Teens and Technology: Youth are Leading the Transition to a Fully Wired and Mobile Nation
Today’s American teens live in a world enveloped by communications
technologies; the internet and cell phones have become a central force
that fuels the rhythm of daily life.
The number of teenagers using the internet has grown 24% in the past
four years and 87% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 are online.
Compared to four years ago, teens’ use of the internet has intensified
and broadened as they log on more often and do more things when they
are online.
Among other things, there has been significant growth over the past
four years in the number of teens who play games on the internet, get
news, shop online, and get health information.
Not only has the number of users increased, but also the variety of
technologies that teens use to support their communication, research,
and entertainment desires has grown.
These technologies enable a variety of methods and channels by which
youth can communicate with one another as well as with their parents
and other authorities. Email, once the cutting edge “killer app,” is
losing its privileged place among many teens as they express
preferences for instant messaging (IM) and text messaging as ways to
connect with their friends.
In focus groups, teens described their new environment. To them, email
is increasingly seen as a tool for communicating with “adults” such as
teachers, institutions like schools, and as a way to convey lengthy and
detailed information to large groups. Meanwhile, IM is used for
everyday conversations with multiple friends that range from casual to
more serious and private exchanges.
It is also used as a place of personal expression. Through buddy icons
or other customization of the look and feel of IM communications, teens
can express and differentiate themselves. Other instant messaging tools
allow for the posting of personal profiles, or even “away” messages,
durable signals posted when a user is away from the computer but wishes
to remain connected to their IM network.
Recent Comments