PWV Alum and Media Technologist Deanna Zandt was featured on CNN to discuss Facebook security and privacy issues followed by the murder of a young woman. Zandt is the author of Share This! How YOU Will Change the World with Social Networking.
*I had never heard of Openbook until I saw this. Wow, I'm starting to feel the impact of posting things- anything- on Facebook. Search for anything and public statuses and comments pop up. Wow.
Also, check out Women's Meadia Center where I found the video. It's pretty rockin', not gonna lie. They have a girls' journalism team. 'nuff said.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The importance of Self- Expression New Link!
Self expression is a very important achievement that young girls should take pride in and show more. It is the expression of one’s individuality including thoughts, beliefs, and creativity. Self-expression can be made known through many means like through the internet on many social networks, or artistic acts such as drawing, photography, music, theatre, etc. There is so much to express and so many ways to do it. Young girls should be encouraged to express themselves and supported. As a part of my Service learning I came across a website that promotes self-expression from young girls and women. The website is called Writegirl.org and has many objectives listed. The goals are:
To introduce girls to a wide variety of writing genres;
To teach a robust set of writing and critical analysis skills;
To encourage girls to explore and develop their creative talents, both written and oral;
To nurture girls and promote healthy behaviors and life choices through positive mentoring relationships with women writers;
To assist girls in preparing for college;
To inspire girls to pursue careers in writing, such as journalism, public relations, screenwriting, songwriting, corporate communications, publishing, website content producing, editing or creative writing;
To equip girls with communication tools to confidently navigate the challenges they face; and
To produce a full slate of program activities throughout the year so that we may serve as many girls as possible (including seven full-day writing workshops annually, a gala public reading and publication of a book each season, college visits and other special outings, and ongoing creative writing mentoring).
It is similar to the setup of our virtual girl’s blog, and has many different options. There are opportunities to volunteer, blog ideas, and comment other people’s beliefs and such. A website like this really supports a young girls ambitions and expression, and motivates one to really be whatever they can be a nd do whatever they set their mind to. Check the website out!
-Christine!
To introduce girls to a wide variety of writing genres;
To teach a robust set of writing and critical analysis skills;
To encourage girls to explore and develop their creative talents, both written and oral;
To nurture girls and promote healthy behaviors and life choices through positive mentoring relationships with women writers;
To assist girls in preparing for college;
To inspire girls to pursue careers in writing, such as journalism, public relations, screenwriting, songwriting, corporate communications, publishing, website content producing, editing or creative writing;
To equip girls with communication tools to confidently navigate the challenges they face; and
To produce a full slate of program activities throughout the year so that we may serve as many girls as possible (including seven full-day writing workshops annually, a gala public reading and publication of a book each season, college visits and other special outings, and ongoing creative writing mentoring).
It is similar to the setup of our virtual girl’s blog, and has many different options. There are opportunities to volunteer, blog ideas, and comment other people’s beliefs and such. A website like this really supports a young girls ambitions and expression, and motivates one to really be whatever they can be a nd do whatever they set their mind to. Check the website out!
-Christine!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Week 8: Intended or Unintended, You Decide.
The online article, “Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life” by Danah Boyd makes some interesting points in defense of teenagers’ participation in social networking sites. Boyd focuses primarily on MySpace as a platform for online expression following the popularity of Friendster. Friendster was originally developed as a website intended for meeting members of the opposite sex (or same sex) and allowed users to write testimonials in an attempt to gather credibility and gain interest from strangers in their friends’ online selves. The pages themselves followed a specific template and focused on characteristics that would be important to someone searching for a potential partner (age, sex, location, photograph, etc).
MySpace built on Friendster’s idea by allowing users to connect with people while doing away with the restrictions of bans on CSS and HTML code, allowing for greater online expression and creativity. This motivated users to want to share their online profile with friends and peers. According to Boyd, “Many began participating because of the available social voyeurism and the opportunity to craft a personal representation in an increasingly popular online community” (4). Online profiles became intentionally formatted to gain attention from a suspected audience and MySpace gave users the ability to control who that audience included. However, there was no way of knowing who was viewing what and how often, thus the “invisible audience,” of social-networking sites was born.
The invisible audience can be defined as the audience in unmediated spaces which views our expressions as public material. The audience’s interpretation of us can be complicated by time and place because they may not have the intended reaction and there is no way of knowing what their reaction will be. As a former user of MySpace, I was mostly aware of my audience because my settings were set to friends only. However, I would often accept people who were not my friends or keep people on my list who weren’t my friends anymore for the purpose of personality performance. In high school, private cliques are formed and gossip roots out those who are unwanted. Identifying online is slightly more difficult because the settings make it such that conversations cannot be overheard but are either public or private for certain members. In short, you can allow parties to view material that is seemingly involuntarily presented for them. I’ll give an example to clarify this point.
Following high school I had an extremely rocky relationship with an ex-boyfriend who also chose to identify online. He was very interested in web design, running several online sites, and also had a MySpace and Facebook profile. Following one of our many break-ups, I posted a blog on MySpace about how much I hated Valentine’s Day, seemingly written for friends (as it was public) but written with him in mind. I never addressed him or our relationship specifically but you could pretty much hear the bitterness in my tone. He of course read it and responded angrily. Since we weren’t on speaking terms and wouldn’t see each other for awhile this was my way of publicly addressing him. Thus, my opinions were validated without actually having to confront him outright. In a sense, it was easier to be passive-aggressive online than it was in person. As Boyd states, “Situations like this highlight how context is constructed and maintained through participation, not simply observation. When outsiders search for and locate participants, they are ill prepared to understand the context; instead, they project the context in which they relate to the individual offline onto the individual in this new online space” (17). Since then he and I have reconciled (although we’re not still together) but to this day participate in the intended/unintended audience conundrum of online sharing.
MySpace built on Friendster’s idea by allowing users to connect with people while doing away with the restrictions of bans on CSS and HTML code, allowing for greater online expression and creativity. This motivated users to want to share their online profile with friends and peers. According to Boyd, “Many began participating because of the available social voyeurism and the opportunity to craft a personal representation in an increasingly popular online community” (4). Online profiles became intentionally formatted to gain attention from a suspected audience and MySpace gave users the ability to control who that audience included. However, there was no way of knowing who was viewing what and how often, thus the “invisible audience,” of social-networking sites was born.
The invisible audience can be defined as the audience in unmediated spaces which views our expressions as public material. The audience’s interpretation of us can be complicated by time and place because they may not have the intended reaction and there is no way of knowing what their reaction will be. As a former user of MySpace, I was mostly aware of my audience because my settings were set to friends only. However, I would often accept people who were not my friends or keep people on my list who weren’t my friends anymore for the purpose of personality performance. In high school, private cliques are formed and gossip roots out those who are unwanted. Identifying online is slightly more difficult because the settings make it such that conversations cannot be overheard but are either public or private for certain members. In short, you can allow parties to view material that is seemingly involuntarily presented for them. I’ll give an example to clarify this point.
Following high school I had an extremely rocky relationship with an ex-boyfriend who also chose to identify online. He was very interested in web design, running several online sites, and also had a MySpace and Facebook profile. Following one of our many break-ups, I posted a blog on MySpace about how much I hated Valentine’s Day, seemingly written for friends (as it was public) but written with him in mind. I never addressed him or our relationship specifically but you could pretty much hear the bitterness in my tone. He of course read it and responded angrily. Since we weren’t on speaking terms and wouldn’t see each other for awhile this was my way of publicly addressing him. Thus, my opinions were validated without actually having to confront him outright. In a sense, it was easier to be passive-aggressive online than it was in person. As Boyd states, “Situations like this highlight how context is constructed and maintained through participation, not simply observation. When outsiders search for and locate participants, they are ill prepared to understand the context; instead, they project the context in which they relate to the individual offline onto the individual in this new online space” (17). Since then he and I have reconciled (although we’re not still together) but to this day participate in the intended/unintended audience conundrum of online sharing.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Straight Talk (7)
I found it very interesting that gURL.com existed for girls and found myself asking what other classmates have wondered: Where was this site when I was a teenage girl? I checked out the site and was surprised by how straight-forward it was. Many sites made by adults for girls or just young people in general seem to have an agenda. I thought the information would be censored except in the forums but there were many explanatory articles and quizzes right in your face and they are a lot of things you want to know about at that age (and even at this one), things that are ambiguous, especially now adays.
I think this week's readings made me realize how much the instant contact that being online provides is connected to things like identity and hyper-sexuality. I could actually look back and relate to the girls on NevaEvaLand. I was on similar sites, including MySpace,when I was younger. Actually I was in the age range of the girls in the study and a lot of the memes of song lyrics being incorperated into the online displays were true. I hadn't really thought of these things as performances of sexuality, although that's what they were. It just made sense at the time. Glitter graphics are appealing and so were dollz because they were pretty things other girls were playing with. And you wanted an attractive profile picture or tagline so you could flirt with boys. I think a lot of the natural inclinations that teens have when they are exploring their sexuality are just put into hyperspeed. Things like rap music help because adults don't censor much anymore, whether they believe they should or not. By the time they do, kids who know how to navigate and communicate instantly, have already been there and done that. It's the same way that you can manipulate voice over IM or just feel that you can say things that you can't say in person. There's this "air time" feel to the internet that makes you present something, to perform or you literally almost don't exist and when it comes to sexuality, the absolute last thing you want is to not exist. Any sex is better than asexual to people, especially people exploring their sexuality and identity at the same time in a way that is interlocked.
