3pm Journal of Digital research & publishing - artichoke web design

3pm Journal of Digital research & publishing
girls looked like they had had a great time. ìThey just did it to look like they were the
center of attention and have heaps of friends and stuff.î Which begs the question of which
is more important to teenagers these days: lived experience or online identity? ìYoung
people have always devoted attention to the presentation of self,î claims Sonia Livingston,
but is this presentation overtaking any semblance of the ërealí self? (2008: 393). With
the interviewees describing many outings, even just going to the beach or going to coffee,
as a constructed set-up in which girls can take photos of themselves looking a certain
way to further their online identity, it appears as though this narcissistic self obsession
may be taking over these teenagers lives at the expense of real social relationships and
consideration of others.
In addition to this self-obsession, this glitzy online display is creating unrealistic social
and economic pressure on teenage girls. Many of the girls feel as though they must
constantly invest in different clothes and accessories to avoid being photographed in the
same outfit more than once on Facebook, which is considered a faux pas. ìIf I go out in
an outfit someone takes a photo then I wonít wear it again for at least 6 months,î says
one of the girls. When I ask them if they regularly buy new clothes to avoid this situation
they all say yes, with all of them saying they spend most of their pocket money on new
outfits and go shopping at least once a fortnight. In an extreme case, they girls tell me
about a friend at a different school who will buy expensive, designer clothes almost twice
a week, wears them once to be photographed in, keeps the tags on, and then resells them
on eBay. Whilst the teenage girls consider this behavior over the top, they all concede
that it is better than wearing the same thing over and over again, which would get oneself
socially shunned. These girls are being placed under increased economic pressure to try
and keep up with the online identities they, themselves, have created. Not only do these
social conventions privilege girls from wealthier backgrounds, but places those who cannot
afford to constantly update their wardrobe in difficult positions with the interviewees
telling me of girls resorting to shoplifting and stealing from their parents to try and keep
up with Facebook expectations.
Privacy Issues in Facebook
Privacy is also a major concern for teenager use of the Internet and Facebook as many
teenage girls do not see the online world having consequences in the offline world.
Williams and Merten believe that ìadolescents behavior offline is so heavily regulated
by parents, teachers and school administrators and is therefore kept in check and often
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