Teens on the Internet: Interpersonal Connection, Identity, and Information

Youth is a major predictor of use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). This chapter attempts to give a detailed examination of the functions for which teenagers use the Internet. It notes that interpersonal communication and downloading music dominate teens' time online. Almost all of teens' online communication is with other teens that they know from school and other local contexts, although online gaming and participation in chat rooms puts them in contact with strangers. By analysing the multiple conversational threads intertwined in an online chat room, the chapter provides a description of how teenagers use online conversation to cope with the perennial concerns of adolescent life, such as gender and racial identity, sexual development, and romantic partners.