I was pretty disappointed though at how easily someone could be a slut or be completely oblivious. It seems like in a realm where there are so many ways to express yourself and your true, unsaid desires without consequence, it would be easier to allow yourself creativity or deviation from hegemonic norms in your sexuality, but no. In fact, online with the dollz and with the gURL forums, girls seemed to hold on to a very very romanticized ideal of love or sex or both. The text on gURL did mention that the feminine performance didn't seem to see love and sex as fulfilling things, but rather, something that was good or bad. I was really surprised to see how patriarchal binaries of sexuality still held up online. I could understand how an adolescent girl would see sex as behavior she wasn't old enough for or something you do with a significant other, but I thought deviations (maybe not the more graphic, nonchalant ones, but some) wouldn't be seen as "slutty". I wasn't expecting it to be seen as freedom either, but maybe as having the say to do what you want, however good or bad that decision might be. When I was that age, though, I did think early teens was too young to be having sex. It wasn't so much that girls who did were slutty, but that they were taking too many risks, I guess. In the respect of sex, though, reputation is still a big deal just like in Arab culture.
I think this week's readings made me realize how much the instant contact that being online provides is connected to things like identity and hyper-sexuality. I could actually look back and relate to the girls on NevaEvaLand. I was on similar sites, including MySpace,when I was younger. Actually I was in the age range of the girls in the study and a lot of the memes of song lyrics being incorperated into the online displays were true. I hadn't really thought of these things as performances of sexuality, although that's what they were. It just made sense at the time. Glitter graphics are appealing and so were dollz because they were pretty things other girls were playing with. And you wanted an attractive profile picture or tagline so you could flirt with boys. I think a lot of the natural inclinations that teens have when they are exploring their sexuality are just put into hyperspeed. Things like rap music help because adults don't censor much anymore, whether they believe they should or not. By the time they do, kids who know how to navigate and communicate instantly, have already been there and done that. It's the same way that you can manipulate voice over IM or just feel that you can say things that you can't say in person. There's this "air time" feel to the internet that makes you present something, to perform or you literally almost don't exist and when it comes to sexuality, the absolute last thing you want is to not exist. Any sex is better than asexual to people, especially people exploring their sexuality and identity at the same time in a way that is interlocked.
I was pretty disappointed though at how easily someone could be a slut or be completely oblivious. It seems like in a realm where there are so many ways to express yourself and your true, unsaid desires without consequence, it would be easier to allow yourself creativity or deviation from hegemonic norms in your sexuality, but no. In fact, online with the dollz and with the gURL forums, girls seemed to hold on to a very very romanticized ideal of love or sex or both. The text on gURL did mention that the feminine performance didn't seem to see love and sex as fulfilling things, but rather, something that was good or bad. I was really surprised to see how patriarchal binaries of sexuality still held up online. I could understand how an adolescent girl would see sex as behavior she wasn't old enough for or something you do with a significant other, but I thought deviations (maybe not the more graphic, nonchalant ones, but some) wouldn't be seen as "slutty". I wasn't expecting it to be seen as freedom either, but maybe as having the say to do what you want, however good or bad that decision might be. When I was that age, though, I did think early teens was too young to be having sex. It wasn't so much that girls who did were slutty, but that they were taking too many risks, I guess. In the respect of sex, though, reputation is still a big deal just like in Arab culture.
Identity Construction
Get on My Level: How Black American Adolescent Girls Construct Identity and Negotiate Sexuality on the Internet.
Neil Postman, a famous American author, media theorist, and cultural critic, once wrote about how the Internet and the new media are eroding childhood innocence at an age much too early. He could not be further from the truth. Traditionally, research and other investigative reports have been focused largely on the white adolescent girls and their identity pursuits on the internet. Black adolescent girls and girls of color, who have all along been peers with their white counterparts, were not devoid of these social constructs. As a result, they have also begun to capitalize on finding their own identity the Internet.
According to Carla Stokes, “Black American adolescent girls are surrounded by unhealthy messages and images of black women and girls as hypersexual and deviant in mass media and pop culture including the internet and hip hop music videos. Growing up in an internet age where internet technologies such as youtube, facebook, Web 2.0 technologies etc, abounds, black adolescents have become internet savvy. However, many black adolescent girls construct self definitions that portray them in sensual ways just like how the media and hip hop portrays them.
Many of the girls use a site called NevaEvaLand in which they profile themselves with their autobiographical information, blogs, photo galleries, comments etc. Many of these websites can be very sexual and very explicit both in text and graphics. Would it be fair to say that the unhealthy messages and images of black women and girls contribute to the shaping of these sexually charged websites? Or are black adolescent girls and other girls of color searching for their own identity by design? Maybe it is because pornography is only a click away on the computer that these girls become viewers to satisfy their curiosity. Whatever is the reason, I can’t help but to agree with Neil Postman that the Internet and new media are eroding childhood innocence at too early an age.
Black adolescent girls must be given credit for their skill and ability to use the Internet and continue the hip hop tradition by using technological innovations profiles. Their manipulation of new media technologies to give themselves a voice, their abilities to become producers and owners, and their interaction with the world etc. are favorable traits. Black girls are also in a position to critique the media and collaborate with them to produce more supportive and culturally safe places on the internet. They are also in a position to challenge the status quo that exploits women in the media and instead, promote self worth for the girls.
Neil Postman, a famous American author, media theorist, and cultural critic, once wrote about how the Internet and the new media are eroding childhood innocence at an age much too early. He could not be further from the truth. Traditionally, research and other investigative reports have been focused largely on the white adolescent girls and their identity pursuits on the internet. Black adolescent girls and girls of color, who have all along been peers with their white counterparts, were not devoid of these social constructs. As a result, they have also begun to capitalize on finding their own identity the Internet.
According to Carla Stokes, “Black American adolescent girls are surrounded by unhealthy messages and images of black women and girls as hypersexual and deviant in mass media and pop culture including the internet and hip hop music videos. Growing up in an internet age where internet technologies such as youtube, facebook, Web 2.0 technologies etc, abounds, black adolescents have become internet savvy. However, many black adolescent girls construct self definitions that portray them in sensual ways just like how the media and hip hop portrays them.
Many of the girls use a site called NevaEvaLand in which they profile themselves with their autobiographical information, blogs, photo galleries, comments etc. Many of these websites can be very sexual and very explicit both in text and graphics. Would it be fair to say that the unhealthy messages and images of black women and girls contribute to the shaping of these sexually charged websites? Or are black adolescent girls and other girls of color searching for their own identity by design? Maybe it is because pornography is only a click away on the computer that these girls become viewers to satisfy their curiosity. Whatever is the reason, I can’t help but to agree with Neil Postman that the Internet and new media are eroding childhood innocence at too early an age.
Black adolescent girls must be given credit for their skill and ability to use the Internet and continue the hip hop tradition by using technological innovations profiles. Their manipulation of new media technologies to give themselves a voice, their abilities to become producers and owners, and their interaction with the world etc. are favorable traits. Black girls are also in a position to critique the media and collaborate with them to produce more supportive and culturally safe places on the internet. They are also in a position to challenge the status quo that exploits women in the media and instead, promote self worth for the girls.
In-Crowd & Out-Crowd
I don't think that many people consider the Internet as a public forum. For the most part, people who use social networks, and are active members of online communities don't think twice about anyone beyond their current networks finding them. The Internet has blurred the lines between "public" and "private" because what we know as a public place in the real world where we might hang out, the place where some people hang out on the net is private to them. Thanks to social networks like Facebook and Myspace, we have all found ourselves blurring those same lines of public and private. On Myspace, someone can find you and find out about where you live, how old you are, and what things you're into just by reading one page. Normally, you'd have to be know someone on a more personal level before having that kind of information about them. Most girls on the net have tried to find acceptance with most of their groups and with the help of blogs and online journals they have found support groups with other girls across the world. Some of these outlets beg for tons of information that most of these young girls shouldn't even be giving out. And even with Facebook, although the information given isn't as available if you aren't a "friend" with the person on their Facebook page, but within a click, you can find out what school someone goes to. In the article by Danah Boyd, she analyzes Myspace by breaking the site down into three parts. She found that profiles, friends, and comments were the main elements that made up this particular social network. With these components, all the dots can be connected to make up who someone is on the net. Even though the real world and the world wide web lack so many things in common, there is one thing that the two do share, and that is each individuals need to be heard. In GWW, there's a line that states "the hybrid public and private spaces which girls choose to publish their blogs are testimony to their insistence upon being heard". And while there is a constant need for being apart of something bigger and having your voice heard and interacting with people you wouldn't normally be able to access, I don't think there should be too much information about yourself placed online. It's just not safe, and the Internet never sleeps, so your information is available 24/7.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Fan-fiction, a Microcosm of Too Many Things.
When I think of fan-fiction, the term generally recalls some of the most painful, poorly written, sic-laden pieces of Internet writing I have ever encountered. What I've read generally goes beyond perverse in its attempts to integrate the writer/narrator into the story as the sexually desired counterpart to their favorite male lead in fantasy writing. While I suppose the sentiment is understandable, in sublimating sexual desires, the idea of it being literary in any way is a bit laughable to me, though I haven't exposed myself to enough of what I guess would be considered its higher echelons to make an entirely balanced assessment, and perhaps this will be the impetus for that venture.
When I couldn't come up with a purely academic title for this post, as is my preference, I decided on something that communicates everything these kind of forums encapsulate for me, namely burgeoning, externalized sexuality, an imaginative desire to live in a fantasy realm, away from the familiar trappings of girlhood, and the communities that form around a shared sense of desire for adventure. I really appreciate the observation in "Me/Her/Draco Malfoy" that an almost exclusively female forum creates a safe space for expressing a desire for sexual dominance, or at least, control of one's own sexuality and all of the factors that can preclude or advance a fantasy-caliber sexual experience. The anonymity is also essential to this because I don't think that level of honesty is possible in any forum without the assurance that it won't be seen and judged by those closest to the writer. As Warburton also notes, there is a certain weariness of "Dateline-esque" creepiness that has become a huge part of how everyday people view the internet: that is, that it always has a predatory underbelly that needs to be staved off with precautionary measures (Warburton 126).
