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“Hey You! Just Stopping By to Say Hi!”: Communicating With Friends and Family on MySpace
Abstract
The growing popularity of social networking sites prompted the qualitative analysis of two sources of public communication within a sample of 44 MySpace profiles created by emerging adult women majoring in human development and family studies. Six major themes emerged from the comments: (1) friendly greetings/inquiries, (2) expressions of affection/encouragement, (3) suggestion/confirmation of plans, (4) personal asides/inside jokes, (5) exchanges of information/news, and (6) entertainment. In their blogs the students focused on significant relationships, school and work obligations, and their own personal philosophies. The conceptual framework of emerging adulthood was used to better understand the identity explorations of these students.
... Young adults are at a point in their life where identity exploration is intensely rich and fulfilling at that moment, but it is not always a positive experience afterwards (Marcum, Higgins, & Ricketts, 2010;Walker et al., 2009). The social learning theory can be used to explain why young adults may utilize specific mediums to communicate within their own society and the social exchange theory can explain the motivations behind their actions juxtaposed with selfefficacy to explain efficient and expectant outcomes. ...
... They do not engage in conversations that would strain the relationship or alienate (Brass et al., 1998;Kalpidou et al., 2011) their parents, friends, or intimate partners. Previous studies have shown that college students are using digital modes of communication to compensate for geographical distance; lonely and depressed teens use social networking sites to escape depression, entertainment, social insight, and self-identification (Flanagin & Metzger, 2001;Valkenburg & Peter, 2007;Walker et al., 2009). ...
... Digital modes of communication are effective modes of communication to stay in touch with parents, friends, and intimate partners that are not in the same proximity. Cummings and colleagues (2006) found that economic constraints force young adults to engage in digital modes because they cannot afford phone bills (Walker et al., 2009) or travel expenses to satisfy their social needs. The digital modes of communication are readily available to college students at minimal cost. ...
... A study of a Dutch networking website found that social self-esteem and well-being were enhanced by positive responses by peers to their profiles, and vice versa (Valkenburg et al., 2006). A study of the MySpace profile comments of young women characterized their purposes as: friendly greetings/inquiries. expressions of affection/ encouragement, suggestion/confirmation of plans, personal asides/inside jokes, exchanges of information/news, and entertainment (Walker, Krehbiel, & Knoyer, 2009). Others have examined the expression of positive emotions between friends for U.S. and U.K. MySpace members, resulting in two related hypotheses: that members connect with ("friend") others with similar levels of public emotion expression or that the expression of emotion in MySpace is "contagious" (Thelwall, 2010). ...
... Their research, however, was focused on public information only, whereas our data included every page that the teen looked at, whether public or otherwise. Fourth, various words can be expressed in other non-text formats-"love," for example, can be expressed through the use of emoticons and heart graphics, so our corpus may represent an underestimation of its presence (Walker et al., 2009). Finally, the dominant SNS has changed over the last 5 years, with Facebook surpassing MySpace in terms of adolescent use. ...
Social networking sites (SNS) provide adolescents with opportunities for content generation on a wide range of social issues, providing unique insight into the psychosocial development of adolescence. We explored SNS webpages viewed by a random sample of adolescents during the initial uptake of SNS use (2005) to describe their general language use. Adolescents aged 14 to 17 with home Internet access were recruited using list-assisted random digit dialing methods. All SNS (MySpace) webpages viewed by participants were captured, and a large, structured set of texts (text corpus) was created from the profiles and message boards therein. Using concordance software, word frequency and keyword associations were analyzed. The 346 participants viewed approximately 28,000 MySpace pages, yielding a 1,147,432-word text corpus. Profile sections presented information about the content creator, while message boards focused more on short conversations with recipients. The most common content word was the term love. Profile owners would profess their love for activities, such as dancing, partying, or shopping, followed by their love for family, friends, and significant others. SNS offer teens an opportunity to describe and share feelings about people, places, and things connected to a range of activities and social contacts within their online and offline environments. Better understanding of SNS can offer strategies to adolescents and health care providers for insight into what connects young people in a community.
