Connecting developmental constructions to the internet: Identity presentation and sexual exploration in online teen chat rooms.
Abstract
The authors examined the online construction of identity and sexuality in a large sample of conversations from monitored and unmonitored teen chat rooms. More than half of the 583 participants (identified by a distinct screen name) communicated identity information, most frequently gender. In this way, participants compensated for the text-based chat environment by providing information about themselves that would be visible and obvious in face-to-face communication. Sexual themes constituted 5% of all utterances (1 sexual comment per minute); bad or obscene language constituted 3% of the sample (1 obscenity every 2 minutes). Participants who self-identified as female produced more implicit sexual communication, participants who self-identified as male produced more explicit sexual communication. The protected environment of monitored chat (hosts who enforce basic behavioral rules) contained an environment with less explicit sexuality and fewer obscenities than the freer environment of unmonitored chat. These differences were attributable both to the monitoring process itself and to the differing populations attracted to each type of chat room (monitored: more participants self-identified as younger and female; unmonitored: more participants self-identified as older and male).
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Social media has seven unique features that distinguish it from traditional interpersonal environments and are particularly relevant to adolescent peer experiences.
“we present seven features of social media that distinguish it from traditional interpersonal environments, with particular attention to features that may impact adolescents’ peer experiences.”
From Transformation of Adolescent Peer Relations in the Social Media Context: Part 1—A Theoretical Framework and Application to Dyadic Peer Relationships (2018) · cites this paper as Subrahmanyam et al. 2006
Adolescents are bringing peer-driven traditional developmental tasks into the online environment.
“Thus, adolescents are bringing many of these peer-driven traditional developmental tasks into the online environment (Subrahmanyam et al. 2006).”
From Transformation of Adolescent Peer Relations in the Social Media Context: Part 1—A Theoretical Framework and Application to Dyadic Peer Relationships (2018) · cites this paper as Subrahmanyam et al. 2006
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- Authors
- Subrahmanyam, K., Smahel, D., & Greenfield, P.
- Affiliations
- California State University Los Angeles (US)
- Venue
- Developmental Psychology
- Published
- 2006
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 395-406
- ISSN
- 0012-1649 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-0599
- OpenAlex
- W2159743522
- Cited by
- 423
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 20.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Developmental Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of North Florida Digital Commons (University of North Florida) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (BCS-0125446:004)
- Georgetown University
- California State University, Los Angeles
- Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (VZ 0021622406)
- Masaryk University
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Digital Communication and Language
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- online identity construction, adolescent sexuality, sexual exploration, online chat, gender identity disclosure, sexual communication, obscenity
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Psychology, Adolescent, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Online Systems, Social Identification, Sexuality, Internet, Adolescent Development
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