I accept right now it's probably not fair to possess negative opinions about fan-fiction, having never looked into it with vigor, and that my opinions have nothing to do with feminist ideals or anything of the sort, as much as an abhorrence of writing mediums that purport to be formed in the same vein as literature when it's only derivative (and in my experience, not well written), and in that sense, an insult to that which it takes its formulaic style from, and that opinion is much less relevant to the content of this class. It makes sense to me that Twilight is one of the most often cited examples of novels that are used as templates for fan-fiction, as it seems to be written with just this crowd in mind anyway. I suppose it's empowering for girls to be able to own their sexualities in an almost pornographic manner, but they are choosing to do it through a novel which reifies gender norms in a really offensive manner, and I don't think anything "transgressive" can come from that. And if queerness "is restricted to a virtual realm as they live their 'real' heteronormative lives," I don't see how it's being resistant or political in any way either (Warburton 128). I can appreciate the identity construction aspects of fan-fiction, that the writer is creating her own role models, or at least, manipulating them into more interesting situations that suit her needs, but again, I don't see this as much different than any other mode of creative expression, except that it's manufactured, and in terms of the community aspect, it mirrors every other forum I've ever heard of, the only difference being that it's girls who are creating the community around their shared love of dubious story-telling. I can respect the motivation behind it, but that doesn't mean I'll ever understand or like it, and for that reason, for now at least, the jury is out.
When I couldn't come up with a purely academic title for this post, as is my preference, I decided on something that communicates everything these kind of forums encapsulate for me, namely burgeoning, externalized sexuality, an imaginative desire to live in a fantasy realm, away from the familiar trappings of girlhood, and the communities that form around a shared sense of desire for adventure. I really appreciate the observation in "Me/Her/Draco Malfoy" that an almost exclusively female forum creates a safe space for expressing a desire for sexual dominance, or at least, control of one's own sexuality and all of the factors that can preclude or advance a fantasy-caliber sexual experience. The anonymity is also essential to this because I don't think that level of honesty is possible in any forum without the assurance that it won't be seen and judged by those closest to the writer. As Warburton also notes, there is a certain weariness of "Dateline-esque" creepiness that has become a huge part of how everyday people view the internet: that is, that it always has a predatory underbelly that needs to be staved off with precautionary measures (Warburton 126).
I accept right now it's probably not fair to possess negative opinions about fan-fiction, having never looked into it with vigor, and that my opinions have nothing to do with feminist ideals or anything of the sort, as much as an abhorrence of writing mediums that purport to be formed in the same vein as literature when it's only derivative (and in my experience, not well written), and in that sense, an insult to that which it takes its formulaic style from, and that opinion is much less relevant to the content of this class. It makes sense to me that Twilight is one of the most often cited examples of novels that are used as templates for fan-fiction, as it seems to be written with just this crowd in mind anyway. I suppose it's empowering for girls to be able to own their sexualities in an almost pornographic manner, but they are choosing to do it through a novel which reifies gender norms in a really offensive manner, and I don't think anything "transgressive" can come from that. And if queerness "is restricted to a virtual realm as they live their 'real' heteronormative lives," I don't see how it's being resistant or political in any way either (Warburton 128). I can appreciate the identity construction aspects of fan-fiction, that the writer is creating her own role models, or at least, manipulating them into more interesting situations that suit her needs, but again, I don't see this as much different than any other mode of creative expression, except that it's manufactured, and in terms of the community aspect, it mirrors every other forum I've ever heard of, the only difference being that it's girls who are creating the community around their shared love of dubious story-telling. I can respect the motivation behind it, but that doesn't mean I'll ever understand or like it, and for that reason, for now at least, the jury is out.
Privacy and Perks of Digital Communication !
It is wild how much I can relate to the young girls and their actions in this book, even though my first young online experiences were about 10 years ago. Young females have not seemed to change the ways in which they use instant messaging or in present time, facebook, etc. or the way they keep it secret from adults. When I was younger I only had access to aol.com and its instant messaging feature. I first starting communicating with my friends on it when I was ten and never had secrets to keep from my parents, even when the computer was located only in my mother’s room. However as young girls grow older life seems to become more complicated and we become more open minded, and close it off from parents.
It seems true that it is important to keep certain information from parents, because they are too scared they will get caught and in trouble. However, I never got anywhere in the technological world because my mother and father were up to par with computer knowledge and even knew more than I did. I was put under as many parental controls as possible and even limited to who I talked to. I think it’s a good idea to put young girls under parental controls to prevent the 1 in 5 statistic from continuing. Predators are out there and they are not going to go away, whether we like it or not so it is always better to be safe than sorry. However I do not believe the same for the actual instant message conversation. Parents should not be able to invade the privacy of their daughters, just like they shouldn’t read their diaries. Instant message is a silent private way to converse and vent to others without any outside sources having to read it. There are some things that are meant to be kept private and be respected.
As opposed to when I was younger and used instant messenger on aol to talk to some people, girls these days along with the rest of the world use facebook as their ultimate communication and expression tool. Facebook is a much more open place than IM and allows for a person to convey more of a personality to many people. However there are so many privacy options, that a profile can range from something only a few close friends can see to the whole world and offers many options from cause pages to millions of “like” options to express oneself.
It seems true that it is important to keep certain information from parents, because they are too scared they will get caught and in trouble. However, I never got anywhere in the technological world because my mother and father were up to par with computer knowledge and even knew more than I did. I was put under as many parental controls as possible and even limited to who I talked to. I think it’s a good idea to put young girls under parental controls to prevent the 1 in 5 statistic from continuing. Predators are out there and they are not going to go away, whether we like it or not so it is always better to be safe than sorry. However I do not believe the same for the actual instant message conversation. Parents should not be able to invade the privacy of their daughters, just like they shouldn’t read their diaries. Instant message is a silent private way to converse and vent to others without any outside sources having to read it. There are some things that are meant to be kept private and be respected.
As opposed to when I was younger and used instant messenger on aol to talk to some people, girls these days along with the rest of the world use facebook as their ultimate communication and expression tool. Facebook is a much more open place than IM and allows for a person to convey more of a personality to many people. However there are so many privacy options, that a profile can range from something only a few close friends can see to the whole world and offers many options from cause pages to millions of “like” options to express oneself.
Our public, private space.
What we post on the internet, regardless of privacy settings.. can never be private. I really enjoyed the quote from pg 16 of Why youth <3 social networking. "Most people believe that security through obscurity will serve as a functional barrier online" It true, many young teens believe they can "hide" from parents, teachers, and worst of all predators. They change their information and believe it will "protect" them from people finding there things. In some ways, this will deter people. But I don't believe that it will stop anyone. The thing about social networking is that it links everyone together, making you easy to find by the people you are friends with.
But in a way, would we ever post something online that we didn't want ANYONE to read? Our deepest, darkest secret? In a way, isn't everything posted online written for someone? How many times can you tell yourself that you are just "venting" for yourself, and not intending on someone else seeing it?
I grew up in the age of social networking. Everything from Myspace, to Xanga, to Live Journal, to Facebook. I knew it all. "“If you’re not on MySpace, you don’t exist” – Skyler," I love this quote, because as a teen it is true. You are nothing without your social networking site.
I do believe that these social networking sites give teens and now even adults a community. It broadens your span of friends, and connects people from all times in your life. These communities allow you to air out issues that are bugging you, complain about something, rejoice about things, laugh, be angry. It gives way to all sorts of emotions with people you would never have shared those feelings with. I do feel as if some people take it too far though. If you are a different person online then you would be in person, what are you proving? Many cyber" bullys" and things exist. These people are big and bad when they can hide behind their computer, but are not like this in real life. These communities, just like real life, allow people to judge you. I do think these cyber communities should not replace real life. Humans, as a race, are loosing out on real life moments that could happen because of these social networking communities. It is important that even though we can be whoever we would like online, that we also be true to ourselves in the real world.
But in a way, would we ever post something online that we didn't want ANYONE to read? Our deepest, darkest secret? In a way, isn't everything posted online written for someone? How many times can you tell yourself that you are just "venting" for yourself, and not intending on someone else seeing it?
I grew up in the age of social networking. Everything from Myspace, to Xanga, to Live Journal, to Facebook. I knew it all. "“If you’re not on MySpace, you don’t exist” – Skyler," I love this quote, because as a teen it is true. You are nothing without your social networking site.
I do believe that these social networking sites give teens and now even adults a community. It broadens your span of friends, and connects people from all times in your life. These communities allow you to air out issues that are bugging you, complain about something, rejoice about things, laugh, be angry. It gives way to all sorts of emotions with people you would never have shared those feelings with. I do feel as if some people take it too far though. If you are a different person online then you would be in person, what are you proving? Many cyber" bullys" and things exist. These people are big and bad when they can hide behind their computer, but are not like this in real life. These communities, just like real life, allow people to judge you. I do think these cyber communities should not replace real life. Humans, as a race, are loosing out on real life moments that could happen because of these social networking communities. It is important that even though we can be whoever we would like online, that we also be true to ourselves in the real world.
Digital Technology: A Mixed Blessing
As a parent of two teenage girls, I find it challenging to keep up and to safeguard against the potential for inappropriate digital indulgences that many adolescents and teens engage in. The advances that are made by information technology and the presentation of these digital and mobile devices in the market place can be overwhelming. In “The Constant Contact Generation (Exploring Teen Friendship Networks Online),” by Lyn Schofield Clark, I cringed when I read the kind of explicit text messages by teenagers that are recorded there. Test messages such as in “A peek into the Pow(d)er Room in gURL.com: gURL.com as Haven,” and “What the Heck Is Premarital Sex?” and the many more text messages that are recorded in the readings are alarming, especially when some of these girls are only thirteen years old. On the other hand, I was heartened to read that there are some teenagers who would desist from writing inappropriate text, “Yet there are also quite a few gURL.com members who are proudly, even defiantly, vaginal and intend to stay that way until they are married. Some, but by no means all of these girls offer religious or moral justifications for their pro-virginity position.”
