Adolescents’ Blogs and Social Networking Profiles

Out of all teenagers online, fifty-five percent of them use and create online social networking profiles (Williams, Merten, 2008). The notion of blogging among adolescents, and the way they socially interact, becomes a significant research topic since more than half of teenage Internet users are interacting online. This research may also lead into what potential effects this phenomena may have on other components of their lives.

Social networking profiles among adolescents are important and useful research tools because they are filled with information voluntarily posted by the individuals about themselves. These profiles are filled with personal thoughts, feelings, beliefs, likes or dislikes, activities, and much more personal information. Most of the time it is put in a public area with unlimited access for anyone (with Internet connection) to read. The author or the blog or individual who created the profile gets to choose the amount of personal information it contains. For social scientists blogs and social networking profiles allow for unobtrusive observations of realistic human behaviors and interactions with no actual contact or intrusion (Williams, Merten, 2008).

Within adolescent blogs and profiles you can find information surrounding their everyday lives and what they do on a daily basis. For some adolescents you know what they are doing all day long, as they do it (Williams, Merten, 2008). They tend to document whatever they choose to disclose about themselves, which then allows them to interact with others as they post comments or respond back.

There are many themes that surround adolescent blogs and profiles. Some of these themes are romantic relationships, friends, conflicts, school, popular culture, sexuality, parents, substance use, self-expression, depression, and self harm (Mazur, 2005). Social networking sites, profiles, and blogs seem to have become the new standard form of communication between adolescents, as compared to cell phones, email, or instant messaging (Mee, 2006).

Mazur (2005) found a few differences between blogging (or posting to social networking sites) and other forms of communication. One is that they are more easily accessible, at any time and any location. Two is that they leave a trail of observable dialogue that can be printed or stores. Finally, they integrate advanced multimedia component. The freedom of creation and expression allocated to the ability to construct a personal profile or online environment for adolescents, allow the public to depict how they view themselves or how they want others to view them.

Blogging and social networking sites and profiles are as meaningful to adolescents as they believe it to be. They play as large a role in their life as they allow. The more an adolescent participates online, whether it’s on blogs or social networking sites, the more importance they are likely to associate with it. The words on the screen have as much power as both the author and the reader assign them; this in turn develops co-constructed meanings. While adolescents are unique individuals sitting at a computer typing their thoughts or posting personal information about themselves, they are also students, children, employees, and citizens. All of these roles come with various rules, regulations, codes of ethics, and standards of behavior attached to each identity. Online communication has the potential to interact with, affect, or be influenced by all other spheres of life.