on which Pm doing, ow ofthe dscunon i ‘cpl evened sound American tee ele, hough seme of iy seals may be eran inher aks and oe tae fr grad, and ay sek wo calle thecal gic ha inept Arman wacky andthe development of el cia Although [lve that ha ssmptons shold be gud hii cutie the ope of isp By cept th cau ene in hich youth re vig, Teck explain thi practicing af Soy which hy sed “The newrkd chooks tat wee dominant whe I begs rearing this bok ae diffrent than chose that wee popular tren Iwas Snihing the mans. Een Mypace—onc the tina cl ewok ste among uth nd eld tour to eis oki trl shadow ft omer n 0, Que probabi, whars popular when you'e main his Bok is diffe SS ArT wit hi Facto sng ale ata ape ad ‘vcs like Intagam, Tambl,and ape gain bald. Sol tna i a moving lamps may ofthe esta een throghou hs Book mayer may no suv Bat the yo vig onc social consi, communicate aycom, tnd seach infrmatn elie hte ay Don fe ye nce ox serves rc ou fo she rumen in thi tk. The eames may flanged bu the core princes and prastics Pn ying desi ae Hl poi og fr his Sook spb ‘Noteveryonsbat eu acs the ineret or do wells cece iin the same way, Bat scl mia steely shaping and being shape by coscporary sey, bors ie mone beyond puny nares undentand wha sil mein an aw is in choc Uns of uth a ‘Asa socieey we often spend so much ime woeryingabour young, people that we fil ro accouat for how our paternalism and prove tionism hinders tees’ ability to hecome informed, chougheful, and engaged adults. Regaedess of che stores in the media, most young people often find ways wo push chrough the restrictions and develop ‘sense af who they ae and how they wane to engage the wold. ‘wane to celebrate thee creativity and endurance while also highlight- ing that thee practices and experiences are not univers or uaifoemly positive, “This book snot alove eter youth caleure, though my research has coavinced me that young people are more eect than I intially belived. Rather this boos an auempcw convince che adults thathave power over the ives of youh—including parents and veachers, journal ‘sand law enforemene officers, employers and military personnel — sha whar eens ae doing 2s they engage in newovked publics makes sense, Atthesame time, coming to terms with if na networked eri ot nscessarily easy or obvious. Rather it complicated, lerrotction 1 identity why do teens seem strange online? {In 200, an Ivy League university was consdeting che application of young black man from South Central Lot Angels. The applicant Jhad writen a phenomenal essay about how he wanted to walle away from che gangs in his community nd attend the ececned insti tion. The admissions officers were impressed: a student who over comes such hurdles is exactly what they lke seeing, In an effoce co learn more about him, the comnitce members Googled him, They found his MySpace profil. Ie was filled with gang symbolism, crass language, and references to gang activities. They recoiled heard this story when a representative fom the admissions oce contacted me, The representative opened the converstion with a simple question: Why would a student lew 22 admissions commit- tee when the commitece could enily find the cruch online? T asked for context an eared about the candidate, Seunnod by the ques ‘son, ay inital response was filled with nervous lager Thad hung. ‘outwith and interviewed teens from South Cental {was always scruck by the challenges they faced, given the gag dynamics in heir neighborhood, Awkwanlly, offered an alternative interpretation: perhaps this young maa is simply including gang signals on his MySpace profile a. survival echaique, ‘Trying to sep ino chat young man's shoes, I shared with the co: lege admissions officer some ofthe dynamics chat I had seen in Los » 7 literacy are today's youth digital natives? Because tens grew up in a would in which che itemer has aye ised, many aduls assume that youth astomarclly undentand ow technologies. From this penpectve, teens are “gil natives." and Adults, supposedly es koowedgeableabour ecology and less publ of dewoping these ils, ae “dig immigrants" Two Masschusers state goverment oficial echoed thi notion in 210: cildten ho attend school today are dial natives who thik noting of leaning hough the use of technology. As adults, we are gal immigrants who ‘ememserIssons defvere throug film sips and overhead projectors Taste where digital pioneers flourished, the educational sytem should ctch up eo she sadents