I was unaware of the genres “slash,” “shipper” or “fan fiction,” prior to taking this class. Now that I have learned about them, “fan fiction is when a person writes stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. ...” Seelah, a young adult female American writer explains that FF “expands our understanding of the author’s universe,” and Cryogenia, a fictional writer said, FF is accessible to anyone with an imagination and a favorite story.” In the “Draco Malfoy” reading, girls are able to write fan fiction in an anonymous forum because they have derived a great deal of fun or amusement writing by “picking up characters, putting them down and experiment with their surroundings,” or that they may just have a natural love for writing without disclosing their real names. I think that any forum that enables an individual to write, or brings out the ability of a person to write, is a good thing.
Fan fiction to my mind, should not be considered “poaching” or “copyright infringement,” because it “is self-published, mostly on the Internet, and not for profit,” according to Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer-winning novelist. Commonly cited figures find that girls make up 90% of fan fiction writers. The fact that the audience for Harry Potter and Twilight are mostly young female, it makes them (young females) natural places to observe groups of girls.” I do not think that “slash” is feminist nor anti-feminist because it promotes awareness in human sexuality, “Slash in particular raises particular issues of identity and sexualities; women writing fantasies with and for one another projected through and by same-sex desires suggests that fandom may be a queer female space.” (p.128 2.0).
Blogs are enabling a sense of community for adolescent girls by enabling them to express themselves in a way that they don’t have to face to face, in a safe environment. It does matter for girls who create communities via blogs because they can “share writing, and authors often ask and receive detailed feedback on their posting as well as support each other's work through community challenges and contests.”(p.119 2.0). Community means is an online forum whereby members are able to take part in membership practice. It is a form of information system where anyone can post content, and you reciprocate with replies and feedback. Some girls engage in dual awareness or dual audiences to target both friends and strangers. Such acknowledgment of the known and unknown contribute to the building of an online community.
The journey into the future of Cyber world is certainly shaping the way we communicate with each other. It is definitely having a great impact on the upcoming generation. However, one thing is for sure, the potential for inappropriate use of information technology would always be there.
Girls' Blogging Communities
In Girl Wide Web Mazzarella states “The hybrid public and private spaces in which girls choose to publish their blogs are a testimony to their insistence upon being heard” (186). I think that this is one of the most important factors to consider when looking into girls’ blogging communities. We learn in this chapter that blogging communities are more often formed around constructs such as age and gender. My experiences from growing up as a girl taught me that girls are extremely competitive with each other and in this situation it is not always easy to find companionship. However, when a girl writes a blog she is demanding to be heard and the people that read her blog are helping by providing a space where she is heard by her peers. We learn that Jasmine’s blog “that her friends have always helped her get through life, but now she felt she no longer had the support of her friends” (191). The blogging community of girls that she was involved with gave her the support she thought she was losing in real life.
While I do follow several blogs today, I feel like I was more part of a blogging community when I was younger. When I was a teenager I was homeschooled and so I relied on my online friends a lot for support. While we all were nearly the same age and all female, there were many other cultural factors that we had in common. One drawback was that I was unable to actually go out and experience things with my friends and so I spent many more hours online than I probably should have. Mazzarella explains that blogs can be used “as discursive spaces to negotiate identities and represent themselves in ways that often challenge mainstream representation of girlhood” (187). I felt a lot more comfortable blogging and communicating in an online community of girls than in real life. I believe that it was because the nature of our relationship was to be supportive rather than how in real life girls are often expected to be competitive (especially over male attention).
Success In Privacy
I have come to realize that many young women in today’s world enjoy IM-ing and feel that it gives them the privacy that talking face to face and over the phones do not. Thiel mentions on page 51 that this idea that the internet provides a safe place for self-expression and disclosure has been explored in past literature on adolescents and new media by examining the web pages that they publish and the topics they explore on those pages and the online forums on which they participate and both share and gain personal information. I definitely agree with this idea because you can express how you feel through writing a friend on IM and not having to worry about someone overhearing you. This gives you the freedom to really tell someone how you feel in the privacy of your own room. The very act of IM is silent consisting only of a single adolescent typing on a keyboard, so no one can overhear the conversation. The IM window can be easily and quickly closed if someone intrudes into the physical space. It is possible to keep a “log” of messages with some IM programs, but this may seem like a serious breach of privacy, especially for parents of older teens who value that privacy above all else (I.I. p.52). I know I would have loved to have been able to IM friends as a teenager. Because it is true that the extra privacy cushion is a big turn on. Some things I would have never told friends over the phone just because I wouldn’t want to run into the possibility of someone overhearing me. Thiel also mentions that just because the IM privacy settings are available many parents don’t have the technical expertise to figure out how to save the IM logs. The IM also allows males and females to start relationships that they may never do in public. A study concurs: 37 percent of the adolescent IM users say they have said something online that they would not have said in person (I.I. p.54).
The situated identity is in fact the characteristic way “coordinating or getting coordinated by other people, things, tools, technologies, symbol systems, places, and times” – at least with regard to the characteristic way someone presents themselves in interviews and all of their other conversations submitted for something (I.I. p.63). In other words tracking shifting identities from one to another. I believe that this is true for many people, especially young adolescent females trying to find themselves in today’s world. They may act one way with a group of people and the complete opposite with another group. Being able to IM conversations like the young woman Sunny did on page 62 of Instant Identity shows you that the “privacy” that this messaging gives you is a positive thing because someone may find out that they are a different and more positive person with the guidance of someone that they may have never gotten in contact with in a normal setting.
Do you/will you allow your children access to private messaging or will you “log” their messaging?
Got me all figured out..
We've been seeing over the past few readings how IM-ing can be regarded as both public and private. It was funny to see the research that has been conducted around the use of IM's and what they are used for and how they are saved. i remember when I used to IM a lot on AIM that I would use it to talk about crushes, to talk to crushes (since it was easier not being face-to-face) and printing out conversations in order to keep the memories and come back to them later. Even if a friend wasn't online at the same time as I was, so I couldn't copy/paste them a chat, I could print it out and let them read it later. It's weird to think how a conversation that is so private online between two people can be made public in a variety of ways, whether it be through sharing online, reposting somewhere or just letting someone else read a printed out version. It makes me wonder... how many people have seen what I've discussed "privately" in an IM conversation with someone? hmmm....
Alternatively, the discussion surrounding the use of social media as the "twenty-first century's most obvious version of the diary" was interesting to me as well. The chapter was spot on when Stern discussed how girls more freely blog about feelings and personal accounts on their blogs or online journals. I remember in high school having a LiveJournal, blogging every day about what had happened, what I did, who I saw, what was funny, what made me sad, etc. Everything was there, for everyone to see and I didn't seem to mind. I'm a bit more cautious now about what I post in a "journal type" format online, especially because of organizations that I represent, prospective medical school admissions officers seeing what I've written, potential employers not liking something that I’ve written, etc. It's funny that now I'm more cautious about what I post yet I still speak so openly and freely here on our WST blog. Weird. Me being cautious is also humorous because I kind of feel like the Girl Scouts of Northern California. When I was reading their pdf about how members of the Girl Scouts should go about posting thins on social networking sites or online in general I was thinking to myself "so many restrictions". But then upon thinking about how I monitor what I post and say online in order to represent myself and organizations I'm in in a good light, it makes sense to me now that the Girl Scouts have the rules that they do. I wasn't consciously aware of how I censored myself online until I just started writing this blog and making connections between our readings. Thanks for helping me realize that I, just like the girls we are reading about, form an identity online that I wish for others to see and know me by. haha. Oh Virtual Girls...
Alternatively, the discussion surrounding the use of social media as the "twenty-first century's most obvious version of the diary" was interesting to me as well. The chapter was spot on when Stern discussed how girls more freely blog about feelings and personal accounts on their blogs or online journals. I remember in high school having a LiveJournal, blogging every day about what had happened, what I did, who I saw, what was funny, what made me sad, etc. Everything was there, for everyone to see and I didn't seem to mind. I'm a bit more cautious now about what I post in a "journal type" format online, especially because of organizations that I represent, prospective medical school admissions officers seeing what I've written, potential employers not liking something that I’ve written, etc. It's funny that now I'm more cautious about what I post yet I still speak so openly and freely here on our WST blog. Weird. Me being cautious is also humorous because I kind of feel like the Girl Scouts of Northern California. When I was reading their pdf about how members of the Girl Scouts should go about posting thins on social networking sites or online in general I was thinking to myself "so many restrictions". But then upon thinking about how I monitor what I post and say online in order to represent myself and organizations I'm in in a good light, it makes sense to me now that the Girl Scouts have the rules that they do. I wasn't consciously aware of how I censored myself online until I just started writing this blog and making connections between our readings. Thanks for helping me realize that I, just like the girls we are reading about, form an identity online that I wish for others to see and know me by. haha. Oh Virtual Girls...
Girls' Needs are Met Online - Virtual Communities
I wanted to relate today's discussion of Virtual Communities to Vickery's questions in her essay. She asks, “How are blogs enabling a sense of community [for adolescent girls]? Assuming girls create communities via blogs […] why do these communities matter? More specifically, what are the social and/or cultural implications of these online blogging communities for adolescent girls, specifically with relation to their sense of identity.” Speaking similarly on the subject, I would like to address girls' use of forums on mediums such as Myspace. I will take a personal approach to the topic, since I have a closely related experience.
