Smells Like Teens

Smell like teens...

When I go see a movie at Northpark Mall I often have this moment of "Wow, that's what teenagers look like now, I haven't seen one in a while." In my neighborhood, you see a lot of parents with young children, married couples without kids, and singles, but teenagers are quite rare. I forget the limited number of public spaces that are available to people under 18. I remember in high school walking the aisles of the 24 Hour Kroger just because it was open and we still had time before we were expected to be home. Teens seek out places where they can express themselves away from the watchful eyes of teachers and parents. Its in these places that they form their identities, as individuals apart from their parents. Now, with all the anti-loitering and teen curfew laws there are even fewer public spaces that are available to teens. As danah boyd explains in "Taken Out of Context" teens have turned to social media as their public space and it is an important part of expressing their identity. (p.171) Boyd provides a great number of anecdotes about how teens use myspace and facebook as forms of expression and interaction. The design and content of their pages, and even the service they choose (facebook vs. myspace or both)are reflections of how they want to represented.

What I found most interesting and a little disturbing is how fear underlies many of the decisions teens make about their online identities.
Many were reluctant to join social media because they were afraid of sexual predators. They are encouraged to lie and hide information in order to be "safe". While parents seem to fear that any minute a stalker will come out of the computer and grab their child, the teens seem to have a good understanding of safe and reasonable behavior. As boyd points out:

"Teens had numerous strategies for staying safe, many of which mirrored the strategies that adults and safety organizations perpetuated. Upset that teens were being restricted from social network sites, Danny, a 17-year-old from Florida, emailed me with a list of safety guidelines that he thought all teens should adopt:
A) Only accept “Buddy Requests” from people you know personally/are bands.(Cheesy, I know, but it’s the safest way. I have around fifty-eight friends, and I can tell you their name, address, or what their most popular songs are).
B) Don’t give out personal information. (I don’t have my school listed even! State and City, that’s it. Don’t give it when asked.)
C) When posting a picture, ask if it shows you in a positive manner, and if it is something you would wear to go visit your grandparents/religious leader. (Mine are!)
D) Keep your parents involved. If you hide things from them, they will find out, and you will get in trouble. Be open with them—most of the time, they are cool about stuff like this." (p.284)

What a good kid. Its frustrating that so many children have to work through these basically unfounded fears to navigate their social world. From the moment teens were labeled as a demographic group, adults have feared the things teen love. Comic books, rock and roll, video games, Dungeons and Dragons (also known by its made-for-tv movie name "Mazes and Monsters"), are the source of danger, ignoring the real causes of social problems like neglect, poverty, or addiction. Boyd explains:

"Research shows that teens are not randomly at risk; psychosocial problems combined with risky behaviors are the key predictors of risk
(Ybarra and Mitchell 2008). In other words, the teens others see as “stupid” for not understanding how to be safe may actually be dealing with much larger personal issues." (p. 273)

Also, its easier to blame an aspect of media than to accept the fact that sometimes random, terrible things happen and there is no one to blame. By focusing anxiety towards media parents are able to feel in more control. Parents can use the issue of safety as a means to limit the independence of their child. They are able to justify invading a child's privacy if they suspect their child is involved in risky behavior.

boyd's work also made me think about the decisions I make on social media, and how I don't believe adult habits are that much different from teen's. As adults we like to think that our mediated social group is not filled with quite as much drama or angst. But, I have friends who suffered the wrath of thier wives for a thoughtless status update or comment, and even one person who lost their job because of something they posted on myspace. Personally, I'll admit to having tiny sense of outrage when someone "defriended" me. I hadn't been there in a long time but looking at my myspace profile made me wonder how much had I changed from the girl who plastered her bedroom walls with pictures of James Dean, John Lennon and INXS. And yes, I'm a little hesitant about showing you the old myspace profile, but what the heck. Hopefully you won't judge me too harshly.

Lastly the whole myspace vs. facebook thing reminds of the debate in the sixties amongst teenage girls. Beatles or Rolling Stones.
(I pick the Beatles even though picking the Stones would mean I'm edgier.)

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