Many of today’s tens arv indeed deeply engaged with socal mea and ae ative putcpants in aeoskedpab- Ves, ures does not mean shar cheyinherendy have ee knowledge ot kil make the mos of thei onlne experiences. The serie aig, fl aives” fr fr being useful soe a disracton 1o understand ing the challenges thar Youth fae ina necworked woe. Tn ny fieldwork, [often foune that cen must fend for themselves to make sense of how technologies woe and bow information spreads. Casiosicy may lead many teens eo develop meaningful knowledge abou scial media, bu there is huge variation in know ‘ge and experience. I interviewed teens who used programming serps eo build camp webs. I also talked with eens who did know the difference between a web browser and the interes. T ‘encountered tcens who had mianced understandings of diferent, kinds of web content and helped create and spread intrase culate via popular memes also mt teas who couldu't recognize spam. "Teens may make their own media or share content online, but this des not mean that they inherendy have rhe knowledge or perspective 10 citcally examine what they consume, Being exposed informa sion or imagery chrough che inteznet and engaging with socal media do noc make someone a savvy inerpreter ofthe meaning behind these anifiers. Technology ie constantly reworking social and infor ration systems, but tens will not become ec contributors 10 this ecosystem sap because they were boon in am age when these technologies were pervasive Teisdangerous to assume that youth are automatialy informed, Ie {salso nave to assume that so-called digital immigants have noth ing offe* Even chose who ae afraid of technology can offer val shle cial perspective, Neither ens nor adules ate monolithic, and theres no magical sation between dillsand age. Whether in school rin informal stings, youth nced opportnite to develop che skill and knowledge to engage with contempocaty technology effecively and meaningfully. Becoming lieerse in a neewoteed age requires bard work, regardless of ae The Emergence of the Digital Native ‘The notion of dig natives has politcal rots, mesly bora out of American techno-idealism. [nan effort Frc the global elie to re ognize the significance ofan emergent mediated acer, John Pesry| Barlow, a renowned poeeand cybelbertarian, leveraged this concept Avie che woe eto “ae and “chem” Blo, bet known asthe for mer Iyrcis for The Grateful Dead, was quite comforable using pro- vocative words to expres polical views. AS mentioned in the Innzoducon he penned “A Declaration af the Independence of Cyber space” forthe Wedd Economic Forum in Davesin 1996 His manifesco vasan eplcichllenge tothe “Governments ofthe Indus Wold.” [In postoning those who “came From Cyberspsce”in opposition othe ‘old wood, e ustaposed the “nave against che “immigras’: ‘You ae cesifed of your own children, since che are natives in a word where you will aways be immigrams, Because you fear them, you entrust your bureaucracies with the parental respon. siilies you are to cowardly co confront yourselves. In our orld all she sentient and expressions of hurmanity, ftom the debasing tothe angelic, are parts oF a seamless wil, the global coaverstion ofbis, We cannot separate the air that chokes fom the air upon which wings beat? Barlow was probably noe the frst co sugges thar the young ae native ro the emergent digital landscape, bu is poetic framing high- lighs the implice ear char stem fromm the generational gap chat has ‘emerged around technology He intended his proclamation to peo- ‘uke reaction, and it di. But many people took this metaphor lie ally. Ic has became popular in public discourse wo promote the ides that “natives” have singular technical powees and skills. The sugges sion chat many take fom Baslow’s proclamation ischat adults should ‘ear children's supposedly naturl-born knowledge Following a similar ine of ehinking, Douglas Rushkot argues in i196 book Paying she Fre at hen shold be tecognve for thus ingeiy. He metaphorically describes the difzences in linguistic developmen between olde mmiggans and cildeen who {10 up ina society whose dominant lnguage i difnenthan tee parent’ aative tongue. He asc the concepts of immigrants and tase co cba cide’ development inthe digital age In desing you as naes both Baw and Rusk ame young people a power actors ostinato challenge the sats ue. ee many wo use the her: of dg naires posi yung people citheras pase repens oftchnoogicl knowledge oas ares wid ces pickup he ange of echooogy the way they pickup angi {Erengue Ths ns don hee ha Buta Rush fore bu ewishr in ways cha ae fom dh imenton. 