Similar to a blogring, forums on Myspace (and other sites) have the ability to create communities for girls. At 19, I was single and pregnant (off and on with the father in jail blah blah etc.) and found myself living with my parents again for 3 months. This was by no means my first choice, but having had a whirlwind first trimester of living in the streets and in my car, to finally have enough for a week to week room rental, to being evicted (our rent money was stolen) and so again homeless (my car was impounded), I gave up and moved back in with my parents. My son's father was not allowed to stay so he was homeless and moved to Orlando to live at Covenant House, a homeless shelter for youth.
My life was an absolute mess, but at the same time I was becoming more and more grounded as my pregnancy hormones were stabilizing my despair that had landed me where I was. I had hope again, but was still extremely confused, and with really no one to turn to. Old friends? Forget about that romantic notion -- most of the people you thought would stick around through thick and thin didn't have time for me anymore -- with parties and drugs and all that other exciting stuff going on for them. My parents only reluctantly took me back, under the condition my baby's father leave, and I get a job. I was happy to work, and had been previously before getting evicted, but had to quit because my morning sickness was too unbearable. I ended up getting two jobs, and riding my bike to work for two restaurants from 9am-8pm (40-60 hrs a week) for the next 3 months.
Ok trying to move this story along, living with my parents was miserable (as expected). The comments on my appearance and choices was never-ending. My father reprimanded me for exposing my stomach, while his friend felt oh so entitled to tell me I was a "loser." I was offered a trip to Spain in exchange for getting an abortion. Of course, my mother was keen to agree with all of the above. I knew I had made some mistakes, but it was clear in my mind that was a phase and I had already moved on. I needed to connect with other people who understood what I was going through.
This is where Myspace came in handy for my survival. It helped me to deal with my emotions by posting blogs on my page, and also as a way to seek out an understanding community. I searched a few different group topics with intent to find some new friends. Two friends, whom I still remain close with today, are both in fact male (now 20 & 29), and were found through separate group searches of bands/musicians I admire. They both gave me the opportunity to chat with them online about what was going on my life without judging me. More importantly, I found a group made by young pregnant women for young pregnant women -- FUBU prenatal -- but, actually, entitle "Knocked Up." :)
The group was a lifesaver. The settings were set to private, so that once we had reached around 20 participants, no one new was allowed in without approval of the moderator/group creator, and preferably with suggestion of an existing member. At one point we even had a male single father, a friend of one of the girls in the group, whose contribution was invaluable as well. The topics were wide open and anyone could post about anything they wanted to -- how they were feeling physically, questions about pregnancy and labor, relationship problems, recipes, pictures, etc. There was RARELY fighting or any cattiness, and I honestly felt close to several of the girls. Three girls lived in Florida, and coincidentally we all had due dates near each other. I met all three in person several times, and two made it to my son's first birthday. I still in keep in touch with all three, and have even visited one in New York since she has moved there.
Although, many of the girls I never met and do not keep in touch with anymore, the relationships I formed with them online at that time was absolutely necessary for me to stay positive and grounded. My identity online was more real than my identity in the face-to-face world. Online I was a person, face-to-face I was a statistic. Something else I came to recognize was that in life you really are going through it all alone, but that at least, everyone else is too. Hearing other girls' stories and experiences gave me the perspective that I needed to forge ahead. Girls NEED blogs and online communities BECAUSE their needs are not being met in the real world.
Similar to a blogring, forums on Myspace (and other sites) have the ability to create communities for girls. At 19, I was single and pregnant (off and on with the father in jail blah blah etc.) and found myself living with my parents again for 3 months. This was by no means my first choice, but having had a whirlwind first trimester of living in the streets and in my car, to finally have enough for a week to week room rental, to being evicted (our rent money was stolen) and so again homeless (my car was impounded), I gave up and moved back in with my parents. My son's father was not allowed to stay so he was homeless and moved to Orlando to live at Covenant House, a homeless shelter for youth.
My life was an absolute mess, but at the same time I was becoming more and more grounded as my pregnancy hormones were stabilizing my despair that had landed me where I was. I had hope again, but was still extremely confused, and with really no one to turn to. Old friends? Forget about that romantic notion -- most of the people you thought would stick around through thick and thin didn't have time for me anymore -- with parties and drugs and all that other exciting stuff going on for them. My parents only reluctantly took me back, under the condition my baby's father leave, and I get a job. I was happy to work, and had been previously before getting evicted, but had to quit because my morning sickness was too unbearable. I ended up getting two jobs, and riding my bike to work for two restaurants from 9am-8pm (40-60 hrs a week) for the next 3 months.
Ok trying to move this story along, living with my parents was miserable (as expected). The comments on my appearance and choices was never-ending. My father reprimanded me for exposing my stomach, while his friend felt oh so entitled to tell me I was a "loser." I was offered a trip to Spain in exchange for getting an abortion. Of course, my mother was keen to agree with all of the above. I knew I had made some mistakes, but it was clear in my mind that was a phase and I had already moved on. I needed to connect with other people who understood what I was going through.
This is where Myspace came in handy for my survival. It helped me to deal with my emotions by posting blogs on my page, and also as a way to seek out an understanding community. I searched a few different group topics with intent to find some new friends. Two friends, whom I still remain close with today, are both in fact male (now 20 & 29), and were found through separate group searches of bands/musicians I admire. They both gave me the opportunity to chat with them online about what was going on my life without judging me. More importantly, I found a group made by young pregnant women for young pregnant women -- FUBU prenatal -- but, actually, entitle "Knocked Up." :)
The group was a lifesaver. The settings were set to private, so that once we had reached around 20 participants, no one new was allowed in without approval of the moderator/group creator, and preferably with suggestion of an existing member. At one point we even had a male single father, a friend of one of the girls in the group, whose contribution was invaluable as well. The topics were wide open and anyone could post about anything they wanted to -- how they were feeling physically, questions about pregnancy and labor, relationship problems, recipes, pictures, etc. There was RARELY fighting or any cattiness, and I honestly felt close to several of the girls. Three girls lived in Florida, and coincidentally we all had due dates near each other. I met all three in person several times, and two made it to my son's first birthday. I still in keep in touch with all three, and have even visited one in New York since she has moved there.
Although, many of the girls I never met and do not keep in touch with anymore, the relationships I formed with them online at that time was absolutely necessary for me to stay positive and grounded. My identity online was more real than my identity in the face-to-face world. Online I was a person, face-to-face I was a statistic. Something else I came to recognize was that in life you really are going through it all alone, but that at least, everyone else is too. Hearing other girls' stories and experiences gave me the perspective that I needed to forge ahead. Girls NEED blogs and online communities BECAUSE their needs are not being met in the real world.
Life & Times of the digitally inclined
Technology comes at us in waves, and sometimes in the form of fads. I've been using computers since I was in the fourth grade, and that was when AOL still came in the form of a floppy disk in the mail. Needless to say, at 23 years old, I've seen the changes technology has undergone; I've seen the good, the bad, the ugly, and I've also noticed how it changes people and an individuals perception. My first introduction to modern technology was when my Dad bought a computer when I was about 8 years old. Along with the computer, he also bought a fax machine. At this time, both of those items were the hot things on the market, and I was only using the computer for games, and my Dad was using both the computer and the fax machine to get his business started. There was no high-speed internet, so we connected to the internet through the dial-up connection within the land-line phone, and there wasn't nearly as much stuff to find on the internet as there is now. I immediately took a liking to the computer and started using it every other day whenever my Dad wasn't using it. I never really saw my Dad using the computer that much, so all my knowledge just came from genuinely pressing keys and clicking the mouse. A couple years later, AOL started to become more and more popular, and more and more families started to have computers in their homes, which meant more kids my age would be able to access the net as well. Towards the end of the millennium is when I started getting a little more handy with the computer. By this time, I had an AOL email account, an AIM handle, and I was full on searching for gross things on the Internet to show my friends at school each day. Needless to say, I was knee deep into the cyber world and since most kids my age at the time were not using the net as much as I was, I slowly acquired the title of 'computer geek'. It never bothered me though, because I wasn't really into the actual computer itself, but just more-so the capabilities of what the technology had to offer; and at the end of the day I just considered myself a fan. Along comes Y2K and everyone is in panic because of the fear that the computers that run the world aren't scheduled to recognize the year 2000 because there's a "2" instead of a "1" in front of the year. I have to admit I was a little scared because of all the rumors and such going around, but it never really surprised me to find out it was a hoax. If technology was so advanced to actually produce computers and then the internet, I don't think something as minor as a number change would make the whole world self-destruct. At this point, my family had moved into a new house and it was 2001; a year after Y2K and the same year high-speed internet had become available. I'm not sure if it was available before this time, but this was when it was available in my area, so I signed up and took on the bill with the help of my parents. Shortly after, I got a laptop for Christmas and in the same day, I downloaded Napster. Along with that download of Napster, I remember downloading 300+ songs, because I was just so excited about having fast internet. About a year later in 2002, I started my own e-commerce website selling sneakers. I was always into collecting sneakers, and through this hobby, I found a steady supplier who I could start my business through. I was 15 at the time, and with the help of some good friends, my site reached the 3rd spot in the apparel listings on Alexa (a web traffic company) in the country. This was my first real introduction to the net and seeing first hand how powerful it was. From my computer at my house, I could make my products available to people all over the world. Although I have never really used the internet to be anyone other than myself, there was no way I could be able to run a business and let people know that it was ran by a 15 year-old. That said, I quickly picked up on how to present myself in the most professional/adult manner through the internet. Instead of using slang and short words, I'd spell everything out. Nowadays, no one would throw the word computer geek around, because if you look around, computers pretty much run everything. From the social networks, to the smart-phones, technology has become the cool thing. And in this day and age, no matter what anyone says, it's very important for people to stay up on certain terms, events and products that are associated with advancements in technology. To me, that's what it means to be digitally literate; if someone brings up Twitter, you're not completely lost in the conversation. To sum it all up, technology is changing, and at a rapid rate. The way people communicate has changed because of technology, and the way people operate and function in daily life has changed because of technology. I don't know what's next, but I do know that staying relevant regardless of age, while all these changes happen is just something we will all have to face one day.
