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Friendship 2.0: Adolescents' Experiences of Belonging and Self-Disclosure Online
- Source :
-
Journal of Adolescence . Dec 2012 35(6):1527-1536. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- This study explores the role that digital media technologies play in adolescents' experiences of friendship and identity. The author draws on findings from in-depth interviews with 32 adolescents (15 girls, 17 boys) ages 13-18 (M = 15.5 years) attending one of seven secondary schools in Bermuda. The adolescents were asked to describe the nature of their online exchanges with friends and the value they ascribe to these conversations. A thematic analysis of their responses revealed that online peer communications promote adolescents' sense of belonging and self-disclosure, two important peer processes that support identity development during adolescence. At the same time, the unique features of computer-mediated communication shape adolescents' experiences of these processes in distinct ways. Gender and age differences show that adolescents' online peer communications are not uniform; the characteristics that distinguish adolescents offline also shape their online activities. (Contains 3 tables.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0140-1971
- Volume :
- 35
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- ERIC
- Journal :
- Journal of Adolescence
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- EJ989598
- Document Type :
- Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.02.013