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186 Heather A. Horststudents that a “bad” profile on MySpace or another site represented apotential threat to their record, and that this could be the differencebetween Stanford, Berkeley, or one of the private Claremont colleges anda less prestigious California State University school. Still other parentsemphasized independence, discipline, and the need for instilling judgment.Although their particular practices differed, many of the SiliconValley parents were quite comfortable with the role of technology in theirown lives and, therefore, did not fear it in the same way as those who didnot or could not use computers, mobile phones, and other new media. Bycontrast, many of the parents who were strict or overtly tried to ban theirkids from going online often acknowledged that their own lack of familiaritywith computers contributed to their anxieties.Box 4.3 The Milvert Family: A Portrait of Rural CaliforniaChristo SimsAt first glance, Lynn Milvert’s use of digital media seems to resemble theimage of the wired white fifteen-year-old so often portrayed in popularculture. She spends hours each day in her music-filled bedroom, sitting infront of a computer and effortlessly switching between a social network site,multiple instant messaging applications, and even a little homework. At thislevel of detail her routine seems quite similar to those enacted by teenagersfeatured in Heather Horst’s study “Coming of Age in Silicon Valley,” C. J.Pascoe’s study of suburban northern California teenagers (Living Digital), andmany of danah boyd’s teenage participants from various urban and suburbancontexts (Teen Sociality in Networked Publics). What makes Lynn’s caseunique, however, is that she lives in a remote region of the upper foothillsof California’s Sierra Nevada range. And while on its surface her use of technologylooks similar to that of many other youth, both the local geographyand her family’s unique relations to the local community—its schools, itschurches, and its politics—shape the particularities of her practices with newmedia in quite distinct ways.Lynn lives at the end of a meandering driveway, which branches from asingle-lane private road, which, in turn, forks from a quiet two-lane countyroad. Homes are few and far between in this high region of the Sierra Nevadafoothills. Lynn lives in a single-story three-bedroom house with her father,mother, and seventeen-year-old brother, Nate. Lynn’s father grew up a quickwalk down the road from where they live now. He built their current houseon a part of what used to be a family ranch. Lynn’s grandma, aunt, uncle,and cousins all live within walking distance. This geographic closeness affordsfrequent family-centered social time for Lynn. At least once a week Lynn’s