Always Connected
By Lauren Teegarden
Social networking websites have become a dominant force in the real social lives of teens and young adults.
Asking a girl out on a date used to require actually speaking to her, but this is no longer the case. Vast usage of internet social networks by today’s teens has made the mere verbal request passé—instead, requests are made via internet messages. A social networking site is an online place where users create profiles (think name, age, interests, favorite movies, etc.) and then build a personal network of connection to other users. Just in the last few years, social networking sites have gone from somewhat of a computer-nerd pastime to a widespread cultural phenomenon.
According to a 2007 study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, fifty-five percent of American teens with internet access use social networking sites. Girls, who are more likely to be users of such sites as MySpace or Facebook, use the sites as a means to bolster existing friendships, while boys may look for new friendships or an opportunity to flirt with girls. Almost half of teens check their “profiles” at least once per day, with just under a quarter visiting more than two times per day.
Why do teens frequent these sites? Social networking sites function in many of the ways that in-person encounters, telephone conversations, or letter-writing might have once sustained social interactions. Teens log on to contact friends that they see at school daily, often using the sites to make plans (“Would you like to go to a movie on Friday?”), or to share pictures. Additionally, the sites are used to keep in touch with far-away friends and meet new people with similar interest.
The two dominant social networking sites among teens and college students are MySpace (www.myspace.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com). MySpace is the third most popular website in the United States, with more than 100 million accounts, or one account for every three Americans. It was created in 2003, and anyone can join. Facebook, which began in 2004, is the seventh most visited site in the United States and has 17 million registered users. While it was originally developed just for college students, it is now open to everyone. Facebook users are encouraged to register with their real names, and the networks are based around real-life entities: college campuses, geographic locations, and corporations.
Once teens register, they create a “profile” about themselves, which can include a variety of things: name, age, birth date, hometown, school, interests and activities, favorite books/movies/music, classes, favorite quotes, etc. Photos of the teen and his or her friends are often prevalent. It’s not uncommon for a lot of personal information to be available to relative—or complete—strangers. Because there has been a fair amount of media coverage of the dangers associated with internet predators, two-thirds of teens have made their profiles “restricted” or not visible to everyone who visits the website.
The creation and maintaining of friends has changed drastically just in the past five years—the Internet has become a propelling force in the initiation and development of friendships. While these “friends” have become increasingly accessible, they are also often lack the depth—or safety—of real-life relationships.
Lauren Teegarden is a student at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. With grandparents of her own, Lauren recognized the value of strong grandparent-grandchild interactions and started "The Grandparent Connection," a free monthly email newsletter with articles, advice, and activities for grandparents. Visit her website, www.thegrandparentconnection.org, to sign up for the newsletter.
