Internet and Youth Culture Essay Example

as its own social space. This involves examining how people consume and create content, communicate and interact online, express themselves, and form their identities within this digital realm. While online activity is often seen as separate from offline life, it exists alongside real-life experiences.

When looked at individually, the virtual space becomes a cohesive social environment that solely exists within a computer space. Here, new rules and lifestyles can emerge. Consequently, individuals who participate in an online community may be geographically dispersed with varying schedules but share common interests, virtual spaces and rules, shared activities, and a sense of belonging.

The online environment not only provides freedom from physical constraints but also offers individuals the opportunity to break free from their offline personalities and social roles.The virtual space provides a platform for young people to freely express themselves and explore different aspects of their identity. It allows for anonymity, enabling individuals to discover hidden parts of themselves and construct a virtual persona. This space also offers opportunities for personal growth and the revisiting of unresolved conflicts.

According to Sherry Turkle, the virtual world supports constructive reflection on reality through identity play. These perspectives have implications for research methods in studying areas such as virtual identities, online communication, and social norms. However, it is important to consider how established social norms and values are reflected in the online realm.

The internet is widely praised for its ability to transcend physical limitations. Users can create temporary personas that render their physical bodies irrelevant, which allows them to connect with others from anywhere within the digital universe. Internet communication enables the formation of new social relationships that do not rely on face-to-face

interaction.

Virtual relationships are perceived as more intimate, enriching, and liberating compared to offline relationships because they are based on genuine mutual interest rather than mere physical proximity.The internet is often viewed as a realm of freedom and exploration, separate from the physical world. However, there is another perspective that sees it as a cultural object within society. This viewpoint examines how the internet integrates into people's lives and its role in communication, self-expression, and content creation offline. It rejects the notion that social life is limited to digital existence. Many online activities are influenced by offline culture, including practices and ideas beyond the digital realm. Recognizing this connection allows us to move beyond personal experiences or outdated systems. Understanding that the new digital space is socially determined enables us to reject simplistic views of technology shaping society or vice versa. For instance, this perspective helps us understand how teenagers use instant messaging and social networking sites to create unique social environments while overcoming geographical limitations. These platforms enable them to connect with others who share their interests beyond their immediate circle of friends.The text acknowledges that limited access to networks and internet resources due to social disadvantage results in accessing new social networks, information resources, and opportunities. It also reveals that a significant portion of instant messaging (IM) and social networking sites are used for maintaining existing social ties with individuals who are alike. The perspective of the internet as a cultural tool emphasizes how socio-economic status impacts access, skills, and involvement in the virtual world. Instead of solely creating a new online realm, the internet is primarily seen as a tool that integrates with

current social structures.Furthermore, individuals use the internet to engage in traditional activities in innovative ways, enhancing communication channels between those who share friendships, kinships, or other connections. While recognized as a novel means of communication, the internet is mainly viewed as supplementary to face-to-face interaction and phone calls; it sometimes even replaces them in specific scenarios (Bargh et al., 2002). The choice of communication channels depends on the nature of relationships: strong ties utilize all available channels while weak ties only make use of some.The integration of the internet into existing relationships for maintaining social connections is guided by rational choices made by individuals. Additionally, it has been proven false that the concept of an internet generation is simply a continuation of adult conversations about their struggles and concerns in acquiring digital literacy. Instead, young people have incorporated various technological tools like instant messaging, blogs, information search, and online commerce into their daily lives.

Both perspectives - the incorporation of the internet in youth's everyday existence and the reciprocal influences between young people and the internet - need to be considered. Adolescents now use the internet to fulfill important developmental tasks such as shaping their identity, participating in social interaction, and gaining independence. These tasks are now being carried out through the internet, which also affects youth culture differently compared to previous generations.

A significant change in internet culture is how today's young individuals actively contribute to creating media content. With Web 2.0, they not only consume but also contribute and generate information and content online. The internet provides opportunities for individuals to create and collaborate on content at reduced costs. Social media platforms offer avenues for

online communities of all sizes that foster User-Generated Content (UGC).This enables bloggers to share news and analysis, musicians to distribute their music, and young people to engage in web production by personalizing it into youth zones. Blogs serve as a digital diary that reaches a wider audience, covering daily concerns, thoughts, emotions, consumer talk, and reviews. They are popular for building identity and socializing in an information-driven society. However, not all young people are involved in content production or share the same digital culture.

For most adolescents, the internet is primarily used for forming and maintaining relationships with existing friends. This is an important task during adolescence as social relationships expand beyond the family and influence various behavioral outcomes. Interacting with peers is crucial for developing and enhancing socio-emotional skills necessary for maintaining long-lasting relationships. Adolescents learn cooperation, gain different perspectives, and fulfill their increasing need for intimacy through these interactions.

