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IT'S COMPLICATED - REFLECTIONS ON DANAH BOYD'S BOOK


IT'S COMPLICATED
A book by Danah Boyd


*This is a running page, updated as I read through the book. 

Danah Boyd takes a look at how teens navigate social media, and addresses related issues such as how adults perceive youths use of the internet and devices. (and more)

We’ve often quip about kids being ‘addicted’ to the Internet or their cell phones. (and social media) Boyd makes a good observation in that social media sites are the public spaces for teenagers of today. We hung out at the mall, or a soccer field or park. Today many go home and socialize online. Adults may say that they’re not meeting face-to-face, but according to Boyd many youth feel they’re too busy with homework, extra-curricular activities, and jobs, so social media sites are the places to hang out and stay connected. She notes from an interview on girl who says she has friends who live far away or go to other schools, so social media is her way of maintaining those friendships. Makes sense to me. Remember writing letters once a month? (and then every six months, and then every year until we moved on and now are not in touch at all)

Another comment that resonates is the often-referred-to ‘digital natives’. Yes, some teenagers are tech savvy, but in my teaching experience many are not. Navigating social media does not translate to being able to do quality and efficient research, nor evaluate a web site, amoung other academic skills. I find that often students have difficulty using technology for problem solving. (“I want to do this but I don’t know how.”) She quotes Eszter Hargittai, making reference to a lack of appreciation for privacy settings (and I’ll add responsible use of social media), saying teenagers are more likely to be ‘digital naives’ rather than ‘digital natives’. I laughed out loud.


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