Kevin Hodgson’s Reviews > It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens > Status Update

I am at the end, and wish I weren't. I'm grateful for boyd's research and insights, and find myself mulling over a lot of information right now. The question of how to frame this work in a positive position of learning is central to where I go from here. I highly recommend this book.

The danger of labels -- digital natives vs digital immigrants -- gets the sharp focus here, & I am appreciative of boyd's insights and understanding. What we need to focus in on are literacy skills -- media, reading, writing, digital, communication -- that will prepare our children for the world. We can't make assumptions. We have to guide & teach about the biased underpinnings of technology. We're all learning.

Did you know that during transition years of MySpace (on way out) & Facebook (on way in), there were racial/class divides between the spaces? I didn't. White kids migrated to FB while black/Hispanic kids staked out ground in MS. Here, boyd talks about how those shifts translated into access/equity issues. What I wonder: Is there a similar Twitter/Facebook race divide now? How do we (adults) notice such rifts?

"Digital self-harm" is not a term I have heard nor considered. Here, boyd notes that some teens self-create bullying posts themselves -- as cry for help, attention, or for other reasons. You realize quickly just how complex the social nature of teens is, & how technology expands that complexity along any number of angles (good and bad). Glad boyd dives into defining "bullying" and "drama" from teen perception.

I am struck by the concept of the digital street, as metaphor for community. Turn inward (avoid and protect) and we miss catching and reaching out to those teens who need our help, those kids who turn to digital spaces to be heard, seen, helped. Turn outward, eyes towards the communities where they go to be social, and maybe we ensure that all spaces are supportive places. Your kids are my kids. Yeah.

This chapter deals w/idea of "addiction" to screens & tech, and dives into tension & dichotomy of adults mediating the social worlds of teens (limiting live interactions out of fear) and the results of that (kids use tech to socialize). boyd acknowledges that sometimes, teens overuse technology. But overall, her view is that kids just want to hang out & they will find a way to do that. Thus, socialized screen time.

Sections on privacy and teens indicates such sophistication with platforms and ingenious ways to navigate the "public is on" nature of Facebook, etc. I was intrigued by the secret coding of messages, using song lyrics and language in ways that fly under the radar of adults.

The issue of identity & representation is fascinating, & what she says is true: some kids dive real deep into how to represent themselves in online spaces & others, not so much. I suspect it has to do with audience & the affordances of the space itself. It's this shifting identities that is fascinating, morphing the idea of who you are depending on where you are. I'm enjoying boyd's use of real stories of kids here.

Two developing themes here: One, teens use technology as a complement, not replacement, for social friendships/interactions. Watch kids share phones. Adults often don't. Two, the over-protective environment that parents (and teachers) have built around children - where days are scheduled, over-scheduled & monitored - has teens turning to social networking spaces by default. The need for social independence is strong.

I like the framing around affordances of digital media: persistence, visibility, spreadability and searchability. Those elements make sense to me, particularly as they get layered & mingled w/each other. She rightly points out that none of these ideas are new. What is different now is how they merge together as teens digitally navigate their way into what she calls "networked publics" for identity and connections.