178 leraey In 200, educational consultant Marc Prensky penned aa article nied “Digial Natives, Dial Irmigeant” In that aril, he search for information. They told her that Wikipedia was fll ofinac- curacies because sayone could edit. Like many of her peer, Corinne * tad ierpreted cis to mean thet sayching thar appeared athe wop of the Googe result page muse be tre, Ino, why would tappearat the 109? And why woul her eachers recommend i She tasted the con tent on Google becate adults had tld her that ie was a ruscworthy site. She saw Google as havinga similar reputation as that ofthe exe books thar her teacher assigned. Wikipedia, on the other hang, was oe to be trsted because her racher tis. ‘Wikipedia and Google ae fundamenelly diferentes, Wikipedia 's coowdsourced encyclopedia built using technologies tha allow for cary eding. An active community of volunser moderators shapes che coment, regalting i cheough a set of cllectely determined socal tnd technical protocols tha provide a framework for appropriate ser ‘ois. Users cegully conest and debate content, as moderators and wae 183 ‘other pasionate volunteers wodk dlignsy to eealvediagrerent assert thie own bai about wha is legate, notable nd of hig guar Goole by cancrasisboch for peoiccompany and search that's monte ehrough advertising Googles notin the busines richms writen by the company’s engineers produce che resaks, Thy lgorithons tha underpin this powerful search engine rly on i at the op for any query. Becuse Google sche source of 0 mach ea Se, countess people, corporations, and organizations engage ina pac: tice known as march engine optiization in which they minipul information in oder w masiiize te ikethood that particule page richms to minimize the efficacy of those eying co manipulate d= resus" = ‘Although the pages that Google offers are highly likely toe pe cally televane wich regard to che query, che compan’ employees do or try zo assess the quality ofa given page. There are courses sie dedicat ro conspray theories and celebrity gossip that have a high ranking, and Google i happy’ to provide this conten if hat’ what searcher wishes find. Google sims to provide links o pages tht arc relevant to the given search. This i not the same as vouching forthe accuracy of those pages. Many teens I met assumed that ome ‘one verifies every link that Google shares. This is both aaive and Everywhere I went, I heard parents, teachers, and teens exes ‘reverence toward Google, They saw Google as source of trusted information in a digial ecosystem filled with content af dibs cquiy: More important, many of the people I met belived that Google was ner unlike ridtional news sources such as Fa News ‘or the New York Tires, Most people take for granted thac someone ‘ypieally the editor in chief, chooses what stories appear on che 188 tery jm page of bewspaper or which ae covered in 2 TV segment Coney, people naively sun that alg, procedural sec of jesruton for clang an ouput, such athe one produced by Google ut or have ney the sume biases aan editor, "The notion ofa algo is foreign to ose peopl, incding F pose youth. Buralgocthin are Fandimental to how many computa tinal systems, including Google, work. Most people who we search engines do not understand chat shy aremade up of complex machine Jeuningalgvithms. Even those who do don necessarily understand tow those algorithms work. The specifies of corporate algorithms, like Google's are considered trade secres. To complicate mates | ore, chose wito build machine leaening sgorithms for companies like Google cannot account forall of che decisions thatthe algo- ritims will mae as they evolve based on input “Alihough undesstanding the particulars of the eechnology is not cesar it is important recognize chat algorithms are n0¢ nea ‘wal, When engineers ace bulking machine learning algorithms, hey ‘ypially use taining daca and, in some cass, casifcations pro- © vied by the enginerto help the algorithm analyze the data. These sqvtemsare often designed to cluster data in order provide ess Engineers then est chose esuls with queties chat they belive should have a “rghe” answer, oat ata sensible one. People—and eheir biases—are involved a each sage. Thy choose what daa to tsi 8 system on, what clasfications matty, and which examples to