Electronic Note Card

Research Topic:

Title: Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: Author: Danah Boyd
The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage
Social Life
Publisher: MIT Press City: Cambridge, MA

Type of Source: Article

Date of Publication: 2007

Email Address: Date of Download:

URL:

Research Question: How do teenagers aged 11-16 years old use social networking sites

MLA Citation:

Direct Quote:

  

Research notes (in own words)

Social networking sites rapidly adopted by teenagers and continue to be an important part of their social life
Young people engage through social networking sites for
 Identity formation
 Status negotiation
 Peer-to-peer sociality

SNS are places where a person can form and live their social identity. They set and reinforce norms and provide a
common ground. Provides an area for teenagers to learn society’s rules which is usually done through trial and
error, validation and admonishment. They offer a place where teenagers decide how they want to fit in with society’s
structures and constructing a social identity that is partially through them and partially by others. “Learning through
impression management is key to developing a social identity” (pg 21). This is in line with the lifelong process where
a person refines the vision of themselves through reactions to their performance and behavior.

A. What do 11-16 year olds use social networking sites for?

1. History of teens use of sns – a snowball effect from the utilization of bands promoting themselves and
music via social network sites
a. Friendster (2002) with features such as profiles, public testimonials/comments and friends lists.
Began as a dating website. Used by bands to promote gigs which Friendster would ban.
b. 2003 – MySpace enabled bands to do what Friendster forbid. Music recognized as something that
binded young people together. Appealed to young people being consumers of music and music
culture. Would invite their friends to join. Difference between adults and young people was that
young people were more focused on socializing online with those they already knew and celebrities
they idolized.
c. Teenagers from other countries used variety of other sns.

2. “Participation tends to follow cultural and linguistic lines”. Although sites supported a range of countries,
interaction between teenagers across cultural and linguistic lines hardly occurs.

3. Why young people joined MySpace and what they use it for are two different things
 a. Teens join to connect with friends - popularity of MySpace rooted in how the site supports sociality
amongst pre-existing friend groups
b. Whilst socializing there is also an entertainment factor – “social voyeurism passes time while
providing insight into society at large”

4. By constructing a profile, a teenager works through impression management and project their identity and
tastes. Whereas in everyday actions, a person uses their body and behavior to put forward as best as
possible, what they want to say about who they are, the refinement of a profile is similar. A profile is used to
manage impressions from others about ourself – placing yourself to be judged by others so that behavior
can be modified as a result of reaction. Teenage years are ripe to develop these skills and be validated by
their peers
5. Underlying friend network – MySpace friends tend to offer ‘connections’ i.e. friends that it is good to be seen
with – people judge others based on their associations – enables people to find their bearings and where
they are in a group structure
6. Teens fabricate information about information that identifies them to protect themselves online. However
connecting information can enable this to be worked out e.g. schools friends
7. Some teens argue for this to be “a space for teenagers to be teenagers”. However, this and the construction
of their online identity via a profile causes conflict between who they want to project online from who they
are offline to non-peers e.g. their parents

B. Why do teenagers use social networking sites

“Yet, putting aside the question of risk, what teens are doing with this networked public is akin to what they
have done in every other type of public they have access to: they hang out, jockey for social status, work
through how to present themselves, and take risks that will help them to assess the boundaries of the social
world. They do so because they seek access to adult society.” (pg 21)
1. To break away from the rules and regulations experienced at home and in society which is controlled and
defined by adults
2. To go beyond the structural and social barriers to engage in public life
a. Mobility – even if teenagers want to go somewhere, it is difficult for them to do so e.g. unable to
drive
b. Restrictions on on access to public life make it difficult for young people to socialize with society in
general
3. The internet allows young people to participate in unregulated public spaces whilst still being an adult-
regulated space

C. What is the profile of 11-16 year olds who use social networking sites?
1. Late 2006, 55% of online teen aged 12-17 had created profiles on social network sites – not all high school
students participate in online communities such as social network sites
2. 2 types of non-participants – disenfranchised teens and conscientious objectors
a. Disenfranchised – those without internet access, whose parents ban from participation, online teens
accessing the internet at school or public venues where access to social network sites is banned
b. Conscientious objectors – politically minded teens, teens who agree with parents re moral and
safety of internet, marginalize teens, teens who feel they are too cool for these sites
i. Can have profiles that they log onto occasionally or have profiles created for them
3. Race and social class don’t play a role in access
4. Gender influences participation
a. Younger boys and older girls more likely to participate
b. Older boys 2x likely to use to flirt and more likely to use to meet new people than girls of their age
c. Older girls more likely to use to communicate with friend they see in person

D. How important are online communities, online social networks to teenagers?

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Research design
What is the purpose of the
study?
Basic research, applied
research, summative
evaluation, formative evaluation,
action research, illuminative
evaluation, ethnomethodology
What is the scope of the
study?
What is included, excluded, why
and to what effect?
What is the focus for the
study?
People, policy, programmes,
breadth vs depth, case study,
survey, chronological,
comparative,etc
What are the units of
analysis?
Individuals, groups, programme
components, whole
programmes, organisations,
critical incidents, time periods,
etc
What is the sampling
strategy?
Purposeful, probability, quota,
random, size, representation,
significance and level of
generalization
What types of data were
collected?
Qualitative, quantitative
How were the data managed?
Organisation, classification,
presentation, referenced,
indexed, etc
What analytical approach is
used?
Deductive, inductive
How is validity addressed in
the study?
Triangulation, multiple data
sources, multiple study
When did the study occur?
Currency of findings, long term
investigation, short and snappy,
phased and piloted
How is the study justified?
Literature review and analysis,
problem definition, practical
outcomes, intellectual endeavor,
etc
How are ethnical issues
handled?
Informed consent, confidentiality
of information, reactivity, data
protection, etc
How are logistics handled?
Research design
Access to data and
respondents, fieldwork, record
keeping, data management, etc