... Conversely, 95% of college students own a computer, 99% own a mobile device, and nearly 89% use some form of social networking to interact with others in their age group (Barraket, 2008;Beaver et al., 2010;Stevens & Morris, 2007). Moreover, young adults not only have access to but use communicative technologies at a much higher rate than other cohorts and with a much higher frequency of use throughout the day than other cohorts as well (Burdette, Ellison, Glenn, & Hill, 2009;Hargittai & Hinnant, 2008;Walker, Krehbiel, & Knowyer, 2009). It is safe to assume that virtually every young adult has access to communicative technology and uses it with near daily regularity (Iskea, Klein, Kutschere, & Ottod, 2008;Hertlein & Webster, 2008;Ling & Yttri, 2002;McMillan & Morrison, 2006). ...
... Results add more understanding to the complexities involved in an ever shifting landscape of emerging adult romantic relationships. Several research reports have identified gender differences in the use of internet and communication technologies (Burdette et al., 2009;Hargittai & Hinnant, 2008;Walker et al., 2009). Some of these in-depth reviews point to substantial differences in the appraisal of confidence in technology use between genders (Hargittai & Hinnant, 2008). ...
For many emerging adults, initiating and developing a romantic relationship is likely to be very different from the experiences of previous generations. Many studies address the abundant use of technology among young adults in virtually every aspect of their lives. Few studies, however, have investigated the use of communication technology and its impact on how relationships are discovered, initiated, and maintained among this group. Researchers collected data from 1,003 young adults (ages 18-25 years) through an online survey about communication technology use and dating behaviors. Results were analyzed using chi-square tests to assess for differences between groups. Findings suggest significant differences between men and women and their use of communication technology during the initiation of dating relationships. Additionally, young adults believe that "talking," "hanging out," and "sharing intimate details" are more important when compared with using communication technologies to establish a relationship. The information yields valuable understanding about the role communication technology plays in the intimate relationship development of emerging adults.
... At the same time video games have been demonstrated to be an effective way for many individuals to reduce stress and relax (Reinecke 2009) as well as a positive method of engagement when partners play video games together (Ahlstrom et al. 2012). Similarly, using social media can be an outlet for individuals to share positive messages and foster relationships (Walker et al. 2009), while other findings indicate that there is a positive association between use of social media and jealousy within relationships (e.g. Muise et al. 2009). ...
Previous research has indicated that it is common for couples to experience conflict over media use. However, until recently clinicians and researchers have not explored the implications of media use within romantic relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between individuals’ perception of problematic media use in connection with relationship satisfaction, and to what extent demand-withdraw and criticism-defensiveness dynamics mediate this association. Data was collected with a sample of 242 respondents completing an online survey. Results showed that demand-withdraw and criticism-defensiveness patterns were found to be negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, and that the association between problematic media use and relationship satisfaction was partially mediated by the demand-withdraw and criticism-defensiveness patterns. Based on these results, there is potential for clinicians to view couple media use as a process level interaction, and by doing so, clinicians will be better able to implement interventions that utilize clients’ media use to promote relationship satisfaction and stability while reducing problematic media use.
... This period is characterized by change and instability (e.g., Syed & Mitchell, 2013). Some recent research has focused on these processes by examining the nature and quality of peer conversations and other communications among young adults, including conversations about romantic relationships (Morgan & Korbov, 2012), the performance of friendship in conversations (Chasin & Radtke, 2013), transition-to-work conversations between committed couples (Domene et al., 2012), and communication through social media (e.g., Stephenson-Abetz & Holman, 2012;Walker, Krehbiel, & Knoyer, 2009). These studies showed that young adult peers and partners are actively engaged in conversations and other means of communication with specific (e.g., where to live, Domene et al., 2012) and more general (e.g., old and new relationships, Stephenson-Abetz & Holman, 2012) goals in mind. ...
This study used an action theoretical framework and the action-project method to address the following research question: “How do youth jointly with peers construct, articulate, and act on goals and strategies pertinent to the transition to adulthood?” Fifteen young adult friendship dyads were studied over a 9-month period, using videotaped conversations and telephone monitoring. Peers jointly and intentionally engaged in actions and enacted goals related to young adult transition. Negotiating and maintaining friendship, constructing identity, and promoting career were the projects that emerged most frequently. These projects involved using a range of skills and resources that allowed the participants to take a number of functional steps in constructing and realizing their joint goals, including being intimate, humorous, and reciprocal with each other, providing support, sharing emotion, and exercising judgment. The findings illustrate how friendship, identity, and career promotion are jointly constructed and enacted by young adults.
... These contradictory findings can also be found in studies about SNS usage. Although it is shown that the usage of SNS can help college students or soldiers maintain contacts with their families (Madge, Meek, Wellens, & Hooley, 2009;Schachman, 2010), other studies find negative relationships between SNS usage and family cohesion (Walker, Krehbiel, & Knoyer, 2009). ...
