Between Responsibility and Positioning: A Study About Young People's Interactions in Social Media. (February 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Eek-Karlsson, Liselotte
• Is Part Of: Young. Volume 27:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 17
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Subjects: Youth -- social media -- discursive patterns -- taking responsibility -- saving face -- social positioning -- communicative act -- strategic acts; Youth -- Research -- Periodicals; Youth -- Scandinavia -- Periodicals; Jeunesse -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Jeunesse -- Scandinavie -- Périodiques; Jeune; Mondialisation; Condition sociale; Recherche; Europe; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 305.242
• DOI: 10.1177/1103308818761413
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1103-3088

Abstract

This article examines young people's argumentation about their communication in social media. The purpose is to uncover what is taken for granted in their experiences and illuminate discursive patterns in their representation of everyday life online. Thirty-two youths (14–15 years old) were interviewed. The result shows that there are three discourses involved that in different ways condition the youths' acting space online. The discourses are called 'taking responsibility', 'saving face' and 'social positioning'. There is a struggle between the discourses and they take on different power positions depending on the relation between three parameters: with whom the interaction takes place, the content that is to be published and the online characteristics. The discourse 'taking responsibility' is superior in interactions with close friends, unlike interactions with peripheral friends, where 'social positioning' is superior. The discourse 'saving face' is found in interactions with both close and peripheral friends.