Breaking Away From the Stereotypes
Throughout centuries, people have gathered and formed communities around common interests and have expressed their own opinions and interests within these communities. These communities have helped people shape their own identities. Technology has changed, but the idea of identity shaping and community formation has stayed the same. One place to see this is in the fan fiction websites and forums. As the book explains, these websites help girls form friendships because they have something in common. And usually these friendships are more than talking about your favorite character. “It seems that, by joining a FF community, a girl can expect to either give and receive ‘acquaintance-level’ support or, more likely, a friendship.” (2.0, p.126)
These communities allow the girls to be themselves without the fear of their looks affecting the way people see them. An adolescent girl who may be going through puberty caused acne, or does not fit the ridiculous mold of what media calls a “pretty girl,” the FF community will not see them and therefore will not judge them on their looks. Also, the book points out an example of an ex-model who likes the fact that in the FF community she is not expected to “act cool.” (2.0, p.126)
This helps a girl make a true identity because she is not afraid of being judged as she would be in her junior high or high school community. This, to me, is one of the best aspects of the internet community and its anonymous setting. In a society where girls are told that they are too fat or their hair is not pretty or that being smart and creative is “uncool,” it is hard for a girl to truly express herself without the fear of being made fun of. The FF websites and blogs are helping girls fight back against the stereotypes. Fan fiction takes it a step farther by giving the girls a truly anonymous way of exploring characteristics they have or wish they had. The describe the authors characters in a way that usually describes themselves or what they wish they could be, without the girls specifically saying such things. They can explore different personalities or sexualities and express themselves in their own narratives. They can create their identity through their favorite character.
These communities allow the girls to be themselves without the fear of their looks affecting the way people see them. An adolescent girl who may be going through puberty caused acne, or does not fit the ridiculous mold of what media calls a “pretty girl,” the FF community will not see them and therefore will not judge them on their looks. Also, the book points out an example of an ex-model who likes the fact that in the FF community she is not expected to “act cool.” (2.0, p.126)
This helps a girl make a true identity because she is not afraid of being judged as she would be in her junior high or high school community. This, to me, is one of the best aspects of the internet community and its anonymous setting. In a society where girls are told that they are too fat or their hair is not pretty or that being smart and creative is “uncool,” it is hard for a girl to truly express herself without the fear of being made fun of. The FF websites and blogs are helping girls fight back against the stereotypes. Fan fiction takes it a step farther by giving the girls a truly anonymous way of exploring characteristics they have or wish they had. The describe the authors characters in a way that usually describes themselves or what they wish they could be, without the girls specifically saying such things. They can explore different personalities or sexualities and express themselves in their own narratives. They can create their identity through their favorite character.
"live journal"
Blogging for young adolescents girls is somewhat of a new phenomenon. These online communities have developed in recent years that provide a forum for people to go on and voice their opinions and see the thoughts of others in their peer group or of others that share the same interests. These communities have an impact on young females because it is a place where, whether they know it or not, they can develop their identity and express themselves with freedom. If someone comes on and posts something in response to their thoughts, young girls will often stand up for their opinions with vigor in their reply because there is no sense of face to face confrontation. This can teach young girls to stand up for and defend what they believe in. It is often a challenge for young girls to find their voice and be able to articulate their thoughts. Indeed, with the emotions of young females they will at times post things on blogs that they sometimes wish they could take back. We then see girls learning from their mistakes and growing in their communications skills. Often during adolescence females are very into themselves and their own worlds. When they post things on blogs it leaves their opinions up for interpretation. They are now learning how other people interact with their thoughts. It can lead to the benefit of bringing them outside of themselves. Clearly, these blogs usually not private spaces, but they are becoming something so common that the lack of privatization is becoming accepted. In the readings this week it is written that, “Broadcasting personal feelings and identity shifts may become the cultural norm, and the idea of safe, private space may no longer be relevant.”
The term of a community might mean something different to each individual person, especially in terms of levels of closeness. In my opinion, a community is defined as a place where people gather together for a common goal or interest. Blogs can fall under this category I suppose. I often fail to include ‘online communities’ in my ideas of a community. However, for young females, these online blogs are certainly part of their community. Young females see online social spaces as places where they are themselves and other people can take it or leave it. At a young age (middle and high school) girls usually don’t need to be concerned with the professional side of the coin where they have colleagues and superiors invading these online social circles. However, as with age comes more responsibility and the division of whom you appear to be socially and professionally. It is often a balancing act. You want to be yourself and give off information, but not too much information. It will be very beneficial for girls to grasp this concept at soon as possible.
-Melissa King
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A Gal's Place to Vent, week 8
Not only is the Internet a popular place for young girls to gather and communicate with their friends it is also a place for them to journal, blog and network on issues of interest. This can be observed in many different forms such as; journals referred to as the New Interactive Diary, various Fan sites allowing them to tell their own version of a story (book or movie), and Social network sites where girls can be active by creating personal profiles, searching and adding friends in addition to communicating with one another.
Fan girl communities offer the author to be connected through various groups and communities on subjects that are of interest enabling communication of their particular version or thought. They have the opportunity to modify a story in a way that appeals to them. Some may not like the ending or may want to make changes in general. Therefore on these fan based sites they can make these changes and receive input from others. "FF readers and writers have explained their involvement as fun, interesting, sexually satisfying, or a natural expansion of a love of reading" (2.0 119).
Blogs, are personal journals that have the potential to be read by many. Young girls may post blogs to an unknown audience getting both positive and negative feedback from complete strangers. This blogging community is shared space with shared bonds. Blogs are primarily a text-based, discursive practices shared by a group that constitutes a community (2.0 185). This community creates a sense of identity thus a feeling of worth and a sense of belonging. One girl states that she felt like as long as she had a blog, she had an audience and having an audience made her feel what she was saying was important. Historically it was understood in our culture that girls were to be seen and not heard. Through the Internet and blog sites these girls are given the opportunity to express themselves through a venue with a voice, empowering them to be heard. In the past girls would journal or write in their diaries. However today they tend to perform this online( interactive diary). Many seek IM as a form of a diary, asking questions about topics such as sex and sexuality. Some refer to websites and IM complete strangers seeking the answers. Regardless, some chose to save and refer back to their conversations similar to reading in their diary reflecting on certain conversations.
The Social Network sites give girls an opportunity to not only connect with friends online but also find friends from afar and form new friendships through their existing ones. In the our Internet reading (dana.org) these network sites were described as having four properties; persistence, searchability, exact copyability and invisible audience. These are components that are needed to utilize these sites as opposed to a face to face community. These sites allow an individual to personalize their personal space with various setting options. They can modify these settings when desired at any given time. However some of these network sites have a default setting which would take place based in information that was entered during the making of the profile.
Whatever the intention of the Internet user, and the various ways to communicate. Through live journals blogs, fan fare communities and social network sites, they all allow for individualism and a place to seek a community of acceptance. Girls tend to utilize these venues based on their individual needs but all seem to have one thing in common- a voice to be heard.
Fan girl communities offer the author to be connected through various groups and communities on subjects that are of interest enabling communication of their particular version or thought. They have the opportunity to modify a story in a way that appeals to them. Some may not like the ending or may want to make changes in general. Therefore on these fan based sites they can make these changes and receive input from others. "FF readers and writers have explained their involvement as fun, interesting, sexually satisfying, or a natural expansion of a love of reading" (2.0 119).
Blogs, are personal journals that have the potential to be read by many. Young girls may post blogs to an unknown audience getting both positive and negative feedback from complete strangers. This blogging community is shared space with shared bonds. Blogs are primarily a text-based, discursive practices shared by a group that constitutes a community (2.0 185). This community creates a sense of identity thus a feeling of worth and a sense of belonging. One girl states that she felt like as long as she had a blog, she had an audience and having an audience made her feel what she was saying was important. Historically it was understood in our culture that girls were to be seen and not heard. Through the Internet and blog sites these girls are given the opportunity to express themselves through a venue with a voice, empowering them to be heard. In the past girls would journal or write in their diaries. However today they tend to perform this online( interactive diary). Many seek IM as a form of a diary, asking questions about topics such as sex and sexuality. Some refer to websites and IM complete strangers seeking the answers. Regardless, some chose to save and refer back to their conversations similar to reading in their diary reflecting on certain conversations.
The Social Network sites give girls an opportunity to not only connect with friends online but also find friends from afar and form new friendships through their existing ones. In the our Internet reading (dana.org) these network sites were described as having four properties; persistence, searchability, exact copyability and invisible audience. These are components that are needed to utilize these sites as opposed to a face to face community. These sites allow an individual to personalize their personal space with various setting options. They can modify these settings when desired at any given time. However some of these network sites have a default setting which would take place based in information that was entered during the making of the profile.
Whatever the intention of the Internet user, and the various ways to communicate. Through live journals blogs, fan fare communities and social network sites, they all allow for individualism and a place to seek a community of acceptance. Girls tend to utilize these venues based on their individual needs but all seem to have one thing in common- a voice to be heard.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Parental Interception
I am all for privacy for teen girls, well heck! I was a teen once - and I loved that my parents respected my privacy. I believe there is a fine line with the internet though. I believe girls still need their privacy, but as in the opening of chapter 3 asks - I too ask - Is it Safe? As an adult new to all the blogging and facebooking technology, I too am very careful with privacy settings and what is displayed. The main important information that can be delivered to young girls is the education and knowledge of how to keep their privacy private, and to teach the consequences of allowing people to "see" too much information. I have known people that have been fired for publicly writing there disdain for the company they worked at on their Myspace pages. I have also known hiring managers who opted not to interview folks due to their Facebook postings. It is crucial for young people to know all this information can follow them for many many years.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Week 8: Virtual Communities
These discussion prompts do not include the Webcourses or online readings but please feel free to address those, as well, and especially to make connections between them.