Since the older generations discover social networking sites (SNSs) as a useful communication and information tool, SNSs can become a new platform for interactions between members of different generations. This paper summarizes the contradictory status of research about the importance of computer-mediated communication for intergenerational relations and shows, with findings of an online survey (N = 987), how Facebook is used for intergenerational communication. This exploratory study reveals some quite different perceptions about the effects of SNS on intergenerational relationship quality that should be a starting point for further studies about intergenerational contacts in SNS.
This comprehensive text explores the relationship between identity, subjectivity and digital communication, providing a strong starting point for understanding how fast-changing communication technologies, platforms, applications and practices have an impact on how we perceive ourselves, others, relationships and bodies.
Drawing on critical studies of identity, behaviour and representation, Identity and Digital Communication demonstrates how identity is shaped and understood in the context of significant and ongoing shifts in online communication. Chapters cover a range of topics including advances in social networking, the development of deepfake videos, intimacies of everyday communication, the emergence of cultures based on algorithms, the authenticities of TikTok and online communication’s setting as a site for hostility and hate speech. Throughout the text, author Rob Cover shows how the formation and curation of self-identity is increasingly performed and engaged with through digital cultural practices, affirming that these practices must be understood if we are to make sense of identity in the 2020s and beyond.
Featuring critical accounts, everyday examples and analysis of key platforms such as TikTok, this textbook is an essential primer for scholars and students in media studies, psychology, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, computer science, as well as health practitioners, mental health advocates and community members.
Online intimacy problems are broadly defined as interpersonal issues occurring when: (1) computer-mediated communication interferes with online relationships, or (2) Internet usage patterns/practices interfere with offline relationships. In general, online intimacy problems include cybersex (Cooper, 2002), online infidelity (Hertlein & Piercy, 2008; Whitty, 2005), social networking and one's social life (Bargh & McKenna, 2004), and online gaming (Scott, Mottarella, & Lavooy, 2006). Further, Internet use may create intimacy problems related to sharing of intimate information with someone other than one's partner, misinterpretation of messages, feelings of being smothered, isolation, etc. The entry reviews the current literature on online intimacy problems as well as vulnerabilities that contribute to those problems. The authors also present ideas for future research.
This study used the Actor Partner Interdependence Model and a national sample of married couples (N = 1368) to explore the relationship between entertainment media use and marital satisfaction, conflict, and perceived marital instability. Entertainment media-use included newer types of media (e.g., social networking websites) as well as traditional media (e.g., television). A number of negative relationships between media use and wives’ and husbands’ marital quality emerged. Husbands’ use of social networking websites, in particular, was associated with many of the marital quality variables. The effect sizes of media use were small, however. We also explored whether the relationship worked in reverse and whether media use differences between the spouses would relate to marital quality. When spouses reported different levels of using video games, they also reported lower levels of marital quality. The findings suggest that as media technology continues to change, it may relate to marital quality in new ways.
This article aims to expand the critical frameworks by which online social networking can be contextualised and understood within the broader cultural practices of identity and selfhood. Utilising Judith Butler’s theories of performative identity, it is argued that the use of social networking sites are performative acts in and of themselves. Two facets of social networking are examined from theoretical and critical perspectives: (1) the use of social networking profiles (Info pages, taste selections, biographies) as a tool for performing, developing and stabilising identity as a narrative in line with cultural demands for coherence, intelligibility and recognition; (2) identity performances that occur through relationality among online friends through list maintenance and communication (wall posts, tagging, commentary), and how identity is reconfigured within a network morphology. Finally, the article aims to open discussion around the broad cultural practices and implications of online social networking by developing some theoretical approaches to understanding the incompatibilities between these two facets which compete and risk the ‘undoing’ of online identity coherence. Within the framework of the growing use of social networking sites as one area in which our selfhood and subjectivity are performed, this incompatibility and undoing has both risks and benefits for future the cultural production of identity.
Purpose – This chapter examines the foundations of community among youth with disabilities.
Methodology – Qualitative data on 52 youth with disabilities were analyzed, based on interviews with the youth and their parents. The sample included youth with intellectual, hidden, physical, and sensory disabilities. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory.
Findings – Four foundations of community were identified: geographic, disability-based, religious, and virtual. Disability-based contexts provided much of the basis of friendship for youth with disabilities. Just under half of youth had community connections within their home towns.
