Online peer communication

Teens’ online communication patterns

According to a 2015 Pew Research survey, Teens, technology, and friendships, young people are heavily reliant on social media and mobile technologies to stay in touch with their peers. The findings suggest that online communication is about as common as in-person communication. Gender differences in using technologies for connecting with friends were also uncovered. Girls were more likely to text with friends, and boys were found to talk with others while playing video games.

Online communication through a developmental lens

A developmental lens may shed light onto why teens communicate and act in certain ways as they use digital and networked technologies. The left hand column of the following chart (image from Katie’s lecture) describes attributes of teen friendships such as trust, caring, and mutual respect. These attributes may serve as motivators for teens’ actions online.

On the right hand column of this chart, we outline common online communication behaviors. For example, we often see younger teens sharing personal information or engaging in online self-disclosure. While the platform for self-disclosure may look different than in previous generations, the motivations of figuring out who you are within the context of your peers is similar to the pre-digital era. Moreover, issues such as cyberbullying appear different today, but it is often tied to offline bullying and teens’ needs to gain social status. As such, teens’ online communication patterns are often linked to their developmental needs.

More or less connected?

#BEINGTHIRTEEN

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What types of pressures and peer conflicts do teens face when communicating online?

Researchers are also exploring the consequences of online communication. For example, Straumstein’s (2015) study found that incoming college freshman have traded hanging out with friends in person with spending time on social media. In Gardner and Davis’s book, The App Generation, they ask: Is time spent online making youth more or less connected with each other?

Drawing on their research with teens, the authors conclude that there likely is no single answer. On one hand, teens find it easier to connect with friends and find people who share their interests. Yet, they also experience constant pressure to stay reachable and respond to friends who contact them online (Gardner & Davis, 2013). Other consequences include the online silo effect, or only receiving information and connecting with those who think and act similarly to themselves. While teens value the less risky nature of sharing information through a screen, they also note the challenges of building deeper connections beyond an online setting (Katie’s lecture, 2017).

Lenhart’s 2015 Pew Research Center survey found that teens encounter a mix of positive and negative online experiences. On social media sites, peers are a source of drama, but they also provide each other with support (Lenhart, 2015). With such a wide range of experiences, parents and other adults may be challenged with how to support teens. Understanding how different social media platforms work and investigating how teens communicate online may be the first steps in making guidance relevant to their developmental needs.