Me/Her/Draco Malfoy” –Jaime Warburton
This reading relates to last week’s discussions around sexuality and also emphasizing the role of community in the development and negotiation of individual and collective identities (including sexual identification and negotiation)
Were you aware of the genres “slash” and/or “shipper” and/or fan fiction (FF)? If so, what is your relationship with such writing? Do you participate in forums where such writing is central? Discuss in relation to the readings, especially the “Draco Malfoy” reading (117). If you have never encountered these genres, visit some of the websites listed in the reading (or others you come across online) and discuss your findings in relation to the texts this week.
In the “Draco Malfoy” reading, Warburton asks, “How does writing fan fiction in a possibly anonymous forum allow girls to write their own identities?” (117) What do you think?
“Fan fiction” is referred to by some as “derivative fiction” (or is viewed as a subgenre of such fiction). Some critique it as “poaching,” “copyright infringement,” or “laziness.” How do you react to such claims? (118)
Commonly-cited figures find that girls make up 90% of fan fiction writers. What might contribute to such a dramatic gender imbalance?
Warburton writes: “Various scholars have made the case that slash is feminist and anti-feminist, political and apolitical, resistant and merely as transgressive as other fan fiction” (128). What do you think? Support your response with at least one specific example provided in the text (or using your own example from fan fiction not discussed in the reading).
“Blogrings as Virtual Communities for Adolescent Girls” –Jacqueline Ryan Vickery
Vickery asks some important in her essay, such as: “How are blogs enabling a sense of community [for adolescent girls]? Assuming girls create communities via blogs […] why do these communities matter? More specifically, what are the social and/or cultural implications of these online blogging communities for adolescent girls, specifically with relation to their sense of identity” (183). Discuss.
Vickery provides various definitions of “community” including Benedict Anderson’s “Imagined communities” (184). What does community mean to you? How do you define community in light of the reading and the different definitions provided?
Think about the notion of “dual audiences” (friends vs. strangers vs. personal vs. professional, etc.) discussed on page 186. What are some strategies girls use to negotiate such dual audiences? How do you negotiate the hybridity of the internet and your online social spaces (which are simultaneously public and private)? How do you negotiate such spaces when personal and professional (or other public) converge?
Do you read, follow, or comment/engage any blogs on a regular basis? What is your relationship to blogs? What are the benefits and/or drawbacks of blogs. Think about these questions in relation to the readings.
Instant Identity / Ch. 3 – “I got to intercept that email before the parental gets home”… (51)
–Shayla Thiel Stern
Stern continues discussing the notion of the internet as providing spaces that are simultaneously private and public. You might continue this discussion regarding IM-ing, but also think about it in relation to Facebook privacy settings, LiveJournal and other public “private” journals, etc.
Discuss the notion of “situated identity” or shifting representations of identity online (63)
Me/Her/Draco Malfoy” –Jaime Warburton
This reading relates to last week’s discussions around sexuality and also emphasizing the role of community in the development and negotiation of individual and collective identities (including sexual identification and negotiation)
Were you aware of the genres “slash” and/or “shipper” and/or fan fiction (FF)? If so, what is your relationship with such writing? Do you participate in forums where such writing is central? Discuss in relation to the readings, especially the “Draco Malfoy” reading (117). If you have never encountered these genres, visit some of the websites listed in the reading (or others you come across online) and discuss your findings in relation to the texts this week.
In the “Draco Malfoy” reading, Warburton asks, “How does writing fan fiction in a possibly anonymous forum allow girls to write their own identities?” (117) What do you think?
“Fan fiction” is referred to by some as “derivative fiction” (or is viewed as a subgenre of such fiction). Some critique it as “poaching,” “copyright infringement,” or “laziness.” How do you react to such claims? (118)
Commonly-cited figures find that girls make up 90% of fan fiction writers. What might contribute to such a dramatic gender imbalance?
Warburton writes: “Various scholars have made the case that slash is feminist and anti-feminist, political and apolitical, resistant and merely as transgressive as other fan fiction” (128). What do you think? Support your response with at least one specific example provided in the text (or using your own example from fan fiction not discussed in the reading).
“Blogrings as Virtual Communities for Adolescent Girls” –Jacqueline Ryan Vickery
Vickery asks some important in her essay, such as: “How are blogs enabling a sense of community [for adolescent girls]? Assuming girls create communities via blogs […] why do these communities matter? More specifically, what are the social and/or cultural implications of these online blogging communities for adolescent girls, specifically with relation to their sense of identity” (183). Discuss.
Vickery provides various definitions of “community” including Benedict Anderson’s “Imagined communities” (184). What does community mean to you? How do you define community in light of the reading and the different definitions provided?
Think about the notion of “dual audiences” (friends vs. strangers vs. personal vs. professional, etc.) discussed on page 186. What are some strategies girls use to negotiate such dual audiences? How do you negotiate the hybridity of the internet and your online social spaces (which are simultaneously public and private)? How do you negotiate such spaces when personal and professional (or other public) converge?
Do you read, follow, or comment/engage any blogs on a regular basis? What is your relationship to blogs? What are the benefits and/or drawbacks of blogs. Think about these questions in relation to the readings.
Instant Identity / Ch. 3 – “I got to intercept that email before the parental gets home”… (51)
–Shayla Thiel Stern
Stern continues discussing the notion of the internet as providing spaces that are simultaneously private and public. You might continue this discussion regarding IM-ing, but also think about it in relation to Facebook privacy settings, LiveJournal and other public “private” journals, etc.
Discuss the notion of “situated identity” or shifting representations of identity online (63)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Performative Sexuality and Safe Spaces
Performance as an aspect of identitarian development is something that has fascinated me throughout my studies of Women's and Queer Studies. When I consider performative identity, I always associate it most with queer theory, so I looked back at a memo I wrote last semester concerning a chapter in a text called Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics. Some of the ideas, when generalized, are surprisingly apropos to the subject at hand. In the context of queered media, I observed that "'performance' is a way of creating this new, revised identification, as it is the total rejection of the idea that a cultural image can replace the singular human experience." In the case of adolescent development, the opposite can be said to be true, since it is modeled entirely on the behavior of others, whether they are peers, whom the girls look to for moral support and guidance, or as mentioned above, cultural images of sexuality. Interestingly, I also observed that "[p]erformance is simply the application of theory to bring about social change," and while a conscious theoretical backing is hardly the province of the girls we observe here, it seems that through their performance of sexuality, they form a safe community to begin to come into themselves, which can be interpreted as small-scale activism, in my opinion. From these ideas, I derive my analysis.
gURL.com is absolutely what I would consider the epitome of mainstream tween culture. It is predicated on a need to establish consumer ideals in the adolescent girl early to carry her into womanhood and a life of spending, and makes the most vapid cultural products mainstays of her universe. However, I think having a place to learn facts about sex in/on her own terms is invaluable to her development as an informed person, and in this respect, websites and magazines of this type are very important. When the dominant discourse teaches that sex is shameful, it is wonderful that girls are allowed to form a space for themselves to see that their doubts about the validity of that claim are bolstered by the resounding agreement from peers that they are experiencing the same doubts. I can't remember a time that sex seemed particularly mysterious to me, and I don't remember ever seeking anything like this out as an adolescent, so the idea that girls need to form their understanding of the world around these spaces saddens me, as I know much of the misinformation stems directly from abstinence only education and parents who are less than forthcoming. In the same vein as safe spaces, I love the observation that IM, or whatever other medium chosen, "becomes a space in which its users are able to negotiate and understand sexuality without having to rely upon bodies" (Stern 68). The idea that the Internet can mediate the formation of attitudes in that way had never occurred to me, but it makes complete sense, since most physical interactions involving teen sexuality are notoriously awkward. In this sense, "safe spaces" are in no way confined to questions on sexual attitudes and what certain slang for sex acts translates to, but also, for the safest possible flirtation and the performative development of the self, predicated on honesty, or ostensibly, an even more interesting, manufactured sense of self. In the same way that disembodiment can embolden girls into aggressive behavior, so can it be a much more positive force for identity construction.
One thing that I found very interesting in the gURL.com article is the implication even by the author that there are only so many acceptable ways that teen sexuality for girls can play out. The comment that reflected on the segment about "fuck buddies" came across very judgmental to me. I understand that for most people, these kinds of interactions are considered emotionally detrimental, but the authors themselves observe that this is a traditionally "male" behavior, and ask no questions about where teen boys "today [are] getting the message that it is acceptable (or, at least, non-problematic) to have sex without romantic attachment," as they do for teen girls (Grisso and Weiss 42). This reification of gender roles, even as we're purporting to be interrogating and challenging them, is so incredibly condescending to me. It is the rough equivalent of the girls who accuse others of being "sluts" in their sexual performativity, and it's most telling that both instances are considered acceptable because they hide behind the guise of concern for the well-being of the transgressor in question. As a caveat to this, I think we can see the "play" in the system when examining these kinds of behaviors, as they are very sexually androgynous from the standpoint espoused by Judith Butler, and by that token (by my approximation), VALUABLE, when we are discussing how we perform our prescribed gender roles, as these behaviors certainly do not fit into that scheme.
gURL.com is absolutely what I would consider the epitome of mainstream tween culture. It is predicated on a need to establish consumer ideals in the adolescent girl early to carry her into womanhood and a life of spending, and makes the most vapid cultural products mainstays of her universe. However, I think having a place to learn facts about sex in/on her own terms is invaluable to her development as an informed person, and in this respect, websites and magazines of this type are very important. When the dominant discourse teaches that sex is shameful, it is wonderful that girls are allowed to form a space for themselves to see that their doubts about the validity of that claim are bolstered by the resounding agreement from peers that they are experiencing the same doubts. I can't remember a time that sex seemed particularly mysterious to me, and I don't remember ever seeking anything like this out as an adolescent, so the idea that girls need to form their understanding of the world around these spaces saddens me, as I know much of the misinformation stems directly from abstinence only education and parents who are less than forthcoming. In the same vein as safe spaces, I love the observation that IM, or whatever other medium chosen, "becomes a space in which its users are able to negotiate and understand sexuality without having to rely upon bodies" (Stern 68). The idea that the Internet can mediate the formation of attitudes in that way had never occurred to me, but it makes complete sense, since most physical interactions involving teen sexuality are notoriously awkward. In this sense, "safe spaces" are in no way confined to questions on sexual attitudes and what certain slang for sex acts translates to, but also, for the safest possible flirtation and the performative development of the self, predicated on honesty, or ostensibly, an even more interesting, manufactured sense of self. In the same way that disembodiment can embolden girls into aggressive behavior, so can it be a much more positive force for identity construction.