Research limitations – These analyses rely on the self-reported and parent-reported experiences of 52 youth with disabilities in Massachusetts and are not representative of youth with disabilities nationwide. Only youth who were still in high school just before graduation are represented; those who dropped out earlier were not included.
Practical implications – Community connections create opportunities for friendship and for sharing information. Youth enjoyed their connections, whether they were formal (designed and created by adults) or informal (just hanging out with other local youth).
Social implications – Youth's connections with other youth with disabilities may result in bonding social capital, creating friendships, but there are fewer opportunities for bridging social capital, creating connections with typically developing youth.
Originality – This chapter provides an overview of youth's perceptions of their participation in various social and recreational activities and explores and conceptualizes the contexts in which youth with disabilities experience community connections with other youth.
In this study, we address the communication technologies individuals within romantic relationships are using to communicate with one another, the frequency of use, and the association between the use of these technologies and couple's positive and negative communication. Participants consisted of individuals involved in a serious, committed, heterosexual relationship. The Relationship Evaluation Questionnaire instrument was used to assess a variety of relationship variables. The majority of individuals within the study frequently used cell phones and text messaging to communicate with their partner, with “expressing affection” being the most common reason for contact. Younger individuals reported using all forms of media (except for e-mail) more frequently than older participants. Relationship satisfaction did not predict specific use of media but predicted several reasons for media use. Additional analyses revealed that text messaging had the strongest association with individuals' positive and negative communication within their relationships. Specifically, text messaging to express affection, broach potentially confrontational subjects, and to hurt partners were associated with individuals' view of positive and negative communication within their relationship. Implications of the results are discussed.
Analyzing autobiographical essays written by 72 young adult college students, this study investigates how coming of age concurrently with the internet and related technologies has influenced these young people’s lives. An understanding of how the technology is influencing the various domains of their lives provides a window on what internet use may be like for future generations. Essays revealed insights into four primary domains: self, family, real communities, and virtual communities. Within each of these domains, participants’ responses tended to focus on key dualities. Additionally, these young people report a growing dependency on the internet for activities ranging from managing their daily lives to building and maintaining virtual communities.
Emerging adulthood is proposed as a new conception of development for the period from the late teens through the twenties, with a focus on ages 18–25. A theoretical background is presented. Then evidence is provided to support the idea that emerging adulthood is a distinct period demographically, subjectively, and in terms of identity explorations. How emerging adulthood differs from adolescence and young adulthood is explained. Finally, a cultural context for the idea of emerging adulthood is outlined, and it is specified that emerging adulthood exists only in cultures that allow young people a prolonged period of independent role exploration during the late teens and twenties.
Two studies addressed age- and gender-related patterns in early adolescents’ and emerging adults’ conceptions of intimacy in friendships. Forty-one early adolescents and 96 emerging adults in Study 1 and 174 emerging adults in Study 2 described a time when they felt especially close to a friend. Narratives were coded for intimate behaviors and affective feelings. In Study 2, emerging adults also completed a survey assessing intimacy in their closest friendship. In Study 1, emerging adults’ narratives contained more self-disclosure and fewer shared activities than the early adolescents’ narratives. No gender differences in conceptions of intimacy were obtained. In Study 2, although emerging adult men and women reported equal amounts of self-disclosure, emerging adult women reported more emotional support and fewer shared activities. Survey results converged with interview data. Self-disclosure predicted emotional closeness for emerging adult women and men; shared activities also predicted emotional closeness for emerging adult men.
Discusses college students' Internet use based on the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Focuses on general uses, including email, browsing, and music downloads; educational uses, including communicating with professors and information searching; and how college social life has been changed, including online communication with friends. (LRW)
For a growing cohort of Americans Internet tools have become a significant conduitof their social life and work life. The surveys of the Pew Internet and American LifeProject track the diffusion of Internet technologies, revealing significant differences inuse between men and women, young and old, those of different races and ethnicgroups, and those of different socio-economic status. A user typology can be builtaround two variables: the length of time a person has used the Internet and the frequencywith which she or he logs on from home. We contend that use of email helpspeople build their social networks by extending and maintaining friend and familyrelationships
Conceptions of the transition to adulthood were examined among adolescents (age 13–19, N = 171), emerging adults (age 20–29, N = 179), and young-to-midlife adults (age 30–55, N = 165). The focus was on whether conceptions of the transition to adulthood would be different among young-to-midlife adults compared to the younger age groups. In all age groups, individualistic criteria were the most likely to be considered important markers of the transition to adulthood, specifically accepting responsibility for one's actions, deciding on one's beliefs and values, establishing an equal relationship with parents, and becoming financially independent. However, young-to-midlife adults were less likely than adolescents to consider biological transitions to be important, and more likely than adolescents or emerging adults to view norm compliance (such as avoiding drunk driving) as a necessary part of the transition to adulthood. In all three groups, role transitions (e.g., marriage) ranked lowest in importance.
