Are teenagers digital natives who just need to be turned loose to express their inner creativity and intelligence? Or are they brainwashed bots addicted to sharing all the details of their lives online? In her recent book, It’s Complicated, scholar danah boyd (she prefers her name in lowercase) argues that understanding teens and their use of social media requires that we look past simplistic characterizations such as these. boyd bases her findings on 166 in-depth interviews over the course of several years with teens from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientations.
While much of the rhetoric around teens’ use of social media is cloaked in language of fear, boyd argues that fearmongering is unnecessary and, indeed, counterproductive. The kids are all right, she argues, but they need - and, in many cases, want - the listening ear and guidance of concerned adults when navigating digital spaces.
Several of the misconceptions boyd addresses are especially relevant for independent schools and parents.
Myth: Students are digital natives who understand tech and just need adults to get out of the way.
Reality: Teens may be able to navigate aspects of digital technology with more ease than adults, but they still need support and guidance.
While many teens are frequent consumers and creators of online content, boyd notes that this does not mean that they are “savvy interpreters” or “critical contributors.” They might not understand, for example, that search engines, such as Google, deliver results based on underlying algorithms, influenced by advertisers, and that these results vary by user.
boyd believes that educators have a key role to play in helping teens navigate digital spaces. This doesn’t mean that educators have to become skilled users of the most recent “it” app. Educators can help teens think through what information they make available online and in what way. They can also help teens critically evaluate the information they encounter on the Internet.
A related myth is that, as digital natives, many teens are addicted to technology and incapable of having face-to-face conversations with their friends. Teens certainly crave connection, but social media isn’t necessarily their first choice for making those connections. A study conducted in 2012 by Common Sense Media found that 44 percent of teenagers prefer to communicate with their friends in person, topping both texting (33 percent) and social networking (7 percent). Because socializing is an important part of teen life, when teens don’t have the ability to get together in person, they will use social media to connect.
Myth: Teens don’t understand or don’t care about privacy.
Reality: Teens work to protect their privacy, but the nature of online sharing presents challenges.
Although it may seem to adults that teens are careless with the amount and type of information that they post about themselves online, many teens are more sophisticated than adults suspect. In a recent Pew Research Center poll, more than half of teens reported using strategies such as cloaking the meaning of messages (58 percent), unfriending (74 percent), or blocking (58 percent) to attempt to control access to information that they post.
Teens are often conscious of the public or semipublic nature of their postings and work to present a “socially desirable, polished self online,” according to research conducted by Howard Gardner and Katie Davis for their book, The App Generation. While teens often attempt to control what they share, the online environment can present the challenge of “context collapse.” In face-to-face interaction, the audience for a speaker’s message is clear, but this is not necessarily the case online. While a teen may intend that only a certain group of friends sees a particular post, the post may often be viewed by a different group with different expectations and social norms. Adults should respect teens’ privacy by not “butting in” on posts that clearly weren’t intended for them, but also by helping teens understand that their posts may reach a wider audience than they imagine.
Myth: Social networking is dangerous for teens and encourages bullying.
Reality: Social media can amplify issues, but it rarely creates them out of thin air.
According to boyd, social media hasn’t substantially changed the dynamics of bullying and teen drama, but it has made it more visible, easily shareable, and persistent. boyd suggests that “teens who are struggling in everyday life [may] also engage in problematic encounters online.” She encourages adults to find ways to “open their eyes on the digital street,” so that they can address problematic situations early and identify students in need of support.
If a problematic situation arises, school administration should not simply assume that they have the full story. While many of the social media interactions students have are very public, adults should not assume that they can fully understand the meaning of a situation based only on public posts. It’s possible there are interactions taking place in nonpublic spaces online or offline, so it’s important to talk with those involved.
In light of these myths, schools looking to offer students positive support and guidance might consider the following strategies.
Strategy 1: Talk with teens.
One of the key takeaways from boyd’s research is that the best way to understand teens’ social media use is to listen to them and to ask questions. Don’t begin by assuming that you know all the answers or fully understand the digital realities and challenges facing today’s teens. Rather than designing a social-media curriculum that may be out of touch with the realities of your school population, seek teenagers’ input about situations they regularly encounter using digital technologies. Use these experiences as a starting point for helping teens consider the potential implications of their online activities and for developing curriculum to address these situations.
Strategy 2: Engage with parents.
Just as it’s important to talk to teens, it’s important to engage parents in conversations about their children’s use of social media. Parents have likely heard and seen worst-case scenarios in the news media. While you don’t want to dismiss the potential for harm to teens, it’s important to offer parents a realistic portrayal of both the challenges and opportunities that teens’ use of social networking presents. Fearmongering rarely leads to productive conversations with teens and may have the opposite effect, making teens feel as if their parents, teachers, and school administrators are unaware of the realities of their experiences.
Strategy 3: Create opportunities for older teens to mentor younger teens.
At my school, we have found cross-divisional discussion to be an effective strategy for educating middle school students and providing a leadership opportunity for upper school students. We invite upper class students to meet with sixth-graders and lead discussions on topics such as digital identity and citizenship. Upper class students work with sixth-grade teachers to develop content and prompts that will be helpful for middle schoolers. Older youth, younger teens, and adults all benefit from this type of activity.
References
boyd, danah, It’s Complicated. Yale University Press: New Haven, 2014.
Howard Gardner and Katie Davis, The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World. Yale University Press: New Haven, 2013.
“Social Media, Social Life: How Teens View Their Digital Lives.” Common Sense Media. www.commonsensemedia.org/research/social-media-social-life-how-teens-view-their-digital-lives, 2012.
“Teens, Social Media, and Privacy.” Pew Research Center. www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy, 2013.