Gurl, get on my level with that sex talk
In Chapter 3 “Get On My Level”, Mazzarella analyzes the African American girls and the web. I found this chapter to be most interesting. In this chapter Mazzarella discusses the results that are obtained when the key words “black girl” is entered in a search engine such as Google. “ Big Booty Black Girls” was the first link to show up. Many of the other links that appeared were sexually explicit and showed “black girls” in a very sexual manner. This has a lot to do with the way black women are perceived in the media and the hip-hop culture. In most rap lyrics black women are depicted as sexual objects and this is reflected on what we see for young black girls on the internet. This is also interesting to me because in most cultures the media influences girls to be “thin” and to look like a size 1 model. However in the African American race it is different because they embrace larger figure women.
Online communities and social networks have an enormous impact on girl’s sexual identity development because of many reasons. In online communities, when we communicate we don’t do it face to face; It creates sort of a safe haven for people who are shy or who are experimenting with their identities. It also becomes easier for them to say how they really feel and they become very comfortable with this situation.
Gurl.com seems to be putting forward and effort in helping younger girls who have trouble with self esteem and body image. They also have very informative and motivational tools to help your girls. However, I personally find the website to be somewhat contradictory. They say “ love yourself for who you are” but then a commercial on their page reads “ get younger looking skin.” Another issues that is very dear to my heart is the issues of education, I feel as though in today’s society the media and the interment are all concerned with fashion and dating instead of on education. This website is a prime example of this sort of thing. They have a huge ad of a very popular reality star talking about dating but when I tried to look for something about education there was a very small tab at the bottom. This website seems to be about “ girl power” but what really is girl power? Learning dating tips from Lauren Conrad? Or leaning hoe to empowered yourself through education.
Sheissocute08:9:08pm: Why R U.. Curious??
When reading how girls value Instant Messaging or IM in (Instant Identity) I think it sums up how most girls feel, especially in adolescence that IMing is a private conversation shared between people that cannot be shared with others and cannot inhibit them but allow them to truly express how they feel to friends and others. We start the identity process through the creation and use of screen names like on
However I understand all this opportunity of self-expression doesn’t equate to good intentions or publicity. Personally I was partially ashamed and embarrassed to find that some girls, specifically the African American girls described in the Get On My Level passage. There seemed to be a lot of need to explicitly express their sexuality in provocative profile photos or taking excerpts of hip-hop lyrics that identify women as sexual tools or use their sexuality as a weapon of social status. With my experience with MySpace, I have seen this across the board for many races however there was a tendency for African American girls to stand out from time to time and it’s a little disappointing to see that research confirm my experiences. However I think if it weren’t for these methods of self-expression, there wouldn’t be an opportunity to address the issue of sexual identity and researchers would probably have a harder time in trying to find how adolescents associate themselves, especially when we’ve habitually discussed how media has a huge influence.
“Girls will express themselves when they feel they are in a safe place, free from judgment or inhibiting adults or male peers.” .I think one of the reasons why gurl.com has become so interactive is due to its girl authored sections to state how they feel and ask questions. There are sections like the facts about (insert topic here – and there are quite a few) that offer expert and factual advice so that false information isn’t being passed around but at the same time, the information is just that there are no attitudes, no judgments nor opinionated disclaimers about the information, just a channel for girls to know the facts about certain sexual and health topics and a chance to make their minds about the information given.
Gurl.com & Sexual Identity
As discussed in Instant Identity, online communities have definitely helped inform girls about sex as well as develop their own sexual identity. Girls who are now connected to the internet inevitably know much more about sex and sexual identities than girls who were their age 50 years ago.
I was somewhat surprised to read some of the IM conversations in Instant Identity, just because I don’t remember having such explicitly sexual conversations at the same age but I think this goes to show just how much and how quickly the internet is impacting young girls. I thought the differences between the conversations among girls and the ones between girls and boys were very interesting. As noted on page 86, while girls talking to each other can be mean and confrontational and caring and understanding when talking to boys. This definitely eludes to the ingrained patriarchy that surfaces even through virtual communication.
I really enjoyed the Grisso/Weiss article and looking through gurl.com, especially because I remember going to the website a few times when I was younger. I feel VERY strongly about the idea that sexually active girls are “sluts”, and was really pleased that the article touched upon this double-standard. Nothing upsets me more, and I feel that at times girls choosing to wait to have sex on gurl.com and other forums look down on the girls who are sexually active, leading those girls to really believe that they are indeed “sluts” when it is not the case at all. I also agree that a lot of girls feel extremely self conscious when going into their first sexual experiences, and I find that gurl.com is a positive resource if it can allow girls to realize that there is nothing wrong with their bodies and that they should not be ashamed of them. Furthermore, I remember using the site as a resource when I had questions about things related to sex when I was younger, which was important for me because my family literally never said anything about sex to me growing up. If it can serve a similar purpose to girls everywhere and allow them to be unashamed of their sexuality, I think it serves a wonderful purpose. On the other hand, as Grisso and Weiss note on page 8, there is still the idea of female submission ingrained into gurl.com. From the readings and looking at the site, it appears that many girls currently on the site are so engrossed with making a man feel good, happy etc that their own feelings become second, and the patriarchal system strikes again. Girls do what they think they’re supposed to do based on the things they read on the gurl.com boards and see in the media, rather than what they actually want to do. Still, I do think that gurl.com is a valuable, safe place for girls online because of the fact that it allows for girls to communicate with other girls about issues that a lot of them don’t get to talk to with anyone else. It forges bonds among girls, which is wonderful considering all of the negativity that often comes from IM exchanges between girls. I think gurl.com and other similar sites can be huge in informing girls about sexual identity. By reading what others girls have to say and feel, girls can then begin considering their own feelings on an issue. This is crucial to girls who are learning about themselves and sexuality for the first time. Furthermore, I think its important to create more safe places for girls on the internet where they can ask questions, get advice, gain knowledge and be themselves free of judgment. Although it may take a while to come to fruition, a gurl.com with a less patriarchal tone would be ideal.
gURL.com: Why didn't I know about this site when I was a girl?!
Like most adolescent girls, I became curious about sex and sexuality when I hit puberty. I'd hear the girls on my bus talk about their sexual adventures. I was left to wonder about what they had done, how they did it, if I had any interest in doing it, and what I thought about them for doing those things. According to the article that was provided on Webcourses, gURL.com was created in 1996. At the time I would have been 10 years-old. We didn't get the Internet in my household, however, until I was about 14. I really wish I had known there was a site like this available to me at that point in my life.
This website has everything that I wish I could do in a website of my own. What I love about this website the most is the message boards. While this website provides so much helpful information, the message boards allow girls to interact with other girls about subjects they either feel they have knowledge of, are curious about, or are passionate about. Girls gain a lot of their own identity by interacting with other people their age. Where an IM chat can allow a girl to hold a conversation with their friends while putting up a mask of hiding their emotions, the message boards allow girls to converse with strangers while putting up that mask. The anonymity of the message boards allow girls to be who they are more freely. As individuals, we tend to care more about what others think of us when those others are our friends and family. When it comes to sexuality girls tend to be shy about talking about sex to their friends and family. This is because society has taught girls that being interested in sex is considered to be wrong and dirty. Girls also don't want to be judged by their friends and family.
I know that as a teen, even thinking about sex made me feel dirty and immoral. It's nice that gURL.com offers girls a safe place for them to express those thoughts about sex without being negatively judged by others. My service learning project I'm working on right now entails a webpage that is similar to this one in the sense that girls will be allowed to express themselves without receiving any negative judgements. I hope to see some form of success in my project that the creators of gURL.com has seen in theirs.
This website has everything that I wish I could do in a website of my own. What I love about this website the most is the message boards. While this website provides so much helpful information, the message boards allow girls to interact with other girls about subjects they either feel they have knowledge of, are curious about, or are passionate about. Girls gain a lot of their own identity by interacting with other people their age. Where an IM chat can allow a girl to hold a conversation with their friends while putting up a mask of hiding their emotions, the message boards allow girls to converse with strangers while putting up that mask. The anonymity of the message boards allow girls to be who they are more freely. As individuals, we tend to care more about what others think of us when those others are our friends and family. When it comes to sexuality girls tend to be shy about talking about sex to their friends and family. This is because society has taught girls that being interested in sex is considered to be wrong and dirty. Girls also don't want to be judged by their friends and family.
I know that as a teen, even thinking about sex made me feel dirty and immoral. It's nice that gURL.com offers girls a safe place for them to express those thoughts about sex without being negatively judged by others. My service learning project I'm working on right now entails a webpage that is similar to this one in the sense that girls will be allowed to express themselves without receiving any negative judgements. I hope to see some form of success in my project that the creators of gURL.com has seen in theirs.
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