Orig. title: Sociale netværkssider og digital ungdomskultur: Når unge praktiserer venskab på nettet
Engl. transl.: Social Network Sites and Digital Youth Culture: When young people practice friendship online
Keywords
youth
social networks
friendship
internet
Arto
Facebook
Publication details
| Year: | 2009 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.7146/mediekultur.v25i47.1474 |
| Issued: | 2009 |
| Language: | Danish |
| Volume: | 25 |
| Issue: | 47 |
| Start Page: | 45 |
| End Page: | 65 |
| Editors: | Sandvik K.; Liboriussen B.; Laursen D.; Philipsen H. |
| Authors: | Larsen M. C. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Book title: | Online worlds as media and communication format |
| Journal: | MedieKultur: Journal of media and communication research |
| Publisher: | SMID. Society of Media researchers In Denmark |
| Place: | Copenhagen |
| Topics: | Social mediation; Internet usage, practices and engagement; Digital and socio-cultural environment; Literacy and skills |
| Sample: | Various types of data collected through ethnographic studies over a 4 year period: Master thesis: online/virtual ethnographic research, focus group and 1 to 1 interviews with 9 grade students (danish school). PhD project (from 2007-): multi-sited ethnographic approach to various social network sites; field notes, screenshots and qualitative survey in collaboration with the danish 'Medierådet for Børn og Unge' (media council for children and youth). 2400 children and young people between the age of 12 and 18 år delivered examples of experiences in various social network sites that are most used by the danish youth, eg: Habbo, Facebook, MySpace, Arto and NationX. Various types of observational inquiries (translated by the coder) |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parenting guidance / support |
Abstract
During the past few years, hundreds of thousands of Danes have created personal profiles on websites such as Arto, Facebook and MySpace. With the emergence and popularisation of these sites, we have witnessed a new media concept: social network(ing) sites. As is often the case with new media, teenagers have been the first to take social network sites to heart. In this paper I discuss the concept of online social networking and describe how social network sites are used as part of everyday teenage life to maintain social relations. I do this, firstly, by presenting a number of concepts that I consider to be important in relation to young people's use of social network sites. Secondly, I highlight some results from my own research on 12-18-year-old children and adolescents’ use of various social network sites, including Arto.com, which has been Danish teenagers’ preferred venue on the Internet for a relatively long time. Using empirical examples, I analyse and discuss how social network sites are an integral part of the young users' friendships and social lives. The article is based on four years of ethnographic studies.
Outcome
Demonstration of how social network sites is a natural part of danish children and youth social life.
Often shown dichotomy of differences between online/offline, real/unreal, does not make sense in terms of friendship and being social online.
(translated by the coder)