This study examines the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online social network site, and the formation and maintenance of social capital. In addition to assessing bonding and bridging social capital, we explore a dimension of social capital that assesses one's ability to stay connected with members of a previously inhabited community, which we call maintained social capital. Regression analyses conducted on results from a survey of undergraduate students (N=286) suggest a strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital, with the strongest relationship being to bridging social capital. In addition, Facebook usage was found to interact with measures of psychological well-being, suggesting that it might provide greater benefits for users experiencing low self-esteem and low life satisfaction.
Data from the Children in the Community Transitions Study were used to examine gender differences in the impact of family contact on the development of finance and romance instrumentality from ages 17 to 27 years. Family contact decreased among both men and women across emerging adulthood, although it decreased more rapidly in men than in women. Both finance and romance instrumentality increased for men and women across emerging adulthood. The growth rate did not differ between men and women in either domain, although men tended to be characterized by higher levels of instrumentality than women. There were noteworthy gender differences in the impact of family contact on the development of instrumentality. At age 17, family contact was negatively associated with instrumentality for both men and women; at age 27, the impact of family contact on instrumentality was less negative for women and was positive for men.
The aim of this study was to investigate the consequences of friend networking sites (e.g., Friendster, MySpace) for adolescents' self-esteem and well-being. We conducted a survey among 881 adolescents (10-19-year-olds) who had an online profile on a Dutch friend networking site. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the frequency with which adolescents used the site had an indirect effect on their social self-esteem and well-being. The use of the friend networking site stimulated the number of relationships formed on the site, the frequency with which adolescents received feedback on their profiles, and the tone (i.e., positive vs. negative) of this feedback. Positive feedback on the profiles enhanced adolescents' social self-esteem and well-being, whereas negative feedback decreased their self-esteem and well-being.
We hypothesized that people who can better disclose their “true” or inner self to others on the Internet than in face-to-face settings will be more likely to form close relationships on-line and will tend to bring those virtual relationships into their “real” lives. Study 1, a survey of randomly selected Internet newsgroup posters, showed that those who better express their true self over the Internet were more likely than others to have formed close on-line relationships and moved these friendships to a face-to-face basis. Study 2 revealed that the majority of these close Internet relationships were still intact 2 years later. Finally, a laboratory experiment found that undergraduates liked each other more following an Internet compared to a face-to-face initial meeting.
This study examines issues of online identity and language use among male and female teenagers who created and maintained weblogs, personal journals made publicly accessible on the World Wide Web. Online identity and language use were examined in terms of the disclosure of personal information, sexual identity, emotive features, and semantic themes. Male and female teenagers presented themselves similarly in their blogs, often revealing personal information such as their real names, ages, and locations. Males more so than females used emoticons, employed an active and resolute style of language, and were more likely to present themselves as gay. The results suggest that teenagers stay closer to reality in their online expressions of self than has previously been suggested, and that these explorations involve issues, such as learning about their sexuality, that commonly occur during the adolescent years.
The present study explored variations in online communication and relationship preferences for friends, family, coworkers, and unknown individuals across gender (men, women), age (young, middle, late), and duration of Internet use (low, medium, high). A total of 174 individuals participated in this study. They were divided into two gender (86 men and 88 women), three age (60 young, 60 middle, and 54 late) and three Internet use duration (60 low, 58 medium, and 54 high) groups. All participants completed several questionnaires that assessed online communication and relationship building preferences. Results indicated no significant main effect for gender and online communication and relationship preferences. The main effect for age was significant for online communication with friends and unknown individuals. Young adults indicated their higher preferences for online communication with friends and unknown individuals compared to middle and late adult age groups. The main effect for duration of Internet use was significant for online communication and relationship preferences. High Internet users indicated higher scores on online communication and relationship building, compared to their counterparts. No significant main effects for duration of Internet use were significant on any of the offline characteristics. Implications of these findings and their relevance to mental health issues and organizational environment were discussed.