test ‘They make very human decisions about how to adjust the algorithons tw provide results that chey aleve are of high quality. As communi cation scholar Tarleton Gillespie has agued, there ate polities © algorithms” ‘The results tha a search engine produces may revel biases inthe undedying dat, or ey may highlight how the weights chosen by tnginecrs prioritize certain content over others. Although enginoers Aligenly work wo clean th daa ind minimize bises, they are unable to liminate their own biases. And because ofthe complicated nature ofthe algorghos and dhe massive quantities of underlying daa tae eroey 105 4 algpchns mast anlys, engineers cant easly pti wha a ‘Wikipedia as'a Site of Knowledge Production j wll produce what output. © Wikipedia hasabad pin American Ker education, "The defacto lnceasngy, the ests people get fom search engines like Googe ve among any educator i that a free eneclopdia that anyone are highly personalized and dependent on what Google knows bag, cared must be filled with inaccuracies and misleading informa- the peson doing the query, including demogrphicinfocmaigg, _ _éon-Student tendecy to use che service asthe fist and ls source search query history, and data obtained through social media. The 4 infotwnation only reinforces their doubts. Ignoring the educa ons! potential of Wikipedia caches consent ll tudes to people rcrivng dsimlar results. Some wou sch approaches ag | sy car of Wikipedia a al costs. hard this sentiment echoed help or user, but obese moe eyicl abou sich personal =f shroughout the United Stae. tion, tn his zon book, The Fier Bubbl,poicalactvscand techn = 4 In Massachusetts, whic fcenyearod Kar old me that “Wiki- ‘ogy creator Eli Pariser argues that personalization algo — [pela really bathing wo use because they do abays ce cele proce soa divisions that undermine any ability 10 cree ag, | ste You dontknow wh wring” Brook, a whiten infarmed public For example, uses wih long history of licking og | year-old fiom Nebraska explained that “Teacher tellus nec se cansrvaive of liberal news sources aight only be shown een Wikipedia] becase lot of—some ofthe information isinccurte? shin hilt view, sey mining an ng Th omen a ay Hema mh one I ily polical gu. tear fom parents and teachers. though irs not clear whether stu 'As scholars at Harvanl’s Berkman Center have shown, seach dentsare reproducing ther cache’ belief or have comteto the same ike Google shape the quality of information that york, | conchusion independently, students ae well aware that mos eachers engines experience” Tees view Google the cener ofthe dial informa: «tides Wikipedia to have limited accuracy tion universe, even chough hey have lle understanding of how he | When people dismiss Wikipedia chy almost always ce limited search results aze produced le slone any awareness of how penonal — 4 tstand ceil, ven though analyses have own that Wikipedia's = ination affets what hey sce. Tey unciicallytust Googe jut ar: stent is just aco a, ifn more ibe than, more raditional Be thos adalts do. In lows, white cighten-yearald Walfexpained, ‘iff msources like Enoyebpedia Britannica Teacher conimie 10 poker é i you can't Googe i, ic docs exist” His white seventeen-yeara, fim formally recognized sources, Educator encourage det to i frend Red agreed, adding, “Google knows all” ] gro thelibrary. When they do ecmsmend digi sources they view Given the lack of formal gatekeepers and che diversity of content 4 some as beteer than oxbers without explaining why.” As Aaron, a white and authors, ifs often hard to detrminecrdiilcy online, Becuse | ften-ycurld from Texas explained, “Alo of teachers done want you youth do not lar to cially assess the quality of information they] we [Wikipedia] as a source ina bibliography because is noe techni ‘access, they simply look for new intxmadiaries who can help them | lly accredited. And they'd rather you use a university prfesar= determine what's valuable, For bester or wors, they take Google | website or someshing" Although Aaron da know wha it meant for results for gamed whi also dsmisinghigh-qaliy conten fy] uc to be aceaed he had a mental model of which soc ctr ses that hey have bee sgh co dss, Like hie preg —_| Si aches viewed as legitimate and which they chewed. inlay : they asume thar Googles metal and thar ses ike Wikipedia have] Heuer, a whit siusen-yearol from Tow, explsd, “Our hol :

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