In the past decade, the way young people communicate has drastically changed due to the widespread availability of computer-mediated communication and mobile phones. Despite various uses of the internet among youth, such as creating online journals or visiting chat rooms, social purposes remain its primary use.The majority of young people, 93 percent, use the internet to send and receive emails, while 68 percent utilize it for instant messaging. Additionally, 55 percent have profiles on social networking sites. This digital connectivity allows young individuals to stay constantly connected with both their school friends and distant acquaintances. They can continue interacting with their peers through instant messaging (IM) and social networking sites even after returning home from school. This continuous contact creates a sense of togetherness in a

mediated environment, whether it be remote or virtual. Conversations that were initiated at school can seamlessly carry on through IMs, emails, and social media platforms. Interacting with peers plays a significant role in shaping the social lives of young people by bridging online and offline connections. It allows them to remain connected with others even when physically apart while fostering shared experiences among acquainted individuals using IMs. These conversations in IM are similar to those had in person, covering topics such as daily events, gossip about others, clothes, and who was seen with whom. IM is commonly used as an efficient channel for coordinating face-to-face meetings within a social network—this behavior is known as micro-coordination.SMS, also known as short message service, is a rapidly growing communication channel that allows individuals to adjust meeting times and locations in real-time using instant messaging (IM) and mobile phones. A study conducted by Amanda Lenhart and Mary Madden in 2007 titled "Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks: Managing Online Identities and Personal Information in the Age of Myspace" revealed that young people utilize social networking sites in real-time instead of arranging predetermined meetings. These platforms offer various features for sharing personal information, connecting with similar individuals or inviting acquaintances to join, and maintaining contact through content posting, personal blogs, and online groups. It is important to note that these sites also serve as spaces for individuals to experiment with and develop their identities; however, it is challenging to determine if users accurately represent themselves on social media platforms. The increasing use of multiple social media platforms has raised concerns about how young people balance their online participation with busy

schedules. With the widespread use of computers, multitasking has become an integral part of teenagers' effective time management. Media multitasking involves engaging in multiple activities simultaneously such as email, IM, web search, and texting.Multitasking is a common occurrence in the lives of teenagers who use computers. In the past, multitasking involved doing homework while listening to music. However, it now extends to interactions with peers as well. A comprehensive study on multitasking in the U.S. revealed that approximately 25% of young people engage in multitasking most of the time, while half do it occasionally. Only 20% never multitask at all. Computer use plays a significant role in driving multitasking behavior among young people compared to television use. For example, when using email, 83% of respondents reported engaging in other media activities simultaneously. Similarly, when using IM (Instant Messaging), 75% reported doing the same thing. It is not surprising that young people often engage in other computer-related activities simultaneously when using the computer for any purpose. When playing games on the computer, it is highly likely that they are also using IM and having phone conversations. Likewise, when using IM, there's a high likelihood of simultaneous usage for searching websites, watching television, and sending email. Additionally, conducting IM conversations while searching for websites appears to be the most popular secondary activity.
The effects of perpetual contact, micro-coordination, and multitasking on socially overloaded young individuals who manage multiple contacts and expose themselves to risks associated with interacting with strangers are a topic of concern. Contrary to popular belief, teenagers actually report that their behavior and views align with the use of social networking platforms on the internet. These

platforms play a crucial role in facilitating relationships by allowing users to build connections and showcase them as friends lists. Adolescents heavily rely on these platforms, which significantly impact their lives by providing opportunities to connect not only with offline friends but also online acquaintances they have never met face-to-face. A study conducted in the US found that 91 percent of teens use social networking sites to stay connected with frequently seen friends, 82 percent maintain contact with rarely seen friends in person, and 72 percent make plans through these sites. In the UK, users typically have numerous "friends" on social networking sites but typically interact closely with around five real friends. The majority (90 percent) of their contacts are people they have met personally, while only 10 percent are strangers. Additionally, these platforms enable youth to share updates about their activities and whereabouts, fostering constant contact.The internet plays a significant role in shaping adolescent culture and serves as a cultural artifact itself, with the number of contacts an adolescent has often seen as an indicator of their social status and level of involvement with others. Adolescence is marked by commonalities but encompasses a socially diverse group that utilizes different aspects of the internet for various purposes. Instead of solely viewing the internet as a reflection of social norms or its impact limited to the "Net-generation," it is more beneficial to consider the ongoing interaction between online and offline experiences among young people. The adoption of the internet by youths offers them opportunities to participate in society's information domain, primarily revolving around maintaining social connections with family, friends, and acquaintances. Access to the internet becomes

vital for some adolescents as it allows them to belong to peer groups and engage in social activities influenced by their developmental need for social interaction as well as the technological aspects present on Social Network Sites (SNS) and Instant Messaging (IM) platforms, where most interactions occur with school friends due to the essential requirement of social association. The features provided by the internet enable constant connection, intensifying youth's social life.To handle constant communication, people use multitasking techniques on various media and social platforms. Some teenagers contribute to web content and digital culture without worrying about their parents' privacy concerns. Through commercial and noncommercial websites, individuals share their identities, artistic creations, and daily experiences with strangers who make up a large portion of the audience. By expressing themselves online, they fulfill their need for identity in the digital world where technology merges with social interaction, blurring the line between private and public domains.